The 16-year-old Lee Hi continues to soar as one of last year’s most successful debut singers, and is scheduled to take the stage for her first live solo concert at Sogang University’s Mary Hall on Sunday in front of 500 fans. The up-and-comer took to the spotlight as the first runner-up of the reality TV competition show “Survival K-pop Star.” After signing with YG Entertainment, Lee released her first single “1,2,3,4” on Oct. 28 and became an instant sensation. The track reigned at the top of t

Hollywood actor Will Smith made a surprise visit to South Korean agency YG Entertainment on Monday with his son Jaden Smith.YG Entertainment posted photos on its official blog, YG LIFE, showing Will, Jaden Smith and its Korean singers and producers getting together at its recording studio.In the unofficial visit, the two Smiths and YG members shared their musical interest while the emerging hip-hop artist Jaden played his music. They ate Korean traditional dishes like bibimbap and bulgogi togeth

With spring finally here, it is time to sit back, relax and listen to music. The Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music will be held from May 14-26 at various spots in Seoul, bringing noted musicians from around the world to perform one of the most intimate genres of classical music under the theme of “Far from Home.”Music written by composers who stayed far away from their homelands will be interpreted by musicians who are always on the road performing. Featured musicians include violinist Kang

Singer Psy plans to release his U.S. debut album this summer.He revealed his plans for the new album release on Saturday during an appearance on the “Ask Anything” segment of “Saturday Night Online Live with Romeo.” “After promoting ‘Gentleman’ I’m about to make an album, so it’s going to be my seventh album in Korea and it’s going to be my debut album in the United States and I’m going to do a lot of collabo(rations) in the album,” said Psy. “Hopefully I can release that during the summer seaso

Pre-“Gangnam Style,” there had been many attempts by Korean talent agencies to spread K-pop beyond the bounds of Asia and finally infiltrate the oh-so-competitive American music market. Before Korean rap sensation Psy’s “Gangnam Style” music video exploded onto the global music scene, the “big three” Korean entertainment agencies ― S.M., YG and JYP ― had all sent some of their most prominent and successful artists to the U.S. with the hopes that one of their own could make an impression in the W

‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ returns to Seoul after six years away

What’s his name? “Snoop Doggy Dogg!” Thousands joined the king of West Coast hip-hop Snoop Lion, formerly Snoop Dogg, at Olympic Park on Saturday night for his first-ever live concert in Korea. The iconic American rapper has been in the music game for more than 20 years and expressed his thoughts on finally making his way to Korea for the first time, at a press conference at the Ritz Carlton in Seoul before his concert.  “It feels good to actually be in South Korea for the first time. I have ear

Korean pop sensation Psy will lecture at Harvard and dance at a Russian music festival in the near future, aiming to keep the “Gangnam Style” fever going. The singer, who released his single “Gentleman” in April and is now holding a worldwide promotion to reprise his “Gangnam Style” success, will give a speech at the Korea Institute of Harvard University on Thursday, about his music and life, the school said last Friday. Psy, a Boston University dropout, has reportedly made his appearance a sold

James Blake shines in electronic gloryJames Blake``Overgrown‘’(Universal Republic)If you weren‘t convinced of his talent by James Blake’s debut album, his sophomore release, ``Overgrown,‘’ will do the trick.The London-born singer-songwriter-producer returns with an album that shines a light on his 2011 self-titled dubstep debut, which earned him a Mercury Prize nomination. ``Overgrown‘’ is a collection of songs that will break ground in electro soul, and Blake does so impressively in a 40-minute

“The King of Music” Cho Yong-pil won first place in a television music program for the first time in 23 years. Although he did not make a personal appearance on Wednesday’s live broadcast show, Cho’s title song “Hello” was ranked first in MBC’s “Show Champion.” Cho had last won first place in a TV music program in 1990, on MBC’s “Show Network” for his hit song “Reunion in Memory.” After winning a number of awards with his single “Dream,” the legendary singer retired from the public eye and rarel

Psy is back in action promoting his latest single “Gentleman” in the U.S., making his way back to the NBC morning program “The Today Show,” where he performed live at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City on Friday morning. During the interview with the morning show hosts, Psy talked about the key choreography points while teaching them the new hip-swaying and pelvic-thrusting “arrogant dance” moves that go with his new single. The Korean rap star later took the stage to perform live and show off b

South Korean boy band SHINee ranked No.1 on Billboard’s world music chart.SM Entertainment said on Friday that SHINee’s third full album "Chapter 2 Why So Serious? – The Misconceptions of Me,” released online on April 26, topped the World Albums chart on Billboard, reflecting its worldwide popularity.The album also ranked first the same day in Hanteo Information System where overall sales of physical albums released in the country are recorded.With its unique sound and zombie-like dance moves, t

The infamously R-rated theater play, “Caligula_Remix,” with the famous line “I am God! Worship and blame me!” will open the 12th Uijeongbu International Music Theater Festival on May 4 as its Asian premier. “Caligula_Remix,” an adaptation of Albert Camu’s “Caligula,” tells the real-life story of Roman emperor Caligula’s suffering over the death of his sister and lover Drusilla as well as conflict between the tyrant and his rebel forces. Although there is no nudity involved, explicit verbal descr