K-pop girl group Itzy proved its members were born to be superstars, showing off their confident and powerful identity in a new mini album, “Born to Be,” released Monday. The group, known for its music that revolves around the message of “respecting and loving oneself,” returned with an album filled with powerful performances that shows Itzy is more confident than ever. “We tried to overcome our limits. That includes trying out diverse music genres and challenging o

(G)I-dle will return with a second studio album on Jan. 29, the group's agency Cube Entertainment said Monday. A logo motion clip for the LP, “2,” was uploaded showing the letter “i” transformed into the No. 2. The album comes about eight months since the group's sixth EP, “I Feel,” and almost two years after the first full album, “I Never Die.” The sixth EP entered the Billboard 200 at No. 41 and sold over 1.16 million copies in its first week, a

In a bid to more actively target the global market, South Korea's major entertainment agencies are gearing up to debut increasingly diverse groups with multinational members. Katseye, a new girl group under Hybe, will debut in the US this year. The six-member group was created through “The Debut: Dream Academy,” a global audition show jointly conducted by Hybe and Geffen Records. Katseye's members hail from a range of different countries, including Switzerland, the Philippi

I’ll-It, the soon-to-launch girl group from the K-pop powerhouse Hybe’s subsidiary Belift Lab, will debut as a five-piece instead of a sextet as announced earlier. Such change comes as one of the members, Youngseo, has left the agency. “Following in-depth discussions about future activities, Belift Lab and Youngseo have come to a mutual agreement to terminate the exclusive contract,” announced Belift Lab on the fan communication platform Weverse on Friday. “I’

K-pop boy band Seventeen notched Album of the Year at the 38th Golden Disc Awards Saturday with its 10th EP, “FML.” The Golden Disc Awards, one of the most prestigious annual K-pop awards, took place at Jakarta International Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday. “We are grateful to have members that work hard. We think we have continuously shown growth each year at the Golden Disc Awards. We are so proud to receive this top honor today," said Mingyu of Seventeen duri

NewJeans garnered 400 plays on Spotify with “Super Shy,” according to agency Ador on Friday. It is the group’s fourth song to achieve the feat after “OMG,” “Ditto” and “Hype Boy.” “Super Shy” is one of the three title tracks from its second EP “Get Up” that came out in July last year. It enjoyed eight weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 and nine weeks in the top 10 among Spotify’s global top songs chart. The rook

SM Entertainment's Riize and JYP Entertainment's VCHA were named "25 Artists To Watch In 2024," according to Grammy.com on Thursday. Among those listed, the two K-pop groups were the only Korean artists. "(The group) has solidified themselves as one of K-pop’s fifth-generation leaders. Their mini-album, “Get A Guitar,” sold over one million copies in less than a week and quickly landed them at the top of Korea’s music charts," Grammy editors

Wheein of Mamamoo will host her first concert as a solo act, The Live announced Thursday. The singer will take to the stage in Seoul on Feb. 24 and 25 for the first time on her own in her 10-year music career. The concert is likely to expand into a tour, as the title “1st World Tour: Whee In The Mood [Beyond]” suggests. The name of the concert also comes from her first solo studio album, “In the Mood,” that was released in October last year. Wheein debuted as part of Mam

Jisoo of Blackpink is following her bandmate Jennie’s lead in establishing her own agency for her solo career. According to industry sources, Jisoo is setting up a K-pop agency with her brother to be called Blissoo. The new agency recently began recruiting employees, including video editors, producers, designers and security guards. “We offer a unique experience of working with an artist in a startup company,” the Blissoo job announcement said. With the support of her new agenc

Unclear whether all three members will participate in the upcoming album

K-pop singer-songwriter Jeong Sewoon finds joy in making music that comforts his listeners and that joy is amplified when there is personal development at the end of a project. In his sixth EP, “Quiz,” released on Thursday, the artist collaborated with a foreign musician for the first time for “Sharpie,” an experience which helped him expand his musical spectrum. “I worked with American pop band Nightly for the single, ‘Sharpie.’ This was my first time w

    Twice will release the group's 13th EP on Feb. 23, JYP Entertainment announced Wednesday. The nine-member act floated a teaser trailer for the EP, titled “With YOU-th,” adding that it will unveil side track “I Got You” on Feb. 2, in advance to the full release. The mini album comes about a year after the 12th EP, “Ready To Be,” which hit the Billboard 200 at No. 2 and stayed on the main albums chart for nine weeks in a row, a record streak f

Technology blurs line between fantasy and reality, creating charming, highly-skilled artists in the virtual world

Jisoo of Blackpink will let her own brother oversee her individual activities, according to a local media report on Tuesday. Her older brother runs Biomom, a small company that sells supplements for kids, and the firm recently posted recruitments for staff for Blissoo, a new affiliate for entertainment business. Blackpink will let label YG Entertainment continue to handle its group activities but all four members decided not to renew their contracts, which came to terms last month, for individu

Legendary soloists are returning with new albums for the new year. Singer-songwriter IU is set to drop her first new album in two years. She has been focusing on her acting career since releasing special mini album "Pieces" in December 2021, but confirmed her return as a singer this year. Appearing on BTS bandmate Suga's YouTube talk show "Suchwita" on Dec. 26 last year, IU said she will hold her first overseas concert tour in four years, since the "Love, Poem"