With roots in gugak, Korean indie band pursues contemporary, universal sound

TVXQ performs during its Japan Live Tour 2014. (SMTOWN Facebook)Popular K-pop boy band TVXQ will make a concert tour of big cities around the world, including Seoul, this December, the band’s management agency said Tuesday.The duo will begin the tour at Seoul’s Olympic Park on Dec. 6 and 7 before hitting overseas cities later that month, SM Entertainment said, without disclosing the exact dates of the overseas concerts.In the title of the tour, “TVXQ! Special Live Tour ― T1ST0RY,” “T1STORY” is a

Led by Grammy Award-winning musician and composer Michael League, fusion instrumental band Snarky Puppy is holding its first concert in Korea on Tuesday night at the Blue Square theater in Hannam-dong, Seoul. The large-scale band was started by League more than 10 years ago while he was attending jazz school at the University of North Texas. Gathering together nine of his pals, the band was initially launched as an opportunity for the budding composer to play out the jazzy hybrid funk music that

Nearly four decades ago, Venezuelan economist and musician Jose Antonio Abreu gathered 11 impoverished children in a parking garage in Caracas and started teaching them classical music.His notion was simple: free music education can lift the children out of poverty and crime, which in turn could tackle social problems plaguing the country.The initiative ― “El Sistema” or the System ― became hugely successful, so far affecting nearly 2.5 million youngsters mostly from low-income backgrounds and p

Festival gathers 51 ensembles to share the joy of music and make classical music more accessible

French native Adrien Perruchon speaks of his life as a timpanist for Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra

Blake Shelton the adult shines on new LPBlake Shelton“Bringing Back The Sunshine”(Warner Nashville)Blake Shelton’s public persona -- a mix of smart-aleck whimsy and thoughtful sensitivity -- has made him country music’s most ubiquitous male star. A full-grown man with a boyish cheekiness, his easy likability has made him a consummate award-show host, a high-profile judge on “The Voice” and a constant presence in ads across print, the Web and TV. His recent albums draw on both sides of this perso

CL2NE1 member CL will make her U.S. debut as a solo artist, YG Entertainment confirmed Thursday.The rapper will perform in the U.S. in spring under the support of Scooter Braun, who has managed global stars such as Justin Bieber, Psy and Ariana Grande, the agency added. CL has already prepared a number of songs for her first solo album in the U.S. Her rapping skills, English language fluency and fashion style are said to be what caught Braun’s eye. Meanwhile, 2NE1 is currently holding the world

Super JuniorSouth Korean boy band Super Junior will unveil a special edition of its 7th full-length album “Mamacita” on online music services next week, the group’s management agency said Friday.The special-edition album “This Is Love” will be released online on Thursday and in record stores four days later, S.M. Entertainment said.The new album has 13 songs, including nine tracks from the 7th album and three new songs, the company said.The veteran boy band notched their first No. 1 on a Billboa

From uploading home-recorded song covers onto YouTube to traveling around the globe and serenading thousands of fans, U.S. R&B singer-songwriter and producer Jeff Bernat has not only been recognized on an international level, but has managed to build himself quite a significant fan base in Korea. The 24-year-old artist from Reno, Nevada, is in Seoul for the second time this year, gearing up for his sold-out, four-show concert series that starts Friday at the Lotte Card Art Center. From marching

NEW YORK (AP) ― Chris Brown is the top nominee for the Soul Train Awards. The R&B singer racked up seven nominations, including best R&B-soul male artist and song of the year for “Loyal.” Beyonce earned six nominations and Pharrell Williams followed with five. Williams and Beyonce will be competing against each other for album of the year, along with John Legend, Drake, Janelle Monae and Michael Jackson. Hosted by Wendy Williams, the Soul Train Awards will be presented on Nov. 7 in Las Vegas. Th

Five Korean indie bands will fly to Austin, Texas, in March to take to the stages of the South by SouthWest Music Festival, according to the state-run Korea Creative Content Agency. The Barberettes, [su:m], EE, Asian Chairshot and Eastern Sidekick were handpicked by SXSW director James Minor during the Seoul International Music Fair, or MU:CON, hosted by the KOCCA from Oct. 6-8 in Itaewon, Seoul.  At the annual MU:CON, which brought in international music scouts from around the world, six more l

Members of the legendary K-pop groups H.O.T and Shinhwa will return to the music scene later this month with their first album release in almost 11 years. H.O.T’s Kangta and Shinhwa’s Shin Hye-sung will team up with actor-singer Lee Ji-hoon for the album “Autumn Breeze,” to be released on Oct. 27. The three are of same age and belong to the same management agency ― SM Entertainment. The three formed a project group called Group S, and gained popularity with hit songs such as “I Swear” from their