Fans deviate from old-fashioned fandom culture with self-made goodies, organizing private events

Seventeen will be active as an 11-member group for the remainder of the year so that Chinese bandmates Jun and The8 can focus on activities in their homeland, agency Pledis Entertainment announced on Wednesday. 　 The company supports the activities of all Seventeen’s members, as well as the band as a whole, and is actively looking for opportunities for them at home and abroad, the statement continued. 　 Jun and The8 will work on projects in China that they had postponed, Pledis added, a

K-pop megastar band BTS’ global fandom gathered at a coffee shop in Yang-jae, southern Seoul, to celebrate Jungkook’s 24th birthday on Saturday. Fans of all ages came together to talk, laugh, share memories and mark the special day with Jungkook-themed goodies and songs.  Since the pandemic has made it impossible for stars to perform at live concerts or hold meet and greets, the BTS Army took to cafes around the country to pay tribute to their favorite singer. 

Key of Shinee will be hosting an online concert on his own on Sept. 26 that will be livestreamed around the world via Naver’s V Live. 　 The concert, titled “Key: Groks in the Keyland,” will be his first standalone concert in about 2 1/2 years. Tickets to the show will be available for purchase from Sept. 1. 　 In the meantime, his prerelease single “Hate That ...” that came out on Monday hit No. 1 on iTunes’ top songs chart in 10 regions as well as several mu

Lucy continues to explore identity in new single “Irrelevant Answer”

BTOB held an online media conference Monday and discussed the band’s new album. 　 Seo Eunkwang, Lee Minhyuk, Lee Changsub and Peniel came out with a special album titled “4U: Outside,” nine months after the band’s previous work. The four performers are functioning as a subunit because Yook Sungjae and Im Hyunsik are currently serving their military duty. 　 “My heart is all aflutter,” confided Seo, especially since it was the first new music the band had put

Mamamoo is putting together a compilation album slated to be released in September, according to local media reports on Friday. 　 The album will chronicle the band’s seven-year career, with each track selected by the four bandmates, in addition to two songs that have not been released. 　 This is the quartet’s first album since its three members -- Solar, Moonbyeol and Hwasa -- renewed their contracts with management firm RBW Entertainment in June. Wheein decided not to sign with th

K-pop superband BTS has refuted the recent online allegations of Billboard chart manipulation, pointing out that they are easily subject to such accusations just because they are a peripheral band from Korea. The septet's English-language songs "Butter" and "Permission to Dance" have stayed atop the Hot 100 main singles chart for a combined 10 weeks this summer thanks to overwhelming physical album sales and digital downloads. Typically, on the other hand, most of the Hot

BTS bounced back up to No. 1 on Billboard’s Artist 100, returning to the top after dropping to No. 2 last week, the publication revealed on Thursday in the US. 　 This is the 20th time the septet hit No. 1 on the chart that was launched in 2014. BTS is the first group to top the list for 20 weeks. Only three artists have stayed longer than the band, and all are solo musicians: Taylor Swift (48 weeks), Drake (32) and The Weeknd (22).  　 The Artist 100 combines a performer’s per

Lisa, a member of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, will debut as a solo artist next month, her management agency said Thursday. The rapper-dancer will release her first individual single album titled "Lalisa" at 12 a.m. on Sept. 10 (US eastern time), YG Entertainment said. "The upcoming album will feature Lisa's natural and authentic side as implied by its title," the agency said, though it did not elaborate on the tracklist of the album. She dropped a teaser poster for her for

Musician-turned-entrepreneur talks about creating ripples in new music wave

South Korean superband BTS and American rapper Megan Thee Stallion are set to release a remix of the group's single "Butter" Friday, the septet's agency announced. The collaboration will drop at 1 p.m. Friday (Korean time) amid the original single's continued success on music charts, including the Billboard Hot 100. "(The remix) will have a new charm as BTS' unique style contained in the original version of 'Butter' combines with Megan Thee Stallion's rap," Big Hit Music, t

Enhypen is coming out with a new album at the end of September, according to local media reports Wednesday.   　 The boy band will come back five months after its second EP, “Border: Carnival,” which entered the Billboard 200 at No. 18. In May, the band was named by Grammy.com as one of five K-pop artists -- along with StayC, Itzy, Ateez and Tomorrow X Together -- that “have the potential to dominate the global pop space.”   　 Its debut single in Japan, &ldquo

Kwon Eun-bi landed well with fans Tuesday, being the first to kick off as a solo artist from the now-disbanded project girl group IZ*ONE. The idol-turned-soloist opened the door to a new chapter of her musical career with her first EP, “Open,” released Tuesday evening. The six-song print is a package brimming with six different flavors, including a ballad track and several eye-catching performances, the singer said during an online press conference Tuesday. “As the name su

Kwon Eunbi, of the now-disbanded IZ*ONE, made her debut as a solo artist on Tuesday at an online showcase for media. 　 “My role model is BoA. I want to be a cool solo singer that spans across a range of genres and concepts,” she said. 　 She is the first of the girl group to strike out on her own and she confidently introduced herself as a musician who can dance, sing and write songs. 　 Kwon co-wrote the lyrics for the swing-influenced “Door,” the lead track off of her