The Korea Herald

JYP to launch new girl group next year: report

Dec 19, 2013

JYP Entertainment, a major talent agency in South Korea, is set to launch a new K-pop girl group next year, local news outlets reported Thursday.“We are preparing a six-member team, and are aiming to make its debut next year,” a JYP official told Star News. According to the official, the team’s qualifications will be “the best ever.”Another JPY official said the group is the result of an intense training program that is “more systematic than programs the agency provided for any other team.”The a
Richard Wagner conference disrupted in Jerusalem

Dec 18, 2013

JERUSALEM (AFP) ― A young man on Tuesday disrupted a conference in Jerusalem on Richard Wagner, considered Hitler’s favorite composer, Haaretz newspaper said on its website.The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra was marking the 200th anniversary of the German composer’s birth with a symposium on his music and whether an unofficial Israeli ban on performances of his work should be upheld.According to Haaretz, the man burst onto the stage of the Jerusalem theater where the discussion was taking place, s
Sixteen acts to represent Korean music at 2014 SXSW showcase

Dec 18, 2013

Of the 50 Korean acts that applied, 16 bands have been selected to represent themselves and the Korean music industry at the next South by Southwest music showcase in Austin, Texas. The handful of bands ― five more acts than this year ― that have been selected to perform at the upcoming music festival in March will participate as the Korean lineup for the annual 2014 SXSW’s “K-pop Night Out” showcase, which was first established at last year’s event by event director James Minor to highlight Kor
Nirvana, Kiss join Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Dec 18, 2013

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Nirvana swept into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in its first year of eligibility, the musical museum said, welcoming it and other groups like glam outfit Kiss.Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Cat Stevens and Linda Ronstadt join Nirvana and Kiss ― known for Gene Simmons’ famously wagging tongue ― among the new members announced Monday. They will be inducted next year.The Cleveland, Ohio institution said Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967, wi
Stars pose to encourage adoption

Dec 17, 2013

Star photographer Cho Sei-hon’s annual exhibition featuring celebrities to encourage domestic adoption is back at the Insa Art Center in central Seoul from Wednesday through Dec. 23. In the 11th “Letter from Angels,” members of K-pop groups including 2PM, 2AM, Sistar, ZE:A, Girls’ Generation―TTS, KARA, 4Minute, B1A4, BTOB, A Pink and BTS pose alongside babies or children with physical disabilities. “The babies did fine. While the members of 2PM tried to cuddle Hyeong-gyu, a boy, he never frowned
Beyonce sells 617,000 albums in 3 days of iTunes release

Dec 17, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) ― Beyonce’s surprise album has sold surprisingly well: Her fifth solo effort sold more than 600,000 units in its first three days, setting a record for first-week domestic digital sales.Beyonce’s self-titled album was released early Friday morning exclusively on iTunes unbeknownst to the public. Apple said Monday that the album sold 617,213 in its U.S. iTunes Store. It sold 828,773 internationally.“You have to be innovative. The Internet has changed the game. You’ve got to look at
Girls’ Generation takes the top spot on Oricon weekly

Dec 17, 2013

Girls’ Generation’s latest full Japanese studio album titled “Love & Peace” released on Dec. 11 not only topped the Oricon Daily Album Chart upon its release, but has ranked No. 1 on this week’s Oricon’s Weekly Album Chart, making the group the first Korean girl group to have two albums top the weekly chart. SNSD had previously topped the Oricon ― Japan’s leading music ranking chart ― Weekly Album Chart two years ago with their eponymous album. “Love & Peace” marks the third Japanese studio albu
Girls' Generation tops Japanese weekly chart

Dec 17, 2013

K-pop group Girls' Generation topped a Japanese weekly albums chart for the first time in two and a half years, its management agency said Tuesday.Released on Wednesday in Japan, the group's third full-length Japanese language album, "Love & Peace," rose to the top of the Oricon's weekly albums chart, with more than 129,000 copies sold in the first week, S.M. Entertainment said."Love & Peace" became the band's second album to take the honor since its eponymous debut album released in June 2011,
Rock ’N’ Roll Radio lands SXSW invitation, to embark on U.S. tour

Dec 16, 2013

Less than two months after the release of their debut studio album “Shut Up and Dance,” the musicians of Rock ’N’ Roll Radio Kim Jin-kyu (guitar), Kim Nae-hyun (lead vocals and guitar), Choi Min-kyu (drums) and Lee Min-woo (bass) have already achieved more than they ever thought they would. The band’s 14-track debut album was released on Oct. 21, and not only has the group already nabbed a number of newcomer awards including the EBS 2014 Hello Rookie Award last month, but they have also landed t
Girls' Generation attracts 50,000 fans in Japan

Dec 16, 2013

K-pop group Girls' Generation drew some 50,000 fans to two events held over the weekend to promote their new Japanese album, the group's management agency said Monday.The group held an event each at Yohokama Arena on Saturday and Universal Studios Japan in Osaka on Sunday to showcase songs on "Love & Peace" as well as older hits.In Yokohama, the group performed eight songs, including "Love & Peace," "My Oh My" and "Galaxy Supernova," before an audience of 30,000, S.M. Entertainment said. The Osa
Park Bom and Lee Hi form a new unit

Dec 16, 2013

YG Entertainment announced on Monday that Park Bom of 2NE1 and K-pop starlet Lee Hi will be releasing a digital Christmas single on Tuesday, the first of a series of a collaborative projects dubbed “YG x SAMSUNG MUSIC.”The agency said the special unit “BOM&HI” will release a new interpretation of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” at midnight on Tuesday. “Samsung Music” service, launched in May 2012, will own the exclusive rights to the song for the first three days, before it beco
Busker Busker’s Jang to get married

Dec 16, 2013

Jang Beom-jun, vocalist and guitarist in South Korean band Busker Busker, is to get married next spring, his agency said Monday.“We deliver news of Busker Busker member Jang Beom-jun’s marriage with great joy,” Chungchun Music said via its official Twitter page. The company said Jang had been planning to fulfill his mandatory military service, but the unexpected pregnancy of his girlfriend, actress Song Ji-su, led him to get married first.The agency said that Busker Busker decided to suspend the
Rapper lost time, found inspiration

Dec 15, 2013

Kebee reinvents self with new album ‘Lost and Found'
Beyonce announces, releases new album on same day

Dec 15, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) ― Beyonce has released her new album in an unconventional way: She announced and dropped it on the same day.The singer released “Beyonce” exclusively on iTunes early Friday. She mirrors how Jay Z released “Magna Carta Holy Grail” earlier this year ― through a deal with Samsung where he gave the album to 1 million users of Galaxy mobile phones days before its official release.Beyonce’s fifth effort features 14 songs and 17 videos. Jay Z, Drake and Frank Ocean make guest appearances
Beatles to get lifetime achievement Grammy

Dec 15, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Grammys organizers announced lifetime achievement awards Thursday for The Beatles and six other acts, including the Isley Brothers and electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk.Kris Kristofferson is also among artists who will get their awards in the week before the Jan. 26 Grammys show, along with Mexican composer Armando Manzanero, creole “King of Zydeco” singer Clifton Chenier and late U.S. violinist Maud Powell.“It is a great privilege to recognize such an exceptional group of