Author: Samar Khouri

Sibling duo AKMU have renewed their contract with YG Entertainment for another five years, the agency said on Tuesday. Lee Chan-hyuk said YG has reliably supported them for seven years “without any small conflict or clash in opinion,” while his younger sister Lee Su-hyun added that she never considered leaving the South Korean giant. AKMU rose to popularity after winning first place on SBS audition program ‘K-Pop Star Season 2’ back in 2012. After signing with YG Entertainment, the singer-songwriting duo released popular songs including ‘200%’, ‘Give Love’, ‘Last Goodbye’, and ‘Dinosaur’. Their song ‘How Can I Love the Heartbreak,…

Youngjae, who shared the news on his personal Instagram, was the first artist announced to have joined the South Korean label— home to Song Kang Ho, Rain, EXID’s Hani, and T-ara’s Hyomin—on January 20. GOT7 members Jackson Wang and Youngjae have both signed an exclusive contract with Sublime Artist Agency. Two days later, Sublime Artist Agency confirmed that it signed a strategic partnership with Jackson’s label, Team Wang. “TEAM WANG and SAA will engage in extensive global collaboration in 2021,” the firms said on Twitter. “We are collaborating across varying business functions and conducting business in the music industry, production,…

Baekhyun, the lead singer of K-Pop boy group EXO, released his first solo Japanese EP, titled ‘BAEKHYUN’ on Wednesday. And it was a hit in the UAE! His debut Japanese musical offering climbed to the top spot on the iTunes all-genre, K-Pop and pop albums chart. The lead track ‘Get You Alone’, which was first performed during his first solo concert on January 3 and pre-released the following day, landed seventh on the iTunes songs chart, while dominating the K-Pop and pop songs chart in the UAE. The main track of the love-themed album will be “Get You Alone,” which…

Korean sci-fi thriller film ‘Space Sweepers’ is set to be released on Netflix on February 5, globally and in the UAE. It features a star-studded lineup, that includes Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Jin Sun-kyu and Yoo Hai-jin, and is directed by Jo Sung-hee, who is known for his work in ‘A Werewolf Boy’ and ‘Phantom Detective’. Produced by Bidangil Pictures, the upcoming feature, set in 2092, is about a crew of a cosmic waste management spacecraft, ‘Spaceship Victory’, who discover a humanlike robot, named Dorothy. They realize that the 7-year-old girl the humanlike robot wanted by UTS Space Guards, and decide to…

The head writer of ‘The Uncanny Counter’ has abruptly left the production of the South Korean TV series following a disagreement with staff over its final storyline. Cable network OCN confirmed on Monday that scriptwriter Yeo Ji-na resigned “on a mutual agreement” after writing up episode 12 of the popular superhero show amid soaring ratings. It was Yeoh’s first work in 11 years since TV show ‘The Man Who Can’t Get Married’. Following the writer’s departure, director Yoo Seon-dong wrote the script for episode 13, which aired on Saturday in South Korea and on Netflix, while scriptwriter Kim Sae-bom worked…

While adding minimalist aesthetics, the Brand Designer & Creative Director’s latest line titled ‘TEAM WANG COOKIES—THE VELVET’ is bold and daring, implementing the sleek texture of velvet into the collection while preserving the brand’s DNA. Jackson Wang has released a new modern collection for the modern man following the release of Team Wang’s first collection ‘COOKIES—THE ORIGINAL’, in just over half a year. “At TEAM WANG, we call each collection ‘Cookies’, ” the K-Pop singer-songwriter said. “Regardless of our fashion or music production, the backbone is always TEAM WANG’s vision and philosophy. In this context, fashion is just like a…

TREASURE’s aim was to brighten up the month of January and send out positive vibes and messages of encouragement to fans and listeners with their new album amid the ongoing pandemic. And they sure did! The rookie group dominated the hearts of local listeners with their first full album ‘The First Step: Treasure Effect’ fronted by upbeat lead track ‘My Treasure’ on Monday. Having released just five months after their debut, the 12-track album, which was also written by AKMU singer-songwriter Chankyuk, topped the UAE iTunes all-genre, Pop and K-Pop albums chart. It topped 17 other countries, that includes India, Thailand,…

Actors Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin are officially dating! The co-stars from the massive TV series ‘Crash Landing On You’ (2019-20) revealed to have been together for eight months. On January 1, South Korean media outlet Dispatch reported that the pair had been dating since their drama ended in March, a month after the conclusion of the TV show. Both actors’ agencies went on to confirm their romantic relationship following the report circulated online. “The two have become intimate as co-stars and have developed such intimacy into a romantic one as lovers after the series concluded,” said VAST Entertainment, the…

Local fans gathered around the Dubai Fountain Tuesday night to watch BTS member V light up the Dubai skyline in honor of his birthday (December 30). The façade of Burj Khalifa showcased video montages of the multi-faceted K-Pop artist, alongside a compilation of his various roles, including a ‘singer’, ‘actor’, ‘dancer’, and ‘producer’. The visual three-minute spectacle also displayed congratulatory message “Happy V Day” and fans’ long-lasting love for V with phrase “We Purple U”, while water streams from the world’s largest choreographed fountain system danced in symphony to his warm, moving English-language ballad ‘Winter Bear’ as fans or ARMYs cheered on…

Spotify announced that it will launch its service in South Korea in the first half of 2021, providing local listeners access to over 60 million tracks and over 4 billion playlists. Following its availability, the entertainment platform will allow artists to reach music fans and its 320 million listeners globally, with an aim to accelerate the growth of the country’s entire music streaming ecosystem. “We are excited about our upcoming launch in South Korea, a market recognized as an epicenter for music, culture and tech innovation,” said Alex Norström, Spotify’s Chief Freemium Business Officer, in a media statement. “Spotify has…