Singer Song Dae-kwan dies of heart attack

SEOUL, February 7 (AJP) - Singer Song Dae-kwan died of a heart attack on Friday. He was at 78. According to his agency Starlineup Entertainment, Song, who had been hospitalized several times this year, felt unwell the day before and was rushed to a hospital, but died while receiving treatment. Making his debut in 1967, Song shot to fame with his iconic song "Sunny Day" in 1975, ending a decade-long period of obscurity. He remained popular among older fans, mostly with t

February 7, 2025

Member of '90s Mexican alternative rock band joins HYBE's new Latin American label

SEOUL, February 5 (AJP) - Emmanuel del Real, a Mexican singer and guitarist known as "Meme," has joined a new label under HYBE, the agency behind BTS, targeting Latin American fans. The agency said Wednesday that it has established its Mexico-based label called Docemil Music and signed Meme as its first artist. Meme is a member of Mexico's leading alternative rock band Café Tacvba, which gained fame with live concerts at garages and pubs, enjoying their heyda

February 5, 2025

Vietnamese rapper becomes social media sensation in South Korea

SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - Vietnamese rapper 7dnight is emerging as a new talent in the hip-hop scene as his song "Không Sao Cả" gains popularity on social media, crossing borders from his homeland to his second home, South Korea. The 23-year-old rapper has worked as a migrant laborer in South Korea for seven years, transporting steel at construction sites during the day while developing his rap skills at night. Despite a congenital condition that left him with only two fin

February 3, 2025

Rosé's latest hit song racks up 1 billion views on YouTube, becoming fastest to reach milestone

SEOUL, February 3 (AJP) - The music video for Rosé's latest hit song "APT." has garnered over one billion views on YouTube as of the end of last month. According to her agency last week, the catchy song, by the member of the girl group BLACKPINK, reached the milestone on Jan. 31, about three months after its release in October last year, becoming the fastest K-pop music video to do so and the fifth fastest among all music videos worldwide. Her latest feat bro

February 3, 2025

BLACKPINK's Jennie teases upcoming album with pre-release track

SEOUL, January 31 (AJP) - Jennie, a member of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, teased a track from her upcoming full-length solo album on Friday, ahead of its release this spring. "Love Hangover," a dance song featuring American singer-songwriter and rapper Dominic Fike, is part of tracks included in the album "Ruby," which is set for release on March 7. The song explores the inner conflict of trying to break free from someone who feels both toxic and healing, ca

January 31, 2025

K-pop band aespa kicks off world tour in Seattle

SEOUL, January 30 (AJP) - K-pop sensation aespa kicked off their world tour in North America and Europe with their concert in Seattle. The four-member band began their tour "2024-25 aespa LIVE TOUR - SYNK: PARALLEL LINE" on Tuesday at the Accesso ShoWare Center in Seattle. Despite opening additional restricted-view seats, all tickets were sold out. The girl band showcased hit songs from the past year, including "Supernova," "Armageddon," and "Wh

January 30, 2025

BLACKPINK's Jennie to drop first full-length album in March

SEOUL, January 23 (AJP) - Jennie, a member of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, will release her first full-length album in March, according to her agency. Set for release on March 7, "Ruby," which contains 15 tracks, includes her previous single "Mantra," which was released in October last year. The album also features several collaborative songs with global artists including English and Albanian singer and songwriter Dua Lipa. Fans are already excited for Jenn

January 23, 2025

Korean contemporary dance group joins Coldplay's experimental video project

SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - Ambiguous Dance Company, a South Korean contemporary dance troupe, has joined British rock band Coldplay's experimental video project, "A Film for the Future," unveiled Wednesday. The project brings together over 150 global artists and draws inspiration from Coldplay's album Moon Music, released last year. Ambiguous Dance Company performed choreography in sync with the song as part of the collaboration. The video for A Film for th

January 22, 2025

Rosé's latest hit song stays at No. 5 on Billboard Hot 100

SEOUL, January 15 (AJP) - "APT." sung by Rosé, a member of South Korean girl band BLACKPINK, has remained at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two consecutive weeks, making it the highest-ranked song on the American chart by any K-pop female artist. The collaborative song with American pop star Bruno Mars made its entry into the top 10 of the U.S. Hot 100 at No. 8 at the time of its release in October last year and has since stayed on the chart, slightly moving up

January 15, 2025

JYP Entertainment's new boy band set for debut next week

SEOUL, January 15 (AJP) - Seven-member boy band KickFlip will make their debut next week. "KickFlip will kick off their activities on Jan. 20 with the release of their first mini album, 'Flip It, Kick It!'," said their agency JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. Comprising five South Koreans and two Japanese, a couple of them including rapper Kyehoon have gained some recognition through their appearance on terrestrial broadcaster SBS' audition program "LOUD,"

January 15, 2025