Under a shower of confetti and with pulsating samba music, portly King Momo on Friday officially kicked off Rio's famed Carnival, a five-day fest that will climax in spectacular weekend parades of top samba schools.Milton Rodrigues da Silva, the event's symbol of overweight excess, symbolically received a giant key to the city from Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes."The time has come to hand over my duties to magnificent King Momo so that the city may have fun under his rule," said Paes, wearing a white pa

McGraw broadens sound on new albumTim McGraw"Two Lanes Of Freedom"(Big Machine)Veteran country star Tim McGraw resolutely refers to independence and the highway in the title of his new album, "Two Lanes Of Freedom," his first since leaving Curb Records, his label for two decades. The title cut flaunts that freedom by employing world-music instruments, harmonies and rhythms to communicate just how creatively liberated he feels.But McGraw‘s always pushed at the boundaries of country music. Here he

“Udumbara Band” surprises many with its unique title as the first Korean Buddhist music band. Seven monks with musical talent passed an audition held last July and became members of Udumbara Band. They have been practicing for their debut since August 2012. Udumbara is a plant that flowers, according to Buddhist legend, once every 3,000 years. The band was named after this plant to celebrate the first Buddhist music band to be formed in Korean Buddhism’s long history.　The band is made up of qual

Jason Mraz, a singer-songwriter from the United States, will perform in Jamsil, Seoul on May 17, according to the Nine Entertainment.The new concert came about a year after the singer performed in Busan and in Nami Island near Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, in June 2012. Thanks to his poignant melodies, Mraz has become one of the most popular international singers among Korean fans. In 2008, Mraz released the album titled “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things,” which has since sold about 140,000 cop

NEW YORK (AP) ― Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe’’ became the soundtrack for endless viral online fun last year: U.S. infantry soldiers lip-synched to it in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province. So did James Franco and the U.S. Olympic swim team. Models from Abercrombie & Fitch showed off their abs to it, as did hair-whipping Miami Dolphins cheerleaders. Dogs have barked the whole song. Parodies of it have been parodied.Fellow singers from Katy Perry to Selena Gomez embraced the pop goodness.Even the C

Electro-pop trio Clazziquai Project has made a much-anticipated return to the music scene with its fifth full album titled “Blessed.” This comeback is the first full album that the group has released in more than three years.On Tuesday, the three members DJ Clazzi, Alex and Horan released the 11-track album, which includes the track “Love Recipe” written by Horan herself. The album also includes the trio’s soundtrack single that was released last year titled “Can’t Go On My Own,” from the JTBC r

A video of a baby waking up to dance to Korean pop star Psy’s global hit “Gangnam Style” on Facebook is going viral.In the 30-second video posted on Wednesday, a sleeping baby in a carseat suddenly wakes up as soon as the radio plays “Gangnam Style.” He flails with eyes wide open as a little girl beside him howls with laughter.The posting received about 30,000 “likes” just four hours after being uploaded. By Kim Bo-ra / Intern Reporter(bora_kim@heraldcorp.com)<관련 한글 기사>"강남스타일"에 몸부림치는 아기 귀여워!"강남스

Korean rapper Psy said Monday that his next song would likely be released in April.“I’ve already finished the song, but it has been hellish trying to make the music video,” he told reporters at Incheon International Airport. The rapper achieved worldwide recognition last year for his music video “Gangnam Style,” the first to hit 1 billion views on YouTube. Last month the video surpassed 1.2 billion views.The singer recently starred in a Super Bowl ad for Wonderful Pistachios, a popular snack bra

The two members of the sexy Sistar unit group Sistar19, vocalist Hyo-rin and rapper Bo-ra, made their comeback official with their latest EP album “Gone Not Around Any Longer.”“Gone Not Around Any Longer” was released on Thursday and its title track received a perfect “all-kill,” sweeping all the main real-time local music charts, making it the second certified all-kill of the year after Leessang’s hip-hop single “Tears.” The newest release from the duo is a mid-tempo pop song featuring Sistar’s

Pop diva Beyonce thrilled the Super Bowl crowd Sunday with a pyrotechnic half-time spectacular that doubled as a much-anticipated Destiny’s Child reunion.Fireworks burst into the sky from the Superdome field just vacated by the game-leading Baltimore Ravens and lagging San Franciso 49s as the 31-year-old chart-topper took the stage with “Crazy in Love.”Blowing a kiss to the live television camera after her opening number, she looked relieved to get the much-hyped, 15-minute show underway, but t

U.S. pop star Lady Gaga said a former aide who is suing her for unpaid overtime thinks she‘s “the queen of the universe.”Jennifer O’Neill sued Lady Gaga in 2011 for overtime she said she‘s owed for working as her personal assistant from 2009 to 2011, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.In a 6-hour deposition obtained by the New York Daily News, Lady Gaga, 26 -- whose real name is Stefani Germanotta -- said O’Neill worked for her twice and “knew exactly what she was getting into, and she knew t

Japanese pop star Minami Minegishi tearfully shaved her head in an online video as a gesture of contrition after breaking her band AKB48‘s no-dating rule. Minegishi, 20, apologized to her fans and swore she did not want to leave the band, despite having violated its production company’s guidelines by spending the night with her boyfriend, the BBC reported Friday. The dalliance became public when she was photographed by a tabloid leaving her beau‘s flat. Her nearly 4-minute vid

4men vocals soar on ‘The True Story’4Men“The 5th Album Vol.1 (The True Story)”(CJ E&M)The ballad trio of 4Men continues to showcase its trademark soulful sound with its fifth album. Although the boys did not venture into any innovative styles, Shin Yong-jae’s voice carries the album as a whole and together 4Men release another noteworthy R&B collection. The album’s main track, “Hello It’s Me” is a mid-tempo ballad that starts off with a slow piano riff while highlighting Shin’s distinctive and p

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ― Beyonce answered critics of her Inauguration Day performance the best way she could - with another sterling performance of the national anthem.The difference?On Thursday, it was live: She admitted during her Super Bowl news conference that when she performed for President Barack Obama and the nation, she decided to sing to a prerecorded track because she didn’t have time to practice. Calling herself a self-proclaimed “perfectionist,” she said wanted the day to go off without a