K-Pop
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Usher has an early Christmas present for his fans and for ARMY. Bit Hit Music announced on Tuesday that Usher will hop on a remix of BTS member Jung Kook‘s “Standing Next to You,” which is due out on Friday (Dec. 1). “We are pleased to announce the release of the remix version of ‘Standing […]
From their trainee days through their current solo projects, the life of BTS will be on display in the upcoming Disney+ docuseries BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star — and now we have a trailer for the expansive project. Released on Tuesday (Nov. 28), the trailer kicks off as the then-newly-formed group — Jin, Suga, J-Hope, […]
CARATs, Dino’s solo debut has finally arrived. On Monday (Nov. 27), the SEVENTEEN member released his first mixtape, Wait, which is now available on all streaming platforms. The project was released alongside a music video for title track “Wait,” which features Dino showing up to a waiting room and taking a ticket and waiting his […]
Jung Kook has teamed up with Justin Timberlake for a surprise remix of the BTS star’s hit song “3D.” The new remix, which arrived Friday (Nov. 24), finds the superstar singers showcasing their impressive harmonies over a slick production with a retro mid-2000s hip-hop/dance vibe. “Jung and JT on the main now/ You can still […]
BLACKPINK are K-pop royalty used to playing to massive crowds or adoring fans. But on Tuesday night (Nov. 21) Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa were happy to share the spotlight with some actual nobles when they attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
The quartet were the guests of England’s King Charles and Queen Camilla at a glitzy state dinner in honor of South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee during their visit to the UK. The Royal Family’s X account posted footage of the King greeting the four women and giving them awards for their roles as advocates at last month’s COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow.
“The King, joined by The President and First Lady of the Republic of Korea, has welcomed @BLACKPINK to Buckingham Palace, as they are awarded Honorary MBEs,” read the statement. “The K-pop band have been awarded the honours in recognition of their role as Advocates for the COP26 Summit in Glasgow.” In the accompanying video, King Charles presents each member with their royal honor as they curtsy and shake the monarch’s hand.
In a second tweet, the four hold up their MBEs and smile alongside the message, “First appointed to the role by the UK Government in January 2021, @BLACKPINK encouraged millions of young people to engage with the global UN climate change conference and the top of climate action. Congratulations to Rosé, Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa!”
The royal account also posted a pic of the band posing with the King and the South Korean president as well as footage of a royal musical regimen performing a BLACKPINK instrumental outside the palace. BLACKPINK were among the more than 170 guests on hand for the event, during which King Charles shouted out the group, while praising the UK’s close relationship with South Korea and the nation’s — and BLACKPINK’s — commitment to increased sustainability, one of Charles’ longtime causes.
“It is especially inspiring to see Korea’s younger generation embrace the cause,” Charles said at the royal gathering also attended by Prince William and Kate Middleton. “I applaud Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé, better known collectively as BLACKPINK, for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience as Ambassadors for the U.K.’s Presidency of COP 26, and later as advocates for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.”
“I can only admire how they can prioritize these vital issues, as well as being global superstars,” Charles added in a speech that also touched the global impact of director Bong Joon-ho (Parasite), the Netflix series Squid Game and, of course, BTS. In July, BLACKPINK made history when they became the first South Korean band to headline a major festival in the UK when they took the stage at the BST Hyde Park Festival.
According to Vogue, the always-stylish quartet brought their fashion A-game for the visit, with Jisoo wearing a “black, textured puff-sleeved dress from Christian Dior’s resort 2024 collection, which hails from Maria Grazia Chiuri’s ode to Frida Kahlo,” partnered with a monogrammed Dior top-handle purse. Rosé wore a “black strapless velvet dress with a sweetheart neckline,” matched with a hair bow and a black pointed-toe pump.
Jennie switched it up, contrasting with her bandmates in a simple, long-sleeved, off-the-shoulder “sweet, bridal ensemble” with a black platform sandal and a sparkly clutch. Lisa went neutral in beaded tulle “aquamarine dress with a regal, cape dress from Georges Hobeika,” accessorized with a metallic gold platform shoe and diamond necklace.
