Virtual artists rise as K-pop embraces AI celebrities

SEOUL, June 26 (AJU PRESS) - Rookie singer iaaa has garnered over 137,000 views on YouTube with her debut single "Our Season." In the heartfelt mid-tempo ballad, her warm, delicate voice sings of first love, with her rippling hair, sparkling eyes and gentle movements evoking an innocent springtime romance. However, none of these are real. Composed entirely of pixels, code and a synthetic voice, iaaa is the latest in a throng of virtual artists to emerge in the vibrant Korean

June 26, 2024

Kara set to return with new album next month

SEOUL, June 24 (AJU PRESS) - K-pop girl group Kara will resume their activities with the release of a new album next month. Currently consisting of five members - Park Gyu-ri, Han Seung-yeon, Heo Young-ji, Kang Ji-young and Nicole, Kara will reunite for the album slated for release in July, according to the five-member band's management agency last week. Their return to the K-pop music scene comes nearly two years after they released a special album in November 2022 to celebr

June 24, 2024

NewJeans' Japanese debut album tops Oricon chart 

SEOUL, June 24 (AJU PRESS) - K-pop girl group NewJeans topped Japan's major music chart with their Japanese debut album. The quintet's four-track album, "Supernatural," ascended to No. 1 on the Oricon's daily singles chart on June 21, immediately after its release and remained there the following day. First released in 1968, the chart serves as one of key indicators for gauging the popularity of songs and albums in the island country. "Supernatural&q

June 24, 2024

Yeon Sang-ho teams up with acclaimed Mexican director for upcoming Netflix film

SEOUL, June 21 (AJU PRESS) - Filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho is set to team up with Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón for his upcoming project, Netflix said Thursday. The collaboration is already garnering much attention among their fans. Based on Yeon's popular webtoon series, "Revelations" follows the story of a pastor who believes it is God's revelation to punish the perpetrator of a missing case and a detective haunted by visions of his deceased sibling while inves

June 21, 2024

Crooner Crush to take break due to back surgery

SEOUL, June 20 (AJU PRESS) - Singer Crush has been forced to halt all activities after being diagnosed with a herniated disk, the singer-songwriter's agency said Thursday. Entertainment agency Pnation, run by rapper Psy who earned global fame thanks to his viral song "Gangnam Style," said that Crush underwent medical checkups due to his worsening back pain, and he is going under the knife soon. "Crush will temporarily suspend all scheduled activities

June 20, 2024

Lim Young-woong voted Korea's most favorite singer

SEOUL, June 20 (AJU PRESS) - Lim Young-woong has been named Korea's most favorite singer, according to a poll by Gallup Korea. In the survey of some 1,777 people aged over 13 across the country except for Jeju Island, some 10.3 percent of respondents picked him as their top choice. Next came versatile young star IU with nine percent, followed by K-pop juggernaut BTS with 4.8 percent. Girl band NewJeans ranked fifth with 3.5 percent while another girl band Blackpink came in te

June 20, 2024

Korea aims to nurture more foreign K-pop trainees with special visa program

SEOUL, June 19 (AJU PRESS) - Foreigners aspiring to be K-pop stars are expected to benefit from a special visa program that allows them to stay in Korea for a longer period of time. This is part of plans, announced by the Ministry of Economy and Finance early this week, to attract more tourists from overseas and boost tourism. Currently, K-pop trainees under contracts with major talent mills can obtain an E-6 visa, enabling them to stay for up to two years, while those witho

June 19, 2024

Fifty Fifty to return with fresh lineup this fall

SEOUL, June 17 (AJU PRESS) - Girl band Fifty Fifty will return to the K-pop scene this fall with new members, according to their agency Attrackt. Initially planned for June, their comeback is now slated for September to allow for more preparation. "We planned to return to the stage in June, but decided to meet fans in September as we want to spend more time on final tune-ups," the agency said last week. "But we will release part of tracks ahead of the release of ou

June 17, 2024

Girl band aespa to meet fans in metaverse K-pop fan community

SEOUL, June 10 (AJU PRESS) - Girl band aespa will interact with global fans at a virtual K-pop hotel created on "Ifland," a metaverse platform developed by SK Telecom (SKT), starting on Monday. The Korean telecom operator announced the launch of the metaverse fan community titled "K-pop Hotel." This virtual fan community incorporates the unique features of K-pop artists using three-dimensional (3D) and extended reality (XR) technologies. The hotel spans 99 flo

June 10, 2024

G-Dragon joins KAIST as visiting professor

SEOUL, June 5 (AJU PRESS) - G-Dragon of boy band Big Bang has joined the Korea Institute of Science and Technology as a visiting professor, the tech-heavy school said Wednesday. He will offer lectures for graduate and undergraduate students in Department of Mechanical Engineering during his two-year tenure until June 2026. Known for his flamboyant style and interest in fashion, the singer is expected to bridge cutting-edge technology with pop culture, sharing his experiences as a

June 5, 2024