The 2012 Mnet Asia Music Awards is just around the corner and it will be spotlighting some of the biggest names in the K-pop industry including Psy, Big Bang, 2NE1, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation and much more. This year’s award show will be held live in Hong Kong on Nov. 30 and is expected to draw in some of the biggest names in the Asian entertainment industry. K-pop’s Big Bang, SISTAR, Super Junior and Psy and Taiwanese-American singer-actor Wang Lee Hom have all confirmed their attendance.

Music icon Sir Elton John will return to Seoul for the first time in eight years with a live performance celebrating his 40-year career. John’s last visit electrified a crowd of 25,000 fans.“I first visited Korea in September 2004 for a concert at the fantastic Seoul Olympic Stadium,” he wrote in an email interview with The Korea Herald. “It was a privilege to play in this vibrant country and I am very much looking forward to revisiting.”The singer, songwriter, composer and pianist behind the cl

The energetic duo TVXQ held their first solo concert in Korea in four years, marking the start of the “TVXQ! Tour World Tour Catch Me.” The group held two performances over the weekend at Olympic Park in Seoul, drawing in 25,000 fans, with tickets selling out in just three minutes. The members U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin performed a myriad of their hit tracks including “Rising Sun,” “Keep your head down,” “Mirotic” and “I’ll be there” and wowed the crowd with their group choreography and stage

The global star Psy received the “New Media” trophy for his worldwide viral smash hit “Gangnam Style” at the 40th American Music Awards held Sunday in Los Angeles.Psy was awarded with the trophy at the red carpet preshow at the Nokia Center in Los Angeles. He uploaded a comment on his Twitter page where he expressed his excitement about receiving the trophy from the former ‘N Sync pop star Lance Bass, who was one of the hosts of the AMA red carpet preshow event.Some of the big-name winners at th

The British pop star Elton John will perform in South Korea next month as part of his global tour to mark the 40th anniversary of his hit single "Rocket Man," according to a local promoter of the event.It will be the first time in eight years for the rock singer-songwriter and composer to visit South Korea on a concert tour.The 65-year-old musician will perform at Seoul's Olympic Park Gymnastics Arena on Nov. 27 and at Busan's BEXCO convention center on Nov. 29, according to the Seoul promoter,

A unique method of purchasing music has been unveiled: In collaboration with the global fashion brand, the United Colors of Benetton, the K-pop idol group 2PM recently released their new cutting-edge album, “2PM Clothes Album,” which allows fans to access the album’s music files through a scan code imprinted on special clothing items.The clothes album features a bar code that fans can scan using their smartphones, which will take them to a phone application that will grant them access the album’

Pop Music“Kaas chante Piaf”: The French singer and actress Patricia Kaas will hold two performances in Seoul in promotion of her newest live show “Kaas sings Piaf.” The concert tour is in commemoration of renowned French musician Edith Piaf who passed away 50 years ago this year. Piaf was widely regarded as France’s national pop singer and become an icon in the country during World War II. Kaas is considered as one of the most internationally successful French singers and is set to perform this

Aguilera‘s ’Lotus‘ is good, but not greatChristina Aguilera"Lotus"(RCA Records)Christina Aguilera is easily one of contemporary music’s best voices. She‘s got pipes that music-lovers need to hear at a time when Top 40 radio features studio-enhanced vocals and award shows are full of lip syncing. That’s why her fifth album, "Lotus," is somewhat disappointing -- not because it isn‘t good, but because it isn’t great.Sure, it‘s an improvement from 2010’s "Bionic," a chaotic album that is Aguilera‘s

  Maroon 5‘s “One More Night” is No. 1 on the U.S. record chart for a ninth week, Billboard.com reported Thursday.Coming in at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 is Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” followed by Ke$ha‘s “Die Young” at No. 3, fun.’s “Some Nights” at No. 4 and PSY‘s “Gangnam Style” at No. 5.Rounding out the top tier are Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven” at No. 6, Taylor Swift‘s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” at No. 7, Ne-Yo’s “Let Me Love You [Until You Learn to Love Yourself]” at No.

The Korea National Opera’s operetta, “Die Fledermaus,” or “The Bat,” to be staged from Nov. 28 through Dec. 1 at the Seoul Arts Center Opera House, is an apt choice for the company’s year-end and 50th anniversary performance. Set in the flamboyant city of Vienna, the light-hearted operetta written by Johann Strauss II follows a chain of risky pranks between a mischievous playboy and a petty-minded doctor that snowballs until the playboy ends up in jail. But it all wraps up with an all-is-well ha

This is part of a series featuring new hallyu stars. ― Ed.The 24-year-old twin brothers Jung Dae-ryong and So-ryong were seven years old when one of their friends first introduced them to K-pop music. “That’s when it all began,” said Dae-ryong. “We loved to dance and sing, that was life. That’s still our life.”After being signed at 18, the boys trained for six years before debuting as the hip-hop performing duo, Tasty. Their name “Tasty” refers to the bringing together of different styles, chore

South Korean rapper Psy made an appearance during Madonna’s concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. His sudden appearance as a special guest took place while Madonna was performing a remix version of her song “Give it 2 Me” mixed with Psy’s “Gangnam Style.”After she sang the first verse, the legendary diva took a step back and Psy jumped up from the middle of the stage. The two danced his signature “horse-riding dance” as well as other dances in front of the nearly 20,000 people