Author: Samar Khouri

B.I.G is set to perform at the ‘Korea-Arab Friendship Caravan’ this month. Hosted by the Korea-Arab Society (KAS) and sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Korea, the annual event will be held online with a live concert from the K-Pop boy band on August 21 due to COVID-19. “‘Korea-Arab Friendship Caravan’, has been annually held since 2008, featuring Korean arts, culture content, and performances to “better understand the Korean culture and help forge stronger ties between Korea and the Arab world”. “Through B.I.G.’s performance, KAS hopes to deliver messages of peace, comfort and hope to people…

Is Donghae in Dubai? It seems the Super Junior member is missing the emirate instead. The K-Pop superstar shared with his 6.6 million Instagram followers two selfie images of himself with Burj Khalifa against the backdrop on Sunday, with the caption that loosely translates to “I want to go to Dubai 🙂 It was good ^^ #Dubai”. As of today, the Instagram post has received over 516,000 likes, with more than 6,000 comments. Donghae is no stranger to visiting the emirate and the Middle East. Alongside his bandmates, Donghae performed at 2018’s ‘SMTown Live World Tour VI in Dubai’ in…

The region’s newest K-pop crossover showcased their Arabic singing skills once again by releasing a 35-sec upbeat release, titled ‘Corona Song’, that delivers a message of positivity and hope for those struggling with the pandemic. In addition to B.I.G, GH Entertainment’s other artists participated in the project and sang in six different languages. Girl group 3YE released English and Spanish versions, soloists Soya, Kang Tae-kang, and Louis Choi covered in Japanese, Chinese, and German, respectively. All the artists got together to sing a Korean version as well. The Korean label’s artists are known for picking up new languages and making…

NCT member Taeil set a record for the fastest time to reach a million followers on Instagram, the Guinness World Records announced Tuesday. His account mo.on_air, which follows seven other accounts of which are fellow NCT bandmates, reached seven digits worth of followers in just one hour and 45 minutes after his first post on July 6. Taeil announced his new Instagram account on a fandom application, with his first post so far hitting over a million likes. “Thank you to all the fans! I was so surprised when I heard the news! I never imagined myself becoming a Guinness…

It’s another big week for BTS and their local fanbase ARMY! The record-breaking group has collaborated with sportswear brand FILA on an eco-friendly collection titled ‘Project 7: Back to Nature’. Inspired by natural elements, the ‘Project 7: Back to Nature’ collection ranges from artsy graphics and cool earth tones t-shirts to shoes, bags, and hats. The new pieces modeled by all seven members of the K-Pop group are all made from recycled, eco-friendly materials. It was first announced that the record-breaking artists were named be the newest face of the Italian sportswear giant in 2019, with the limited-edition collection, ‘Project…

K-Pop star AleXa and Radar Middle East and North Africa’s (MENA) Kuwaiti-Saudi-based creator Bader AlShuaibi’s collaborated on a new single ‘Is It On.’ Sung in Korean, English and Arabic, the K-pop-style track features a reggaeton rhythm and a catchy lead sound.  “Music is music, so the same passion was injected into this project, but the new element I felt during this song was that the tempo of the music was different than what we are used to in the MENA area. It was a fun, new, awesome experience,” AlShuaibi said in a statement. ‘Is It On’ is seemingly the region’s…

Netflix’s new romance film ‘Sweet & Sour’ is set for release on June 4. Directed by Lee Gae-byok, the film depicts a “realistic tale” of modern romance following three young people: Jang Hyeok, Da-eun, and Bo-yeong. “The seemingly contradictory title alludes not only to the first sugary stages of love but also to its bitter end, as will surely come with the passage of time,” Netflix said in a statement. The cast includes rising stars Jang Ki-yong, Chae Soo-bin and Krystal Jung. Rising actor Jang, who had started in roles in ‘Search WWW’,’ The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos’ and this May’s ‘My Roommate is a Gumiho’,…

Netflix has announced the full cast of the Korean adaptation of popular Spanish original series ‘La Casa De Papel’.  Directed by Kim Hong-sun, the forthcoming Korean series will star some of the country’s top talents, including Yoo Ji-tae (The Swindlers) and Kim Yunjin (Ode to My Father), Lee Won-jong (“Moscow”), Park Hae-soo (Berlin). Under the production companies BH Entertainment, and Contents Zium, the Korean series is set on the Korean peninsula, centering around members of the gang recruited by the Professor, hostages, and Task Force Team tackling the heist. The writers of the original series are Ryu Yong-jae, Kim Hwan-chae, Choe Sung-jun, who…

UAE’s forthcoming virtual concert has been postponed to April 4 to pay tribute to the death of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance. A part of the ‘Korea-UAE Festival’, the ‘Korea-UAE K-Pop Festival’ is still set to feature line-up of stellar artists such as Mamamoo, B.I.G, Astro, NCT Dream, The Boyz, and aespa. Of the six acts, popular girl group Mamamoo and SM Entertainment’s newest quartet aespa will be making their debut performance to fans in the UAE. Emirati Opera singer Fatima Al Hashmi will also be performing on the…