BLACKPINK to embark on world tour in July, including performance at iconic Wembley Stadium

SEOUL, February 21 (AJP) - K-pop girl group BLACKPINK will kick off their world tour with a concert in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province in July, according to their management agency YG Entertainment. The quartet will perform at major stadiums in around a dozen cities across the world, with stops including Barcelona, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York, Tokyo, and Toronto. A leg of their tour includes a performance at London's Wembley Stadium, the largest in the U.K. and th

February 21, 2025

Three K-pop acts included on this year's Global Artist Chart

SEOUL, February 19 (AJP) - Three K-pop groups have made it onto this year's list of global recording artists, released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) on Tuesday. K-pop boy band Seventeen ranked third, followed by Stray Kids at fifth and ENHYPEN at 14th. The annual IFPI Global Artist Chart is "calculated according to an artist's or group's worldwide sales across streaming, download and physical music formats." Seventeen

February 19, 2025

G-Dragon to embark on world tour with gig in Goyang next month

SEOUL, February 12 (AJP) - G-Dragon, a member of K-pop boy band Big Bang, will embark on a world tour with a concert here next month, the concert's organizer Coupang Play said on Wednesday. The concert, part of his tour, is slated for March 29 and 30 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, but specific details about his upcoming tour remain under wraps. Expectations are already building among his fans, as it will be his first solo concert since his world tour in 2017, when he drew over

February 12, 2025

NewJeans change name to NJZ amid dispute with agency

SEOUL, February 7 (AJP) - K-pop girl group NewJeans on Friday unveiled their new name as they are about to start their independent activities. On a post on social media, the quintet shared that their new name is NJZ and that they will perform at a concert in Hong Kong, which is part of "ComplexCon," a cultural festival scheduled to be held in the city from March 21 to 23. Their brand-new name was coined after they accepted proposals from fans late last month, although d

February 7, 2025

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