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In global push, MAMAs leave K-pop roots behind
Despite Korean fans' calls for the Mnet Asian Music Awards to return to Seoul, South Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM plans to expand its global reach by holding its annual event overseas. "At Mnet, our guiding vision, 'music makes one,' reflects our commitment to uniting the world through music. In line with that vision, we began hosting MAMA overseas in 2010 and have since continued to lead the globalization of K-pop by staging the event in cities such as Macao, Singapore and Hong Kong, bring
Nov. 11, 2025 -
Hybe gathers 80 global leaders to shape next phase of Hybe 2.0
Hybe is hosting its Global Leadership Summit in Incheon from Tuesday to Thursday, bringing together more than 80 leaders from its overseas branches across Korea, Japan, the US, Latin America, China and India to discuss the company’s mid- to long-term growth strategy. The Hybe 2.0 vision, shifting to a "music-platform-tech" framework, focuses on achieving superior global market leadership by prioritizing high-quality content and innovative fan experiences across diverse regional and genre-specifi
Nov. 11, 2025 -
NCT’s Jeno, Jaemin to try acting
Jeno and Jaemin of NCT will appear in a short-form drama that starts airing in the first half of 2026, their label SM Entertainment said Tuesday. The two landed roles in “Windup,” set in high school. Jeno will play a pitcher whose once-bright career is thwarted when Jaemin, newly transferred, offers to be his manager. It will be the first time the former is acting while the latter had a part “Method to Hate You,” a two-episode drama adaptation of webtoon, in 2019. The upcoming drama is co-produc
Nov. 11, 2025 -
Chuu to host fan meetup next month
Chuu invited fans to a fan concert in Seoul on Dec. 13-14, according to her agency ATRP on Tuesday. The news of her second fan concert came in the form of a holiday-themed poster, complete with a Christmas tree, a wreath and a pile of presents, against a pink door with her name written on a plaque. The meetup will be Chuu's first in Korea in about two years. Between the two gigs, she rolled out two mini albums: the second and third EPs, “Strawberry Rush” and “Only Cry in the Rain.” The singer al
Nov. 11, 2025 -
Seventeen’s Hoshi drops English-language single
Hoshi of Seventeen, to the excitement of fans, announced the release of a new solo single on Tuesday via agency Pledis Entertainment. The teaser trailer for the surprise drop shows a guitar shattered to pieces and the idol falling slowly in reverse, before zooming in on a guitar pick inscribed with “You're just a Fallen Superstar.” He layered his voice over a mixture of fast-paced drum beats and lyrical guitar sounds for the song, which is also his first English-language solo track. The new sing
Nov. 11, 2025 -
TWS adds Macao, Kaohsiung to 1st tour
Boy band TWS will expand its first international tour, “24/7: With: Us,” to Greater China, agency Pledis Entertainment announced Monday. The group is set to perform in Macao and in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Jan. 24 and 31, respectively. The tour began in June with a three-day show in Seoul and spanned six cities in Japan, where they gave 13 concerts in just one month. Macao was where the six members had their first showcase in the region, introducing their second EP “Summer Beat!” in August last yea
Nov. 11, 2025 -
Catwalks are K-pop's hottest stage of the moment
In today's fashion world, singers are no longer settling for a front-row seat as models strut down the catwalks — they have made their way onto the runway. When Blackpink's Lisa became the first K-pop act to perform at a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show last year, the event's return after a six-year hiatus, many were taken aback by the unexpected crossover. The rarity of a K-pop star taking center stage at a global fashion show made her performance a striking symbol of how far K-pop's influence ha
Nov. 11, 2025 -
Hybe posts record quarterly revenue, nears 2 trillion won in cumulative sales
Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, has set a new record for quarterly revenue, driven by strong global tour performances, with cumulative sales through the third quarter approaching 2 trillion won ($1.37 billion). The company on Monday reported consolidated revenue of 727.2 billion won in the third quarter, up 37.8 percent from the same period last year. This surpasses the previous quarterly record of 726.4 billion won set in the fourth quarter last year. With strong growth in the first two
Nov. 10, 2025 -
Big Ocean heads to Paris next month for year-end concert
Big Ocean, the first K-pop idol group composed of deaf members, will hold a year-end concert in Paris next month. According to its agency Parastar Entertainment, Monday, members Chan-yeon, PJ and Ji-seok will perform a concert titled “Heartsign: When Hands Sing, Hearts Answer” on Dec. 7 at the Bataclan. The Bataclan, once the site of tragedy in a November 2015 terrorist attack, today carries deep historical and emotional significance as a symbol of healing, recovery and rebirth. Through “Heartsi
Nov. 10, 2025 -
SM Entertainment to debut all-Japanese girl group GPP: Why now and what it could mean
SM Entertainment Japan's first all-Japanese girl group GPP, set for an early 2026 debut, signals a deliberate strategy shift that will leverage the company's decades of experience and fanbase in the Japanese market. The debut announcement aligns with the K-pop industry’s growing focus on Japan-localized groups, a strategy that competitors JYP and Hybe have already explored. JYP debuted NiziU, a nine-member all-Japanese girl group formed through "NiziU Project" in December 2020. The group quickly
Nov. 10, 2025 -
I-dle’s Miyeon wraps up second solo outing on a high
Miyeon of I-dle wrapped up promoting her second solo EP “My, Lover.” The mini album sold more than 200,000 copies in the first week, a career-high for her as a solo singer whose first solo EP “My” logged about 99,000 about 3 1/2 years ago. Main track “Say My Name” debuted atop real-time music chart Bugs while the seven-track set topped two major music charts in China. The album also made iTunes Top Albums Chart in 18 regions, including Russia where it claimed the No. 1 spot. Meanwhile, a pop-up
Nov. 10, 2025 -
HyunA faints on stage in Macao
K-pop soloist HyunA had to be carried off stage after she suddenly collapsed during a performance at the Waterbomb festival in Macao on Sunday. In a video uploaded to X, the 33-year-old singer faints while singing her mega-hit "Bubble Pop." As soon as she lost consciousness and fell, the dancers on stage quickly ran to her and held her up. Moments later, a security guard carried her off the stage. Hours after the incident, HyunA apologized on Instagram. "I'm sorry for not being able to perform a
Nov. 10, 2025 -
Verivery to return after 2 1/2 years
Boy band Verivery will release its first new album in over 2 1 /2 years, announced agency Jellyfish Entertainment on Monday. The group hinted in a livestream last month that its fourth single album, “Lost and Found,” releases Dec. 1. Verivery debuted in 2019 with EP “Veri-Us” and its most recent release was seventh EP “Liminality - Ep. Dream.” Last week, the six members held a fan meetup in Seoul, 2 1/2 years after they last greeted fans at a fan concert. The fan meeting will be held also in Hon
Nov. 10, 2025 -
Aespa to hit domes in Japan next year
Aespa will be performing at domes in Osaka and Tokyo in April, it announced at its Tokyo show held over the weekend. The four-member group is expanding its third international tour, “Synk: aeXis Line,” which began with three concerts in Seoul. Aespa then visited three cities in Japan for nine shows and will head over to Bangkok this coming weekend. The newly added shows include two at Kyocera Dome in Osaka and two at Tokyo Dome, slated for April 11-12 and 25-26, respectively. The Osaka gig will
Nov. 10, 2025 -
Blackpink’s Rose earns Grammy nods with ‘APT.’
Rose of Blackpink cinched three Grammy nominations with her smash hit “APT.”: song of the year, record of the year and best pop duo/group performance. “I cannot believe my life. I am STILL trying to process everything. … This means so much to me and many many others. I’m feeling so incredibly grateful today,” she wrote on her social media. The artist gave a shoutout to collaborator Bruno Mars — “Look at that!!!” — sharing a video that captured the moment of her watching the announcement. This ma
Nov. 10, 2025