LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― K-pop made fresh inroads Thursday when Lady Gaga revealed that South Korean girl group Crayon Pop will open her upcoming summer concerts in Canada and the United States.“I’m excited to announce June 26 through July 22 of Lady Gaga’s artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball will be opened by CRAYON POP!” the “Mother Monster” announced on her @ladygaga Twitter feed.The candy-colored quintet topped the K-pop charts last year when their danceable ditty “Bar Bar Bar” ― featuring their signature h

South Korea's tax office said Thursday it has launched an investigation into the country's largest entertainment agency amid rumors of offshore tax evasion by the company that manages some of the top K-pop celebrities. The National Tax Service (NTS) recently sent dozens of auditors to the headquarters of SM Entertainment located in Gangnam, southern Seoul, to secure accounting books and other financial records, according to the NTS and company officials. SM Entertainment is the country's leading

Chief overseas PR man stresses tailored approach to further promoting Korea

Girl group leader to spend five years in Caribbean nation volunteering with husband

A unit of the K-pop boy band Super Junior will make a comeback this week by releasing its new album in Chinese-speaking countries, the group’s management agency said Tuesday.Super Junior-M will upload its third EP, titled “Swing,” to various online music services in China on Friday, SM Entertainment said.It is the third and most successful subgroup of the 13-member boy band Super Junior and consists of Siwon, Donghae, Ryeowook, Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk, Henry and Zhou Mi.“Swing” is the first album to be

The five starlets of 4minute, with many buzzing about HyunA’s attention-grabbing, see-through miniskirt and the group’s new sexy choreography, made their return official with their fifth EP, “4minute World,” on Monday. The group performed the title track “Whatcha Doin’ Today” for the first time at a showcase held on the Garden Stage at Lotte World Monday night. The single was composed and written by popular hit-making producer Brave Brothers and reached No. 1 on nine local real-time charts, incl

Power trio to return with new music this year

Booking tickets for K-Pop concerts is now easier for foreign fans thanks to a new reservation website for Korean pop and cultural performances. The new website, created by the Korea Tourism Organization jointly with Interpark, one of Korea’s largest online shopping malls, enables visitors to browse current and upcoming concerts and performances, as well as choose seats and buy tickets by credit card.  Concerts available for booking on the website (www.kperformance.org) range from K-Pop and music

Girls’ Generation’s latest music video became the first K-pop video this year to hit 10 million views on YouTube.The video of “Mr. Mr.,” the title song of the group’s fourth EP of the same title, topped the 10 million viewer mark Wednesday night, 13 days after it was uploaded on the video sharing site.No other K-pop music video has surpassed the milestone this year.The track has been well received on iTunes and local online music services since it was released online on Feb. 25. “Mr. Mr.” is the

HONG KONG (AP) ― Jackie Chan is transforming himself from action film superstar to K-pop band manager.The group named JJCC plans to release its debut album March 24 in South Korea, before promoting it in China. JJCC has five men in their early 20s. Four are South Korean, while one is Australian-Chinese. Sha-sha Lee, CEO of the Jackie Chan Group South Korea, said Chan was involved in auditioning the band members and will manage the group personally. The band name is a tribute to Chan as well as h

G-Dragon and CL, the leaders of popular K-pop groups Big Bang and 2NE1, respectively, are featured on a track of the upcoming album by Grammy-winning American dubstep producer-DJ Skrillex.The collaborative single “Dirty Vibe” ― made available Tuesday on SoundCloud ― is included on Skrillex’s new 11-track album “Recess,” which will be formally unveiled worldwide on March 18.A collaborative effort by Skrillex, the two K-pop stars, YG head producers TEDDY and CHOICE37 as well as renowned DJ Diplo,

Up-and-coming gypsy jazz band La Vie est Belle is scheduled to perform live at Olympus Hall in Samseong-dong, Seoul on March 21.Titled “Gypsy World,” the concert will feature a variety of songs ranging from upbeat, groovy compositions to gypsy-influenced tunes from the band’s recently released album “Gypsy Mood.”The gypsy band La Vie est Belle ― a French phrase for “life is beautiful” ― was formed under the influence of jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli by five acc

K-pop boy group Boyfriend has become the first K-pop band to perform independently in Puerto Rico after successfully holding its first solo concert in the South American country last week, said the group’s management agency on Monday.On March 8, the six-member boy group staged its solo concert titled “Boyfriend, fan meeting en Puerto Rico” for 1,700 local fans who gathered at the Centro De Bellas Artes Luis A Ferre in San Juan, Puerto Rico. For more than two hours, fans enthusiastically sang alo

Up-and-coming K-pop boy group GOT7 is scheduled to launch its first showcase in Japan in April after signing with Japan’s Sony Music Entertainment.The seven-member act will stage its first overseas concert, titled “GOT7 Showcase 1st Impact in Japan,” on April 4 at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan, where veteran JYP group 2PM had made its first Japan showcase four years ago.Although GOT7, which entered the K-pop music scene with its debut EP “Got It?” on Jan. 20, has yet to make a formal debut in Japan,

Acclaimed K-pop duo TVXQ is making history in the Japanese music scene, setting fresh records on Japan’s biggest music chart Oricon with its third Japanese studio album “TREE.”Immediately after its release on March 5, “TREE” climbed to the top of Oricon’s daily and weekly album charts, becoming TVXQ’s fourth album to top Oricon after its compilation album “Best Selection 2010” (2010) and two studio albums, “TONE” (2011) and “TIME” (2013).“TREE” has sold roughly 225,000 copies since its release l