S.M. Entertainment artists will reunite at the 2017 SMTown concert tour titled “SMTown Live,” according to the agency Tuesday. S.M. Entertainment artists perform at the “SMTown Live Tour V in Japan” held at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan, in 2016. (S.M. Entertainment)“The upcoming concert will gather the artists on the big stage again in Korea since the fourth tour, which was held in 2014 in the country,” an S.M. Entertainment representative said.The 2014 “SMTown Live World Tour IV in Seoul” featu

South Korean singer-actor Kim Hyun-joong will hold his upcoming publicity events in Japan as scheduled despite being charged with drunk driving, his agency said Monday. (Herald DB)According to Keyeast Entertainment, Kim will release a new single in Japan on June 6 and hold a 16-city tour there, titled "Inner Core," starting the next day. Kim, a member of the K-pop boy band SS501, was caught driving under the influence of alcohol on a street in Seoul's Songpa Ward around 1:55 a.m. on March 26, ac

Bangtan Boys, or BTS, has been ranked as the boy band with the highest brand value for the fifth consecutive month. The Korea Reputation Center analyzed over 39 million pieces of data on 43 Korean boy bands between March 7 and April 8 and the result showed BTS receiving the highest consumer participation although the amount of its big data decreased by 5.48 percent compared the previous month.Korean boy band BTS (Big Hit Entertainment)“The amount of big data decreased for BTS but its music sourc

Boy band Winner’s recent single “Really Really” is making an impact on foreign charts, with Apple Music Pop selecting it as one of the songs on its “Best of the Week” list.Winner (YG Entertainment)The list compiles popular songs across the globe, selected by Apple Music’s editors. Among the songs on the latest list were “Last Day Live” by the Chainsmokers and “Galway Girl” by Ed Sheeran.Winner last week unveiled its single album “Fate Number For,” which topped iTunes album charts in 21 regions a

Rapper and producer working to lead his crew out of underground hip hop and onto mainstream media

Hip-hop musician Junggigo, who has collaborated with K-pop’s trendiest artists, will be releasing his first solo LP on April 20. 　“Junggigo will kick off his official activities with a media showcase at the Hyundai Card Understage in Itaewon on April 20,” Starship Entertainment, Junggigo’s label, said Monday. Junggigo revealed the cover art for the album, titled “Across the Universe,” on Sunday.The 36-year-old singer-producer recently released “Let me Love You” with boy band EXO’s Chanyeol.Album

Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation will hold a solo concert series in Seoul next month to kick off her Asia tour, her agency said Friday.The “Taeyeon solo concert: Persona” series will be held from May 12 to 14 at the Olympic Hall of Seoul Olympic Park in southern Seoul, according to S.M. Entertainment. It will mark the second time she will perform in solo concerts, following Seoul and Busan gigs last year. Following the Seoul concert, Taeyeon will embark on a tour across Asia, covering cities includi

The rap audition program “High School Rapper” went out on a high note last week by becoming one of the most-talked about shows in the country. But it also attracted criticism and sparked controversy over its contestants’ alleged wrongdoings.Its final episode last Friday pitted seven high schoolers against each other, and Yang Hong-won -- who had been the front-runner throughout the show -- came out victorious. Yang -- who goes by the stage name of Young B -- now has a chance to work with hip-hop

K-pop boy group 2PM will return to the stage as one of its members is quickly recovering from injuries he sustained while performing in February, its management agency said Friday.JYP Entertainment said in a statement the six-member group will hold its concert "6Nights" six times from June 2-4 and 9-11 at Hwajung Stadium of Korea University in Seoul. (JYP Entertainment)On Feb. 26, Jun. K fell off a moving vehicle while performing at Seoul Olympic Park, fracturing his right elbow and right ring f

Ravi of boy band VIXX caught fans off-guard with a pleasant surprise of an unscheduled release of his mixtape titled “Lucid Dream,” Friday.The song, also featuring rapper Microdot, was released at midnight via YouTube and SoundCloud. Its title conveys a message of “being able to accomplish anything one sets his mind on,” according to his agency Jellyfish Entertainment.Cover image for Ravi’s “Lucid Dream” (Jellyfish Entertainment)The 24-year-old has been working to hone his skills as not only a r

K-pop group GFriend is seeking to expand its global popularity by holding a fan meeting in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday.According to its agency Source Music, the six-member team will hold “Fan Meeting in Bangkok 2017” at the Muangthai GMM Livehouse at Central World. During the event, GFriend will perform its hit songs live and communicate with Thai fans in various segments.  GFriend (Source Music)“GFriend has been garnering a lot of attention in overseas markets. We’ve decided on a fan meeting

Police said Thursday they have recently referred the drunk driving case involving popular singer-actor Kim Hyun-joong to the prosecution.The member of the K-pop boy band SS501 was caught on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol on a street in Seoul's Songpa Ward around 1:55 a.m. on March 26, according to the Songpa Police Station. Police recommended an indictment, sending the investigation result to the prosecution Monday, officials said. (Yonhap)Kim was driving his car on his way ho

Boy band Winner promises wider scope of music after 14-month break, main vocalist’s departure

Seemingly unintended vulgarity plagued EXID as KBS banned the group’s song “Velvet,” after the broadcaster said its lyrics sounded suspiciously like a curse word. Banana Culture Entertainment, the agency for the five-member group, confirmed reports that the song -- included in the soon-to-be-released EP “Eclipse” -- was deemed unsuitable for broadcast. EXID (Banana Culture Entertainment)According to an earlier report, KBS said the English word “sip” is thought to represent a similarly sounding K