K-Pop
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SEVENTEEN can add another honor to their long list of accomplishments after UNESCO announced on Tuesday (June 11) that the 13-man South Korean band will be appointed as the international group’s Goodwill Ambassador for Youth by UNESCO general director Audrey Azoulay at a June 26 ceremony at the organization’s Paris headquarters.
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“SEVENTEEN and UNESCO share the same commitment to empowering young people to drive change and address the challenges of our century. They continue to inspire and support young people around the world with their music and positive energy,” Azoulay said in a statement. “Following several successful joint actions, I wanted our partnership to take on even greater strategic importance. On June 26, I will be delighted to welcome the 13 members of the group into the family of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors.”
The appointment comes after SEVENTEEN participated in the 13th UNESCO Youth Forum in Paris in November, where they talked about the importance of young people pursuing their dreams at the first-ever session at the forum dedicated to a musical artist. More than 1,300 people from 194 member states attended that event, including 170 youth delegates. UNESCO — short for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — is a specialized United Nations agency that works to promote, “world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture.”
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In addition to their speech about positivity and hope, the group also performed a medley of their hits, including “_WORLD,” “Darl+ing,” “Headliner,” “God of Music” and “Together.”
In 2022, SEVENTEEN also launched the #GoingTogether initiative with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, establishing new educational centers in Timor-Leste and educational aid to Malawi. According to the statement, by working as Goodwill Ambassador For Youth, the group will commit to “putting their talent and voice at the service of the Organization’s values and mandate.”
At the June 26 ceremony, the group will unveil their SEVENTEEN x UNESCO partnership, which will be dedicated to supporting youth projects around the globe. The ceremony will be livestreamed on UNESCO’s YouTube channel.
Check out a teaser for the June 26 UNESCO event below.
Almost exactly one year after Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin of K-pop boy band EXO first pursued legal action against their longtime label and management agency, SM Entertainment, over contractual issues, a company established by the trio has now declared “full-on war” on the K-pop giant, according to Korean media reports.
Representatives for INB100, the newly established company Baekhyun founded in 2023 — which signed Chen and Xiumin for their respective solo careers, though all three remain contracted under SM for EXO’s group activities — held what has been described as an “emergency press conference” in central Seoul on Monday (June 10). Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin were not in attendance.
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During the press conference, as reported by Korea JoongAng Daily, three reps for the trio — who also perform together in a splinter unit called EXO-CBX — said that Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin have been in a monthlong dispute over fees and contracts with SM. Cha Ga-won, president and majority shareholder of INB100’s holding company, One Hundred, and one of the representatives to speak at the press conference, claimed a former SM CEO verbally promised in a recorded agreement to charge INB100 only a 5.5% fee for distributing its music releases through Kakao (the current majority shareholder of SM Entertainment), as opposed to the 15% to 20% percent typically charged to companies outside Kakao’s umbrella. But Cha says SM is now demanding a 10% royalty fee for the members’ use of the agency’s intellectual property (such as the members’ stage names, as well as EXO and EXO-CBX) in exchange for the discounted distribution fee.
“We declare a full-on war against SM Entertainment, which has made a promise that it could not keep and committed what could be perceived as fraud,” said Cha during the press conference, during which INB100 representatives also demanded that SM disclose the breakdown of EXO’s earnings — reigniting the same contract issues that were reportedly resolved last June. The representatives additionally claimed that INB100 sent a formal letter of complaint to SM Entertainment over two months ago concerning the fees and the earnings disclosure but had not received a response.
On Monday evening, SM Entertainment refuted the allegations in a press release. According to SM, an outside company imposed the 10% intellectual property fee following court mediation over past issues with previous EXO members who had exited the label while still under contract. (Between 2014-2105, three other EXO members left the group and broke their contracts with SM to focus on the China market.) SM also claims EXO-CBX’s contract is still valid, and that the trio benefits from the EXO brand but are not fulfilling their contractual obligations with SM despite the agency acting in good faith with a lower distribution rate.