It was the second time this week BLACKPINK met with dignitaries, following on the heels of Rosé joining U.S. First Lady Jill Biden for a mental health event at Apple’s HQ in Cupertino, CA.
See footage and photos from the visit below.
🌎 First appointed to the role by the UK Government in January 2021, @BLACKPINK encouraged millions of young people to engage with the global UN climate change conference and the topic of climate action.Congratulations to Rosé, Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa! 👏 pic.twitter.com/odjv3oRKxZ— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 22, 2023
영국 국왕은 윤 대통령과 김 여사가 계신 자리에서 버킹엄 궁전의 특별한 손님인 @BLACKPINK 에게 대영제국 훈장(MBE)을 수여했습니다.블랙핑크는2021년 영국 글래스고에서 열린COP26의 홍보대사로 활동한 공로를 인정받아 이 훈장을 수여받았습니다. pic.twitter.com/MTbVejBl8f— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 22, 2023
All the members of BTS are now either preparing to enlist in the South Korean military or already doing their mandatory service. The K-pop supergroup’s label, Big Hit, announced on Tuesday (Nov. 21) that the final four singers awaiting the start of their enlistment — RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — have begun the […]
ENHYPEN is fresh off the release of Orange Blood, the K-pop stars’ fifth mini album, and the group sat down with Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly to discuss their exponential growth in the music industry and their love for their fanbase, ENGENEs. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “We had […]
While most music stocks have posted gains over the last two months, or at least have treaded water, K-pop stocks are floundering in the closing stretch of 2023.
Four South Korean music companies — HYBE, SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment — had an average loss of 13.3% this week and have fallen an average of 21.4% in the last eight weeks. SM Entertainment has performed particularly poorly, falling 29.4% in eight weeks. Those losses occurred despite a rally two weeks ago after South Korean regulators’ ban on short selling until 2024 sparked a surge in the country’s stock prices.
Elsewhere, music stocks are generally surging in late 2023. Non-Korean stocks in the Billboard Global Music Index have gained an average of 9.1% over the last eight weeks. Only two of those 18 stocks — iHeartMedia and Deezer — have suffered double-digit losses, and 11 of the 18 have posted gains over those eight weeks. Companies’ latest earnings reports have been mostly positive. Stocks also reflect both investors’ enthusiasm for music industry trends and larger macroeconomic trends such as a slowdown in inflation and an expectation that central banks will stop hiking interest rates.
While South Korea’s KOSPI composite index has held steady over the last 8 weeks with a 0.2% gain, South Korean music companies have suffered from a string of headline-grabbing news that appears to have dampened demand for their stocks and eroded what were large year-to-date gains. This week, a Kakao executive was arrested for allegedly manipulating SM Entertainment’s stock price to help Kakao beat out HYBE to become the K-pop agency’s largest shareholder. In previous weeks, K-pop stocks faltered when a member of the group EXO broke away from SM Entertainment, and also when G-Dragon, a member of the YG group BIGBANG, was arrested on charges of illegal drug use.
Even after the eight-week decline, the four K-pop companies have an average year-to-date gain of 20.2%. Non-Korean stocks in the Billboard Global Music Index have an average gain of 6% this year (excluding Madison Square Garden Entertainment, which spun off from Sphere in April).
The Billboard Global Music Index rose 2.6% to 1,426.49 this week, falling just 1.4% shy of the all-time high of 1,447.32 set on July 21. The index has had a remarkable three-week run, gaining 9.3% since Oct. 27 and erasing most of a 9.9% decline since the July 21 peak. Its year-to-date gain stands at 22.1%.
Music stocks outperformed many other major indexes this week. In the United States, the Nasdaq composite gained 2.4% and the S&P 500 improved 2.2%. In the United Kingdom, the FTSE 100 gained 2%. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index rose 2.5%.
One of this week’s biggest gainers, iHeartMedia, rose 25.4% to $2.52 after the company announced a multi-year podcast partnership deal with Global, a U.K.-based media company, that will make iHeartMedia’s podcasts available on Global’s podcast player and its digital advertising exchange. Perhaps more importantly, CEO Bob Pittman purchased 100,000 iHeartMedia shares on Tuesday (Nov. 14), according to an SEC filing, at an average price of $2.06 per share. At Friday’s closing price, Pittman’s investment has already gained over 22%.
