Stray Kids' Felix teams up with Japanese artist Lisa
Felix of Stray Kids has participated on an upcoming single from Japanese singer Lisa, according to JYP Entertainment on Friday.
Felix joined forces with Lisa on 'ReawakeR,' which will be part of her 23rd single album due out on March 5. The song is also the opening theme for 'Solo Leveling: Arise From the Shadow,' a Japanese anime series based on a Korean webtoon. He also appeared in the music video for the song unveiled Thursday.
It is the second time they have collaborated, as Lisa was the featured artist on 'Social Path' from Stray Kids' first Japanese EP, 'All In,' in 2020.
Meanwhile, the eight-member act will resume its 'Dominate' tour and travel around Latin America for the first time starting March 27. The world tour runs until July 30 and will take the band to Japan in mid-May.
Nmixx Haewon to miss Mexico concert
Haewon of Nmixx will not be able to join her bandmates on the stage at their concert in Mexico City on Friday, according to JYP Entertainment.
Having felt under the weather, Haewon went to see a doctor. The leader of the group was told to take time off and rest, despite her wish to keep up with the schedule, the company explained.
Her five bandmates will carry on with the group's second fan concert, 'Nmixx Change Up: Mixx Lab in Mexico City.' The next stop will be Santiago, Chile, followed by Sao Paulo.
In the meantime, Nmixx will bring out the group's fourth EP, 'Fe304: Forward,' the final part of its 'Fe304' trilogy, on March 17. The girl group has begun uploading a series of teaser content, including a timetable fashioned after radar echo images.
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Korea Herald
42 minutes ago
- Korea Herald
[Grace Kao] Astro's ‘Call Out' at 'Astroad Stargraphy' 2025
Because I live in the US, attending a K-pop concert in Korea is a very special treat for me. This past weekend, with my fellow Arohas, I experienced Astro's 2025 'The Astroad Stargraphy' concert on June 7 at the Inspire Arena in Incheon. There was a full band at the left and right ends of the front stage. Astro's members are MJ, Jinjin, Cha Eunwoo, Moon Bin, Rocky and Sanha. It was a sold-out show, and bittersweet for several reasons. First, there were many reminders of Moon Bin's absence due to his tragic passing. He was listed on the banners and in the closing credits. Many of the dance formations held a vacant spot for him, including an empty mic stand during 'We Still.' Second, Cha Eunwoo is scheduled to enlist in the military in July. Lastly, Rocky, who officially left the group in 2023, joined the group on stage for all of its older songs. This was the first group concert in more than three years, and given Cha Eunwoo's enlistment, Moon Bin's passing and Rocky's departure, Astro's future configuration is, at best, uncertain. There are so many amazing parts of the experience of a K-pop concert in Korea that are absent in both K-pop and other pop concerts in the US. This show was a full 3 hours and 20 minutes long. In America, I've only attended one concert with a single artist that lasted that long, and that was Bruce Springsteen in the 1980s. Astro's light sticks are intricate, and the arena was dominated by pink and purple lights. According to fans' listings of the set list, the group performed 29 songs. Honestly, I don't know how they did it. Audience members were given diffraction glasses — when we wore them, all of the white stage lights turned into beautiful rainbow stars, befitting the theme of the concert. We enjoyed a traditional T-stage, which connected to a secondary stage at the back of the floor. This meant that at various parts of the concert, the five members could see different segments of the audience. I have actually never seen such a thoughtful layout for audience members. Astro's intricate stages and light shows were beautifully well-planned. The large video screens behind the members, as well as on the side panels of the moving segments of the stage, were visually appealing, and the concert made generous use of lights and flares. I also loved the dangling lights hanging above the circular stage, which were manipulated into astrologically inspired designs as the lengths of the strings shifted. Because my Korean is limited, I was unable to follow most of the conversational parts (ments) of the concert. However, there was one clear theme — nostalgia for the early days of the group. Videos and song backgrounds featured old images of the group, including those of Moonbin. 'We Still' in particular was accompanied by a montage of photos and videos. In contrast to many K-pop concerts, this show evoked a wide range of feelings from the audience. The emotional ballads 'Circles,' 'Twilight,' and 'Fly' were newer singles and express philosophical and somber themes about life, including those related to Moon Bin's passing. These were composed primarily by leader Jinjin and producer and topliner Subin Kim. 'Circles' may have also evoked the circular section of one part of the stage. At other times, their early songs lightened the mood. Astro's debut song 'Hide & Seek' received thunderous applause. This was followed by 'Breathless,' another tune from early in their catalog that is nothing if not cheerful. 'After Midnight' featured a large video background of ocean waves, which matched the lyrics of the second pre-chorus: 'I'm fine, not fine, the endless ocean.' This song was preceded by the upbeat 2022 song 'Candy Sugar Pop' — one of the last singles that featured all six members. I also enjoyed their performance of 'Crazy Sexy Cool,' although I imagine it was hard to dance in their white and heavily embroidered sparkly suits. The members were in top form, and their personas were intact. Jinjin, whom I had the pleasure to meet and write about last year, was energetic and expressed seemingly endless positive energy. His leadership qualities were on full display. MJ was the silly one, joking throughout the evening. I just adore his singing. Cha Eunwoo, who is often known as the most handsome idol in K-pop, was treated as such. The almost entirely female audience fanatically screamed, especially when he took off his jacket near the end of the show. Rocky was treated as the long-lost member who returned — fans were so thrilled to see him and wished he would stick around. Finally, Sanha was the sweet and friendly member who was bright and cheerful all night. The show ended with the song 'Call Out.' This song lasted at least 15 minutes as the members would pause in the middle of the chorus to offer additional ments while other members would run through the audience sections. The lyrics are about the members calling out to their fans to remember them. I doubt any of the Arohas at the concert will soon forget Astro.
