K-Pop
Here Are All the Easter Eggs in BLACKPINK’s ‘Shut Down’ Music Video
BLACKPINK is officially back in your area. Two years after the release of the K-pop girl group’s debut album, The Album, the four-piece — Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé — finally released their second album, Born Pink, on Friday (Sept. 16), and with it, an Easter egg-filled video for the album’s title track, “Shut Down.” As it turns out, video Easter eggs are not just a favorite of Taylor Swift (who is, notably, a fan of the girl group). When the visual for “Shut Down” arrived in the early hours of Friday morning, fans noticed that it acted as both a reflection on BLACKPINK’s past eras since their 2016 debut with “Whistle,” in addition to a fun game for eagle-eyed viewers to decode all the small details and links to the group’s previous video releases, as well as their solo and group discogr...
NCT 127 Share Their New ‘Attitude’ & Goals for Experimental Album ‘2 Baddies’
“Fast” is the first word said on NCT 127‘s latest album and embodies the palpable excitement and passion the boy band has for their new music. The group’s last full-length from nearly a year ago, Sticker, became the act’s highest- and longest-charting project when it peaked at No. 3 and spent 17 weeks on the Billboard 200. Their latest, 2 Baddies released on Sept. 16, is the record they plan to reach more fans with even greater ambitions and goals. Speaking over an afternoon Zoom call in Seoul, the members talk excitedly about an album they see as pushing themselves as experimental K-pop artists who fully commit to exploring different sounds. While album openers “Faster” and “2 Baddies” embrace high-turbo energy alongside multiple racing and car references, the LP explores different sounds...
Lisa Calls Blinks’ Excitement Over ‘BORN PINK’ One of Her ‘Biggest Motivations’: Exclusive
What’s her name, what’s her name? Lisa sat down for a new profile with CR Fashion Book‘s fall/winter 2022 issue revealed Friday (Sept. 16), and Billboard has the exclusive scoop on her thoughts about BLACKPINK‘s new album, her fashion aspirations and more. “Before our comebacks, we always get into lengthy conversations about what we can do to improve,” the Thai K-pop idol told the fashion magazine about how she, Rosé, Jisoo and Jennie approach each new BLACKPINK era. “We try to bring out the best outcomes by discussing our thoughts on music videos, outfits, choreography, and even the littlest details such as hair colors.” The rapper also spoke about her special connection to the girl group’s Blinks, particularly in the lead-up to BORN PINK, which arrived Friday on the heels of ferocious le...
iKON’s DK Talks Making His Runway Debut, Solo Music at New York Fashion Week: Exclusive
South Korea was fully represented for the upcoming 2023 spring/summer season at New York Fashion Week this year. Not only did the Concept Korea SS23 show spotlight three emerging Korean designers UL:KIN, BESFXXK and CAHIERS, but it highlighted additional areas of K-culture throughout the evening showing. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news For the Tuesday evening (Sept. 13) show, Min, the singer-actress and former member of chart-topping girl group miss A, was in attendance at the show alongside cast mates Abraham Lim and Patrick Park all in the midst of rehearsal for KPOP, the forthcoming Broadway musical about the music scene. Meanwhile, Stylists and representatives who work behind the scenes with top K-pop and K-drama talent were seated among NY...
BLACKPINK’s Second Album ‘Born Pink’ Has Arrived: Stream It Now
Blinks, the wait is finally over. After several months of teasers, tour announcements and tantalizing campaigns, BLACKPINK‘s highly anticipated second album, Born Pink, officially arrived on streaming on Friday (Sept. 16). In addition to the album, fans were also treated to the vibrant, neon-colored visual to accompany “Shut Down,” the lead single (also known as the “title track”) from Born Pink at the stroke of midnight. Though Born Pink is mere hours into its infancy, BLACKPINK’s previous Billboard successes provide some indication on how the album may fare on the charts. “Pink Venom,” the first taste fans got of the album, netted the four piece its second-highest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 after debuting at No. 22 on the Sept. 3-dated chart. (“Ice Cream” with Selen...
NCT 127 Drops New Album ‘2 Baddies’: Stream It Now
NCT 127 unveiled their new album 2 Baddies on Friday (September 16) via SM Entertainment. The 12-track collection is the K-pop group’s first full-length studio set since 2020’s Sticker: The Third Album (which was repackaged last October as Favorite) and contains tracks like “Faster,” “Time Lapse,” “불시착 (Crash Landing)” and album closer “1, 2, 7 (Time Stops).” While the nine-piece act hasn’t shared a single from the project yet, they have hinted at its concept and aesthetic with teaser videos filled with sleek luxury sports cars — just like the one that appears on the album’s birds-eye cover shot featuring all nine members. The album’s sound, meanwhile, shows off the idols’ eclectic versatility as they run through R&B, pop, electronic dance and hip-hop-leaning sounds. To support 2 Baddi...
