K-Pop
Five Burning Questions: Blackpink Debut in Hot 100’s Top 25 & Atop Global Charts With ‘Pink Venom’
While most pop vocal groups of any nationality are finding it hard to make a consistent Billboard Hot 100 impact this decade, BLACKPINK is one of the lone exceptions to the rule. The all-female Korean quartet scores their eighth hit on the chart this week (dated Sept. 3) with the No. 22 debut of “Pink Venom.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The bow is BLACKPINK’s highest on the chart for an unaccompanied single — bested only by the No. 13 debut of their Selena Gomez collab “Ice Cream” in 2020. It’s also their first single to land atop the Global 200 chart, and their second No. 1 on the Global 200 Excl. US listing, following “Lovesick Girls” in 2020. How resounding is the debut for the group’s first official single release in nearly two ...
Lizzo Geeks Out Over Meeting BLACKPINK’s Lisa & Jisoo at 2022 VMAs: ‘THEY ARE SO SWEET’
Lizzo took to social media on Monday (Aug. 29) to show off her run-in with one-half of BLACKPINK at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. In a TikTok, the Special singer approached Lisa and Jisoo for a cute video on behalf of a follower, who requested, “TAKE A SELFIE WITH BLACKPINK FOR ME!!!! PLEASE.” While fans can’t hear what the K-pop idols and Lizzo are saying to each other due to the latter’s new single “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)” playing over top of the clip, the singer assured her followers, “THEY ARE SO SWEET” in the caption. Both Lizzo and BLACKPINK were among the performers to hit the stage during the awards show on Sunday night, with the former playing a medley of her No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit “About Damn Time” and “2 Be Loved” and the girl group making their U.S. awards show debut w...
NCT 127 Set 2 U.S. Dates in World Tour: Is Your City One of the Lucky Stops?
After months of speculation, NCT 127 is finally making their post-pandemic return to the U.S. this year for two dates in their ongoing world tour. The K-pop boy band announced plans to play shows on both coasts in the U.S. this year. First up, hitting Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 6, followed by an Oct. 13 concert at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The two dates come as part of NCT 127’s “The Link” world tour, first announced in November 2021 and officially kicking off with a three-date run in the Seoul Sky Dome. The trek has also visited Tokyo, Singapore and Manila with a press release sharing that Latin American dates will be announced soon. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The timing of the shows comes just aft...
Mark Tuan Gets Introspective, Returns to Rapping on Long-Awaited ‘The Other Side’ Album
After first entering the music scene in 2014 with his K-pop boy band GOT7, Mark Tuan has finally released his first full solo project with his introspective album The Other Side. While Mark was one of the designated rappers in GOT7, the Los Angeles native gets the chance to showcase his true range across the 20-song project. Tuan boasts songwriting and composition credits across every track with most songs spotlighting Mark’s singing abilities front and center. While five vocal-focused singles previewed the album through the past nine months — “last breath,” “my life,” “lonely,” “save me,” and “imysm” — The Other Side also sees Mark return to the rap tracks fans first heard during his time with GOT7 on braggadocio-heavy cuts like “my name” and L...
TWICE’s ‘Between 1&2 Album’ Has Arrived: Stream It Now
Are you ready, ONCE? TWICE‘s new album, Between 1&2, arrived on Friday (Aug. 26), and is now available for fans to stream. The group — which consists of members Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu — released the seven track album early on Friday morning. The LP is led by single “Talk That Talk,” which received a corresponding music video that also arrived on the album’s release date. On the album, Chaeyoung has a solo writing credit on “Basics,” and Jihyo is credited for writing “Trouble.” Dahyun also has solo writing credits on tracks “Gone” and “When We Were Kids.” Other tracks on the K-pop record include “Queen of Hearts,” “Brave,” and “Gone.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The set arrives ju...
K-Pop Breakouts IVE Sample a ’70s Disco Classic on New Single ‘After Like’
As the Korean music industry continuously finds new ways to connect to larger musical conversations, a girl group leading the next generation of K-pop is throwing it back to a ’70s disco anthem for their latest single. After entering the scene in December last year, IVE have already sent their first two singles, “Eleven” and “Love Dive,” to multiple Billboard charts: at Nos. 2 and 1, respectively, on the Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100, top 10 of World Digital Song Sales, and entries on the Billboard Global 200. The quickly rising group’s latest single “After Like” not only seems primed to land them another hit but expand to even more fans with a clever sample use. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “After Like” is IVE’s new single that incorporates...