SM’s statement also alleges that Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin were “poached” by Cha and MC Mong — a one-time rapper-producer in Korea who fell out of public favor following allegations that he had dodged the country’s mandatory military draft, and who went on to launch agencies of his own, including BPM Entertainment, which now houses ex-SM artist Taemin of SHINee.
SM added that it did not previously respond to INB100’s letter of complaint to avoid distracting from new EPs released by EXO members Chen, D.O., and Suho over the past month. The company concluded its statement by saying that it will respond with legal action as opposed to trying to sway public opinion through press conferences.
Jung Kook‘s “Never Let Go” tops this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (June 7) on Billboard, choosing the BTS star’s solo track as their favorite new music release of the past week, a week full of hot new pop tunes.
Jung Kook’s brand-new song brought in a whopping 79% of the vote, with the BTS ARMY coming in strong to show their support. Voters this week chose “Never Let Go” over new music releases from Sabrina Carpenter, Zach Bryan feat. Noeline Hofmann, Charli XCX, Gracie Abrams, Tems and RAYE.
BTS star Jung Kook gets sentimental on his single “Never Let Go,” the first new solo tune fans have heard since the release of his 2023 debut album, Golden, which launched at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart last year. The new song is dedicated to BTS’ beloved supporters, affectionately called ARMY, and conveys “a sincere message to never let go of each other,” according to HYBE.
“Oh, every day, I wonder if this all is just a dream,” Jung Kook sings on the sweet track. “Everything falls into place ’cause you’re right here with me/ Without your love, I’m nothing/ You mean more than you know/ And words escape me whenever you’re close/ I tried to put it into words but it don’t measure up/ My pen and paper could never do quite enough/ It’s the truth, it’s the truth/ We got something rеal nothing could break.”
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Jung Kook and fellow BTS members Jin, RM, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin and V are currently serving in the South Korean military, which mandates an 18-month military enlistment for all able-bodied men by the time they turn 28. While on a break from activities together as BTS amid the group’s service, various solo projects have been released.
Trailing behind “Never Let Go” on this week’s poll is Sabrina Carpenter’s new single “Please Please Please,” with 8% of the vote, Zach Bryan with Noeline Hofmann on “Purple Gas,” with 3% of the vote, and Charli XCX’s Brat album, with 2% of the vote.
See the final results of this week’s new music poll below.
SM Entertainment has issued a statement strongly denying rumors that NCT members Johnny and Haechan, as well as Heechul of Super Junior, are involved in a sex scandal that has gained increased scrutiny and attention both inside and outside Korea.
Earlier this week, allegations arose from different social media users detailing the alleged sexual affairs of Johnny, 29, and Haechan, 23, both members of SM Entertainment boy band NCT, with three women during a recent visit to Tokyo in March.
As NME notes, the claims stemmed from a Japanese nightlife gossip account on Twitter regarding three women said to be working in Tokyo’s nightlife industry as bar hostesses. Purported evidence of their time with the K-pop idols came via photos of three women holding hotel cards where the stars stayed, room interiors that point to five people drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes together and one blurry photo that allegedly shows Johnny and Haechan entering the hotel with three women despite the fact that none of their faces can be readily identified. Captions and comments from the women describing their alleged experiences, as well as alleged text message conversations about meeting the K-pop stars, were also put forth as so-called evidence by the gossip account.
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Johnny and Haechan have not shared anything about the alleged encounters, but NCT 127 (the nine-member boy band that both singers are also a part of under the NCT brand) did fly into Japan on March 8, 2024 to perform a March 9 concert at the Tokyo Dome.
The claims soon went viral among K-pop fans and by Tuesday (June 4), SM Entertainment’s stock price had fallen from that day’s peak of 90,300 Korean won ($65.94) to 82,300 Korean won ($60.10) — though by press time, the stock had since rebounded to 85,500 Korean won ($62.44). The story even made it onto the evening news for KBS, the Korean national broadcaster, during a report about SM’s stock price drop.