Stanning BTS: “Sexy Nukim” and Our BTS Favorites
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Radio Public | Pocket Casts | RSS RM is bringing “Sexy Nukim” back! BTS’ leader has teamed with Balming Tiger on their latest track, and Kayla and Bethany have some thoughts. Advertisement Related Video Also on this episode of Stanning BTS, the hosts pose some questions to themselves about their favorite BTS highlights. The run through their favorite “sexy” songs, band eras, concert moments, photo shoots, and more. All these questions will be asked to listeners during the next ICONIC hangout on Monday, September 19th at 7:00 p.m. ET, but you can learn what the hosts think now. Listen to their thoughts on all this and “Sexy Nukim” in the episode above, then make sure to like, revie...
Fan Chant: Talking to Jackson Wang About a Jackson Wang Party
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! A few weeks ago, I had the joy of jumping on the phone with the one and only Jackson Wang to chat about his wonderful new album, MAGIC MAN. We had a really lovely conversation that spanned almost an hour, and for today’s column, I wanted to share a bit more about more about the experience, along with some full quotes from our chat that didn’t make it into the final interview. I should’ve known when the conversation started like this: Mary: Hello, Jackson Wang, I’m so happy to be talking to you....
Becky G Reflects on Her ‘Really Badass’ Trilingual Collab With BTS’ J-Hope on ‘Chicken Noodle Soup’
Becky G looked back on what it was like to work with BTS’ J-Hope in a new interview with Teen Vogue released on Wednesday (Sept. 14). “We were one of the first to do Korean, Spanish, and English. It’s really badass,” she said of the pair’s 2019 collaboration “Chicken Noodle Soup.” “I’m so happy that it happened the way it did. To this day, it’s one of those, ‘I see you, you see me, and even though we may not necessarily have the deepest conversations, we get it’ [relationships].” The trilingual bop, which sparked a viral dance craze with its funky choreography, earned Becky G and the K-pop idol a top 10 hit on the Digital Song Sales chart and also peaked at No. 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 — making J-Hope the first member of BTS to chart on the tally as a solo artist outside the group. Expl...
SEVENTEEN’s ‘Be the Sun’ Tour Was the Collective Concert Experience We’ve Been Waiting For Since COVID
While 2022 has marked the full-fledged return of concerts since the global pandemic put a lengthy pause on touring, SEVENTEEN’s new tour could arguably be the first live show that recaptures the collective feeling of togetherness that makes the live experience so magical. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news As various safety measures like masking and limited crowd interactions have understandably been at the forefront of artists’ and promoters’ minds, the final night of SEVENTEEN’s Be the Sun tour at Newark’s Prudential Center was a display in how audiences can reconnect with each other thanks to technology, production and, of course, the members that made up the K-pop boy band. What most clearly created the inclusive environment came thank...
Fan Chant: TWICE Are Talking the Talk
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! It feels strange to say that there’s ever a “light week” as someone on the K-pop beat, but this past week was maybe as close as we are going to get for a while. A week without any huge new releases meant I had some space to dig into some recent albums that I hadn’t spent dedicated time with just yet — it’s absurd how good this NewJeans debut EP is! I finally had a moment to venture beyond “Attention” and learned that every track on the mini-album is, in fact, a gem. Similarly, this week gave me...
Surprise! BTS: PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE – LA Is Now Streaming on Disney+
Surprise! As part of the Disney+ Day celebration, BTS’s PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE – LA is now streaming on the platform as of today (September 8th). PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE – LA is described as a “stage-focused” concert film, showcasing the enormous event held at So-Fi Stadium at the end of 2021. The four concerts, November 27th-28th and December 1st-2nd, saw the 70,000-seat arena entirely sold out for all four nights. (Read our recap of the spectacular show here.) While the timing is a surprise, this concert film was announced without a release date in July as one of multiple projects created for Disney+, alongside a spin-off of BTS’s In the Soop (In the Soop: Friendcation, which was released on Disney+ in South Korea) and a still-to-come docuseries called BTS Monuments: Beyond th...