Fan Chant: It’s Time to Get On CIX’s Wave
Welcome to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, stans, and newbies alike. Each week, I’ll be rolling out interviews, lists, and all kinds of content to keep you in the loop on the latest and greatest from our friends in Seoul and beyond. Also, make sure to subscribe to my companion newsletter! This week, I really wanted to talk about CIX. The quintet out of C9 Entertainment, made up of Jinyoung, BX, Seunghun, Hyunsuk and Yonghee, is an absolute treasure of a K-pop group. The act debuted back in 2019 and has amassed a jewel box of a discography in the years since. CIX’s breakout track is considered to be “Cinema,” a glittering, dreamy pop offering with the most addictive earworm of a chorus. Almost exactly a year ago, in August of 2021, CIX released their debut album, OK Prologue: Be ...
KCON 2022 Wraps With 90,000 Attendees at Los Angeles K-Pop Festival
Finally, Los Angeles again felt the full power of K-pop fandom as the scene’s premiere festival KCON made its grand return this weekend after two years away during the pandemic. Across three days of a convention at the Los Angeles Convention Center and two days of concerts in the Crypto.com Arena, KCON 2022 Los Angeles reported more than 90,000 fans in attendance in its first in-person event since 2019. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Plus, with a new, post-COVID emphasis on live streaming, the festival garnered a total viewership of 7.17 million viewers in more than 176 regions. KCON’s live comeback is a slight dip from its last in-person event (103,000 fans were reported attending in L.A. in 2019), but what 2022 can claim is some of its most ...
Bebe Rexha Joins ITZY’s Yeji & Ryujin for Surprise ‘Break My Heart Myself’ Performance at KCON 2022
Bebe Rexha made her KCON debut on Saturday (Aug. 20), joining ITZY members Yeji and Ryujin for a special performance of her 2021 song “Break My Heart Myself.” The exciting team-up took went down during the opening concert of America’s biggest K-pop festival, which is taking place this year at the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena. Dressed in all black, Rexha strutted onto the stage during ITZY’s set and performed the ultra-personal track alongside Yeji and Ryujin, drawing thunderous applause from the packed crowd. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I love you, ITZY!” Rexha shouted to the audience while embracing her collaborators. In early June, ITZY’s Yeji and Ryujin unleashed a mesmerizing dance performance to “Break My Heart M...
BLACKPINK’s Jennie Goes Clubbing in New Teaser for The Weeknd’s ‘The Idol’: Watch
BLACKPINK‘S Jennie Ruby Jane lets loose in the latest teaser for The Weeknd‘s upcoming HBO series The Idol. In the sizzling new trailer, the K-pop singer enters the “gutters of Hollywood” as she goes clubbing alongside The Idol co-star Lily-Rose Depp. Jennie is seen flashing a devilish smile while lounging in a sauna with Depp before the two whisk away in a convertible to a packed dance club. The Weeknd premiered the second teaser for the music-industry drama during his concert at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on Saturday (Aug. 20). The brief clip was shared on social media the following morning. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news BLACKPINK’S Jennie spoke about her excitement for The Idol after the first drugs-and-sex-filled trailer dropped in late...
Fans Choose BLACKPINK’s ‘Pink Venom’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
BLACKPINK‘s new single “Pink Venom” has topped this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Aug. 19) on Billboard, choosing the group’s latest track as their favorite new music release of the past week. “Pink Venom” brought in more than 85% of the vote, beating out new music by Demi Lovato, Panic! At the Disco, Zedd, Maren Morris & BEAUZ and more. The song — which dropped on Friday along with a music video — is the lead single from BLACKPINK’s upcoming sophomore album, Born Pink, due out Sept. 16. “Pink Venom” shows off the four-piece K-pop group’s genre-bending sound, and the fresh track interpolates a line from Rihanna’s debut hit, “Pon De Replay.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Trailing behind th...
10 Greatest Moments in KCON History So Far
With 10 years of perspective, one can confidentially say that the timing for launching America’s biggest K-pop festival couldn’t have been better. In the summer of 2012, K-pop was breaking into the American vernacular thanks to the massively viral success of PSY‘s “Gangnam Style.” The inescapable horsey-dance hit entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in September. It would spend seven consecutive weeks at the No. 2 position, coinciding with performances at the MTV Video Music Awards, the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Saturday Night Live and the American Music Awards. While “Gangnam Style” was rocketing up the charts, KCON was announced as a first-of-its-kind convention/festival hybrid that looked to honor all things Korean-pop culture. Taking place at the now-shuttered Ve...
