State Champ Radio K-Pop
Page: 38
BTS‘ V celebrated the release of his six-track debut solo album, Layover, last week by performing the latest single, “Love Me Again,” on Naver’s NPOP variety show. As part of a 12-minute mini-concert, V stood alone on a stage surrounded by a quartet of backup singers and large canvases with his image on them (a […]
V‘s solo album, Layover, has arrived, and along with the release, the BTS vocalist dropped a serene music video to accompany the track “Slow Dancing” on Friday (Sept. 8). The video sees the K-pop star heading on a road trip with his friends to the beach. As the cars wind and weave through the mountains, […]
K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE reveals five things you didn’t know about the members. (G)I-DLE:Hi, we are (G)I – DLE and this is five things about us. Soyeon:I did my nail in LA. (G)I-DLE:Oh! So pretty! Minnie:Today, I had breakfast with Yuqi and Shuhua and we had scramble eggs. Yuqi:Oh, and you waited for about 20 […]
New music from NCT U, Nicki Minaj and ONE OK ROCK complete the top five of Billboard’s Sept. 16-dated Hot Trending Songs chart, powered by X. Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by X (formerly known as Twitter), track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across X, viewable over either the last 24 hours or […]
WeVerse, the social media platform owned by K-pop company HYBE, will add 13 artists from SM Entertainment on Sept. 12, the companies announced Tuesday (Sept. 5). That opens the platform to such artists as NCT 127, Red Velvet, Girls’ Generation, Super Junior, RIIZE and aespa. The partnership was announced in April. “With this momentous occasion, […]
TOMORROW X TOGETHER and Anitta are combining K-pop and Latin pop in their new collaborative single “Back for More,” the artists announced on Tuesday (Sept. 5). What’s more, they will debut the track with a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 12, days ahead of its Sept. 15 release. “Back for More” […]
The Debut: Dream Academy has arrived.
The first episode of the competition series aired on Friday (Sept. 1) featured all 20 contestants as they watched a conversation between HYBE Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk and Interscope Geffen A&M Records CEO John Janick, as they give advice on what it takes to succeed in a girl group. “If you don’t love music, you won’t succeed,” he explains.
Janick added, “I feel like to be a successful part of this group, it’s going to require a huge amount of creativity and passion. I think with every artist, that’s what we’re looking for.”
The duo then ran down the first mission of the competition series, a showcase that aims to “level up your skills as a global girl group,” in which the contestants are split into two dance teams and two vocal teams. The mission will result in two eliminations. “Team members are crucial business partners, and it’s important to know proper work etiquette with your business partner,” Bang Si-Hyuk explained.
The executives then explained the two other missions of the series. According to an explainer also shared to Dream Academy‘s YouTube page, in the team mission, the contestants will head to Korea to compete before another series of eliminations. The artistry mission will test the contestant’s “ability to pull off unique concepts” before the final girl group is revealed at the live finale on Nov. 17.
Finally, the girls were split into their teams. The first dance team, which will be performing BLACKPINK’s “Pink Venom,” features Daniela, Megan, UA, Adéla and Hinari. The second dance team, which will be performing NewJeans’ “OMG,” features Emily, Ezrela, Marquise, Yoonchae and Mei. The first vocal team, which will be performing a mashup of Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” and Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever,” features Karlee, Lexie, Iliya, Brooklyn and Manon. The second vocal team, which will be performing Paramore’s “Still Into You,” features Sophia, Lara, Celeste, Samara and Nayoung.
The diverse group of young women were selected from more than 120,000 submissions after HYBE and Geffen announced the joint venture — HYBE x Geffen Global Girl Group Audition — in November 2021.
Watch the full first episode below.
[embedded content]
RM is standing firm. During a Weverse live chat with ARMY on Wednesday (Aug. 30), the BTS rapper addressed criticism he recently faced after sharing Frank Ocean’s “Bad Religion” to his Instagram Stories.
“OK, guys. I know what you’re talking about. You just keep telling me that I insulted a religion. But I didn’t,” he insisted, exasperated, as he began to address the topic. “There was not any intention or purpose to insult a religion. I respect every beliefs and religions. That’s all I could say.”
