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 …
A K-Pop concert with a star-studded line-up is coming our way this month. In line with the UAE-Korea Cultural Dialogue to celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations between the UAE and South Korea, the Korea Festival 2020 is returning with ‘KITE: K-Pop in the Emirates’, on November 13.
Hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the UAE and organised by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), the K-Pop concert will feature a total of 26 groups and soloists, including NCT U, Astro, CIX, (G)I-DLE, Ateez, AB6IX, Rocket Punch, Giant Pink, The Boyz, Lovelyz, Momoland, Kim Jae-hwan, WJSN, Pentagon, Cravity, CLC, Golden Child, Cherry Bullet, Dreamcatcher, Drippin, Everglow, Cignature, DKB, B.O.Y, 3YE and AleXa.
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With the debut of its unit XUM just around the corner, K-Pop group NeonPunch has decided to disband three years after their launch. The all-female act’s agency A100 Entertainment announced the news on the group’s social media channels on August 11. “In fact, our A100 …
South Korean artist Tiger JK and several local K-Pop fanbases have showed their support and condolences with Lebanon in the aftermath of the catastrophic twin blasts that ripped through Beirut’s port last week. The hip-hop pioneer and member of Drunken Tiger tweeted “Prayers #prayforBEIRUT” on …
K-Pop’s Avengers are gearing up for their return to the global stage with first official album, ‘Super One’ on September 25.
SM Entertainment confirmed that its supergroup SuperM will drop two empowering, anthemic pre-release singles ‘100’ and ‘Tiger Inside’ on August 14 and September 1, respectively, before releasing its first full-length album next month. The group’s management agency said the album carries the message “to overcome challenges together with the power of uniting as ‘one’” and plans to carry out large-scale promotion and global activities.
The forthcoming songs come almost 11 months since their highly-anticipated eponymous mini-album and debut in the US in October of last year.
The seven-member group previously performed ‘Tiger Inside’ during one part of SM Entertainment’s concert streaming service ‘Beyond LIVE’ back in April.
Before the comeback announcement, Taemin topped the iTunes chart in UAE, Oman, India and Saudi Arabia, among other countries, with new pre-release electronic pop song ‘2 Kids’ off of his upcoming third solo studio album, ‘Never Gonna Dance Again’.
Dubbed as ‘The Avengers of K-Pop’, SuperM is a team of seven superstars from boy groups signed under SM Entertainment. It includes SHINee’s Taemin, Exo’s Baekhyun and Kai, NCT 127’s Taeyong and Mark, and WayV’s Ten and Lucas.
In August of last year, SuperM filmed their futuristic, action-packed music video for title track, ‘Jopping’, which became the top trending music video in the UAE, in Dubai.
Baekhyun dropped a vlog of his time in Dubai on his YouTube channel. The K-Pop act also released a behind-the-scenes video of their five-day shoot in Seoul and the Emirate.
“I didn’t know we’d get to shoot a music video in Dubai,” Kai said the video. “This is our [Exos] third time here but even when we came here last time and the time before that, I never thought we’d shoot a music video.”
The supergroup’s five-track mini-album, ‘SuperM — The First Mini Album’, climbed its way to the top of the UAE iTunes Top Albums chart the day it dropped. Track ‘Jopping’ debuted at No 3 on the all-genre iTunes chart but dominated the K-Pop and Pop songs chart locally. Their new musical offering will undeniably be no different.
SuperM will reportedly star in their first ever solo web reality series, ‘Mtopia’, though no official confirmation from SM Entertainment has been released.
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SHINEE’s leader returned to public life on July 20 after serving almost one year and seven months of his mandatory service in South Korea’s military. Due to COVID-19 precautionary measures, Onew reportedly went on final leave on July 8 prior to his official discharge without …
YG Entertainment’s newest boy group Treasure is nearing its launch date to the K-Pop stage. The all-male group will make an expected grand debut on August 7, the Korean label announced on social media last Monday. In the lead up to their formal launch, YG …
Nine months after releasing ‘An Ode’, K-Pop group Seventeen made an anthemic, youthful return with seventh mini-album ‘Heng:garae’ accompanied by music video for lead track ‘Left & Right’ last Monday.
While the band focused on the concept of fear in their previous album, the newest EP is a refreshing, brighter take, incorporating a supportive and comforting message to youth celebrating dreams and life’s challenges.
The optimistic lead track itself is a message directed towards youth going left and right during uncertain and pivotal moments in their life. It encourages listeners to release their anxieties and reach for their dreams with their strength.
Featuring mostly bright and encouraging tracks, ‘Heng:garae’, which loosely translates to the act of tossing someone up in the air in celebration in Korean, was poised to be a commercial success prior to its availability in South Korea.
It reportedly broke the band’s previous record by surpassing 1.06 million domestic presales. Additionally, it has sold more than 1 million copies within just five days of its release, according to music sales tracker Hanteo Chart. As of Friday, it added that they became the third music artist in Hanteo history to sell more than 1 million album sales during its first week.
‘Heng:garae’ undoubtedly resonated with their local Carat fandom. Not only did the lead track reportedly top various Korean music charts such as Melon, Bugs and Genie, but also the EP soon climbed to the top of the UAE iTunes all-genre, Pop and K-Pop albums chart.
The multifaceted ‘self-producing idols’ band — consisting of Dino, Jun, Jeonghan, S.coups, Mingyu, DK, Woozi, Joshua, Seungkwan, Wonwoo, Vernon, The 8, and Hoshi — continue to push themselves creatively, from their flawless performances to their songwriting and production. ‘Heng:garae’ is no different.
Their newest EP is their latest since last September’s ‘An Ode’, which also charted high on the UAE iTunes albums chart. It also marks their first return since their agency Pledis Entertainment was acquired by powerhouse Big Hit Entertainment — home to K-Pop groups BTS and TXT.
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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 …