Korea Herald
6 hours ago
- Korea Herald
'Maybe Happy Ending' triumphs with 6 Tony Awards, including best musical
Broadway hit adapted from a Korean musical caps winning streak at Tonys This year's Tony Awards marked a milestone for the musical "Maybe Happy Ending," a heartwarming South Korean robot romance that began its Broadway life at the Belasco Theatre in November 2024. The production, whose origins go back to 2014 in a small theater in Seoul, emerged as one of the evening's most celebrated winners, taking home six awards, including best musical and best leading actor in a musical for Darren Criss, and best direction of a musical for director Michael Arden. Playwright and lyricist Park Chun-hue — also known as Hue Park — and composer Will Aronson, longtime collaborators for over a decade, won best book of a musical and best original score. "Maybe Happy Ending" also took home best scenic design of a musical. Set in a near-future Seoul, 'Maybe Happy Ending' follows the story of Oliver and Claire — two outdated HelperBot androids discarded by their human owners — who find each other and form a bond neither expected. Starring Darren Criss as Oliver and Broadway newcomer Helen J. Shen as Claire, the show blends science fiction with poignant emotional realism, bringing to life themes of connection, obsolescence and hope. "The musical's win marks the first successful transition of a small-scale Korean production from Seoul's Daehangno theater district to a major Broadway stage, earning recognition for both its artistic excellence and commercial viability. It also stands as a historic milestone, as it is the first time a Korean creator has won Tony Awards in the musical categories for best book and best score," Choi Seung-youn, a South Korean musical critic and professor, told The Korea Herald on Monday. The sweep by "Maybe Happy Ending" came as little surprise, as the season had already been a remarkable winning streak for the musical, originally written in Korean by playwright and lyricist Park with music by longtime collaborator Aronson. The duo, known for their bilingual productions, saw their work earn six honors at the 69th Annual Drama Desk Awards, including outstanding musical. The show was also named best musical by the 89th New York Drama Critics' Circle and secured two major awards at the 91st Annual Drama League Awards: outstanding production of a musical and outstanding direction of a musical. Formula for success Experts say the success of "Maybe Happy Ending" is largely driven by its powerful universal themes. Speaking last week at a conference at K-Musical Market, an annual showcase of Korean musicals, Sean Patrick Flahaven, chief theatricals executive of Concord Theatricals, remarked on the show's strength in the licensing market: 'It's not so much dependent on being a Korean story as it's a more universal story. So I think that's an important aspect to have — that a compelling specific story can have universality as well — and that kind of universality speaks to success in future licensing.' The musical critic Choi shared that view. 'This achievement owes much to the show's universal themes. The story's portrayal of love and friendship between soon-to-be obsolete beings resonates deeply with audience members,' she said. Choi also emphasized the impact of Aronson's refined and delicate score, particularly his enhancement of jazz numbers to give the music a distinctly 'American' resonance for Broadway audiences. 'Equally important were the meticulous scenic design and direction, which carefully rendered a digital world tailored to the emotional arc of the story,' she said. 'In the end, every element of the production came together in harmony to create a work of great beauty. And as a musical with a distinctly Korean identity, it also contributed meaningfully to Broadway's ongoing conversation around diversity and representation,' she added. The show's origins go back to 2014, when it was developed with funding from Korea's Wooran Foundation. It premiered in Seoul in 2016 and ran for five seasons in small theaters in Daehangno, before its English-language adaptation made it to New York's Belasco Theatre in November 2024. During its development, the Broadway production generated anticipation with the involvement of producer Jeffrey Richards, an eight-time Tony Award winner. Park and Aronson, who met in New York when Park was an international student at New York University, worked on four musicals together. The duo's recent project, "Il