K-pop songstress IU has swept major music charts here with her latest album and past releases, landing more than 15 songs in the top 100 simultaneously. The 28-year-old soloist placed 16 songs in the top 100 on the latest daily music charts by streaming services Melon and Genie Music, refreshed Saturday, including all 10 tracks of her new album "Lilac." "Lilac," the main track of her new studio album also titled "Lilac," topped both charts, followed by the pre-rel

K-pop boy band SHINee's livestream concert held on Sunday attracted some 130,000 fans from 120 countries, its agency said Monday. Fans from countries like the United States, Japan and Italy joined the online concert "Beyond Live - SHINEE: SHINee World" streamed worldwide via Naver V Live on Sunday, according to SM Entertainment. Hashtags like #SHINee and #SHINee_BeyondLive were top trending keywords among Twitter users in countries like Colombia, Canada and New Zealand during the con

A new Japanese single by global K-pop sensation BTS has topped iTunes charts in 97 countries and regions, the group's agency said Sunday. According to Big Hit Music, "Film Out" also debuted at No. 1 on Oricon's daily digital singles chart in Japan, with 23,344 downloads. The single also reached the top of major Japanese streaming sites, such as Line Music, AWA and mora. "Film Out" was released last Friday, with its music video also uploaded on YouTube the same day. It garn

BUSAN -- The Busan One Asia Festival (BOF), a major annual K-pop event, will kick off online next month in this southeastern port city due to concerns over the new coronavirus pandemic, organizers said Sunday. According to the Busan Tourism Organization, BOF 2021 will be streamed online from May 6-9 from the second-biggest South Korean city, about 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to reach more fans amid the pandemic. The festival's three main events -- K-pop Concert, Park Concert and BOF Lan

Baekhyun, a member of K-pop boy band EXO, will join the military next month to fulfill his mandatory military service, his agency said Saturday. The 28-year-old singer is set to enlist on May 6, according to SM Entertainment. The agency did not elaborate further on the venue and schedule of the enlistment. Baekhyun released his third solo EP "Bambi" last week, following his million-seller "Delight" in 2020. He will be the sixth EXO member to enlist in the military after Xi

Stray Kids rocked out during the first episode of the Mnet boy band competition program “Kingdom: Legendary War” on Thursday. 　 The band was one of six groups -- along with iKON, BTOB, SF9, Ateez and first season winner The Boyz – competing in the second edition of the show. 　 In the first episode, each group was given 100 seconds of “face-to-face time” and a chance to perform their chart-toppers. Stray Kids chose a rearranged version of “Miroh,” i

K-pop boy band Seventeen made its first appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Thursday (US time), giving a performance of its 2019 smash song "Hit." The 13-member group, in black leather outfits, delivered a pre-recorded performance of its EDM number on the popular American talk show. The segment, which Seventeen described as involving "the toughest choreography out of all its performances," was filmed at an outdoor sports stadium in South Korea. In an inte

Six boy bands vie for trophy in competition without elimination

  Rose will float the video for “Gone” on April 5, announced label YG Entertainment with a poster on Thursday. 　 “Gone” is the second track from her solo debut record, “R,” and the 33-second teaser snippet surpassed 50 million views on YouTube. 　 The performer sings of the sadness of finally letting go of a person who has left her. She keeps the arrangement minimal and makes the most of her moving voice. 　 She performed “Gone” for the first

K-pop sensation BTS has added another feat to its long list of accolades, becoming the first Korean artist to be nominated for the annual Brit Awards. The seven-piece act was nominated for the international group award, alongside musicians Fontaines D.C., four-time winner Foo Fighters, HAIM and Run the Jewels. Past winners in the category include prominent acts like Bon Jovi, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2 and Daft Punk. This year's awards ceremony, which was postponed due to the pandemic, is sche

Shinee is putting out a repackaged version of its recently released seventh studio album “Atlantis,” SM Entertainment said Wednesday. 　 It will include nine tracks from the LP “Don’t Call Me” as well as three new songs: “Atlantis,” “Area” and “Days and Years.” 　 The veteran idol group came out with new music for the first time in 2 1/2 years and topped iTunes top albums chart in 47 regions. 　 It will host its first virtual conc

The megahit BTS single "Dynamite" has tied the 2012 viral sensation "Gangnam Style" for the longest charting song by a South Korean act on Billboard's main singles chart. The disco-pop number, released in August, jumped eight notches to No. 26 on the weekly Hot 100 chart, refreshed Tuesday (US time). This marks the song's 31st consecutive week on the chart, equaling the record set by singer-producer Psy's "Gangnam Style" in 2012. Since its release, the septet's f

Baekhyun of EXO talked about his new EP, “Bambi,” at an online media conference Tuesday. 　 “Through ‘Bambi,’ you will be able to see that Baekhyun has grown from a boy into a young man,” said the artist, adding that fans would feel his maturity as a 30-year-old (Korean age). He agonized over how to be sexy without coming on too strong, he added. 　 The EP, his third as a soloist, consists of six R&B tracks. One, “Amusement Park,” was dropped

Artist getting ready for military enlistment next month

The new YouTube Originals series “K-Pop Evolution” will trace the rise of K-pop to global prominence. The seven-part English docuseries will kick off Wednesday at 10 p.m., and a new episode will be uploaded each week. The show chronicles the growth of the now 10 billion dollar K-pop industry from its birth with Seo Taiji and Boys in the 1990s to its current global popularity. K-pop idols from different generations -- SuperM, H.O.T., BoA, Super Junior, Kara, Ha:tfelt of Wonder Girls