It's taken a long time to confirm that even BTS cannot avoid South Korea's mandatory military duty. All able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve in the military for around 1 1/2 years, inevitably forcing most K-pop stars to leave the limelight at the peak of their careers. So it was once considered that military service was like a death sentence for a K-pop career. Most aspiring artists cram their youth with efforts to establish their name, and a nearly two-year absence was o

Chen of boy band Exo added a touch more to the beauty of fall with his third solo EP, “Last Scene,” released Monday evening. This marks a return for the singer-turned-soloist in three years since he last released his second EP, “Dear my dear,” in October 2019. “I performed and met (fans) in August through SM Town Live, but it’s been a while since I’ve greeted (fans) with an album. I’ve honed my efforts into making good music, so I hope those who li

Jungkook of BTS will leave Seoul Tuesday and fly over to Doha, Qatar with a chartered jet, said a local media report on Monday. Label Big Hit Music refrained from confirming the schedule following the report. He is set to join the opening ceremony for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 that will be held on Sunday. The management company announced on Sunday that he will participate in the performance for the ceremony as well as the official soundtrack for the soccer event. Six to seven musicians from aro

The title of BTS leader RM’s solo album will be “Indigo,” according to label Big Hit Music on Friday. The album will evoke a diary that conveys the artist’s concerns and thoughts, and will demonstrate his musical spectrum with collaborations with a range of musicians. RM has put out two mixtapes on his own -- “RM” from March 2015 and “mono.” From October 2018. The former was listed as “The 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015” by Spin, an Am

Singer Jung Eun-ji drops a remake album of songs that allowed her to heal

About six months after becoming the winner of NBC’s “American Song Contest" singer AleXa has returned to the K-pop scene with a new EP, “Girls Gone Vogue,” aiming to show her multi-faceted sides to a global audience. The K-pop singer held a press showcase to talk about the new release and its production at Ilchi Art Hall in Seoul, Friday, ahead of the EP's release at noon, the same day. She made a comeback with more seasoned music and diverse tones. “I wan

Former Highlight member drops new solo EP "Loner"

Tomorrow X Together will return in January next year with a fifth EP, Hybe said Thursday during a corporate briefing. The album comes about nine months after its previous EP, “Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child,” debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 4. The album stayed on the chart for 14 weeks, a record streak for the boy band. It will be the first group or artist under the Hybe label to release an album next year. Separately, TXT earned the group's first nominations at the MTV Euro

Plans for next year include four new groups, a Le Sserafim world tour and new music from TXT, Seventeen and more

The first solo single from Jin of BTS made Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 51, according to the chart published Wednesday. Single “The Astronaut,” a collaboration with Brit band Coldplay, landed atop its digital song sales chart dated Nov. 12 and ranked No. 10 and No. 6 on its Global 200 and Global excl. US. It headed straight to the top of Oricon’s daily single ranking as well after sweeping all charts at home. It was No. 61 on UK’s Official Single Chart Top 100. Meanw

Boy band NCT Dream left this year's Genie Music Awards in a celebratory mood after taking home two main prizes at the annual music awards. The seven-member group won two grand prizes at the 2022 GMA ceremony on Tuesday night -- top artist and top album -- winning the latter for the act's second full-length album "Glitch Mode." "Although we're thankful to receive the top album award, NCT Dream is only just beginning," member Haechan said while accepting the awar

Two members of Treasure decided to quit and the band will reorganize into a 10-piece act, YG Entertainment announced Tuesday. Bang Yedam and Mashiho terminated their contracts with the company after a long discussion, the label said via a fan community platform, asking for understanding and continued support for the two. Mashiho reportedly needs more time for health reasons, while Bang wants to focus on his capabilities as a producer. The two have put on hold all group activities since late May

The CEO of Spire Entertainment has resigned, days after allegations of her verbal and physical abuse against the agency's boy band Omega X made headlines. Spire Entertainment on Monday evening announced the CEO had resigned from her post as the agency chief through an official statement posted on Omega X's official fan website. "We feel a heavy responsibility over the incident. The CEO behind the disgraceful event during the tour has voluntarily resigned (from her post)," the statement

K-pop diva BoA will make a grand return with her third EP on Nov. 22, the singer’s agency SM Entertainment announced on Tuesday. The agency preceded the official announcement by dropping a teaser image for BoA’s new album “Forgive Me” at midnight Tuesday on the artist’s official social media. It will mark her first album release in nearly two years since “Better” came out in December 2020 in celebration of the artist’s 20th debut anniversary. Al

Police said Hybe confirmed Jungkook had lost the hat