Author: Samar Khouri

ASTRO member Cha Eun-woo’s original soundtrack (OST) ‘Focus On Me’ topped the global iTunes Top Songs charts, including the UAE. It dominated in 12 countries, including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Thailand. The song for the KakaoPage webtoon ‘The Villainess is a Marionette’ also ranked high in nations such as Qatar, Peru, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand. ‘Focus On Me’ is a remake of singer-songwriter Coffeeboy’s 2021 song of the same title. Coffeboy’s version was originally released as an OST for TV drama ‘Racket Boys’. Cha, whose real name is Lee Dong-min, previously sang…

BTOB’s comeback as a full group for the first time in nearly four years with the album ‘Be Together,’ charting high on the UAE iTunes charts. The 13-song package topped the all-genre, K-Pop, and pop chart in the country. The title track ‘The Song’ , however, didn’t debut on the iTunes charts. The 13-track album debuted straight to the top on the global iTunes album chart, becoming the group’s very first album to top the chart. It also debuted at #20 on the European iTunes album chart. Furthermore, ‘Be Together’ dominated the iTunes charts in 16 countries, including Brazil, Hong Kong, Malaysia,…

The next ‘Simply Con-Tour’ destination is Egypt, the latest stop in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region after UAE in Decmber 2021. The star-studded lineup includes OnlyOneOf, Han Seung Yun, Pink Fantasy, Trendz, Im Chang Jung, Lumin, Double Decker, Luminous, and Rocking doll. The virtual event, which will be hosted by Minji and Jinny from K-Pop group Secret Number, comes after its stop in Germany on February 7. It featured artists such as Pentagon, Park Hyeonseo, Mirae, Kim Jang Hoon and Nature. The broadcast time is on February 21 for two hours starting at 2:00 pm GST.

While it’s been a year since Spotify debuted in South Korea, here are some quick facts you need to know. All data is from Feb 1, 2021 to Feb 1, 2022. Monthly average K-Pop streams reached over 7.97 billion per month globally in one year, a 27% increase versus pre-launch figures. Traffic to Spotify’s global K-Pop hub increased by 19.5% to hit 1.43 billion compared to the year before the service’s launch. The US was the top country with the most listenership who discovered Korean artists. It was followed by India, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Germany, UK, Philippines, Japan, and France,…

South Korean actors Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin, are set to tie the knot next month after they went public with their relationship in early 2021. The pair starred in the 2019–2020 rom-com hit drama ‘Crash Landing on You.’ Son took to her personal Instagram account to share the news, posting an image of a miniature ivory-white wedding dress with a Korean and English caption that read: “I thought long and hard about how to share this story because it’s an important one.” Without saying his name, the actress wrote she had met someone to spend the rest of her life with.…

Binance Holdings, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, has entered a strategic partnership with YG Entertainment Inc. As part of the strategic partnership, Binance and YG will cooperate on a range of blockchain projects, including collaborations in the NFT space. Binance will provide the NFT platform and technology infrastructure while YG will supply NFT content and gaming assets. “As a Kpop leader, we plan to steadily build an innovative and eco-friendly NFT ecosystem,” YG CEO Bo Kyung Hwang said in a statement. “Collaboration with Binance has provided an opportunity for YG to secure royalties and business opportunities for…

BigBang is set to return with new music this spring after a four-year-long hiatus due to the members’ mandatory military duties, YG Entertainment said Monday. The group’s management agency revealed that the K-Pop act completed recording for the new song and will be filming a music video for the song. However, BigBang’s comeback date and title of their new song are yet to be disclosed. Their comeback marks the act’s first new music in four years since the release of ‘Flower Road’ in 2018. YG Entertainment also announced that T.O.P, who received a suspended prison sentence for smoking weed in…

‘All of Us Are Dead’ debuted on the non-English TV list on Netflix with 124.79 million hours viewed — the most hours in the first week for any Korean title since the streaming giant started releasing its weekly top 10s last year — and made the top 10 in 91 countries. The Korean zombie thriller made the series its most viewed title of the January 24 – January 30 week. Within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the 12-part Korean-language series dominated in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It also performed well in Morocco,…

Korean drama ‘Snowdrop’ is set to premiere on Disney+ on February 9. The 16-part period drama is about a romantic relationship between Young-ro, a female South Korean university student, and Su-ho, a North Korean spy, in a time of political turmoil. ‘Snowdrop’ stars actor Jung Hae-In, star of ‘Tune in for Love’ and ‘While You Were Sleeping,’ and BlackPink’s Jisoo. It’s the K-Pop star’s acting debut. The JTBC romance series was written by Yoo Hyun-mi and directed by Jo Hyun-tak, the creators behind TV drama ‘Sky Castle.’ “Snowdrop is a heart-warming fictional melodrama about a young couple in love, and…