K-Pop
K-Pop Star Luna Hopes BTS Will Show Up For Opening Night of Broadway Debut in ‘KPOP’ Musical
Korean pop star Luna is ready to make her Broadway debut this fall in the musical KPOP and she’s already dreaming of who might be there on opening night — like BTS. “I would be thankful if they showed up on opening night,” Luna told The Associated Press through her translator. She also wants fans and other stars to show up, too. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “This is New York City, it’s got its own celebrities and also audiences who would enjoy this. So, I would love to see New York celebrities, as well as Hollywood celebrities,” Luna said. Luna was introduced at a press event for the musical Wednesday at the Korean Cultural Center in New York. The singer began her musical career as a member of the popular K-pop group f(x) before becomin...
BTS Share Their Favorite Musical Film Moments in Surprise Oscars Appearance: Watch
BTS (Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook) made a surprise appearance at the Academy Awards on Sunday (March 27th), sharing their favorite musical moments in film. The group spoke highly of Disney-Pixar classics, with Jimin and RM revering Coco as “a real masterpiece.” “I watched it three times, and I cried a lot,” RM said. “Disney movies stimulate emotions well,” Jin added. Advertisement Related Video As for J-Hope, the singer said he prefers Aladdin, prompting RM to shout out Will Smith for his portrayal of the Genie. Of course, this was before Smith’s own 2022 Oscars moment, which was a little less family friendly. Perhaps after the cast performance of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, the K-pop group will add Best Animated Feature winner Encanto to their list of Disn...
Red Velvet Explain the ‘Unique, Imaginative World’ That Inspired ‘Feel My Rhythm’ Album
With the release of The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm, Red Velvet once again reclaim their crowns as K-pop’s multifaceted, multi-genre-conquering queens. While Feel My Rhythm‘s album artwork, and the Bach-sampling opening in the title track, all hint at a fantastical-pop approach, nothing is ever so simple for the quintet. Soon enough, clanging electronic production soon jumps into the mix, all making for a hit single equal parts experimental and elegant. Explore Explore Red Velvet See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Feel My Rhythm continues to showcase Red Velvet’s range, with “Beg for Me” letting the group show how they’re “real nasty but still keeping it classy,” the sleek synths of “Rainbow Halo” letting them easily fit among some of RV’s best sy...
AleXa Is Repping for K-Pop and Oklahoma In ‘American Song Contest’
“K-Pop” and “Oklahoma” are two words you don’t really think of in the same breath. But one of the 56 artists competing on the Monday (March 21) night series premiere of NBC’s American Song Contest just might change that — AleXa, a K-Pop artist from Tulsa, Okla. Born to a South Korean mother and an American father, she first learned about K-Pop in 2008, through one of her best friends. “The first group I ever saw was Super Junior – they’re a huge senior group in the K-Pop industry, but my gateway was SHINee,” AleXa tells Billboard. “I’ve been hooked ever since.” She moved to Korea in the first quarter of 2018 and competed on two reality shows, Rising Star and Produce 48. She signed with ZB, a label owned by South Korean video production company Zanybros. Her first single, “Bomb,” was releas...
K-Pop Label JYP Entertainment Doing ‘Full-Scale’ Expansion Into US
One of K-pop’s biggest record labels is firmly planting its foot into the U.S. market in the latest move to indicate South Korean pop music is increasingly creating significant stateside business. JYP USA, the North American subsidiary of JYP Entertainment, will focus on the U.S. development of JYP’s roster, as part of a “full-scale North American market development and global expansion maximization” by the South Korean label, Billboard has learned. JYP Entertainment, one of South Korea’s publicly traded agencies, was founded in the late 1990s by musician-producer J.Y. Park, who created early breakout stars like Wonder Girls, the first K-pop act to enter the Hot 100 chart in 2009. The North American launch follows last month’s news that JYP’s strategic partnership with Republic Records wou...
Executive of the Week: Spotify Global Head of Editorial Sulinna Ong
As global head of editorial at the biggest music streamer in the world, Sulinna Ong has plenty on her plate — not least of which is overseeing the programming of Spotify’s playlists across genres, territories and fandoms. And this past week has been a big one for Ong and her team, as they revamped Spotify’s flagship K-Pop playlist, K-Pop ON! (온), with a new name, a massive marketing push and a focused plan for new content catered to fans of the genre that has expanded significantly around the world in recent years. And the push has already started to pay off: daily streams and listening hours for the playlists grew 40% week over week, according to Spotify, and the playlist moved into the top five of the company’s most-streamed playlists, which Ong says is “a first for the playlist and the ...
