RM of BTS notched No. 3 spot on Billboard 200, setting a record for a K-pop solo musician. His first solo album “Indigo” debuted at No. 15 on the chart dated Dec. 17 and slipped out of it on the following week. But sales of the physical album pushed it back on to the chart. He “is the first member of BTS to earn a solo top 10 album on the Billboard 200, and the second to reach the chart in 2022 with a solo project, following the No. 17 debut and peak of J-Hope’s Jack in

Kakao Entertainment to launch virtual idol survival program “Girl's Re:Verse” on Jan.2 at 9 p.m.

Taeyang of Big Bang will leave label YG Entertainment and join The Black Label, said YG Entertainment on Monday. “We are sincerely pleased to deliver the news that Taeyang is making a fresh start,” said the company. It remains unchanged that Taeyang still is a family of YG Entertainment and a member of Big Bang, it added hinting that he will continue as a part of the veteran idol group. The Black Label is headed by Teddy, a creative director and songwriter best known for his works f

Addictive rhythms and powerful choreography continued to propel K-pop up the global music charts in 2022. Korean artists have reached the top spot on the Billboard 200 -- the ranking of the best-performing albums and EPs in the US -- a record four times this year. Stray Kids was the first Korean act to top the chart this year with its album “Oddinary,” followed by Blackpink, (G)I-idle, and RM. Apart from the global chart-toppers, this year’s K-pop scene was undoubtedly dominate

K-pop singer and actress Tiffany Young signed an exclusive contract with the agency Sublime. “We signed an exclusive contract with Tiffany Young who has an irreplaceable identity. We are glad to have Tiffany Young encompassing boundless influence join us. We plan to fully support her in expanding her capabilities in diverse sectors and also in her overseas career-related activities,” announced Sublime on Monday. Some renowned actors, actresses, and singers including Song Kang-ho, Rai

  　South Korea‘s K-pop physical album sales are at the brink of reaching the 80 million milestone for 2022, thanks to the robust performance of boy band BTS and popular girl groups, a major music chart revealed Saturday. 　 　The annual physical sales of the top 400 K-pop albums had stood at 74.2 million as of Dec. 10, up 29.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the country’s benchmark Circle Chart. 　 　K-pop superband BTS sold 6.07 million physical copies during the cited p

Stray Kids will release its first studio album in Japan on Feb. 22, announced label JYP Entertainment on Friday. The company uploaded a teaser trailer for the album on the day in which the eight members exuded confidence with thumping beats in the background. The album’s release will coincide with the band’s encore concerts in Japan. It is hosting two concerts each at Saitama Super Arena and Kyocera Dome Osaka, on Feb. 11-12 and Feb. 25-26, respectively. Meanwhile, its digital album

The ex-chief of YG Entertainment, Yang Hyun-suk, has been ruled not guilty of threatening an informant in order to cover up a drug scandal involving a singer-rapper. The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday acquitted Yang of blackmailing and coercing a police source in an attempt to thwart investigations involving the agency's rapper, citing lack of evidence. Other officials of YG who had been indicted on the same charge was also acquitted. "The victim's testimony is not cre

Loona decided to put a hold on their album release, announced agency Blockberry Creative on Thursday. The group was set to return as an 11-member act with the EP “The Origin Album [0]” on Jan. 3, 2023, despite being in the middle of controversy surrounding the agency’s firing of Chuu for bullying employees. We have come to the conclusion that promoting the album without solving the situation is meaningless, said the management firm. Launching the group has been a long-term pro

   New Jeans will appear on Japanese television for the first time next week, said agency Ador on Wednesday. The rookie group will be on Nihon TV’s year-end music award for most-listened to songs on Dec. 28, performing “Attention” for the first time on Japanese TV show. “Attention” is the focus track from its eponymous debut album that rolled out in August. The song topped daily chart on Melon, the largest music platform in Korea, for 18 days. It generated

Kicker: Nation's No. 2 creator WonJeong on life as a TikTok star, light and shades of rising to stardom

Twice is set to kick off the new year big with a new English song and a mini album. JYP Entertainment on Wednesday announced Twice will drop a new English song in January, before making an official comeback in March with its 12th Korean mini album. The English single will be a pre-release from the upcoming album, the company's announcement poster on Twice's social media showed. Hinting about the new releases were the words "Our Youth" written below Twice's name on the po

K-pop girl group Kara dropped a new album in Japan on Wednesday to mark their 15th anniversary. The Japanese-language album “Move Again” is their first album to be released in the country in seven years and six months. It carries six tracks including the lead track “When I Move” and a new track, “Queens,” exclusively unveiled in the Japanese edition of the album. Prior to the release of the Japanese-language album, the K-pop divas had made a stunning comeback

SF9 will return with a 12th EP on Jan. 9, 2023, announced agency FNC Entertainment on Tuesday. The band surprised fans with a poster for the EP, “The Piece of 9,” that will be fronted by “Puzzle.” Seven members of the nine-piece act participated in releasing the album, including Rowoon who was absent from promoting its previous EP “The Wave of 9” as he was shooting a drama. He also missed the band’s recent US tour. The six members of the band toured New

NewJeans’ pre-release track “Ditto” from their upcoming single “OMG” topped local charts just within a few hours following its release on Monday at 6 p.m., setting a new record for the rookies. “Ditto,” a winter-themed subtle pop song, helped the girls take the throne once again following the success of their previous singles "Attention," "Hype boy," and "Cookie," in local music charts including Flo, Bugs, Genie and Melon. N