Seventeen　“Boys Be”　(Loen Entertainment)　Seventeen, the 13-member rookie group that debuted this year after going through a grueling training process broadcast on the air, has come out with a catchy second EP called “Boys Be.”　Despite its name, Seventeen has 13 members, split up into three units -- the hip-hop unit, the vocal unit and the performance unit. Like its first EP “17 Carat,” “Boys Be” features one track from each of the three units. The lead track “Mansae” and the track “Rock” have a

　　G.Soul　“Dirty”　(KT Music)　“Dirty” could probably pass for a DJ set at a house music lounge. With DJ and composer Frants (who also worked on the Wonder Girls’ ‘Reboot’ album), JYP’s G.Soul toned down the emotion of his first EP “Coming Home” from January, and turned up the beat to create a quality album combining jazz and soul with house music.Although the EP is called “Dirty” and the word repeats itself countlessly in the songs, the album exudes a romantic vibe thanks to G.Soul’s tone and his

Classical opera is getting a modern and chic revamp, leaving behind the fancy orchestra concert halls and heading out to the mecca of pop music culture and youth.After hitting it big in their native country of New Zealand with its 2013 self-titled debut album, up-and-coming opera crossover family trio Sol3 Mio will be performing its first concert in Korea in the most unlikely of venues -- Gangnam, Seoul nightclub Octagon. Contemporary classical opera trio Sol3 Mio (Universal Music)As part of the

Maroon 5’s much-anticipated performance in Seoul was a letdown in terms of musical satisfaction. Lead singer Adam Levine’s voice remained unstable, with his trademark high-pitch tone often failing. It was the Korean fans who salvaged the strained performance with their over-the-top support for the band on Monday.   Maroon 5’s “V tour“ in Seoul‘s Olympic Gymnastics Arena (Live Nation Korea)Signs of trouble were detected early on when the group abruptly postponed their concert in Daegu on Sunday,

Considered one of the most influential pianists of his generation, 69-year-old Paik Kun-woo will be making his way back to the public eye with the launch of his upcoming “Kun-woo Paik Piano Recital” nationwide tour this month.After giving his first public performance at the tender age of 10 with the Korean National Orchestra. The child prodigy later went on to perform at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, in his orchestral debut, at the age of 15. Since then, Paik has performed on some of the wor

Hip-hop boy group‘s new album created by all-star team, with a more friendly feel

　Giriboy　“Lonely 4Songs”　(Loen Entertainment)　In all of Giriboy’s songs, the common denominator is Giriboy’s ability to write lyrics that are highly relatable. He doesn’t disappoint on “Lonely 4Songs,” an EP devoted to expressing the process of coping with loneliness that most people go through after a breakup. Written entirely as a collaboration between Giriboy and Han Yo-han, a producer-guitarist who has worked with Block B’s Zico and most recently on Blacknut’s song “What I Can Do” for “Show

　　Beat Win　“Insatiable”　(Loen Entertainment)　It has been reported that at the media showcase for the album “Insatiable,” Beat Win announced they would “break” the Korean pop music industry. Unfortunately, their first EP “Insatiable” -- which came out after the group regrouped into five members -- does not seem to take them quite there. “Insatiable” starts off with a bold intro called “Attention,” warning other artists about who they’re dealing with, but things spiral very fast. The lead track “S

　　Verbal Jint & Sanchez　“Yeoja”　(Loen Entertainment)　Sanchez was cast personally by Verbal Jint to put “Yeoja” together, and it’s easy to see why: Sanchez’s thin, high voice provides a nice contrast to Verbal Jint’s distinctive low voice and staccato rapping style. The lead track “Favorite!” is a new version of the 2007 track Verbal Jint released with Dynamic Duo, which turned the hip-hop track into a pop track with Sanchez’s vocal style reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s. “My Type 2.5” is also a

A new song representing the desire for Korean unification was introduced on Tuesday at the Sejong Center for Performing Arts in Seoul.Titled “One Dream, One Korea,” it is the result of the New Era Unification Song campaign that was launched in April to create the first unification song since the 1947 song “Our Wish.” The campaign brought domestic civic groups and Koreans living abroad together with some of the top names in Korean music, who donated their talent for the cause. “One Dream, One Kor

Girls‘ Generation was the eighth artist to hold a monthly live broadcast concert via the “Tencent K-pop Live” series on Tencent‘s video service QQ.The “Tencent K-pop Live” concert series is a collaboration between Chinese information technology giant Tencent and content distribution company Cantara Global. It is part of Tencent Video’s “Live Music” business, which began last year as a comprehensive music service offering content from artists in Japan, Korea, the U.S. and Europe. Girls' Generatio

Performing without the help of showy props, the members show how much they‘ve grown

Ben"My Name is BEN"(Sony Music)It's hard to understand why Ben or her management decided to choose the song "Looby Loo" as the lead track of her second EP "My Name is BEN."The song is bubblegum cute and is about a friend comforting another friend who has just gone through a breakup with cliches along the lines of "Congratulations! You're better off without him. Let's go get our hair done!"The song is fine in and of itself, but does nothing to show Ben's talents as a singer, which she definitely

E Sens"The Anecdote"(KT Music)　 Rapper E Sens is often recognized as the "other rapper" in the duo Supreme Team with Simon D, who recently topped the charts with his solo track "Simon Dominic." But in his first studio-length album "The Anecdote," which created buzz because it was released while he serves time for drug use, E Sens shows that he can more than hold his own.The album is filled with honest, often bitter autobiographical lyrics about his struggles in the Korean rap industry. E Sens co

Six-member girl group has average age 17.5 and cute, bubbly image