There have long been distinct elements that make up the “K-pop idol sound” – namely highly-produced songs with catchy choruses sung by camera-ready group members performing their distinct roles. To the unfamiliar, K-pop music can appear to not much more than a product of the entertainment industry. But K-pop idols are, in fact, versatile: They can sing, dance, rap, compose and produce. A handful of K-pop singers have put their talents on full display in various platforms,

K-pop band Seventeen embarks on third world tour, ‘Be the Sun,’ with Seoul concerts over the weekend

BTS member V has visited Paris in an apparent move to start his individual activities after the K-pop boyband announced a plan to take a collective break. According to industry sources Monday, V, or also known as Kim Tae-hyung, is on a trip to France for a fashion show on the invitation of designer Hedi Slimane for Celine. V attended the fashion show at the Palais de Tokyo, together with Korean actor Park Bo-gum and Lisa of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK. He shared photos of his activities in Paris

K-pop sensation BTS' new album, "Proof," has placed fourth on the US Billboard's main albums chart for this week, staying in the top 10 for two straight weeks since its debut, the chart's operator said. The anthology album fell three notches after hitting the top spot in the previous week, Billboard said Sunday (US time). Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week in the US, measured by equivalent album units, comprising physical album sales and digital sale

J-Hope, a rapper and dancer of K-pop supergroup BTS, plans to release his solo album "Jack in the Box" next month, his agency said Sunday. J-hope will debut his first solo album on July 15 and drop a prerelease single Friday, according to Big Hit Music. He will be the first BTS member to go solo since the septet announced plans earlier this month to take a temporary break to focus on their individual projects. J-Hope released his first solo mix tape, "Hope World," in 2018, wh

Nayeon of K-pop band Twice dropped her first solo album “Im Nayeon” on Friday as the first member from the group to go solo. Ahead of dropping the album at 1 p.m., Nayeon conducted a press conference in Seoul to discuss her first album. “I have very mixed feelings right now. I’m kind of relieved as I’ve been preparing this for so long, but at the same time, I feel excited and very anxious,” Nayeon said, sporting platinum-blonde hair and in an elegant black p

NCT Dream will hold its second standalone concert series in Seoul from July 29-31, SM Entertainment announced Friday. 　 It has been over 2 1/2 years since its previous standalone concert, and it will be an upgrade in terms of music and performance, the band’s label proclaimed. The last day’s performance will be broadcast live as well via Beyond Live. 　 The septet put out their second full-length album “Glitch Mode” and repackaged album “Beatbox” in March an

Seventeen will tour three cities in Japan from Nov. 19, Pledis Entertainment announced Thursday. 　 It will perform six times, in Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya, until Dec. 4. It will be the band’s first dome tour in the country. 　 The Japan leg is likely to be the final part of its upcoming international tour. The first show is in Seoul on Saturday. In August, the band will start the North American leg bringing it to 12 cities, including Vancouver, Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington.

Girl group VIVIZ will put out its second EP next month, the group's management agency said Thursday. The EP titled "Summer Vibe" will hit various music services at 6 p.m. on July 6, Big Planet Made said. It will be the first release from the band since its first EP, "Beam of Prism," in February. The trio aims to become the new summer queen of the K-pop scene with the new EP after returning with a more mature side, the agency said in a release. VIVIZ debuted in February w

The music video for Stray Kids’ “Maniac” reached 100 million views on YouTube, said label JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. 　 The video was fully released in March and became the band’s sixth music video to reach the milestone, following those of “God’s Menu,” “Back Door,” “Miroh,” “My Pace” and “Thunderous.” 　 “Maniac” is the focus track from the EP “Oddinary” that ranked No. 1 on th

Co-ed quartet Kard on Wednesday made its full group comeback after nearly two years with the new album “Re:,” through which the group hopes to embark on a new start of their musical journey. The four bandmates, consisting of two female members Minseo and Jiwoo alongside male members BM and J. Seph -- said they felt like they were redebuting in preparing the new album, so named the album “Re:.” “When you add the prefix ‘re-’ in front of a verb, it means

KCON, the world’s biggest Korean popular culture festival, will return to a physical location in over two years in Los Angeles in August. The event is headlined by the trendiest lineup of K-pop groups, including Enhypen, Itzy and NCT Dream. CJ ENM, the Korean entertainment conglomerate organizing KCON, revealed on Wednesday the lineup of performers to feature in the global K-pop event, slated to run from Aug. 19-21 at the Crypto.com Arena (previously the Staples Center) and the LA Convent

Two new singles from the BTS anthology album "Proof" have entered the Billboard's Hot 100 main singles chart for this week. According to the latest chart unveiled Tuesday (US time), "Yet To Come," the main track of the album, debuted at No. 13 and "Run BTS," also off the same album, at 73rd on the chart. Released on June 10, "Proof" started on top of the Billboard 200 main albums chart for this week despite the group's recent announcement of a pa

Tomorrow X Together announced plans to visit four cities in Asia in October on Tuesday. 　 The band uploaded a poster that showed destinations for the Asian leg of its international tour, adding Jakarta, Manila, Taipei and Bangkok to its itinerary. 　 The quintet will kick off its first world tour, dubbed “Act: Love Sick,” with two concerts in Seoul on July 2-3. The following week, it will fly over to the US, performing eight times in seven cities from Chicago and New York to San Fra

Every year, around 30 new boy bands make their debut on the K-pop scene, dreaming of the limelight and glitter that comes with the idol lifestyle. But only a lucky few are given the chance to climb the ladder and get the recognition they aspire to. JTBC is launching a project to give a second chance to K-pop acts who have fallen short in making a successful career. According to JTBC, its upcoming program “Peak Time” will be a competition for boy bands that have already debuted.