K-Pop Journalist. Online Editor.
South Korean conglomerate HYBE Co Ltd behind Grammy-nominated K-Pop phenomenon BTS has entered a $1.05 billion to purchase American music executive Scooter Braun’s company Ithaca Holdings. Acquisition details Through its US unit HYBE America, billionaire Bang Si-Hyuk’s behemoth—formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment—will take full …
V, a member of record-breaking K-Pop boy group BTS, is reportedly getting his own LED show on the facade of Burj Khalifa on December 29 in celebration of his birthday (December 30). A China-based fan club for V — whose real name is Kim Taehyung …
BTS’s record-breaking streak shows no signs of stopping, claiming a new record within the region this time, for becoming the first K-Pop band to achieve 100 million streams on Anghami.
MENA’s largest music streaming service tweeted the news and confirmed with Gulf News via email, revealing that it took three years to achieve this feat by their fans, collectively known as ARMY.
Though haven’t disclosed the countries with the most listenership, Anghami, which has been expanding its K-Pop library, shared BTS’s fanbase predominately originates from the GCC, followed by North Africa and Levant.
Member Jimin has also achieved his own record on Anghami for being the first Korean act to have four songs each surpassing 500,000 plays.
Though having been largely quiet while working on a new album, BTS recently beat Adele’s iTunes record with ‘Black Swan’, off their latest chart-topping album ‘Map of the Soul: 7’, which recently revealed to be the top-selling album in the US in the first half of 2020, selling 552,000 units, according to global music sales measurement company Nielsen Music’s US Mid-Year Report for 2020.
BTS is undeniably one of the most popular K-Pop groups locally and regionally. Proving their star power and massive fanbase in the UAE, Big Hit Entertainment’s artist has not only secured a star on Dubai’s Walk of Fame but also is the most streamed K-Pop artist in the UAE on Spotify from Jan 2014 to Jan 2020, the streaming platform revealed earlier this year.
Some of their songs have been also reappearing on the UAE iTunes chart thanks to their fans’ efforts.
Their 2019 Riyadh concert was remarkably the biggest live music event in the region’s history, having the strongest demand in ticket sales, Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of Saudi General Authority for Entertainment, revealed via tweet.
The Korean Business Research Institute revealed that the record-breaking septet is still strongly leading the brand reputation rankings among male idol acts for the 26th consecutive month with an impressive brand reputation index of 9,596,339.
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Prominent Korean and K-Pop artists have shown their support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and joined in solidarity following the unlawful death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. Day6’s Jae, Jay Park, GOT7’s Mark and Yugyeom, Crush, Heize are among …
IN2IT’s Isaac took to Twitter to wish fans Ramadan Kareem on Friday. “Four Weeks of mercy, 30 days of worship, 720 hours of Spirituality. 43,200 Minutes of Forgiveness, 2592000 Seconds of Happiness, Ramadan Kareem Mubarak,” the K-Pop boy band member wrote in the group’s official …
The prolonged coronavirus pandemic has been looming over the K-Pop industry, bringing it to a standstill for an uncertain amount of time. Many homeland and overseas (offline) events and concerts have either been cancelled or suspended while weekly TV shows have continued to air without a live audience.
The ‘K-Pop Super Concert’ and the ‘Music Bank in Dubai’ were also ultimately postponed in light of the virus. Despite this, K-Pop artists are promoting social distancing and doing what they can to keep active, whether it’s on social media, online platforms or TV shows. Here’s what they’ve been up to.
Joining live-streaming series and coronavirus relief events: Alongside a star-studded line-up last week, BTS joined James Corden’s special self-quarantine edition, Homefest: James Corden’s Late Late Show Special, from their own dance studio in South Korea.
On March 28, groups Monsta X, Stray Kids, and (G) I-DLE were among other names from various entertainment fields to have participated in online streaming platform Twitch’s 12-hourlivestream concert event, Stream Aid 2020, to raise money for global coronavirus relief. Boy group Monsta X will also perform on MTV’s upcoming at-home live stream series, Unplugged at Home.
Live-streaming concerts and K-Pop-related events: Due to the cancellation of scheduled concerts, promotional events, and fan meetups, K-Pop acts have opted to go online and interact with fans as much as possible. Golden Child live-streamed their concert Future and Past worldwide on YouTube for their fans in isolation.
Additionally, artists have also held media showcases and live performances via social media. Girl groups Mamamoo and April, duo B. O. Y, and soloist Kim Jae-hwan are set to perform in a free benefit live-stream concert, Live K Concert, on April 11 without an audience in Seoul. Proceeds from viewer donations will go towards humanitarian non-governmental organisation GoodNeighbors.
Promoting social distancing with logo changes and banners: Aimed at promoting social distancing, Pledis Entertainments’ boy groups Seventeen and Nu’est creatively shared online new, revamped versions of their existing logos as well as social media banners.
Offering masks and monetary assistance to Korean charities and NGOs: Numerous K-Pop artists like IU, Apink’s Son Na-eun, Astro’s Cha Eun-woo, Kang Daniel, BTS’ Suga, Girls’ Generation’s Yoona, Zico and more have offered masks or donated generously to combat the COVID-19 outbreak taking over their country.
Preparing for comebacks and debuts: March saw a few notable names like NCT 127, ITZY, Victon, Kang Daniel, and Exo’s Suho release new music.
Launching social media channels and sharing content : JYP Entertainment girl group Twice and soloist Soyou have launched a TikTok and YouTube channel, respectively. Members of K-Pop group Seventeen have also been gifting fans with their talents, such as covering songs from other artists.
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Fresh off their newest record-breaking album ‘Map of the Soul: Persona’, BTS’ addictive song ‘Boy With Luv’ featuring American artist Halsey represented a new and higher apex for the boy band this year.
BTS has been one of the most innovative acts in the always-in-flux world of K-Pop. After putting fans on a rollercoaster of emotions with their big screen debut announcement, the chart-topping Korean sensation didn’t hold back from their fiercely devoted fanbase in their first full-length …
BTS’s first feature-length film Burn the Stage: The Movie is set to premiere at Roxy Cinemas on November 15.
The K-Pop sensation’s cinematic debut follows the 300-day journey and struggles of the septet’s sold out tour, 2017 BTS Live Trilogy Episode III: The Wings Tour, which sold more than 550,000 tickets across 40 concerts and 19 cities.
Directed by Park Jun-soo and produced by Big Hit Entertainment and Camp Entertainment, the film was built from an eight-episodic YouTube Red series of the same name, and will feature behind-the-scenes glimpses and performance videos along with new interviews with the seven members — Jin, Jungkook, V, RM, J-Hope, Jimin and Suga.
Burn the Stage: The Movie will show an intimate and personal portrayal of the record-breaking group’s dedication to one another and their global fans, also known as Army.
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BTS never fail to keep their fans on their toes, especially teasing them with their latest next project. After a series of mysterious teaser images were uploaded on Instagram with a cryptic caption, BTS’s agency Big Hit Entertainment confirmed the popular septet will hold an …