Hybe, now the largest shareholder of SM Entertainment, turned in its list of candidates for SM’s board of executives on Thursday. The list includes President of Hybe America Lee Jae-sang, Hybe Chief Legal Officer Jung Jin-soo and Hybe's chief of management and planning, Lee Jin-hwa, for the position of inside director. “These candidates have built multifaceted experience in the fields of law, finance and establishing business strategies for a global company that endorses enterta

K-pop girl group Purple Kiss invites listeners on a journey to freedom through its mystery-packed new album, "Cabin Fever." The six-member group conducted a press conference Wednesday before releasing the album later that day at 6 p.m. The album comes just in time with the end of the pandemic. "Cabin Fever" refers to the irritability and listlessness that comes after a long period of confinement or isolation in a closed space, and the album is like a gift for people who may

NCT Dream will tour 22 cities across the world starting next week, according to a statement by SM Entertainment on Wednesday. The boy band will go live in Osaka for three days next week before hopping over to Jakarta, Bangkok and Hong Kong. The tour will take the seven members to London, Paris and Berlin before they head over to the US where they will host the first of their standalone concerts in seven cities. The band will resume greeting fans in Asia, going live in Manila, Singapore, Macau a

Experts predict SM's partnership with Hybe to bring opportunities for SM and the industry

Suga, a member of K-pop sensation BTS, will go on a world tour in six different countries starting in April, according to Big Hit Music on Wednesday. The first concert will kick off at Belmont Park in the US on April 26 followed by other cities in the US including Newark, Rosemont, Los Angeles and Oakland. Then, Suga will be moving on to the Asian leg of the tour starting with a gig in Indonesia on May 26 followed by those in Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan. The dates for his Japan co

Girl group StayC returns to share hope and comfort with its fourth single "Teddy Bear"

K-pop powerhouse Hybe will guarantee SM Entertainment's independence, noting that the founder and former producer of SM, Lee Soo-man, will not take part in business management, Hybe CEO Park Ji-won said to his employees Monday regarding the recent merger and acquisition of SM. Last Friday, Hybe signed a deal with Lee Soo-man to buy 14.8 percent of his SM shares at 422.8 billion won ($334.28 million), making Hybe the largest shareholder of SM Entertainment. "We respect the legacy of SM

Kai of EXO will make a comeback as a solo performer in mid-March, according to a local media report Tuesday. SM Entertainment confirmed the news following the report. His last solo release was his second EP, “Peaches,” which came out in November 2011. The EP reached first place on the iTunes top albums chart in 68 regions. During the last week of January, Kai held his first solo live event in Japan, greeting fans in Nagoya, Osaka and Yokohama. He is also preparing for the group&rsqu

Onew of SHINee will perform one more time on March 3, SM Entertainment announced Monday. He was set to host his first stand-alone concert as a solo musician, dubbed “O-New-Note,” in Seoul on March 4-5, but decided to add a day as tickets sold out upon release. The veteran idol put out his first solo album, “Voice,” in 2018 and second EP, “Dice,” last year. He also released his first full album in Japan, “Life Goes On,” last year and toured four ci

Key of SHINee unveiled his second repackaged album, “Killer,” on Monday. The comeback comes six months after the release of Key’s second solo studio album “Gasoline” last August. The album includes three new tracks, including "Killer," “Heartless” and “Easy.” It also includes 11 tracks from Key’s second full-length album, including “Gasoline,” “I Can’t Sleep” and “Ain’t Gonna Dance.&rd

NewJeans continues to take the world by storm, with its releases recently showing a steady yet significant growth in the US music market. "OMG" and "Ditto" were the most-streamed on Spotify in the US among all regions, the world's biggest music streaming service said Monday in a press release. "OMG," the title track of the act's namesake second EP released in January, tallied accumulated streams of 111.28 million on the global music platform as of Friday.

Singer and songwriter Woodz, also known as Cho Seung-youn, is making a comeback with the pre-release single “Abyss” from his fifth mini-album. EDAM Entertainment, Woodz's managing agency, unveiled Monday the teaser image and title of the pre-release single. The teaser image, which looks like a movie poster, shows Woodz standing alone in front of an old castle with a message that reads “It’s alright if you want a lot. I’ll let you have it all.” “Abys

Hanteo Music Awards hold the first in-person ceremony

Blackpink will perform one more time in Mexico City on April 27, label YG Entertainment announced Friday. The group originally planned to only hold one concert in the Mexican capital on April 26, but tickets sold out so fast it decided to add another on the following day. The foursome is in the middle of its international tour that started last year. It visited seven cities each in North America and Europe last year for 24 concerts. It resumed the tour in Asia this year that brings the bandmate

Seungri, a former member of K-pop boy band Big Bang, was released from Yeoju Prison in Gyeonggi Province on Thursday after completing his 18-month sentence, according to the Ministry of Justice. Seungri, whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, was indicted in January 2020 over his involvement in the “Burning Sun scandal,” a far-reaching sex and drug scandal since 2018. The 33-year-old singer began his military service during trial and was sentenced to three years in prison in a military c