Today in K-Pop

K-pop project group Wanna One will reunite for a new reality show seven years after disbanding, K-pop content platform Mnet Plus announced Wednesday. The 11-member group's new program, "WANNA ONE GO — Back to Base," will premiere April 28. Prior to the broadcast, the group will host an in-person fan event April 6 at DMC Culture Park in western Seoul. Organizers prepared the gathering to officially announce the program's start and allow the members to reconnect with their fan base, known as Wannable. The group generated a nationwide cultural phenomenon upon debuting in 2017. They immediately sold out the Gocheok Sky Dome, Korea's largest indoor arena, sold 1 million copies of their debut album and swept rookie and grand prize honors at major award ceremonies. Even after the project group disbanded, the 11 members — Kang Daniel, Park Ji-hoon and Lee Dae-hwi, Kim Jae-hwan, Ong Seong-wu, Park Woo-jin, Lai Kuan-lin, Yoon Ji-sung, Hwang Min-hyun, Bae Jin-young and Ha Sung-woon — established themselves as solo singers, actors and producers. The upcoming program is highly anticipated glob

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BTS expressed its gratitude to fans for helping it debut atop Billboard’s Hot 100, in a livestream that aired Wednesday night. “I almost passed out last night, and when I woke up at 3 a.m., it was blowing up,” said RM, “all thanks to our fans.” The seven members wanted to celebrate with fans the news that “Swim,” the main track from their fifth LP “Arirang,” had shot to the top of the chart on its debut. Thirteen tracks from the 14-track set made the main singles chart, and the album claimed the

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Former K-pop idol and sports announcer Park Seo-hwi is opening up about becoming a shaman. Park is scheduled to appear on MBN’s “Special Scoop World” on Thursday to discuss how she chose to become a shaman after debuting as a member of the girl group, LPG, and later working as a sports announcer. In a preview clip released ahead of the broadcast, Park is seen describing repeated dreams of family members dying. She recalled that when she visited a shaman for a reading, the first words she heard were, “You are filled with spirits,” an experience she said set her on the path to becoming a shaman. Park said she ultimately accepted the shamanic calling out of fear over what might happen to her family if she refused it. Fighting back tears, she said her family mattered most to her and that although she had wanted to continue working in television, she felt she had no choice but to accept that path. Park’s father also expressed conflicted emotions. “Becoming a shaman is a difficult path,” he said through tears. “It is heartbreaking to see this when she graduated from a well-re

“I hope our music can feel different from the songs dominating the charts these days. I believe music should reflect a range of styles, but lately the industry seems to be leaning too heavily toward a narrow set of genres. In the past, there was a broader mix of artists,” the members of SeeYa said. “We hope our return can have a positive impact by helping open space for more distinctive and diverse musicians.” For SeeYa, whose reunion comes 15 years after the group disbanded, the message is about more than a comeback. It is also a pointed reflection on what they see as a deeper structural imbalance in Korea’s music industry. Even as K-pop continues to strengthen its global standing as a mainstream genre, criticism has been mounting in Korea that the domestic market has grown increasingly concentrated around idol music. In that sense, SeeYa’s return means more than the reappearance of a vocal group that once stood at the center of Korea’s ballad boom. It also revives a long-simmering conversation about musical diversity within K-pop. What was lost in an idol-centered industry

Katseye will release the single “Pinky Up” on April 9, its labels Hybe and Geffen Records announced Wednesday. The single drops two days before it is poised to take the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival stage for the first time. The group has landed three entries on Billboard’s Hot 100 so far: its previous single, “Internet Girl,” debuted at No. 29 and logged four weeks and “Gabriela” and “Gnarly,” main tracks from its second EP, spent 28 and 13 weeks, respectively, peaking at No. 21 and

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iKON is slated to perform in 12 cities across the globe for “Fourever,” agency 143 Entertainment announced Thursday. It will be the group’s first concerts in about two years. As the tour title suggests, however, it will feature only the four members who have completed their mandatory military service: Kim Jinhwan, Bobby, Song Yunhyeong and Jung Chanwoo. Kim Donghyuk is currently a member of the Army's marching band, while Koo Junhoe has yet to enlist. The four bandmates will kick off the tour in

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Lee Su-hyun of sibling duo AKMU opened up about going through a slump and expressed gratitude to her brother and band member, Lee Chan-hyuk, for helping her through it. The duo appeared on “You Quiz on the Block” on Wednesday. When host Yoo Jae-suk asked how the siblings were doing living under the same roof, Lee Chan-hyuk said he had been the one to suggest they live together. “Su-hyun was having a hard time living alone because she wasn’t used to it,” he said. Lee Su-hyun said her slump initially came from work, but as she endured the emotional strain, she began to have deeper doubts about life itself. “That question first hit me after my brother left for his mandatory military service. What kind of person would I be without him? His absence made me realize just how big his presence had been. I ended up feeling disappointed in myself, and hurt.” She said she waited for Chan-hyuk to return from military service, but when he did, he charged ahead like a racehorse, focused only on what was in front of him. At some point, working with him began to feel dull. “I told him that

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Singer-songwriter EJAE is fueling curiosity — and a bit of disbelief — over how much money could be coming from the global hit “KPop Demon Hunters,” as talk of 45.6 billion won in royalties continues to circulate online. At a press conference Wednesday at Yongsan I’Park Mall in Seoul, celebrating the film’s recent awards success, EJAE addressed the speculation with a cautious but optimistic tone. “I don’t really know yet. It takes time,” she said when asked about royalty settlements. From viral hit to awards sweep “KPop Demon Hunters” — an action-fantasy animation about K-pop superstars who secretly protect the world — has become a rare crossover success, winning major honors at global awards including the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes and the Grammys. The film reached a new peak on March 15, when it won both Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards. Alongside the soundtrack's breakout hit "Golden," other tracks have also gained traction internationally, with songs like “Soda Pop” and “Your Idol” charting and contribut