K-pop act IZ*ONE will release a new album next month, its management agency said Monday, amid a lingering controversy over vote-rigging in the audition program that it debuted through. The band will drop its fourth EP, "One-reeler/Act Ⅳ" on Dec. 7, Off the Record said. The album, the first from the group in six months, carries six songs, including the main track "Panorama," "Mise-en-Scene" and "Island," focusing on the 12 members' youth and growth. IZ*O

"BE," the latest album by K-pop megastars BTS, has landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the group's fifth album to top the Billboard's main albums chart. "BTS lands its fifth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as 'Be' bows atop the tally," US music publication Billboard reported Sunday (US time). "The set, which was released via Big Hit Entertainment on Nov. 20, arrives with 242,000 equivalent album units earned in the US in the week ending Nov. 26."

American singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams has joined Weverse, the fan community and online store for a spate of K-pop musicians like BTS, CL and Seventeen, Big Hit Entertainment said Wednesday.   It marks the first case for a musician from outside of South Korea to join the mobile platform, according to Big Hit.   The company said that more musicians from abroad will be joining the platform, such as US singer-songwriter Alexander 23 and British musician Yungblud.  

K-pop megastar BTS has bagged two prizes at the 2020 American Music Awards (AMA) and put on its first televised performance of "Life Goes On" in a purple-lit stadium. The septet won the favorite duo or group in pop/rock for the second straight year and the favorite social artist for the third year in a row at the 2020 AMA show held at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday night (US time). Other nominees who competed for the favorite duo or group in pop/rock were the Jonas Brothe

K-pop boy band Stray Kids held their first virtual concert “Unlock: Go Live In Life” on Sunday, connecting with global fans online amid the virus outbreak. Streamed through Beyond Live -- a livestreaming platform on Naver invested by the group’s agency JYP Entertainment -- the online concert picked up from the group’s first world tour “District 9: Unlock” which kicked off last November and had to be halted due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. “Althoug

South Korean all-female group BLACKPINK became the first K-pop act to  top 1.4 billion views on YouTube on Monday with its music video for "Ddu-du Ddu-du." The video hit the milestone at around 3:32 a.m., YG Entertainment said, just about a year after it became the first K-pop music video to surpass the 1 billion mark last November. "Ddu-du Ddu-du," the main track of the four-member band's first EP "Square Up," released in 2018, is one of the group's most po

A wave of hope continues with BTS, as the group returned with a highly-anticipated “BE” album that reaches out to those disheartened amid the pandemic. After dominating the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with its previous single “Dynamite,” the global pop sensation held a live-streamed press conference in Seoul on Friday ahead of the release of the new album. Strict disinfection measures took place at the entrance, while reporters were seated with extra distance. Excitem

The year 2020 has been one of the most dismal years for many around the globe, jolting people to face a harsh new reality where the most mundane things in life have become a luxury. BTS, the K-pop act that has grown into one of the biggest pop groups in the world, is no exception. Carefully planned concerts were indefinitely postponed, and the band's seven members began to question what it means to be musicians when they can't perform in front of fans. The answer to that question is their late

K-pop megastar BTS, which has emerged as one of the biggest pop groups in the world, on Friday released its new album, "BE," an intimate record of messages the septet wants to share with the world during the pandemic. The eight-track album, the band's fifth Korean-language studio album, kicks off with the lead track "Life Goes On" and ends with the chart-breaking single "Dynamite," which propelled BTS to become the first K-pop act to top the Billboard Hot 100. If

Big Hit Entertainment, the agency-label behind K-pop megastars BTS, on Wednesday announced its takeover of KOZ Entertainment. KOZ was launched in 2018 by the popular 28-year-old rapper and producer Zico, who has chart-topping hits like "Any Song." It represents Zico himself as well as Dvwn. Big Hit said the takeover is expected to help the agency-label diversify its business portfolio. "We are happy to join hands with Zico, who is a top-ranking producer and artist," BTS ch

Aespa, a new girl group under S.M. Entertainment, made its highly-anticipated debut with “Black Mamba” on Tuesday. The four-piece band, consisting of Karina, Giselle, Winter and Ningning, unveiled the single via its YouTube and SM Town channels, opting out of any press event and leaning toward a rather online-oriented approach to showcase itself to the world. Inspired by the futuristic “avatar” theme, the group’s name comes from “avatar, experience and asp

K-pop boy band Tomorrow X Together (TXT) ranked No. 25 on Billboard's main albums chart this week with its latest album. Released on Oct. 26, the five-track EP "Minisode1: Blue Hour" landed at 25th on the Billboard 200 chart refreshed Tuesday (US Time), a record high for the group. The US music tracker earlier said in its Twitter post that the band ranked at No. 26 on its main albums chart but confirmed the group's ranking to be a notch higher on its official chart. It is the firs

K-pop superstar BTS has unveiled a teaser music video for "Life Goes On," the lead track of its much-anticipated album "BE." The 26-second video, uploaded on its management agency's social media accounts on Wednesday, shows the septet smiling and contemplating in front of a camp fire. It then rotates to a scene where the septet is comfortably sitting around in pajamas. Like the band had hinted about its behind-the-scene production roles, the band's youngest member Jungkook

Big Hit, JYP, YG invest in the same avatar app; S.M. to debut girl group with avatar selves

The latest album by K-pop boy band Tomorrow X Together (TXT) ranked 26th on Billboard's main album chart this week. Released on Oct. 26, five-track EP "Minisode1: Blue Hour" debuted at No. 26 on the latest Billboard 200 chart, the US music tracker said in a Twitter post on Tuesday. The chart will be refreshed later in the day. This is the first time that the boy band entered the top 100 on Billboard 200. Its debut album, "The Dream Chapter: Star," released in March last yea