K-Pop
SEVENTEEN Share a Love Letter to CARATs With First English Single ‘Darl+ing’: Watch the Video
Calling all CARATs: SEVENTEEN‘s newest track has arrived. The K-pop group has released their first-ever English-language single “Darl+ing” on Friday (April 15) — a touching song that acts as a love letter and shows appreciation to their dedicated fanbase. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “You know, without you, I’m so lonely/ When you’re not here, 911 callin’/ Into your head again I’m always divin’/Darling you, darling you, baby,” the group sings in unison on the uplifting track, which features guitar licks and synths throughout its production. The English track has been a long time coming for SEVENTEEN, and the intention of the track was to serve as a “thank you” to their fans. Speaking with Billboard during a press conference, Joshua s...
BTS Take Their “PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE” Concert to Las Vegas: Recap, Photos + Setlist
Las Vegas may be a good time gal, but she isn’t easy. The self-proclaimed “Entertainment Capital of the World” is accustomed to hosting countless entertainers. And perhaps because there’s always another visiting celeb, the city rolls out her red carpet for no one… that is, until BTS arrived in Sin City. In this case, it was a purple carpet, and it blanketed the city in excitement. In honor of a sold-out, four-night run at Allegiant Stadium (April 8th-9th and 15th-16th) titled PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE IN LAS VEGAS, the iconic Bellagio Fountain Show has been playing BTS hits, while Strip marquees display the word “Borahaegas” in a purple-hued nod to the group. But that’s just the beginning of a city-wide immersive event, or “urban concert playpark,” called BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE THE CIT...
BTS’ ARMY Goes Wild on Opening Night of Band’s Permission to Dance Run in Las Vegas: ‘Still Speechless’
BTS sent its devoted ARMY into a frenzy during the mind-blowing opening night of the K-pop group’s Permission to Dance concert run in Las Vegas. The superstar band launched its first of four shows at Sin City’s Allegiant Stadium on Friday (April 8), driving thousands of fans wild with an evening full of blockbuster hits, heartfelt speeches, new hairstyles and unforgettable dance moves. “Still speechless,” one fan tweeted alongside photos of Jungkook lifting his shirt for adoring fans. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Another concert-goer inside the venue shared a mesmerizing video of thousands of attendees holding purple lights blinking in unison. “The energy is always amazing,” the fan captioned the clip on Twitter. Billboard News‘ Tetr...
2022 Grammys: BTS Perform “Butter”: Watch
BTS, everyone’s favorite seven-member international force of nature, took the stage at the 2022 Grammys Awards on Sunday night to perform “Butter.” Watch the replay below. After joining Lil Nas X onstage at the 2020 Grammys and performing virtually from South Korea in 2021, this evening marked the first chance for BTS to perform their own song in person at the show. The spy thriller-inspired performance was fine-tuned for the Las Vegas setting, from Jungkook descending from the ceiling to V enlisting Olivia Rodrigo for some truly top-tier theatrics. Jin, who is recovering from a recent surgery on his hand, embodied a hacker before joining the group towards the end of the performance. The group made history in 2021 when they were nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (for “Dynamite”)...
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...
