K-pop stars feel threatened by obsessive ‘sasaeng’ fans

Jimin of BTS swept the iTunes Top Songs chart in all 119 regions with the solo track “Filter.” The track is off the band’s fourth studio album “Map of the Soul: 7” which was rolled out in February 2020, making BTS the first group to top the chart in all regions. The artist already has three more songs of his own that did so – “Like Crazy,” “Closer Than This” and “With You.” “Like Crazy” is the main track from hi

Personal costs of becoming 'idol' seen as too much, given uncertain future

Legendary K-pop girl group Kara dropped a new song, “Hello,” on Tuesday. The song is a Side-B track from its upcoming digital single album, “I Do I Do,” set for release on July 24. “Hello” is a ballad number that sings about the happiness people experience when meeting new someone new and the sadness of bidding farewell. “This song was supposed to be included in the group’s fourth LP, ‘Full Bloom,’ released in September 2013. But we are

Veteran boy band Infinite held emotionally charged fan meetings Saturday and Sunday, the first in seven years. "Infinite Rally 4," two standalone fan meetings, took place over the weekend at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul. Fan meetings are similar to regular concerts but include more interaction between the artists and the audience. The meetings were the first in which all six members of the group took part in seven years. Across two days, about 20,000 seats were sold out. The perf

Singer Taeyang will be holding his first solo concerts in seven years in August. The singer's agency, The Black Label, revealed the poster for Taeyang's solo concert, "Taeyang 2024 Tour The Light Year in Seoul," through its official social media channels. The upcoming concert will be held Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 at the Olympic Hall in Olympic Park. The solo concert marks Taeyang's first concert in about seven years since his second world tour, "White Night," in 201

Hallyu markets in US, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam to grow to $143 billion by 2030

Taeyang announced Monday that he will hold a solo concert in Seoul on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 via agency The Black Label. It will be his first standalone gig in seven years and the Seoul show will be followed by a tour in Asia. The veteran musician brought out his second solo EP “Down to Earth” last year which included “Vibe,” “Shoong!” and “Seed.” “Vibe” was a collaboration with Jimin of BTS and hit Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 76 and

Haru, a Japanese performer formerly of K-pop girl group Nature, apologized Sunday for causing worry among her fans. The apology came after news broke in April that she was working as a "kyabajo," or a host at a cabaret in Japan. In a handwritten letter posted on her social media account, Haru expressed mixed feelings, acknowledging the heartbreak the news might have caused for Nature’s fan club, known as Leaf. "At 18, I came to Korea alone without knowing the language and de

NewJeans' absence from Hybe exhibition in Los Angeles reminder of Ador-Hybe dispute

"Right Place, Wrong Person," the second album of RM, the leader of BTS, was named the “Best K-Pop Album of 2024 (So Far)” by Billboard, according to Hybe on Saturday, highlighting RM's ongoing success and influence as a solo artist. Released in May, "Right Place, Wrong Person" debuted at No.5 on the Billboard 200, making RM the first K-pop solo artist to have two consecutive albums in the Top 5. The album reached No.37 on the UK Official Albums Chart, setting

K-pop boy group Enhypen has broken its own first-week sales record by selling more than 1.88 million copies of its second full-length album, a market tracker said Saturday. Sales of the album, titled "Romance: Untold," reached 1,883,143 units on Friday alone, the day of its release, according to Hanteo Chart, a leading local album sales tracker. It broke the group's previous record of 1.87 million copies set in November last year with its latest EP, "Orange Blood." The

Jin of K-pop supergroup BTS will be the first torchbearer in the Louvre Museum section of the 2024 Paris Olympics torch relay in Paris this weekend, according to local news outlets specializing in Olympic news. The South Korean singer is expected to begin carrying the flame at the Louvre Pyramid at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday. The French domestic torch relay, which began May 8 in Marseille, southern France, has been under way for more than two months. The torch is scheduled to arrive in Paris o

The music video for Twice’s debut song reached 500 million views on YouTube Thursday, label JYP Entertainment said Friday. It is the group’s eighth music video to reach the milestone, following “TT,” “Likey,” “What Is Love?,” “Fancy,” “Cheer Up,” “I Can’t Stop Me” and “Feel Special.” The group debuted in October 2015 with “Ooh-Ahh” which was the main track on its debut EP “The

K-pop sensation Enhypen marked a triumphant return to the music scene with the release of its second studio album, “Romance: Untold,” at a showcase event held at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Seoul on Thursday. Returning with a full-length album after nearly two years and nine months, the K-pop septet expressed gratitude to fans for their unwavering support and patience. “We prepared this album with a determination to present a complete work to the fans who have waited