The Korea Herald

BigBang offshoot tops Billboard World Digital Songs’ Chart

Dec 3, 2014

“Good Boy” by “GD x Taeyang,” a subunit of the popular South Korean boy band BigBang, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard’s World Digital Songs’ Chart early this week, according to the U.S. music news service.Released on Nov. 21, “Good Boy” started atop the chart with just three days of sales, moving 5,000 copies, Billboard.com said in an article on Monday, citing figures from Nielsen SoundScan.The duo became the third K-pop act to top the chart.“Not only has the one-two punch of G-Dragon and Taey
First boyfriend for singing star Susan Boyle at 53

Dec 2, 2014

LONDON (AP) ― The magnificent and shy singer Susan Boyle has her first boyfriend at age 53 ― a Connecticut doctor she met on her recent U.S. tour who may soon visit her in Scotland.“That’s the plan,” Boyle’s spokeswoman, Nicola Phillips, said Monday. “She met someone when she was in America and the idea is that he can come here.” Boyle and the doctor met at a hotel in Clearwater, Florida, Phillips said, adding that Boyle is “definitely” happy to have met someone. The church volunteer from a sma
Hard rock meets soul as YB, Bobby Kim team up

Dec 2, 2014

Members of the rock band YB, led by Yoon Do-hyun on vocals, are dipping their toes into a unique collaboration project with one of the nation’s leading R&B and ballad front men, Bobby Kim. In an effort to end the year on a high note, the musicians of YB and Kim have decided to host a special series of collaborative concerts at the end of the month to give fans a taste of music that they would otherwise not be able to hear from either of the artists. “We decided to come together because we wanted
AC/DC’s Young says brother’s dementia evident 6 years ago

Dec 2, 2014

SYDNEY (AFP) ― AC/DC guitarist Angus Young says he first noticed something amiss with brother Malcolm six years ago, and his dementia worsened until he could no longer remember his own songs. Malcolm Young, 61, who cofounded the veteran Australian band that went to become one of the biggest grossing groups of all time, retired this year and is now believed to be in a Sydney care facility.Angus Young said he first noticed something was wrong when they were recording their last album, “Black Ice,”
Five nights, five bands, one rock-filled week

Nov 30, 2014

For the 17th edition of Hyundai Card’s ongoing Culture Project series, the New Year will be kicking off with a bang with “5 Nights,” a week of live music starting Jan. 12.Avenged Sevenfold, Bastille, Starsailor, Rudimental and Asgeir will be making their way to Korea to electrify Seoul in the large-scale music festival featuring five solo concerts over five days. American rock band Avenged Sevenfold will kick off the festival. Formed in the late ’90s, the band released its official debut album,
‘VIP’ Madonna wins new Malawi president’s praise

Nov 30, 2014

LILONGWE, Malawi (AFP) ― Pop diva Madonna met Malawi’s new president Friday after her VIP status was restored in the country where she adopted two children but then fell foul of the former government.President Peter Mutharika hailed Madonna for her charity work in the poor southern African nation, saying “my government has always been grateful for the passion Madonna has for this country.”It was Madonna’s first visit in more than a year after she was stripped of her VIP status by former presiden
Eyelike: Imelda May’s ‘Tribal’ is a blast of energy

Nov 28, 2014

Imelda May’s ‘Tribal’ is a blast of energyImelda May“Tribal”(Verve)Irish singer Imelda May sometimes sounds like a performer who was born a few decades too late, but is not letting it stop her having a good time. With her bright red lipstick and slick curl of hair, May harkens back to rockabilly pioneers like Wanda Jackson and early rock ’n’ roll outlaws such as Eddie Cochran. Her signature sound is rockabilly seasoned with jazz and blues and spiced with punk attitude. It’s party music with a da
Ignoring woes, AC/DC sticks to rock formula

Nov 27, 2014

PARIS (AFP) ― One band member is retired with dementia and another has faced charges over a murder plot. But for the rest of AC/DC, the time-tested hard rock formula is still going strong.The Australian rockers next week release “Rock or Bust,” some 40 years since Angus Young first donned his schoolboy outfit and took out his Gibson SG to play the sorts of power riffs that remain virtually unchanged on the latest album.And it has almost been as long since Brian Johnson took the microphone in 198
Korean pop-jazz quartet to perform for Thai king

Nov 27, 2014

The South Korean pop-jazz quartet Winterplay will perform at an annual festival hosted by the Thai royal family, the band’s management agency said Thursday.Winterplay was invited to “The Sky Jazz: A Tribute to King” set to open on Dec. 20 in Bangkok along with several big-name global musicians such as the Count Basie Orchestra, Larry Carlton, John Paul Pizzarelli, Jr. and Diane Schuur, Loud Pigs said.The Thai royal family has annually hosted the festival in celebration of King Bhumibol Adulyadej
North Korea’s Arirang wins UNESCO intangible heritage status

Nov 27, 2014

A group of North Korean versions of the traditional Korean folk song “Arirang” has been inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list, the South Korean government said Thursday.The inscription was made on Wednesday during the ninth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which opened in Paris on Nov. 24 for a five-day run, Seoul’s Cultural Heritage Administration said.“Arirang folk song in the Democratic People’s Republic of
BigBang tops Japan’s Oricon album chart

Nov 27, 2014

The latest album by the popular South Korean boy band BigBang has topped Japan’s leading music ranking chart, according to the operator of the chart Thursday.“The Best of BigBang 2006-2014,” a compilation album featuring the group’s hit songs, took the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Daily Album Chart by selling 93,226 copies on the first day of its release on Wednesday.The sales figure is a record for a BigBang album in Japan, according to YG Entertainment, the band’s management agency.The compilation
BigBang tops Japanese albums' chart

Nov 27, 2014

The latest album by the popular South Korean boy band BigBang has topped Japan's leading music ranking chart, according to the operator of the chart Thursday. "The Best of BigBang 2006-2014," a compilation album featuring the group's hit songs, took the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Daily Album Chart by selling 93,226 copies on the first day of its release on Wednesday. The sales figure is a record for a BigBang album in Japan, according to YG Entertainment, the band's management agency. The com
Cyndi Lauper, Michael Buble to perform in Seoul next year

Nov 26, 2014

Iconic 1980s pop star Cyndi Lauper will be making her way back to Korea for the first time in 26 years, hosting two solo shows at the Seoul Olympic Park’s Olympic Hall on Jan. 23 and 24. Often compared to the likes of Madonna, Lauper’s 1983 debut album, “She’s So Unusual,” became the first debut album by a female artist to have four Top 5 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “Time After Time,” “She Bop” and “All Through The Night.” The singles made Lauper one of th
System of a Down to mark 1915 Armenia killings

Nov 26, 2014

NEW YORK (AFP) ― U.S. rockers System of a Down will play a free show next year in Armenia to raise awareness on the centennial of the World War I-era mass killings.The California hard rock band, whose four members are of Armenian heritage, announced a performance in Yerevan’s Republic Square on April 23, a day ahead of the country’s main commemorations.System of a Down has long campaigned for recognition of the 1915 killings as genocide, but the performance will be the band‘’s first in Armenia.L
Top K-pop agency denies Alibaba investment report

Nov 25, 2014

South Korea’s biggest K-pop entertainment firm on Tuesday denied a report that it was the target of a major investment deal worth at least $90 million from Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.“We are discussing potential partnerships with many companies in order to diversify our businesses in China,” SM Entertainment said in a regulatory filing.“But the report on the investment deal with Alibaba is not true,” the company added.The Korea Economic Daily had cited unnamed industry sources saying Aliba