Astro pays tribute to late member with friends, family
The band teamed up with friends and family of their bandmate who passed away two years ago. The list of musicians who participated in making single 'Moon' include: Moon Sua of Billlie, sister of Moonbin; Viviz; Minhyuk, Kihyun and I.M of Monsta X; Hoshi, Wonwoo, Minkyu, Dogyeom and Seungkwan of Seventeen; Bang Chan of Stray Kids; and Chanhee of SF9.
Last year, Jinjin put out self-written single 'Fly' on the day which he worked on and sang with Moonbin.
Meanwhile, Astro is soon to host a standalone concert 'Stargraphy.' It will be the band's first full-group concert in three years and Rocky, who left the team in 2023, will join it on stage, as he did for the upcoming single.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
6 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Zoonizini hopes for lasting bonds, passion for music in 'Some Things Never Change'
MJ and Jinjin of Astro come together as subunit to explore a variety of musical styles and projects to attract new listeners Whether we like it or not, change is the only constant in life. Good moments do not last forever, but neither do bad ones, and even those moments of serenity eventually transform into something new. In hopes that their passion for music and the bond they share with their bandmates will remain forever, MJ and Jinjin of boy group Astro have come together for the first time as Zoonizini, debuting as a unit with the main track "Some Things Never Change," which will be released Wednesday at 6 p.m. "It is a song that evokes nostalgia, meant to bring to mind memories of fun days spent with long-time friends, along with the idea of lasting bonds. It is also something that we both hope will never change," said Jinjin, who produced the song, as he walked The Korea Herald through the new release during an interview Friday held at Fantagio, the group's agency, in Seoul's Gangnam-gu. "We are in our 10th year now, and I remember saying in an interview when we debuted that I hoped we could have a long-lasting career as singers. That was how we started, and fast forward 10 years, we have achieved so much — from performing on the dome stage and cherishing memories with fans," Jinjin said, with a smile beaming on his face. "There is very little in life that isn't hard, and there are moments of doubt about whether pursuing this career was the right choice, but performing on stage brings so much joy that it outweighs those struggles," MJ chimed in, saying that fans helped them grow. Speaking of the song he made, MJ said the track combines a smooth, rhythmic piano loop with an old-school boom bap beat, creating an emotional but easy-to-listen vibe. "To be frank, I wanted to make an album that could reach a wider audience and something nice and easy to listen to, especially during the summer season. That is why I wanted to return to the basics by embracing old-school hip-hop," Jinjin said. Apart from the lead track, the album "Dice" includes the tracks "New world," "Utopia," "Favorite Memory," "Starlight Voyage" and "Restart." All penned by Jinjin, the album expresses the duo's determination to live freely and enjoy every moment on their own terms, with six tracks that tell the story of a spontaneous journey through new experiences. Jinjin said that his inspiration comes from a combination of imagination, visual concepts and personal interests such as movies and games, which he then weaves into his music. "The song 'New world' was inspired by the movie 'Jumanji'," he added. Looking back on their 10-year musical journey, the duo also expressed hopes of building a stronger presence as artists. "As a unit, I want to explore a variety of musical styles and projects to attract new listeners. I also hope to appear on more variety shows, as well as embark on more international tours. By continuing to work this way, I believe we can steadily elevate our status and reputation in the music industry," MJ said.
![[Herald Interview] Zoonizini hopes for lasting bonds, passion for music in 'Some Things Never Change'](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F08%2F12%2Fnews-p.v1.20250812.97e0ec3a87bd4def8c1ae09725ee9510_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Korea Herald
11 hours ago
- Korea Herald
[Herald Interview] Zoonizini hopes for lasting bonds, passion for music in 'Some Things Never Change'
MJ and Jinjin of Astro come together as subunit to explore a variety of musical styles and projects to attract new listeners Whether we like it or not, change is the only constant in life. Good moments do not last forever, but neither do bad ones, and even those moments of serenity eventually transform into something new. In hopes that their passion for music and the bond they share with their bandmates will remain forever, MJ and Jinjin of boy group Astro have come together for the first time as Zoonizini, debuting as a unit with the main track "Some Things Never Change," which will be released Wednesday at 6 p.m. "It is a song that evokes nostalgia, meant to bring to mind memories of fun days spent with long-time friends, along with the idea of lasting bonds. It is also something that we both hope will never change," said Jinjin, who produced the song, as he walked The Korea Herald through the new release during an interview Friday held at Fantagio, the group's agency, in Seoul's Gangnam-gu. "We are in our 10th year now, and I remember saying in an interview when we debuted that I hoped we could have a long-lasting career as singers. That was how we started, and fast forward 10 years, we have achieved so much — from performing on the dome stage and cherishing memories with fans," Jinjin said, with a smile beaming on his face. "There is very little in life that isn't hard, and there are moments of doubt about whether pursuing this career was the right choice, but performing on stage brings so much joy that it outweighs those struggles," MJ chimed in, saying that fans helped them grow. Speaking of the song he made, MJ said the track combines a smooth, rhythmic piano loop with an old-school boom bap beat, creating an emotional but easy-to-listen vibe. "To be frank, I wanted to make an album that could reach a wider audience and something nice and easy to listen to, especially during the summer season. That is why I wanted to return to the basics by embracing old-school hip-hop," Jinjin said. Apart from the lead track, the album "Dice" includes the tracks "New world," "Utopia," "Favorite Memory," "Starlight Voyage" and "Restart." All penned by Jinjin, the album expresses the duo's determination to live freely and enjoy every moment on their own terms, with six tracks that tell the story of a spontaneous journey through new experiences. Jinjin said that his inspiration comes from a combination of imagination, visual concepts and personal interests such as movies and games, which he then weaves into his music. "The song 'New world' was inspired by the movie 'Jumanji'," he added. Looking back on their 10-year musical journey, the duo also expressed hopes of building a stronger presence as artists. "As a unit, I want to explore a variety of musical styles and projects to attract new listeners. I also hope to appear on more variety shows, as well as embark on more international tours. By continuing to work this way, I believe we can steadily elevate our status and reputation in the music industry," MJ said.
