K-Pop Journalist. Online Editor.
Koo Jun-hoe and Kim Jin-hwan of iKON have been involved in a drunk driving accident last Monday. According to the Namhae Police Station, the incident happened when their van rode by a drunk driver, who is reportedly their manager, skidded on wet roads and slammed …
K-Pop sensation BlackPink returned from their impending comeback, this time raising the bar even higher with their highly-awaited pre-release track ‘How You Like That’ and dramatic, aesthetically-pleasing music video unleashed on Friday. According to the band’s label and management agency YG Entertainment on its official …
Wonho, formerly of Monsta X, officially launched his solo career with English track ‘Losing You’.
The singer-songwriter opened up a new chapter with the piano-driven ballad after parting ways with the K-Pop group amid a series of allegations that emerged online last year involving unpaid debts, drug use and his pre-debut behaviour.
Co-written by Wonho, the song is off his forthcoming debut mini-album ‘Love Synonym #1: Right for Me’, and comes after months of fan-driven fund-raisers, campaigns, online petitions, and supportive Twitter trends demanding his reinstatement.
The love song is dedicated to his unwavering fans who’ve been by his side as he passionately sings: “Baby I would go to war for you, build an army if you need me to, cause losing me is better than losing you.”
“For me, ‘Losing You’ is about the connection between people, and the selflessness of loving someone so much that you’ll become one with them and they become even more important to you than yourself,” Wonho said in a press release.
The emotional music video is filled with monochromatic backdrops while the singer is seen alone in dark spaces, signifying his journey while away from the spotlight.
Born Lee Ho-seok, the singer decided to depart from Monsta X — consisting of members Shownu, Kihyun, Joohoney, Hyungwon, Minhyuk and I.M. — to protect and lessen the damage inflicted on their reputation.
His agency Starship Entertainment terminated his contract shortly after an investigation was launched.
Wonho was cleared of all marijuana usage charges by the Seoul police in March and went on to sign with Highline Entertainment, a subsidiary label of Starship Entertainment — home to groups such as WJSN and Cravity — a month later.
Though no further details on his upcoming album have been released, it is slated for a September 4 release.
Client: Gulf News tabloid!
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 …
Lee Hi signed with label AOMG after leaving YG Entertainment, home to high-profile acts like BlackPink and BigBang, last December. Founded in 2013, the hip-hop label run by rapper Jay Park officially announced its newest member on its social media. “We are proud to announce …
K-Pop singer Somi made her musical comeback with ebullient single ‘What You Waiting For’ on July 22.
The R&B genre dance-pop track is about a girl falling in love and is produced by Teddy Park, who is the founder of her label, and co-written by the Canadian-Dutch-Korean soloist.
The music video has also surpassed 11 million views, as of this writing, and was among those trending in the UAE on YouTube.
The former I.O.I member returned to the music stage more than a year since her debut song ‘Birthday’ under The Black Label — a subsidiary label of YG Entertainment
Prior to the single’s release, the 19-year-old took her career to greater heights when she signed with American record label Interscope Records, a sub-label of Universal Music Group, home to acts like Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Billie Eilish, as well as K-Pop band BlackPink.
While other acts such as Monsta X, Twice and (G)I-DLE, and BTS signed deals with American partners, she is seemingly among the first K-Pop soloist to do so.
Considered one of the scene’s fastest-rising young star, Somi rose to stardom when she claimed first place on Mnet’s popular audition programme ‘Produce 101’. She debuted in temporary 11-member girl group I.O.I — made up of the show’s contestants – until its disbandment in December 2017.
Client: Gulf News tabloid!
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 …
SF9’s Ro Woon will temporarily take a break from the group’s comeback promotions due to back and knee pain. FNC Entertainment released a statement on their website, revealing its artist felt pain during a group schedule on July 15. “After visiting the hospital on the …
EXO-SC reigned the UAE iTunes albums chart with ‘1 Billion Views’, fronted by a retro disco hip hop track of the same name.
EXO’s sub-unit, featuring Chanyeol and Sehun, hyped up fans by dropping tracks and music videos for solos ‘Nothin’ and ‘On Me’, as well as ‘Telephone’ (ft. 10cm) in the lead up to the album’s release last week.
According to record label SM Entertainment, the nine-track hip-hop oriented album topped the iTunes albums chart in 50 countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, India, Jordan, Oman, among others.
Popular in their homeland, their new musical offering topped the Korean music charts including Hanteo Chart, Synnara Record and Hot Tracks.
It also became the fastest-selling Korean album of this year and was given the Platinum Album certification on Chinese music streaming service QQ Music, for recording over 1 million yuan (Dhs 525,239) in sales in just 1 hour and 25 minutes after its release.
Accompanied by a colorful, cyber-themed music video, the eponymous title track features singer-songwriter MOON as they sing over disco rhythm and funky guitar sound about wanting to see someone so much as streaming a video to one billion views.
Chanyeol and Sehun showcased their musical prowess, versatility and songwriting skills and brought in other artists such as prominent Korean hip-hop artists Penomeco and Dynamic Duo’s Gaeko for tracks ‘Say It’ and ‘Fly Away’, respectively.
EXO’s second sub-unit made their debut last year with hip hop-themed EP ‘What a Life’, which also charted high on the local iTunes Top Albums chart.
Client: Gulf News tabloid!
Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon is gearing up to release new single ‘Dessert’ this week under the persona DJ HYO. The K-Pop star has recruited rapper Loopy and (G)-IDLE’s Soyeon, who both participated in the rap, for her fourth single slated to drop July 22, record label …