BoyNextDoor to drop 2nd Japan single in August
This confirms the news the bandmates shared at their live show in Tokyo on Sunday that set the audience abuzz. The Sunday gig was the last of their encore concert, which ran from June 28, and added covers of Japanese hit songs to the original set list.
The band toured six cities in the country from January to February for its first road trip, 'Knock On Vol. 1.' The six-piece team is set to wrap the tour up in Seoul on July 25-27.
BoyNextDoor officially debuted in Japan last year with the single 'And," clinching platinum certification. In June, its fourth EP 'No Genre' was certified gold after topping Oricon's Weekly and Weekly Album Rankings.
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Korea Herald
11 hours ago
- Korea Herald
[Grace Kao] My experience at KCON LA 2025
I just attended KCON LA 2025 last week and found it invigorating, overwhelming and confusing. Let me explain. The festival grounds during the day had a variety of performance locations, including the Artist Stage, Meet and Greet Stage, X Stage, Busking Stage and Dance Stage. The Artist Stage held what were essentially mini-concerts of five or six songs by artists such as Lee Youngji, P1Harmony and Hwasa. The X-Stage featured newer groups such as 82Major, Kik5o, HitGS and Ifeye. The Meet and Greet Stage offered fans the opportunity for a closer interaction with some of the major groups, such as Riize and Zerobaseone. The Busking Stage offered informal Q&A sessions with lesser-known groups, and the Dance Stage included fast dance challenges among amateurs and some rookie group members. Each night, the M Countdown Stage was a three-hour concert with more than 10 artists. This took place at the LA Crypto Arena on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Headliners included NCT 127, MonstaX, Hoshi X Woozi of Seventeen, aespa, Nmixx, Zerobaseone and I-dle. KCON was invigorating and overwhelming because I've never seen so many acts in one place — 37 in total. I've also never listened to so much K-pop, and that's saying a lot. However, many of these activities were ticketed separately. The rules were complex, and I read them many times in the months ahead of KCON LA. The cheapest ticket was $36 for the 'festival grounds' for a single day. However, if you wanted to attend the festival grounds, artists' stage, evening concert and everything else at the premium level for a single day (not including the meet and greet), that ticket was $391. A 'meet and greet' with one group cost another $111. So, attending all events for one day, including three meet and greet premium tickets, would cost an astounding $724. The premium class of tickets for all events for all three days would cost about $2200! It is not cheap to be a K-pop fan, and it can also be confusing. Los Angeles resident Ann Marie Uy, 48, attended all 3 days with her son, niece and another family friend. This is her fourth KCON. 'Honestly, KCON is always such a disaster,' She remarked. Still, Uy and her family love K-pop. First-time attendee Susan Gervais, 50, who traveled from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, along with her daughter Kaitlyn, 21, found the lines 'confusing and disorganized, and the lines didn't seem to work.' She and others were policing the lines because the security guards gave conflicting advice. Kim Jeffers, 49, of Athens, Ohio, added that the 'lines were a bit disorganized.' Skylar D., 26, of Michigan, attended with two friends who thought there were line cutters and that people were disobeying rules, and said, 'This will probably be my last KCON.' In contrast, Landyn Wu, 22, who traveled from New Jersey, thought the festival grounds were 'well-organized and straightforward.' Warren Dumais, 32, coming from Missouri, wished that KCON continued its focus on K-pop. 'I don't use beauty products, so while I understand that others do and that K-beauty is part of the attraction of the Hallyu, I wished KCON focused more on K-pop.' Ha Vo, 69 and her daughter Christine Vo, 45, both of Orange County, enjoyed the K-Beauty booths. I overheard others talk about the missed opportunity of not including more K-drama events. According to KCON, 107 companies and 358 booths were represented. While some first-time attendees found that there were too many booths, repeat attendees told me that there were fewer booths this year than in previous years. Haley Van Degrift, 39, of San Francisco, said that the booths were 'a little too spread out, but I like it.' A 40-something attendee from Minnesota told me that tariffs had caused many vendors to skip KCON and that the K-beauty freebies were scant compared to previous years. The bag size requirements also caused mass confusion. The festival grounds required clear bags no larger than 30 centimeters by 30 cm by 15 cm, while The Crypto Arena limited bag sizes to roughly the size of a large phone. However, because Olive Young's booth distributed large shopping-size tote bags, procuring one meant you had to store it before the concert. I witnessed hundreds and hundreds of attendees lining up at a locker storage truck to check in their 'free bag' for $10. I saw that the storage area was inundated with Olive Young tote bags. Luckily, I dodged that bullet. Would I go back to KCON? It's a definite yes in terms of all the performances. There wasn't a single stage that I didn't enjoy. I also loved being among so many die-hard K-pop fans. However, I would advise that you read the bag policies carefully and plan accordingly.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
Art, music and memory mark 80th anniversary of liberation