How a 2-Year Delay Changed ATEEZ’s First U.S. Arena Tour & Inspired Their Next Steps
When ATEEZ returned to America for the first time since 2019, the breakout K-pop group wasn’t as much amazed by upgrading from 800-person-capacity clubs to sold-out arenas as they were with finally reuniting with the actual people in the audience. “We just saw them on screens for two years, but now finally we see each other,” says Hongjoong, ATEEZ’s bubbly leader who turns into the fervent and fiery captain onstage. “When we were in Korea, we had online fan meetings with many American fans, but it felt like we were watching them on TV. It’s really amazing to see them in person; it’s almost unbelievable.” Explore Explore ATEEZ See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news With puppy-like energy palpable as they hang out together, hardly any question for ATEEZ g...
BTS Fans Won’t Be Allowed to Clap or Yell at Their Upcoming Korea Concerts
BTS fans are an intense lot, but they’ll have to find a way to tone it down when the boy band returns to their home of Seoul this weekend. Due to government COVID-19 protocols, fans won’t be allowed to clap, yell, or stand up at the group’s upcoming concerts at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium (via Variety). “Cheering loudly, yelling, chanting and standing up during “BTS Permission To Dance On Stage — Seoul” is strictly prohibited according to government guidelines,” BTS’ management company, Big Hit Music, said in a statement. Attendees at the concerts — set for March 10th, 12th, and 13th — will instead be provided with clappers to emulate crowd noise. Seating will also be limited from the stadium’s 70,000 capacity to just 15,000 attendees per night. “The event may be changed or canceled de...
Celebrate Suga of BTS’ Birthday With These 10 Songs
Happy birthday to Suga of BTS! On this day (March 9th), a star was born, and it’s time to celebrate Min Yoongi/Agust D/Gloss/the primary resident of the Genius Lab. The rapper, writer, and producer turned 29 at the stroke of midnight KST — so grab some tangerines and join us by streaming our 10 favorite tracks. “Daechwita” [embedded content] Related Video He’s the king, he’s the boss, he’s Agust D, the edgy, no holds-barred alter ego under which Suga releases solo work. “Daechwita” was the lead single off 2020’s D-2, an audacious album in which Agust D addresses everything from existential crises, a bittersweet relationship with fame, and, of course, the haters. “Daechwita” is four and a half minutes of controlled chaos that makes me feel like I could run through a wall. “Off with their he...
The Sandbox Metaverse hits 2M users, begins K-Pop partnership
The Sandbox metaverse game owned by NFT investment giant Animoca Brands has surpassed 2 million registered users amid its play-to-earn season 2 alpha launch. The crypto game backed by NFTs and its native SAND token has been in the works for roughly four years, and the latest preview into the game comes just a couple of months after its long-awaited season 1 alpha launch in late November. Season 2 officially went live earlier today and any user is able to freely explore 35 different virtual experiences including a sneak peek of the “Snoopverse” in partnership with popular rapper and new-found NFT proponent Snoop Dogg. There are 200 quests that players can complete to earn a chance of getting an Alpha Pass NFT, which will reward the owners up to 1,000 SAND worth roughly $3,000 at current pri...
Everything We Know About Red Velvet’s Feel My Rhythm (So Far)
It’s finally happening — after a long stretch without new music as a group, beloved K-pop queens Red Velvet are making their return. IRENE, SEULGI, WENDY, JOY, and YERI have been busy with solo projects and unit activities, but a new EP is on the horizon for the group. ReVeluvs everywhere can expect more innovative pop from the group, whose 2019 album The ReVe Festival: Finale broke records and spawned a No. 1 hit on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart with “Psycho.” Prior to release, Red Velvet will hold a special concert titled 2022 The ReVe Festival : Prologue in Seoul on March 19th and March 20th, with the second show live streaming globally via Beyond LIVE. Advertisement Related Video In the meantime, here’s everything we know about Feel My Rhythm… so far. The Release Date Fo...
How to Get Tickets to BTS Permission to Dance on Stage – Las Vegas
BTS are returning to America for “BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE – LAS VEGAS.” Following an expected appearance the 2022 Grammy Awards, which will be taking place on April 3rd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the pop septet will play four nights at Allegiant Stadium. Get tickets here, and continue reading for more info on how to lock in your ticket to another high-demand set of shows from BTS. What Is BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE? Somewhere between an official tour and a series of residencies, “BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE” sees the group rolling out sets of dates in select cities one by one. Following the massive success of their four-night swing in Los Angeles in November and December of 2021, the group confirmed their first in-person shows back home in Seoul. Advert...