Abu Dhabi-based music streamer Anghami gained 27.2% to $1.17 — the latest in a series of large fluctuations since September. In October, the company was warned of a potential de-listing for failing to trade above $1. At the time, Anghami shares were trading at $0.82. Over the next five weeks, the share price gained 42.2% without an earnings report, news release or management change that would typically coincide with such a large swing.
Shares of SiriusXM rose 9.7% to $5.08 after Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway revealed on Tuesday that it purchased nearly 9.7 million shares with a market value of approximately $44 million. Investors pay close attention to the famous stock picker, who is known for seeking undervalued companies with competitive advantages (Berkshire Hathaway has large stakes in Apple, Coca-Cola, Bank of America and Kraft Heinz, among other public companies). In May, Capital One Financial shares jumped 13.5% on news that Berkshire Hathaway bought a $900 million stake.
Warner Music Group fell 2.6% to $31.81 after reporting earnings for its fiscal year on Thursday. Tencent Music Entertainment, which announced it had reached 103 million subscribers in its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, gained 13.6% to $8.37.
Coming, up German concert promoter CTS Eventim will report third-quarter earnings on Tuesday (Nov. 21).
SEVENTEEN came together at the UNESCO Youth Forum in Paris this week to share the importance of supporting young people in pursuing their dreams. The event, which marked the first-ever session at the forum dedicated to a musical artist, was attended by more than 1,300 people from around the world, including representatives from the 194 […]
BLACKPINK is up for the 2023 Billboard Music Awards‘ newly established top K-pop touring artist honor thanks to the success of its Born Pink World Tour. Whether or not the quartet takes home the trophy Sunday (Nov. 19), the group will still give fans a reason to celebrate with a gift just after the Christmas holiday.
Billboard can share the exclusive first look and details for BLACKPINK: A VR Encore coming to fans this holiday season. For BLACKPINK’s first concert in virtual reality, viewers can return to the Born Pink World Tour’s special finale show held in Seoul’s massive Gocheok Sky Dome that featured their Billboard Hot 100 hits such as “Pink Venom,” “Kill This Love” and “How You Like That” live, but also solo performances from Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa.
Emmy Award-winning production company The Diamond Bros. is producing and directing the 70-minute concert custom-made for VR in partnership with Meta. Exclusively available in VR inside the Meta Horizon Worlds’ Music Valley, Meta Quest VR headset owners in select regions get a front-row ticket to the social experience.
“We’re thrilled to embrace the dynamic world of VR because it allows us to reach an even wider global audience and share our music in an entirely new, immersive way,” BLACKPINK said in a statement. “This VR concert is not just a show; it’s an extension of the tour we poured our hearts into. We can’t wait for you to see the magic we’ve created with The Diamond Bros and Meta, and thank you to our incredible BLINKs for your endless support.”
Josh Diamond, director and executive producer at The Diamond Bros, echoes the excitement for the major collaboration. “BLACKPINK is an iconic, groundbreaking group, and being able to capture them in VR in Seoul, South Korea, for the final performance of their Encore tour was incredible,” he says. “We couldn’t be more excited to have partnered with Meta on this amazing opportunity. We can’t wait for everyone to experience it!”
Meanwhile, Vishal Shah, VP of Metaverse at Meta, points out how A VR Encore changes a typical concert viewing.
“Artists like BLACKPINK are transforming how music fans experience performances and connect with their favorite artists,” Shah adds. “We’re excited to feature this creative, social VR experience from The Diamond Bros in Horizon Worlds and can’t wait for Meta Quest owners to take a front-row seat for this amazing show.”
BLACKPINK: A VR Encore premieres in VR on Tuesday, Dec. 26, at 5 p.m. PT in Meta Horizon Worlds. Attendees can RSVP for the event now, with replays available for a month in Meta Horizon Worlds after the concert.
Get your first look at the teaser and concert poster art below, and tune into the Billboard Music Awards Sunday, Nov. 19, at 8 p.m. ET via BBMAs.watch or Billboard and the BBMAs social channels.
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