NEW YORK (AFP) - David Bowie’s final album soared toward the top of the charts Tuesday after the music legend’s death from cancer stunned the world, with the details still shrouded in mystery two days on.　“Blackstar,” released on Bowie’s 69th birthday Friday, was on course to be the first number-one album in the United States for the quintessentially avant-garde artist who lived his last two decades in New York but enjoyed greater mainstream success in his native Britain. Christopher Schwartz lo

Up-and-coming local indie duo Dead Buttons has signed on with U.K. record label Baltic Records to release its first full-studio album, “Some Kind of Youth,” in both Korea and the U.K., the Love Rock Company announced Tuesday.The upcoming debut album, which was produced by iconic rocker Kim In-su of Crying Nut, will drop in Korea Thursday, while its U.K. release date is scheduled for some time later this May.  Dead Buttons (Love Rock Company)The young Korean rockers Hong Ji-hyun (guitar and lead

A seismic shift may be in store for the local entertainment industry after tech giant Kakao’s entrance to the market, upon its acquisition of Loen Entertainment, the operator of MelOn, Korea’s top music-streaming service.　The big buy, which gives the maker of mobile messenger KakaoTalk a 76.4 percent stake in Loen worth 1.87 trillion won ($1.55 billion) later this month, could open a greater platform for the company to create new music services, on top of access to Loen’s plethora of entertainme

The disbandment of girl group KARA is imminent with the Feb. 2 termination of the three members’ contracts with DSP Media, the group’s agency. KARA (DSP Media)　Park Gyu-ri, Han Seung-yeon, and Goo Ha-ra, the oldest members of KARA, have not declared their intention to renew the contracts, which implies the termination of their contracts. The standard practice is to renew a contract months before its expiration, according to industry insiders.　DSP Media has yet to officially announce the group’s

Singer Jisoo of group Tahiti uploaded a screenshot Monday showing what she claims is a message from a “sponsorship broker” on Instagram. She added, “This kind of messages upsets me. You keep messaging me and commenting on every photo I upload, which you need to stop immediately.” Tahiti Jisoo (Dream Star Entertainment)　Sponsorship broker in Korea refers to a person brokering sugar-daddy deals.　The broker, who claims to belong to a membership-only networking society, asked Jisoo to meet a member

Adding fuel to the thriving electronica music craze in Korea, international electronic dance music phenom Zedd kick-started this year’s Hyundai Card “5 Nights” concert series with his solo performance at the AX-Korea stadium Friday night. Dance music fan or not, it would be hard to come across a music lover who has never once listened to a Zedd collaboration. Since his U.S. debut in 2012, the young artist has become one of the music world’s most popular mainstream DJs.A visual concert if there e

CJ E&M, one of the country’s largest entertainment companies, is investing 25 billion won ($20.6 million) over the next three years in a new idol group that will perform throughout the year at a permanent venue.  　Boys 24 project envisions 24 male performers, selected through auditions and professional training, holding live performances throughout the year at an exclusive venue, according to a press release issued by CJ E&M on Friday.  Poster of "Boys 24" (CJ E&M, Liveworks Company)　Boys 24’s s

EXO“Sing For You - Winter Special Album, 2015”KT Music　The best thing about EXO’s “Winter Special Album” for 2015 is that it doesn’t feel like a winter album. There are no thinly veiled Christmas carol rip-offs or songs about being giddy about the holidays. Thank goodness.Instead, the five-track EP brings catchy tunes and pop beats that would have made the songs hits at any time of the year. With the double lead tracks “Unfair” and “Sing for You,” the members of EXO show that they can handle bot

Dope’Doug“Feelin‘MySelf”Luminant Entertainment　Although hip-hop’s been steadily gaining ground in the Korean music scene, it’s hard to deny that many of the new rappers coming out have a similar style -- teetering between their underground roots and a more pop-friendly style. The difference between the two sides is not only in the lyrics, as rapper Dope’Doug shows in his seven-track EP “Feelin’MySelf.”The first five tracks of the EP are about different topics -- staying true to yourself, believi

　　　Dalshabet“Naturalness”Loen Entertainment　When girl group Dalshabet downsized two members to become a quartet before releasing their ninth EP “Naturalness,” there was some concern among fans about how the remaining members would rearrange the parts. For example, Serri was suddenly named a rapper to replace the former rapper Gaeun. But those concerns seem to have been misplaced; Dalshabet’s music remains intact and balanced, and the rap section is arguably the highlight of the Brave Brothers-pr

Baekhyun and Suzy’s new collaboration song, “Dream,” has skyrocketed to No. 1 on eight music charts following its Jan. 7 release. Baekhyun and Suzy (JYP Entertainment)　“Dream” has been garnering attention as a collaboration between EXO’s Baekhyun and Miss A’s Suzy, rising stars of two powerful agencies, SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment, respectively. Such label crossover collaborations are rare in K-pop, but the two agencies were immediately sold on the idea by producer Park Geun-tae when

Korean girl group EXID will sign a memorandum of understanding with Chinese agency Banana Project in Shanghai on Jan. 11, according to Yedang Entertainment, the management agency of EXID. EXID (Official Facebook)　Banana Project is owned by Wang Sicong, son of Wang Jianlin, chairman of China’s largest real estate developer Dalian Wanda Group. 　Under the memo, Banana Project will manage EXID’s activities in China, although the specifics have yet to be negotiated, Yedang Entertainment said. The age

CJ E&M announced Wednesday that it has acquired hip-hop label AOMG, continuing to strengthen its presence in the music genre.AOMG is famously headed by two artists -- Jay Park, a former member of JYP Entertainment boy group 2PM, and Simon Dominic. The label, formed in August 2013, is the home of trendy artists who perform both in mainstream music and in the underground scene, such as Gray, Loco and Ugly Duck.  AOMG (CJ E&M)Ahn Seok-joon, the head of CJ E&M’s music division, said in a statement t