Korea Herald
05-08-2025
- Korea Herald
ACE Doubles Down on Anti-piracy in Asia-Pacific, Adding Broadcasting Powerhouse Astro as its Newest Member
Malaysia's Leading Content and Entertainment Company Becomes Third Asia-Pacific Region Company to Join ACE in Recent Months LOS ANGELES, Aug. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the world's leading antipiracy coalition, today welcomed Malaysia-based Astro as its newest member. Astro, a leading content and entertainment broadcasting company in Malaysia, was established in 1996 and has since built a comprehensive entertainment ecosystem that includes both pay and free-to-access TV services and OTT platforms. Currently, Astro reaches approximately 64% of Malaysian households. Astro holds an extensive library of more than 100,000 VOD titles, ranging from exclusive Astro Originals to major live sports events, while also offering over 147 live channels featuring both local and international brands. "Bringing Astro into ACE reaffirms our commitment to detect, deter, and dismantle criminal piracy throughout the Asia Pacific region and around the world," said Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association and Chairman of ACE. "Astro is already a key player and partner in the fight against piracy – educating Malaysian consumers, advancing landmark legal precedents, and fostering effective collaboration between industry and government. Now, Astro's work will grow in Malaysia and ACE's leadership will expand across the globe, delivering even greater safety and security to content creators and consumers everywhere." Astro is part of the Malaysian Cybercrime Task Force, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, where it leads efforts on tackling digital piracy within the task force. "For us at Astro, fighting piracy is not just to safeguard our bottom line but rather to protect the value of creativity and the people who bring stories to life," said Euan Smith, Group CEO of Astro. "We have seen how damaging piracy can be, which is why we have taken real action: over 26,000 listings of illegal streaming devices and services removed, 327 Telegram piracy groups with 12 million subscribers shut down, and significant legal wins to set strong precedents. By joining ACE, we're stepping into a larger arena. This collaboration gives us the strength of a global alliance while ensuring local voices and creators are safeguarded. We want to ensure audiences have a better, safer, and more rewarding way to enjoy the content they love." Astro's addition to the alliance marks the third APAC region member to join ACE since the start of the year, underscoring the region's importance to the global coalition. The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) is the world's leading coalition dedicated to protecting the legal creative market and reducing digital piracy. Driven by a comprehensive approach to addressing piracy through criminal referrals, civil litigation, and cease-and-desist operations, ACE has achieved many successful global enforcement actions against illegal streaming services and unauthorized content sources and their operators. Drawing upon the collective expertise and resources of more than 50 media and entertainment companies around the world—including sports channels and associations—and reinforced by the Motion Picture Association's content protection operations, ACE protects the creativity and innovation that drives the global growth of core copyright and entertainment industries. The current governing board members for ACE are Amazon, Apple TV+, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association and Chairman of ACE. About Astro Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (Astro) is Malaysia's leading content and entertainment company, serving 5.2 million homes or 64% of Malaysian TV households, 8,900 enterprises, 16.3 million weekly listeners across FM radio and online, and 13.5 million visitors to our digital brands every month. We serve Malaysians with 3 distinct services – Astro Pay-TV, NJOI Prepaid and sooka, our own OTT for the millennials; and Astro Fibre, our own broadband service, offers greater value with its content-broadband bundles. More than a million homes are already streaming the best of home entertainment via our Hybrid 4K UHD Ultra Box and HD Ulti Box, which can be self-installed and run on both satellite and broadband. Today, our customers enjoy streaming our local signatures, Astro Originals, live sports and the best global shows from Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, HBO GO, iQIYI, TVBAnywhere+, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, BBC Player, Viu, ZEE5, WeTV, Qalbox by MuslimPro, and our own TV companion app Astro GO. Astro Radio, home to the country's highest-rated radio brands across all key languages, and our digital brands including AWANI, SYOK, Gempak, Xuan and Astro Ulagam, connect Malaysians to content and stories that matter.
