Latest news with #BlackPink
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: The K-pop status shuffle: producers, power and reinvention
K-POP, a genre of popular Korean music performed by dance groups such as BTS and BlackPink, is known for its highly competitive landscape, with groups often reinventing their identities with their new song releases to maintain their popularity and fan base. New research has found that in South Korea, where entertainment agencies or producers play a dominant role in shaping the image of K-Pop groups, the agency's status affects the group's ability to change their style and music genre. Meanwhile, gender norms hinder female K-Pop groups from similar shifts in identity as they are expected to follow set trajectories, leaving little room for experimentation. Heeyon Kim, assistant professor at the Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, co-wrote 'Changing Tracks: How Status Affects Category Shifts in the Korean Popular Music Industry', published on July 11 in the 'Strategic Management Journal'. Her co-authors include Yoonjeoung Heo, an assistant professor at Xi'an Jiatong-Liverpool University, and Chi-Nien Chung, a professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Unlike in the Western music industry, where artistes often have creative control, K-Pop agencies oversee everything from an artiste's training to their performance and public image. The research team studied a sample of 122 K-Pop idol groups, including Super Junior, Girls' Generation, BlackPink, and 2PM, produced by 76 agencies from 2004 to 2016. They found that the status of entertainment agencies, as determined by industry awards, significantly influences how often and how radically their idol groups change their style and music genres, based on data from new song releases. For example, the group known as Big Bang, formerly managed by YG Entertainment, initially gained popularity with a rebellious identity. However, after a two-year hiatus, the group underwent a significant transformation in their concept, adopting a more experimental approach with their song 'Fantastic Baby' and later with 'Bang Bang Bang'. If a "youthful and rebellious" concept dominates the market, middle-status agencies are more likely to adjust their idol groups' style, music, and performance to match this trend. Their goal is to attract a wider audience without taking the creative risks that high-status agencies could afford, according to the research. In contrast, high-status entertainment agencies such as SM, JYP, and YG Entertainment tend to make more radical category shifts when they reposition their groups. This approach aligns with audience expectations for major agencies to act as trendsetters rather than followers. The effect of a producer's status is notably weaker for female idol groups due to institutional constraints and societal gender norms, Kim said. Female idols are often expected to adhere to predefined gender-normative stereotypical concepts, such as "cute and girlish" when they are young or "elegant and mature" as they grow older. Consequently, entertainment agencies have less flexibility in shifting the concepts of female groups compared with those of male groups. Male idol groups are more likely to undergo significant concept transformations, as their fan base tends to be more dedicated and accepting of shifts in artistic direction, the research found. In contrast, female idol groups rely more on appealing to the general public, making agencies hesitant to deviate from conventional concepts. For instance, a male group under a high-status agency might transition from a "bad boy" image to a "retro disco" theme, while a female group under the same agency is more likely to maintain a consistent aesthetic to avoid alienating mainstream audiences. "As the K-Pop industry continues to evolve," Kim said, "understanding these dynamics will be crucial for entertainment agencies seeking to navigate the competitive landscape while balancing audience expectations and creative expression".
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Jennie's 'Like Jennie' tops 2025 Female Artiste Streams, beating Lady Gaga
SEOUL: BlackPink's Jennie has truly made a mark with her solo debut, establishing it as one of the most successful launches by a K-Pop/Korean artiste. She's consistently breaking and expanding records across major music platforms. According to Allkpop today, her massive hit, 'Like Jennie', has been crowned the 'Most Streamed 2025 song by a Female Artist worldwide'. This achievement, based on streaming and audio figures from platforms like Spotify and YouTube Music, saw her surpass Lady Gaga's 'Abracadabra'. Furthermore, her album 'Ruby' has received widespread acclaim, being named the 'Best Album by a K-Pop Artist during the first half of 2025' by various specialist media outlets and prominent magazines, including Billboard, Rolling Stone, Complex, and NME. Adding to her accolades, Pitchfork, a highly respected music website, has declared Jennie's 'Ruby' the 'Best Album by a K-pop Soloist of all time'.
New Straits Times
24-07-2025
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: G-Dragon concert chaos: RM2.87mil scalping ring busted in Taiwan!
