The Korea Herald

Big Bang tops Oricon chart with ‘MADE Series'

Feb 4, 2016

K-pop idol group Big Bang topped the Oricon Daily Albums chart and Japanese iTunes chart with its new album “MADE Series,” the group’s agency YG Entertainment said Thursday.　Big Bang’s new album sold 80,262 copies Wednesday, the day of its release, the agency added.　The album is a compilation of a monthly series from last year that started with “M” in May and continued to August when “E” was released in August. It was released only in Korea. Big Bang (YG Entertainment)　The new album for the Japa
Guns N' Roses reunion heads to Mexico

Feb 4, 2016

NEW YORK (AFP) - The long-in-the-making reunion of Guns N’ Roses has gone international, with the hard rockers announcing a show in Mexico City.　The band, performing for the first time in 23 years with the original lineup of Axl Rose and Slash, posted a video on its website giving an April 19 date for a concert at the Foro Sol stadium.　The show will come halfway between the rockers' two performances at the Coachella festival, which takes place over back-to-back weekends in the California desert.
BigBang's 'MADE SERIES' tops Japanese music charts

Feb 4, 2016

South Korean boy band BigBang has cruised to the top of Japan's Oricon chart with its new album "MADE SERIES," its agency said Thursday.The band sold 80,262 copies of the album on Wednesday, the day of its release, and has comfortably sat atop Oricon's Daily Albums and the Japanese iTunes Albums charts since, YG Entertainment said."MADE SERIES" is the group's first Japanese album in over 3 1/2 years, with its last album "ALIVE-MONSTER EDITION-" having come out in June 2012.The album contains eig
[Herald Review] Cho Seong-jin exceeds expectations at Chopin gala concert

Feb 3, 2016

Soaked with national pride, the hottest classical music event of the season concluded with a much-deserved standing ovation as pianist Cho Seong-jin performed at home for the first time since becoming the first Korean to win at the prestigious International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition last year. 　Cho, along with his fellow competitors who ranked through sixth place in the competition, gathered together at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall to perform at the winners’ gala concert. Pianist
U.N. chorus to visit Korea for first time in 69 years

Feb 3, 2016

A United Nations' choir will perform in South Korea for the first time since its foundation in 1947 and send a message for peace on the divided Korean Peninsula.The United Nations Singers' performances will take place in the truce village of Panmunjom, Seoul, Busan, Cheongju and Yeosu from June 4 through 14, the chorus said Tuesday.Established through voluntary participation of U.N. employees, the U.N. chorus has been making a series of performances over the past decades in one or two countries
[Herald Interview] Winner up next in YG baton relay

Feb 3, 2016

After a 17-month break, YG’s quintet begins a yearlong project
Lady Gaga to sing at Super Bowl, Grammys

Feb 3, 2016

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Lady Gaga will perform at two of February's most-watched events as she sings the national anthem at the Super Bowl and leads a tribute to David Bowie at the Grammys.　The National Football League announced that Lady Gaga would sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl 50 on Sunday in San Francisco, where British rockers Coldplay will be the halftime entertainment.　The Super Bowl is often the most-watched television event each year in the United States, and the league gener
Yu Seung-woo cycles through love with 'Pit a Pat'

Feb 2, 2016

Yu Seung-woo's EP “Pit a Pat’ is his first record since after he legally became an adult in Korea, but he has still maintained his cute, boyish character on the five tracks, four of which each depict a different stage of romance.The lead track "Whatever," featuring rapper Crucial Star, is about trying fruitlessly to brush off a breakup. "Getting like U" captures the first sparks of puppy love, "45.7 cm" is about the tingling excitement of beginning a new relationship, while last year‘s hit track
[Herald Interview] Lively duo behind ‘Dead Buttons’ music

Feb 2, 2016

“Rough” band prepares to take on Europe with first album “Some Kind of Youth”
Classical music icon Cho Seong-jin back home

Feb 2, 2016

Chopin competition winner is here to perform in two gala concerts
EXO's Seoul concert to wrap up 2nd world tour

Feb 2, 2016

South Korean boy band EXO's upcoming Seoul concert will mark the grand finale of its second world tour, its agency said Tuesday.The nine-member act will perform March 18-20 at Olympic Park under the title "EXO PLANET #2 The EXO'luXion [dot]," which will conclude the journey started in March 2015, S.M. Entertainment said."[dot]" has been added to the title to signify the end of the one-year circuit, the agency added.EXO is the first idol group to have performed five times at the Olympic Gymnastic
SHINee launches 4th Japan tour

Feb 2, 2016

South Korean boy band SHINee has embarked on its fourth Japanese tour, which could draw hundreds of thousands of people, its agency said Tuesday.The five-member act touched down in Fukuoka for concerts from Saturday to Sunday, S.M. Entertainment said, adding it will stop in Tokyo, Osaka and six other cities through May."SHINee World 2016 ～D×D×D～" is expected to draw an estimated350,000 people, which will bring the cumulative total of visitors to all of SHINee's Japanese tours to 1.12 million, th
4minute brings love story, EDM twist in ‘Act. 7’

Feb 1, 2016

It has been nearly eight years since girl group 4minute burst onto the K-pop music scene with the catchy, colorful pop song “Hot Issue.” Since then, they have gone on to establish themselves as a “girl crush” group in K-pop, building up a large female fan base with their tough, party-hard style. 　With their new album “Act. 7” featuring the electronic dance music lead track “Hate,” 4minute stays the course, keeping up their party music while trying to add a more seasoned touch. 4minute poses for
F(x) let loose for first concert

Jan 31, 2016

The members of SM Entertainment’s girl group f(x) said that they let themselves loosen up for their first solo concert, “Dimension 4 - Docking Station.”“We’re a group that always tries to be perfect, so we normally didn’t accept even the smallest mistakes (in our performances). But with this concert, we wanted to focus on being free and interacting more with our fans, so we made some more mistakes,” member Luna told reporters ahead of the concert‘s third and last show at Olympic Hall on Sunday.A
Luna says f(x) music is trendy, global

Jan 31, 2016

Luna of SM Entertainment girl group f(x) said that f(x)’s music has been successful because it is global and trendy. The girl group is known for its high quality dance music in addition to its energetic performances. Billboard named the quartet’s latest album “4 Walls” the No. 2 K-pop album of 2015.“F(x) communicates a lot with composers from abroad, so we can connect better with our fans abroad. It also helps us to develop our musical color,” she said at a press conference before the Sunday per