Organizers of the K-pop concert “K-pop MasterzXKross vol.3” faced backlash from K-pop fans for proceeding with the event in Japan as scheduled on Tuesday despite a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the country only a day earlier. The concert, hosted by Japanese digital design firm Birdman and label Entertainment Next, was held at the Vantelin Dome Nagoya in Nagoya, Japan, which is around 250 kilometers away from Ishikawa prefecture where the earthquake occurred Monday. Ahead of the

NewJeans kicked off the New Year with a dazzling performance on the US broadcaster ABC’s New Year's special show. The K-pop girl group performed its singles “Super Shy” and “ETA” on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024,” better known as “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on Monday. NewJeans is the first K-pop girl group to appear on America’s most-watched New Year’s Eve special prog

Cries of joy rippled through the arena as the K-pop legend TVXQ appeared on stage to begin the last show of its two-day concert, “20&2,” at the Inspire Arena in Yongjeong-do, Incheon, on Sunday. The venue glowed red from the fan lights held by TVXQ’s fandom, Cassiopeia, who had waited five years to see their favorites on stage. Changmin and Yunho of TVXQ appeared on a lift to kick off their last show of the year with “Rising Sun,” the lead track of the duo'

A string of unexpected twists and turns made this year a tumultuous one for both the K-pop industry and K-pop fans. Early this year, SM Entertainment removed its founder Lee Soo-man, considered the "godfather of K-pop," from the company’s head producer position to open a new chapter under a strategy plan called “SM 3.0.” SM 3.0 involves establishing five different production centers and independent music labels to diversify production, a significant departure from the

January is set to be filled with K-pop idol group members making a comeback as solo artists. Kim Sung-kyu, leader of boy group Infinite and a solo vocalist with a unique voice, will release a new song on the first day of 2024. According to his agency, DoubleH TNE, Kim will release the new song, "Feeling," at 6 p.m on Jan. 1, as part of the project called "Re:Born project" -- a collaborative project that presents a combination of music beyond genres and generations. Kicked off

NewJeans sold more than 4.39 million units of albums so far this year, the most-ever for a K-pop female act, according to a local tally Friday. The rookie girl group achieved the feat with three albums: its namesake album from August last year and single “OMG” from January, as well as second EP “Get Up," which was rolled out in July. All three albums each sold over a million and the latest is likely to sell over 2 million, as it had logged more than 1.99 million in sales

All four members of the K-pop sensation Blackpink are leaving YG Entertainment to pursue their solo careers. “We recently extended our exclusive contract with Blackpink for its group projects. We agreed not to proceed with an additional contract for each member’s individual activities,” said YG Entertainment in a press release on Friday. YG announced on Dec. 6 that the four-member group had renewed an exclusive contract with the agency for group activities. Since their debut in

K-pop girl group Twice will hold standalone concerts at Nissan Stadium, the biggest multipurpose stadium in Yokohama, Japan, in July next year. The group announced the upcoming concert during a gig at the PayPay Dome in Fukuoka, Japan, Thursday. Twice will later hold standalone concerts at Yanmar Stadium Nagai in Osaka, Japan, July 13-14, 2024, as well as at Nissan Stadium on July 27 and 28. Twice will become the second K-pop act to perform at Nissan Stadium, following legendary K-pop boy band T

Controversy arises over whether a series of public summons for actor Lee were legitimate

Jennie of Blackpink made Billboard’s Hot 100 with single “One Of The Girls,” according to chart previews that became available on Tuesday in the US. It is part of the original soundtrack for drama “The Idol,” fronted by The Weeknd, and featuring co-star Lily Rose Melody Depp. The song charted at No. 100 on the main singles chart and is Jennie’s first entry on the tally as a solo artist. Her solo special single from October, “You ＆ Me,” ranked No.

Broadcasters' year-end music festivals have come under fire for poor production value, counterfeit tickets and selecting overseas venues over domestic ones, making it hard for K-pop fans to attend. The "SBS Gayo Daejeon 2023,” which was held at Inspire Arena in Yongjeong-do, Incheon, on Christmas Day, several accidents threatened the safety of artists in attendance. A man jumped over the safety line while girl group aespa was about to leave the red-carpet photo wall. A bodyguar

Easy listening, a popular music genre of soothing vocal and instrumental sounds that first appeared in the 1940s, or also sometimes called "elevator music," hit the K-pop scene this year. In a departure from their typical conceptual-driven songs, many K-pop groups started introducing easy-listening singles. Releasing a single of this genre was one of the key factors in girl group Fifty Fifty's record-breaking feats on the biggest music charts in the West, the US-based Billboard an

Pledis Entertainment, which represents K-pop boy band Seventeen, is to launch a new boy band under the name TWS on Jan. 22, 2024. The six-member TWS will release a single, “Oh Mymy: 7s,” on Tuesday prior to the official debut, according to Pledis Entertainment on Wednesday. The predebut single will be part of the group’s debut EP, “Sparkling Blue.” TWS is scheduled to release various video content before its official debut, such as a clip on the story behind the deb

Seventeen is rolling out a trot song on Tuesday to the surprise of its fans. Under the title “God of Light Music,” the single was originally made as a promotional content for the band’s 11th EP “Seventeen’s Heaven.” It was created for the 13-member act’s documentary, part of its YouTube show “Going Seventeen,” and many of the fans requested the music to be officially released, according to agency Pledis Entertainment. A Korean trot version o

As it celebrates two decades in the music business, TVXQ said Tuesday it hopes to slowly but steadily continue its journey as K-pop artists for many years to come. “We’ve run forward like wild horses during the past 20 years. For the next 20 years, we hope to work slowly but continuously," said Yunho of TVXQ during a press conference in Seoul. "Looking at other artists who have been in the industry longer than us, I learned that we’ve also got to make new attempts ins