One of the most distinct K-pop acts on the scene, Dreamcatcher has been solidifying its status more than ever despite the pandemic era. Having returned with its new moombahton-rock “Boca,” the seven-piece act appeared in a recent live broadcast with The Korea Herald held via Naver’s V Live. The hourlong session was also jointly hosted by Christian Burgos, a popular Mexican entertainer based in Seoul. Chinese member Handong, who’s been staying in China, couldn’t ta

Just like its new summery pop tune “Aloha Oe,” Cherry Bullet was full of shiny energy, brimming smiles and -- especially -- love for music. “When we first heard the new song, me and Yuju actually cried, saying, ‘This is the song we were waiting for!’” said Bora during the group’s recent interview held via V Live broadcast. The hourlong session was also jointly hosted by Christian Burgos, a popular Mexican TV personality based in Seoul. “There w

The hit song "Dynamite" by K-pop superstars BTS has topped Spotify's main chart, making the band the first K-pop act to achieve the feat, the group's agency said Sunday. The K-pop septet's EP garnered 7,778,950 streaming hits on Friday (Korea time) on the Global Top 50 chart compiled by music streaming service provider Spotify. It marks the highest streaming record by a K-pop song on Spotify on the day of release this year, Big Hit Entertainment said. The song beat the previous rec

Global sensation BTS surprised fans Friday by releasing a digital single, “Dynamite,” ahead of its next album later this year.  The track is all in English -- something the band had never tried before in the seven years since its debut.  During an online media showcase, band leader RM explained that the unprecedented step had indeed presented a challenge for the band.  “We never released a song before the official album release or in English, and frankly, it w

Having recently returned from a fierce competition show, Oneus had a bagful of rich stories to share. From enduring nerve-racking moments together to struggling with missions for each show, the group’s time on Mnet’s “Road to Kingdom” was definitely a big leap in the group’s nearly two-year career. “After the show, what changed the most was that we saw infinite potential in ourselves,” recalled Keonhee during a recent interview with The Korea Herald. &

Big Hit Entertainment, the label-management agency of K-pop giants BTS, announced Thursday that its estimated sales revenue during the first half of 2020 reached a record 294 billion won ($244.8 million) on the back of strong album sales and paid online concert revenues. In a biannual corporate briefing held on YouTube, the company added that its estimated operating profit during the January-June period reached 49.7 billion won. Big Hit said the numbers were subject to an audit before confirmat

By embracing top-notch technology backed by a well-knit plot, K-pop powerhouse Twice brought a whole new level of festivity to its first virtual concert Sunday afternoon. The group’s first official concert since its 2019 world tour, “Beyond LIVE - Twice: World in a Day” showed that the multibillion dollar industry has discovered impressive new capabilities during the pandemic era. The 90-minute pay-per-view set was streamed in 126 countries and marked the first collaborative

The treasure chest is finally wide open and YG Entertainment’s brand new rookie act, Treasure, is poised to make a splash both in and out of South Korea. Looking fairly nervous, the 12-piece boy band -- the label’s first debut since Blackpink four years ago -- attended its first-ever media interview in Seoul on Monday. After hustling for name tags and making jittery eye contact with each other, the singers broke the tense silence by saying how they felt about their long-awaited deb

The music video for BLACKPINK's hit song "How You Like That" topped the milestone of 400 million YouTube views Sunday. The music video surpassed the threshold only 43 days after its release on June 26. The feat makes it the fastest to reach the mark among all K-pop music videos on YouTube. The previous record was by "Kill This Love," another hit by the four-member act, which took 63 days to garner the view total. "How You Like That" is the first of two pre-rele

Rookie girl group Rocket Punch had a very busy year. Since debuting August last year, the band already released three mini-albums.  The latest one titled “Blue Punch” was released Tuesday, three days before their first anniversary. Following “Pink Punch” and “Red Punch,” this album centers on the theme of summer and consists of six tracks with “Juicy” as the lead track.  “Our debut song ‘Bim Bam Bum’ was also an energe

Words from the song "Run" by K-pop group BTS have been featured on an iconic signboard in downtown Seoul. The new billboard on the exterior of the Kyobo Building in the Gwanghwamun square, central Seoul, reads, "Run, run, run again. It's OK if you fall. Run, run, run again. It's OK to get hurt" -- lifted from the lead song of the 2015 BTS album "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life pt. 2." The banner, 20 meters by 8 meters in dimension, has been up on the Gwanghwamu

In an about-face from its usually contemplative and edgy sound and imagery, K-pop girl group (G)I-dle said Monday its new single "Dumdi Dumdi" was intended to be a bright dance song inspired by the spirit of youthfulness and the sizzling summer heat. "While writing the new song, I asked myself what summer reminds me of. I thought it was similar to the spirit of youthfulness," (G)I-dle singer Soyeon said during a press conference held online ahead of the single's 6 p.m. relea

S.M. Entertainment said Monday that it has secured 100 billion won (US$83.8 million) in funding from Naver. The new funding will be injected into two S.M. affiliates – SMEJ Plus and Mystic Story – and a separate fund solely dedicated to creating new video contents. As part of the renewed partnership, S.M. plans to unify its global fanclub service into “Fanship” on Naver’s K-pop platform V Live. Launched last year, Fanship is a membership-based paid service for b

K-pop giant BTS won three nominations for the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards in the United States, according to the American television network Thursday (local time). The South Korean septet's "ON," the lead song on the band's album "Map of the Soul 7," was nominated in the categories of Best Pop, Best Choreography and Best K-pop, according to MTV's website. "ON" peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon release its release in March, the strongest showing ever f

From its inception, SSAK3, a one-off K-pop team created for MBC TV's weekend variety show "Hang Out With Yoo," was intended to be a silly tongue-in-cheek project, riding on the coattails of the retro boom in today's pop culture landscape. At best, the co-ed trio, formed of two late '90s-2000s singers -- Lee Hyo-ri of girl group FIN.K.L and male soloist Rain -- and top-billed comedian-emcee Yoo Jae-suk, was expected to offer a dose of wholesome feel-good '90s nostalgia to viewers and