“I know what’s going on on my Instagram. I can see. But I never … there was no such any purpose or like at least 1% of my heart to insult a religion, OK?” he continued, shaking his head in frustration. “Guys, it’s a song, OK? I’m not apologizing. I’m just saying. I have my own soul. I’m 30 years old. I can express my true thoughts. Please! The word is the word, it is what it is. Please believe my words from myself. Not just guessing, pretending and assuming, OK?”
The K-pop star went on to say that he knows that even in telling his truth, there will be some people who doubt him and believe he’s lying. “But I just can’t lie! I just can’t lie to you!” he pressed on. “I’m just being honest.”
RM added that he felt like he had to say something because otherwise, “people will just keep chatting me about that,” and he “just can’t stand it right now.”
“I just can’t bear it, I can’t deal with it. I just have to say it. If it’s me, just believe my own words,” he pleaded before changing the subject.
Ocean’s song, off his July 2012 album Channel Orange, about unrequited love kicks off with the artist singing about asking a taxi driver to lend him an ear as he pours his heart out. In the chorus, Ocean croons, “He said ‘Allahu akbar’/ I told him, ‘Don’t curse me.” “Allahu akbar” in Arabic means “God is the greatest,” with some listeners interpreting the response to be an insult.
After RM shared the song to his Instagram Stories earlier this month, some people on Twitter criticized him for sharing the tune, calling it an “Islamophobic song” and demanding that he apologize to Muslims.
Fans in the Weverse chat defended the BTS member’s choice to share the emotional song. “I’m Muslim myself … Don’t listen to what they say. Those who say these things are uncultured and superstitious,” commented one. Added another: “Totally blown out of proportion! No need to apologize. Press on!”
LEO’s star is on the rise. The K-pop idol made his first appearance at KCON LA earlier this month, and backstage, he caught up with Billboard News to share who some of his musical inspirations are, his reasons for getting into the K-pop genre and what’s on the horizon for his career. Explore Explore See […]
The collaboration between NewJeans and V continues, this time, with a cover of the BTS member’s recent single “Rainy Days.” On Wednesday (Aug. 30), the K-pop group uploaded a video of Danielle in the studio performing her rendition of the track and gave some insight as to how the cover came to be.
Danielle revealed how she and her fellow NewJeans members — Haerin, Hanni, Hyein and Minji — first heard the song, as well as other tracks from V’s upcoming debut solo album, Layover.
“All five of us were gathered together for a meeting with the CEO [Min Hee Jin]. We listened to every song from our albums, and then the CEO told us, ‘We’re currently preparing for V’s album. Do you want to listen to those songs too?’ So we eagerly said ‘Yes!’ and listened with lots of excitement,” the singer recalled. “After listening to ‘Rainy Days,’ the song resonated with me so much, so as soon as I heard it, it brought me back to a rainy day from my childhood where I would sit by the window and look outside.”
There is a possibility for additional covers of V’s songs from the girls in the future. Danielle added that she and the girls said, “‘All the tracks are so beautiful and covering them would be so fun,’ we said that, and the CEO told us, ‘Then let’s try it!’”
The K-pop star, wearing a cozy oversized cardigan, then launched into a peaceful rendition of the song. “Rainy days/ I’m thinkin’ ’bout you, what to say/ Wish I knew how to find the way/ Right back to you, on rainy days like/ Rainy days/ I’m thinkin’ ’bout you, what to say/ Wish I knew how to find the way/ Right back to you, on rainy days like,” she sang on the chorus.
V approved of the cover, taking to his Instagram Stories to share a link to the cover, and wrote that he was “touched by [her] message” of her cover, in addition to a happy, teary-eyed emoji.
Layover will arrive on Sept. 8. In addition to pre-release singles “Rainy Days” and “Love Me Again,” “Slow Dancing” — which also has a piano version — “Blue” and “For Us” will also appear on the set.
Watch Danielle’s cover of “Rainy Days” in the video above, and see V’s Instagram Stories below.
230830 @BTS_twt V’s Instagram StoriesStory 1 Translation:New Jeans.. Danielle🥺 Touched by your message Story 2 Translation:How did you like it? Please tell me more in detailsVideo Translation:Danielle: I can’t leave this out. I also heard the title track and it’s really… pic.twitter.com/CWGvfip4Mm— BTS Translations / Bangtansubs (@BTS_Trans) August 30, 2023