Heechul of Super Junior, a more senior boy band under SM that’s been active for nearly 20 years, was also brought into the rumor mill after private photos of the singer with one of the women involved in the controversy made their way online. According to several blogs monitoring the situation, Heechul, 40, spoke about the news on the fan-messaging app Dear U denying that he drank or had meals with any of the junior SM Entertainment performers outside of work and that he is speaking with the label to clear any misunderstanding.
On Wednesday (June 5), South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency shared a statement from SM Entertainment denying any unsavory behavior from their artists. In the statement, SM labeled the rumors as “entirely false” and said they “constitute criminal acts that severely damage the artists’ reputations,” per Yonhap. The company added, “We have already gathered sufficient evidence regarding numerous posts related to these matters…we will not overlook such criminal acts and will take legal action against those involved without leniency or settlement, regardless of their nationality.”
SM Entertainment and representatives for NCT and Super Junior did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s requests for comment.
KCON is returning to Los Angeles on July 26 to 28, and the first set of performers has officially been revealed. Day one at Crypto.com Arena in Downtown Los Angeles will feature performances by Bibi, P1Harmony, Taemin and Zerobaseone. Day two will include ENHYPEN, NMIXX, TWS and Hyolyn. Day three will wrap with performances by […]
Jung Kook is gearing up for the release of new music. On Sunday (June 2), the BTS star announced that he will be dropping a new single titled “Never Let Go.” The track is set for release at 1 p.m. KST on June 7 through Weverse and BTS’ official social media channels. ‘Never Let Go’ […]
BTS has announced plans for its 2024 FESTA celebration.
This year’s event, to be held June 13 at Seoul Sports Complex in South Korea, will mark the superstar K-pop group’s 11th anniversary.
The 2024 FESTA will feature an official appearance by BTS’ Jin following the completion of his military mandatory obligation. The singer-songwriter will be giving a hug (or handshake, if preferable) to 1,000 lucky fans at the complex’s Jamsil Arena, according to a news release. Jin will also deliver a message “consisting of a variety of segments promising an unforgettable experience for ARMY,” the release says. The artist’s message will be livestreaming to those with ARMY Membership through Weverse Live.
In addition to Jin’s appearance, this year’s FESTA will offer a variety of activities, including a sketch diary to commemorate BTS’ 11th anniversary.
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On Saturday (June 1), BTS unveiled the official timeline for the 2024 FESTA. Leading up to the main event, the boy band share a collection of unreleased photos, stream previous concerts, and post handwritten content from each of the seven members.
BTS’ Jin, RM, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook are currently serving in the South Korean military, which mandates an 18-month military enlistment for all able-bodied men by the time they turn 28. A few of the members have pursued various solo projects amid their service, and the full group is planning to reconvene for band activities in 2025.
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BTS made its first Billboard chart appearance in 2013, when “No More Dreams” debuted at No. 14 on World Digital Song Sales (before climbing to No. 2 seven years later). Since then, the group has broken numerous records, including the most Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 debuts among groups and the most top 10 debuts among groups. It’s been an exciting few years for the BTS boys individually as well, as all seven members of have now scored solo hits on the Hot 100.
Further information about the 2024 FESTA, which is open to the public, will be revealed at a later date. See the BTS’ announcement on X (formerly Twitter) below.
Ready to captivate our present-day world and across dimensions, Armeggedon marks an artistic evolution in aespa‘s musical journey by taking their narrative into an expansive multiverse to blur the boundaries between reality and virtual realms. While the K-pop girl group is known for blending their real and virtual personas, their first full-length album explores parallel […]
TOMORROW X TOGETHER brought the hits to New York City on Friday morning (May 31) when they took the Good Morning America stage to perform their track, “Deja Vu.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The group — made up of Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai […]
Every week, the Korean music scene delivers outstanding songs across various genres and styles, and the past week was no exception, with a heavy-hitting selection of hits with global and crossover potential, satisfyingly nostalgic duets and some of 2024’s most promising new artists. Recently, beloved groups like NewJeans, ONEUS, MCND and JUST B dropped new songs to satisfy […]