Tenore," which premiered in Seoul in 2023, also won top honors, including the grand prize and composition award at a major Korean musical awards ceremony. Three decades of effort Though Park is the first Korean national to win a Tony Award in the musical theater category, Korean musicals have been striving, through various forms and evolving strategies, to break into Broadway for more than three decades. The first major push for a Korean musical to reach Broadway began with "The Last Empress," which premiered in 1995 and was invited to New York's Lincoln Center in 1997. Although it wasn't a full-scale commercial run, it marked the first Korean musical to appear on a US Broadway-affiliated stage. Efforts continued with tryouts and workshops in 2002, but a full Broadway debut never materialized. In 2003, the nonverbal hit Nanta became the first Korean production to enter Off-Broadway, later expanding to Las Vegas and London's West End. By the 2010s, Korean companies had shifted focus to investment-driven collaborations, with CJ ENM co-producing Broadway hits such as "Kinky Boots" (2013), "Moulin Rouge!" (2021) and "MJ the Musical" (2022), all of which received multiple Tony Awards. In 2023, "The Great Gatsby," produced by Shin Chun-soo of OD Company, marked a new strategic step, with a Korean producer leading the development and financing of a Broadway-bound production from the ground up. The show officially opened on Broadway and later transferred to the West End. Similarly, "Marie Curie," which premiered in Korea in 2020, was staged in London's West End in 2023. Following the musical's Tony Awards sweep, congratulations poured in from across Korea's creative and political spheres. At a press conference for "Squid Game" Season 3 in Seoul on Monday, director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who won best director for a drama series at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022, said he was 'pleasantly surprised' by the news. 'Among the four major awards ceremonies — the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tonys — I always thought the Tonys were the most distant," he said. "So I am incredibly proud to hear a Korean musical won such prestigious awards there." President Lee Jae-myung also issued a statement celebrating the historic win. 'This achievement is by no means the result of a single day's effort. It is the culmination of the dedication, passion and creative determination shown by our cultural and artistic community over many years. 'Today's Tony Award win is not the end, but a new beginning. I will do my utmost to ensure that more Korean artists thrive on the global stage, and that our culture continues to inspire and uplift people around the world.' The president also emphasized the government's role in supporting the arts, pledging to 'further strengthen support for the culture and arts sector, and serve as a strong foundation so that our artists can fully pursue their dreams and shine on the world stage.' gypark@
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Korea Herald
11 hours ago
- Korea Herald
[팟캐스트] (695) 혼족러들이 서울을 즐기는 방법
The best (lesser-known) things about Seoul for solo residents 기사 요약: 서울의 '혼족러'들이 서울을 오롯이 혼자서 즐기고 있는 방법들은? [1] I love to sing, but as a kid, belting out tunes on a karaoke machine usually meant rallying at least one friend to go to the local noraebang (singing room). For a boy who was a bit of a loner, this could be challenging. belt out: 힘차게 노래부르다 loner: 주로 혼자 지내거나 이를 선호하는 사람 [2] Then came the 2010s — and with them, a delightful invention: the coin noraebang (pay-per-song karaoke). A sanctuary for solo singers, it offered sweet salvation to those who want to sing their hearts out without the judgmental stares of others. sanctuary: 피난처, 안식처 salvation: 구원, 구조 (- army 구세군) sing one's heart out: 가슴이 터지도록 크게 부르다 stare: 빤히 쳐다보다 [3] Coin noraebang is just one of many urban pleasures catering to Seoul's growing population of solo dwellers. From one-person barbecue joints to bars and restaurants designed for a party of one, these spaces embrace those who choose to stay in their cocoon of voluntary solitude. cater to: ~을 충족시키다 cocoon: 보호막, 고치 solitude: 고독 [4] And so, Seoul has become a haven for the "honjok," or people like me who choose to do things by themselves. Honjok is a portmanteau of 'hon' from the Korean word 'honja,' meaning alone, and 'jok,' meaning tribe. haven: 안식처, 피난처, portmanteau: 혼성어 기사 원문: [코리아헤럴드 팟캐스트 구독] 아이튠즈(아이폰): 네이버 오디오 클립(아이폰, 안드로이드 겸용):
