Globally recognized K-pop group Big Bang will be representing Korea’s new slogan “Creative Korea” as a “Creative Icon,” the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Monday.“Big Bang will be promoting the ‘Creative Korea’ brand worldwide in its new role as a Creative Icon,” said the Culture Ministry. “The group will have a big impact on promoting Korea’s image.”Created ahead of the South Korea-Japan World Cup in 2002, the longtime nation brand “Dynamic Korea” was replaced with the new sl

Rookie K-pop band Astro will hold its first Asia showcase in Bangkok, Thailand, on Oct. 29, according to the group’s management agency Fantagio on Wednesday. 　This will be an opportunity for Astro to showcase its music and get to know international fans, the company said.　Taking place at the Muang Thai GMM Live House, Central World, the performance will also feature an opening act by award-winning illusionist Kim Hyun-joon. 　 Within six months of its debut, Astro has already garnered wide global

Returning as a seven-member subunit, K-pop girl group I.O.I revealed a teaser image for its upcoming single on the group’s official social media channels on Tuesday morning. 　The photo features seven of the 11 members -- Kim Do-yeon, Kim So-hye, Kim Chung-ha, Lim Na-young, Jeon So-mi, Zhou Jieqiong, and Choi Yoo-jung -- against a metallic background sporting platinum blonde wigs in identical all-white attire. This new look is in contrast with the bright and cheerful image the group had for its d

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- One man and two women died after attending a weekend rave in California headlined by Ice Cube, Major Lazer and dozens of other hip-hop and electronic dance music performers, officials said Monday.The three people were among nine hospitalized during last weekend’s Hard Summer Music Festival in Fontana, San Bernardino County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jodi Miller said.More than 146,000 people attended the Saturday to Sunday outdoor event, according to organizers.The victims were ide

K-pop group VIXX is returning with a new album, “Hades,” on Aug. 12. After unveiling the first teaser image for the mini album Monday, the group’s management agency Jellyfish Entertainment released another promotional photo of the band via the company’s official social media channels Tuesday. Referring to the god of the underworld in Greek mythology, “Hades” is the second part of VIXX’s yearlong trilogy project titled “Conception.” The first album of the three-part series, “Zelos,” was released

Despite having spent significant time in the spotlight, singer-songwriter HyunA says she still has a long way to go. 　“I often get asked where I see myself in 10 years,” said HyunA during an interview at the office of her management agency Cube Entertainment in Seoul last Friday. “I just want to focus on becoming a better person and artiste than I was the previous day.”HyunA, a former member of defunct K-pop group 4Minute, returned as a solo artist with her first album “A’wesome” launched on Mon

TOKYO (AFP) - A sex exhibition smack in the middle in one of Tokyo’s hippest areas is shining a nostalgic light on Japanese erotica -- a culture the curator believes is dying out.Kyoichi Tsuzuki’s “Erotopia Japan” deals with Japanese sexuality and fantasies. The gallery in the heart of Shibuya’s trendy fashion district is plastered from floor to ceiling with eye-boggling prints, with one wall dedicated to love hotel beds.“This kind of Showa period (1926-1989) culture is being wiped out, as Japan

German singer and self-proclaimed K-pop enthusiast Jamie-Lee Kriewitz -- better known simply as Jamie-Lee -- has made her first visit to Korea.The winner of the popular German talent show “The Voice of Germany,” the 18-year-old singer will be traveling throughout Korea until Aug. 3, according to the Korea Tourism Organization’s Frankfurt Office. In order to experience the Korean pop culture and music scene firsthand, she plans to visit Dongdaemun Market, Gyeongbokgung Palace, N Seoul Tower on Mo

Jun. K, the main vocalist for six-member K-pop group 2PM, will be releasing his first solo album “Mr. No Love,” according to his management agency JYP Entertainment.The full track list for the upcoming mini album was unveiled on the company’s official social media channels on Monday. Jun. K is an experienced songwriter who has produced hit songs like “Go Crazy” and “My House” for 2PM. He has already established himself as a solo artist in Japan, but “Mr. No Love” will be his first solo album rel

Lil Durk“Lil Durk 2X”(Def Jam) Maybe the most telling thing about Lil Durk's new album "Lil Durk 2X" (Def Jam) is that it wasn't supposed to be an album in the first place. It was supposed to be a free mixtape for fans. But one listen to "Lil Durk 2X" and it's clear that these songs are too well-crafted not to get the full push of an album release. After all the buzz that his love song "My Beyonce" with Dej Loaf received from his previous mixtape "300 Days 300 Nights," his label smartly saw the

Candi Staton“It’s Time to Be Free” (Beracah Records) Candi Staton blends gospel themes and messages of redemption and caution with dance music, funk and soul on “It’s Time to Be Free,” revisiting earlier hits and perhaps creating new ones.  Staton, whose career since the early 1950s has ranged from gospel to R&B to disco and back, takes a spiritual approach on the songs, near all her own, with the mostly upbeat arrangements buffering any excesses. Based on the first couple of tracks – “Shout Out

MSTRKRFT“Operator”(Last Gang) The Canadian duo MSTRKRFT is no stranger to the poppier side of dance music. After all, Jesse F. Keeler and Al-P remixed Katy Perry's "California Gurls" and Kylie Minogue's "Wow," as well as collaborating with John Legend on "Heartbreaker" for their last album. However, on "Operator" (Last Gang), their first album in seven years, MSTRKRFT balance their melodic side with songs that are far more aggressive and challenging. The result is a bit of a seesaw, especially e

NEW YORK (AP) -- Songs Bruce Springsteen recorded in the 1960s and early ’70s will be released in September.Five previously unreleased tracks from the Boss will be released on Sept. 23 on a companion album to the icon’s autobiography, “Born to Run,” which will be released Sept. 27.　  The compilation album “Chapter and Verse” will include the unreleased songs “Baby I” and “You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover,” recorded in 1966 and 1967 when Springsteen was a teenager in the band the Castiles. The

HyunA, a former member of the disbanded K-pop group 4Minute, is getting ready to unleash new releases.After marking her debut as a solo artist at the Viral Fest Asia 2016 in Bali, Indonesia earlier this month, the 24-year-old singer is scheduled to perform the track “How Is It?” from her upcoming mini album “A’wesome” on KBS2’s “Music Bank” on Aug. 5, according to her management agency Cube Entertainment on Thursday. 　“Starting with ‘Music Bank,’ HyunA will continue to make more broadcast appear

K-pop group EXID will perform at the 2016 China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference -- also known as ChinaJoy -- on Thursday and Friday at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. This is the first time the event organizers have invited a Korean girl group to the global conference.  Held every year in Shanghai since 2004, ChinaJoy is a multiday expo that brings together companies from the digital gaming industry. This year’s event is expected to attract over 300,000 participants and att