TAIPEI: Taiwanese authorities have dismantled a significant ticket scalping operation that illegally resold tickets for G-Dragon's recent concerts in Taipei, netting the ring an estimated NT$20 million (RM2.87 million) in illicit profits. According to reports from China Times and Liberty Times yesterday, Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau apprehended four suspects, including a man identified as Liu, for their involvement in illegally reselling tickets to G-Dragon's world tour, which took place at the Taipei Arena from July 11 to 13. A raid on the group's premises on July 15 uncovered substantial evidence: over 1,500 ticket serial codes, more than 1,000 physical tickets for the G-Dragon concerts, 500 BlackPink tickets for an upcoming October show in Kaohsiung, and NT$164,000 (RM23,557) in cash. Liu reportedly collaborated with a Hong Kong-based ticketing engineer who utilised hacking tools and ID-generating software to purchase large quantities of tickets. Liu allegedly paid a service fee of NT$2,000–3,000 (RM287–430) per ticket, which were then resold at grossly inflated prices. Tickets originally priced at NT$800 (RM115) were resold for as much as NT$9,800 (RM1,407). Even more shockingly, top-tier tickets, initially costing NT$8,980 (RM1,290), were flipped for an astonishing NT$55,000 (RM7,900). The scalpers operated from a hotel located near the venue, where they created fake IDs and hired staff to help buyers circumvent ID checks at the concert. Around 300 scalped tickets were reportedly used on July 11, leading to widespread outrage among fans and numerous complaints to the Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs. Consequently, some buyers were denied entry and are now seeking refunds. This incident has reignited criticism of Taiwan's real-name ticketing system. A similar scandal occurred in March 2023 during BlackPink's tour, where tickets originally priced at NT$8,800 (RM1,264) were scalped for an exorbitant NT$400,000 (RM57,455). In response to such persistent abuses, Taiwan revised its Cultural and Creative Industries Development Act in 2023. Under the updated legislation, scalpers now face significant fines of up to 50 times the resold ticket price.
New Straits Times
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Director defends BlackPink's Jisoo's sniper role in 'Omniscient Reader'
SEOUL: All eyes are on Omniscient Reader ahead of its July 23 release in South Korea, but it's BlackPink's Jisoo who finds herself at the heart of a controversy regarding her character's transformation. Koreaboo reported yesterday that fans of the film, which is based on a popular novel of the same name, are upset about changes made to Jisoo's character, Lee Ji-hye. In the novel, Ji-hye is a sword-wielding warrior guided by a powerful sponsor — Admiral Yi Sun-sin. However, in the film, she has been reimagined as a sniper, with her sponsor storyline omitted entirely. Director Kim Byung-woo addressed the backlash, saying the omission was due to time constraints. "Her sponsorship narrative simply hasn't come into play yet; we thought the timing for that part of the story just hasn't arrived within this film," he told Korea JoongAng Daily. "Some fans might worry that we've changed Ji-hye's sponsorship, but I want to clarify that we haven't changed anything." Kim explained that the film only covers the first 10 per cent of the novel and emphasised the importance of focus. "We felt it was much more efficient to only introduce the elements relevant to the events happening in the film." The core theme, he said, is "solidarity" — as protagonist Kim Dok-ja finds strength in new allies when the world turns into a novel he once read. Kim hinted that Ji-hye's full backstory could surface later. "I did think about how I would approach it if I got the chance to make a sequel," he said. Based on the hit web novel by Sing N Song, the film also stars Lee Min-ho, Ahn Hyo-seop, Chae Soo-bin, and Shin Seung-ho.
New Straits Times
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: BlackPink first K-pop group to top Spotify's global weekly chart twice
SEOUL: BlackPink continues to dominate the global music scene, proving they're not just K-Pop royalty but a worldwide pop powerhouse. Their latest single, 'Jump', has soared to No.1 on Spotify's Global Weekly Top Songs chart, making them the first K-Pop group to top the chart twice, according to The Korea Herald. Following their 2022 hit 'Shut Down', 'Jump' solidifies BlackPink's position as the K-Pop act with both the first and most No.1 entries on the platform's global chart. Released earlier this month, the track garnered over 44.7 million streams in just one week — the biggest debut of any song released in 2025 so far — and maintained the No.1 spot on Spotify's global daily chart for six straight days, as reported by YG Entertainment. The group's success extends beyond streaming. 'Jump' debuted at No.18 on the UK Official Singles Chart, marking their highest placement yet and their ninth appearance on the chart overall. Meanwhile, the song's music video, which premiered on July 11, became the most-viewed video on YouTube within 24 hours and has held the No.1 spot on YouTube's Global Daily Top Music Videos chart for an entire week. Currently, BlackPink is thrilling fans worldwide with their BlackPink World Tour, which spans 16 cities and 31 shows, with stops in Bangkok, Jakarta, Bulacan, and Singapore.