Marking the 80th anniversary of its liberation from Japanese colonial rule this Friday, South Korea is hosting a rich program of exhibitions, concerts, performances and participatory art projects nationwide. Ranging from celebrations of Korea's Olympic achievements and independence movements to explorations of memory, hope and national identity, these events offer audiences a chance to honor the past, engage with the present and envision the future through music, art, invention and storytelling. At the National Museum of Korea, the special exhibition 'The Radiant Strides, Moving the World' celebrates Korean athletes who inspired generations. The exhibition, which runs through Dec. 28, traces the journey from Sohn Kee-chung's groundbreaking 1936 Olympic victory to the symbolic torch relay at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Meanwhile, the 'Independence and Invention" exhibition -- held at the museum's annex until Aug. 31, organized with the Korean Intellectual Property Office -- explores the lives and innovations of five inventors who contributed to Korea's modernization. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, presents 'Landscape of Homeland and Longing' from Aug. 14 to Nov. 9, a special exhibition of Korean modern art exploring the longing for homeland through the lens of division, displacement and resilience. The exhibition will feature more than 200 pieces -- spanning painting, photography, sculpture and drawing -- by 86 artists. At the National Folk Museum's Paju branch, the video exhibition 'The Reclaimed Light, the Enduring Song, Arirang' (July 15-Aug. 31) examines how Korea's most iconic folk song has evolved through times of resistance, reunion and healing. A series of performances will be held to mark the 80th Liberation Day. On Liberation Day, Aug. 15, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will present a concert marking both the anniversary of Korea's liberation and the orchestra's own 80th founding year in 1945. Conducted by Choi Soo-yeoul, the program honors the spirit of the independence movement and the values of freedom and peace. The concert opens with the Adagietto from Mahler's Symphony No. 5, a movement famed for its depth and lyricism, followed by Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major, performed by pianist Kim Tae-hyung. Geomungo master Oh Kyung-ja will join for 'Surijae,' a geomungo concerto by Jeong Dae-seok that reimagines traditional Korean music in a contemporary orchestral setting. The finale features the third and fourth movements of Sibelius' Symphony No. 2. On the same day, a history musical gala show will take place at the outdoor plaza of the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. The concert brings together powerful scenes from historical musicals such as 'Baekbeom,' 'Watch' and 'Shinheung Military Academy,' all productions based on Korea's independence movement and the lives of independence activists such as Kim Koo, Yun Bong-gil and others. The National Gugak Center offers two special concerts. On Aug. 14 and 15, 'The Light We Sing,' an evocative performance weaving together themes of harmony, memory, hope and future through traditional Korean music, will take place. On Aug. 16, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will present '8.15 Seoul, My Soul' at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall. The free outdoor gala, starting at 7 p.m., pairs timeless songs from 'Les Miserables' and stirring numbers from the Korean hit musical 'Hero,' featuring top musical theater actors such as Yang Jun-mo, celebrated for his portrayal of Ahn Jung-geun in 'Hero,' and Min Woo-hyuk, acclaimed for his role as Jean Valjean in 'Les Miserables.' On Aug. 20, 'Harmony,' a large-scale commemorative concert featuring both Korean traditional instruments and a Western orchestra, will be staged at the National Theater of Korea, highlighting the meaning of liberation through musical unity. From Aug. 9 to 17, the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture will host a citywide program of exhibitions, performances and participatory events marking the 80th Liberation Day. At Nodeul Island, SFAC has organized large-scale Taegeukgi installations, including a facade display of the historic 1919 'Jingwansa Taegeukgi,' 16 period flags, and a 40-meter installation made with 1,000 pinwheels. An indoor exhibition will showcase historical photographs and portraits of 80 female independence activists. On Aug. 14 and 15 at Theater Quad in the theater district of Daehangno in central Seoul, SFAC presents 'Train No. 37,' a sung-through musical created with Kazakhstan's National Academic Koryo Theatre, memorializing the 1937 forced migration of Koreans to Central Asia and the survival of the Korean language and culture in exile. Until Aug. 16, 'My Taegeukgi, Our Taegeukgi' will run at SFAC's five regional culture and arts education centers, where participants can design their own artistic Taegeukgi using DIY kits, encouraging reflection on the flag's symbolism and Liberation Day's meaning. The National Asia Culture Center (ACC) in Gwangju will commemorate the 80th Liberation Day with two programs honoring independence activist Park Yeol. On Aug. 15 at 3 p.m., Theater 2 will stage the musical 'Park Yeol,' based on the true story of Park and Kaneko Fumiko following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, blending traditional Korean arts with drama to portray their unwavering resistance under colonial rule. On Aug. 16 at 2 p.m., ACC's Theater 3 will screen Lee Joon-ik's award-winning 2017 film 'Anarchist from Colony,' starring Lee Je-hoon and Choi Hee-seo, which vividly depicts Park's courtroom defiance based on actual trial records.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
Illit drops prerelease from 1st Japan single
Illit released a B-side track from its first physical single in Japan, 'Toki Yo Tomare,' on Monday, according to agency Beflit Lab. The group of five dropped 'Topping,' a pop number describing the emotions of a girl getting ready for her first date. Part of the upbeat song was used in a Lacoste Japan sneakers commercial. The group unveiled the song on Sunday at its fan concert 'Glitter Day' held in Yokohama, with Japanese singer and songwriter Noa — who co-wrote the song — joining the group on stage. The physical single will be released on Sept. 1 and will mark Illit's official Japanese debut. It will comprise four tracks: the title track, 'Topping,' the Japanese-language version of 'Do the Dance' from its third EP 'Bomb' and 'Almond Chocolate,' which was released in February.
