AfreecaTV, one of South Korea’s biggest livestreaming service platforms, is exclusively broadcasting the K-pop idol survival program “Boys Planet” in Southeast Asia in real time with translations in various languages spoken in the region. The online platform, which airs the show every Thursday, has since garnered popularity across the region. The show, produced by Korean entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM’s music channel Mnet, involves evaluating K-pop trainees through vari

YG Entertainment is launching a mobile game utilizing Blackpink intellectual property with Takeone in the second quarter of this year. In Blackpink The Game, the player acts as the producer that nurtures Blackpink members into K-pop idols, YG said Tuesday. The player can run a training and business management simulations and decorate the avatars of Blackpink members. The players can also communicate with other users from around the world. Blackpink took part in the project by helping to creating

Rapper and producer Zico is gearing up for the debut of his K-pop boy group. The first K-pop boy group of KOZ Entertainment is set to enter the music scene on May 30, according to KOZ Entertainment on Tuesday. KOZ Entertainment is an affiliate of Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, which was initially launched by Zico back in 2018. The sub-label currently houses Zico and singer-songwriter Dvwn. All eyes are on whether this group will turn out to be successful among the many others to also deb

Thousands of people cheered as the lights of the KSPO Dome in Seoul shone bright, signalling the beginning of Red Velvet’s fourth concert, “R to V.” The excitement from the audience was palpable as the long-awaited concert kicked off after three years and five months of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On a lift, the queens appeared on stage wearing stunning jet-black outfits that made them look like five black swans. Red Velvet began their last day of the gig on Sunday wit

K-pop diva Chungha is leaving her long-time nest, agency MNH Entertainment. MNH Entertainment, the agency that currently houses Chungha, announced Wednesday on the soloist’s online fan community cafe page that her seven-year exclusive contract with MNH Entertainment expires next month. “Our exclusive contract with Chungha who has been with us for the past seven years since her debut in 2016 expires on April 29, 2023. We want to thank Chungha for her hard work and also her fans for su

Jisoo of Blackpink’s debut as a soloist with her first-ever solo album “ME” is just a day ahead. The superstar plans to show a new version of herself never seen before through “Flower,” the album’s titular track, and also through the side track “All Eyes On Me.” “I put a lot of thought into how I can show the soloist Jisoo instead of the Blackpink Jisoo. I continuously developed music that only I can do and that I am good at. During the proce

K-pop girl group NewJeans has linked up with Apple to hold a special pop-up session for the Apple Gangnam store's grand opening on Friday. The 15-minute free session involved experiencing Apple’s spatial audio technology with NewJeans’ latest titular track “OMG.” “This was part of our effort to communicate with our fans. When you listen to our songs with Apple’s spatial audio, you will feel as if we are singing standing next to you. We wanted to give back

K-pop girl group Billlie transformed into teenage school girls for their new fourth mini album, “The Billage of Perception: Chapter Three.” Not only has their style brightened, but so have the tracks, as the group took the stage with lighter, more danceable tracks at a media showcase held in Seoul on Tuesday. “Our previous songs like ‘Ring Ma Bell’ and ‘GingaMingaYo’ were quite abstruse. But in this new album, we tried a different music genre. We want to

K-pop girl group CSR took off on a journey to find their true selves with their second mini album, “Delight,” which dropped on Wednesday. CSR, consisting of seven 18-year-olds, faced a “light” at the end of the tunnel before turning 18, and wanted to share their journey of discovering what that light is in this new album. The mini album comprises a total of four tracks led by the titular track, “Shining Bright,” and three sidetracks including “Signal,&rd

K-pop sensation NCT is launching a new unit with three of its members Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo. The trio will make their debut as Dojaejung with their first mini album “Perfume" on April 17, according to SM Entertainment on Monday. The mini album carries a total of six tracks led by the titular track “Perfume,” and five side tracks of diverse genres. Members of Dojaejung are renowned for their outstanding vocal and performance talents as well as for their good looks. T

K-pop girl group Everglow met with its Thai fans on Saturday by participating in the Sound Check Festival 2023. The Sound Check Festival, a six-hour K-pop music festival held at Bangkok’s Thunder Dome Stadium, was pumped up with some of the biggest K-pop groups and popular artists from Thailand. Everglow kicked off their performance with their latest tracks “Dun Dun” and “La Di Da.” “The first time we were in Bangkok, we had just made our debut. Back then, we

K-pop sensation NCT is launching a new unit with three of its members Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo. The trio will make its debut as Dojaejung with its first mini album “Perfume" on April 17, according to SM Entertainment on Monday. The mini album carries a total of six tracks led by the titular track “Perfume,” and five side tracks of diverse genres. Members of Dojaejung are renowned for their outstanding vocal and performance talents as well as for their good looks. They

BTS’ Jimin finally made his official solo debut on Friday with his first solo album “Face.” This solo debut comes almost a decade after Jimin made his debut in the music scene as a member of the K-pop sensation BTS back in 2013. “Because this is my first-ever solo album, I am really nervous. I am excited to see how people will feel about this album as I worked really hard on it. I tried to express different kinds of emotions that I’ve felt in my life with my voice,&

Just in time for spring, when flowers bloom to awaken the hearts of many, K-pop girl group Kep1er is launching its fourth mini album “Lovestruck!” on April 10. The return comes just six months after the group released its third mini album, “Troubleshooter.” Kep1er’s fourth mini album comprises five tracks, led by “Giddy,” alongside “LVLY,” “Back to the City,” “Why” and “Happy Ending.” Swing Entertainment dr

K-pop rookies stole the K-pop scene last year, as many fourth-generation idol groups launched successful debuts. This year awaits yet more rookies ready to debut, and eyes are on who among them will be painting the town red. First in the lineup is the long-awaited debut of YG Entertainment’s new girl group Baby Monster. With the aim of launching the group in the first quarter of this year, YG unveiled seven of its trainees as candidates to debut as Baby Monster. But the agency surprised ma