Articles by Hong Yoo
Hong Yoo
yoohong@heraldcorp.com-
[Herald Interview] Kim Jae-joong wants to introduce new trend to K-pop scene
Singer and actor Kim Jae-joong pictures his past 20 years as a field of flowers. “Back when I was young, these flowers which I refer to as love and support I get from my fans, looked small and precarious. But as they accumulated to form a flower garden, these flowers were what motivated me to continue moving forward, to make more glorious moments in my life,” said Kim Jae-joong in introducing his fourth LP, “Flower Garden,” during an interview with reporters in Seoul on T
K-pop June 26, 2024
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Red Velvet celebrates 10th anniversary with new EP ‘Cosmic’
K-pop girl group Red Velvet dropped a new mini album “Cosmic” on Monday. "Cosmic" carries six tracks in which the quintet uses celestial metaphors to convey the feelings that come from important values and relationships. The lead track “Cosmic,” was composed by Kenzie, the veteran producer behind dozens of K-pop’s biggest hits, and the Swedish musician duo Moonshine. It’s about meeting a traveler from a remote star who Red Velvet encounters like dest
K-pop June 24, 2024
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Twice’s Nayeon lands at No. 7 on Billboard 200
Nayeon of the K-pop girl group Twice achieved a landmark feat on Billboard’s main album chart with her latest mini album, “Na.” According to Billboard, "Na," Nayeon’s second EP, landed at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 dated June 29. The Billboard 200 chart ranks the best-performing albums in the US based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Nayeon is now the first female K-pop soloist to have two albums in the Bil
K-pop June 24, 2024
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NewJeans tops Oricon chart with first Japanese album ‘Supernatural’
K-pop girl group NewJeans notched the No. 1 spot on Oricon’s daily singles ranking Friday, the day its first Japanese single album, “Supernatural,” was released in Japan. NewJeans is also performing well on major Korean and Japanese music charts. The titular track “Supernatural” topped real-time music charts of the Japanese music platforms including Line Music and AWA. It also landed at No. 13 on Melon’s Top 100 dated June 22. NewJeans has 10 songs on Melon&rs
K-pop June 23, 2024
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Seventeen’s Jeonghan, Wonwoo unveil director’s cut of ‘Last Night’ MV
Seventeen’s Jeonghan and Wonwoo dropped the director’s cut version of the music video for “Last Night (Guitar by Park Ju-won)” on Sunday. The song is the main track of the duo’s first single, “This Man,” released on June 17. The director’s cut includes a two-minute-and-45-second-long black-and-white comic that begins with “This is the story of a man who turns into a nightmare and another man who lives in fear of being forgotten.” &ldquo
K-pop June 23, 2024
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[Herald Interview] K.Will talks about relationships in new album
It took six years for singer-songwriter K.Will, known for his numerous hit ballads, to release a new album. On Thursday, K.Will will unveil “All the Way,” his seventh EP, talking about his relationships with the people he encounters. “I asked myself what evokes my emotions. For me, it isn’t certain happenings that make me happy or sad. Instead, my feelings revolve around my relationships with people around me. So I wanted this album to talk about feelings such as happines
K-pop June 20, 2024
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Jimin of BTS to release 2nd album ‘Muse’ next month
Jimin of BTS is releasing a new album next month. The singer is releasing his second solo album "Muse" on July 19 at 1 p.m., according to Big Hit Music on Tuesday. This release, recorded before the singer joined the military at the end of last year, follows his first official solo album “Face” from March 2023. His solo debut album peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s main album chart Billboard 200. “Following his first solo album, ‘Face,’ where he sought t
K-pop June 18, 2024
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Riize shows youthful groove through 1st EP ‘Riizing’
K-pop boy group Riize took its signature genre, "emotional pop," to the next level in its first mini album, “Riizing,” released on Monday. “Our first mini album carries eight tracks to offer a full experience of our signature genre, emotional pop. The title of the album shows our desire to continue moving forward,” said Sungchan of Riize during a press conference in Seoul on Monday held to mark the album's release. Riize describes “emotional pop&rdquo
K-pop June 18, 2024
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[Herald Review] AKMU reminisces past 10 years with fans
Standing on top of a green grass hill, the main stage decor, a children's choir opened the K-pop sibling duo AKMU’s two-day concert singing “Last Goodbye.” AKMU then appeared on a lift in a navy suit and dress to perform “Every Little Thing” with a live band and a string orchestra. The K-pop duo was welcomed by 10,500 people in the audience holding green fan lights that shined like fireflies glowing on summer evenings. Sunday’s show was the last day of AK
K-pop June 17, 2024
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Fifty Fifty to return as quintet with four new members in September
K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty is returning as a quintet with four new members joining original member Keena in September. “We’ve been holding auditions in search of new members for the group’s new leap. We finalized four new members in April,” announced Fifty Fifty’s agency, Attrakt, on Friday in a press release. Fifty Fifty’s comeback was initially scheduled for June. “We know that many people have been waiting for their comeback but we needed more time
K-pop June 14, 2024
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Riize to open pop-up store promoting 1st EP ‘Riizing’
K-pop boy group Riize is opening a pop-up store to promote its first mini album, “Riizing,” to be released on Monday. The pop-up store will be open at Starfield Suwon in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province for 10 days, June 14-23. Visitors can tune into “Boom Boom Bass,” the lead track of Riize’s upcoming EP, at a special listening zone in the pop-up store. The six-piece band has also prepared a photo booth in which fans can take pictures with members of the group in its frame
K-pop June 13, 2024
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XG expands first world tour to US, Europe
K-pop girl group XG, which consists of seven Japanese members, is expanding its first-ever world tour to the US and Europe. Starting with a concert in Las Vegas on Oct. 4, XG is to visit seven more cities in the US to meet with American fans. The group is then crosses the Atlantic to perform in Manchester, England, on Nov. 18, followed by shows in five more cities in Europe. XG kicked off its first world tour with two days of concerts at the Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan, on May 18 and 19. Altho
K-pop June 13, 2024
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2024 Dream Concert to be held in October in Goyang
The 2024 Dream Concert will be held Oct. 19 at Goyang Stadium in Ilsan, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province, according to the Korean Entertainment Producer’s Association on Wednesday. Dream Concert is the longest-standing K-pop concert, held annually since 1995. This year’s event is co-hosted by the Korean Entertainment Producer’s Association, the Korea Tourism Organization and Goyang city. Dream Concert has attracted 1.98 million concertgoers so far over the past nearly 30 years. Fro
K-pop June 12, 2024
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EXO-CBX and SM clash over contract issues again
SM Entertainment has denied a claim made by Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin of boy band EXO that it is making an "unfair" demand regarding revenue from their individual activities. Shortly after the trio, also known as EXO-CBX, held a press conference in Seoul on Monday to issue the claim, SM released a press statement saying that the trio was able to get a good distribution deal and suffered no damage from their contract signed with the K-pop powerhouse in June last year. Last year, EXO-CBX
K-pop June 11, 2024
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Game changer? K-pop industry leverages AI
The K-pop industry has begun using artificial intelligence in making music videos and songs for K-pop artists in line with technological advancements. Seventeen, a world-renowned K-pop boy group, for instance, introduced the music video for their latest song, “Maestro,” last month with a scene created by AI. The music video makes its viewers question who is the real maestro, when the subject responsible for creation is unclear, in a world where virtually everything can be made with A
K-pop June 10, 2024
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