K-pop stars BTS named IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year

LONDON – K-pop sensation BTS, whose catchy, upbeat songs have won legions of fans around the world, have scooped the 2020 Global Recording Artist of the Year Award from IFPI, the recorded music industry representative body said on Thursday.

The seven-member group had a hugely successful 2020, becoming the first Korean pop act to reach no.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, with English-language single “Dynamite”, and securing its first major Grammy nomination.

The band, who debuted in 2013 and have fronted the K-Pop drive in the United States in recent years, were also named entertainer of the year by Time magazine.

“BTS are a global phenomenon. They have had another outstanding year, releasing three albums, and continually finding creative and engaging ways to share their story with the world,” IFPI Chief Executive Frances Moore said in a statement.

“They truly show the power that music has to bring joy and happiness to people the world over.”

IFPI said the award takes account of an act’s worldwide performance in digital and physical music formats during the year.

American songstress Taylor Swift came in second in the IFPI Global Artist Chart while Canadian rapper Drake was third.

-reuters

BTS’ upcoming online concert to feature up-to-date technologies

SEOUL — K-pop sensation BTS will catch the eyes of its long-waiting fans with fresh up-to-date viewing experiences at its upcoming live online concert next month, its management agency said Tuesday.

The online concert titled “BTS Map of the Soul ON:E” will be livestreamed at 7 p.m. on Oct. 10 and at 4 p.m. on Oct. 11, according to Big Hit Entertainment.

During the two-hour event, the septet will perform on a scale equivalent to an offline concert, featuring augmented reality and extended reality software technology with high-definition content.

A multi-view live streaming service will also help audiences select and enjoy various scenes taken from six different angles on a real-time basis.

“We are preparing an unprecedented stage and a variety of set lists for fans who are missing offline concerts that have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Big Hit said.

The Oct. 10-11 concerts were originally set to take place in-person in Seoul under government-led seat distancing guidelines, with a paid simultaneous streaming service.

But Big Hit canceled the in-person element last week due to nationwide tightened social distancing stemming from a recent spike in coronavirus cases across South Korea.

BTS’ previous paid online concert, “Bang Bang Con: The Live,” in June, set a new Guinness World record for “most viewers for a music concert livestream,” attracting 756,000 viewers in 107 countries and regions across the world. 

-Yonhap News Agency

South Korea’s President Moon congratulates BTS

MANILA, Philippines — The boys of BTS continued to reap congratulations and bask in the admiration of fans with their global rise, and the latest to send compliments is South Korean President Moon Jae In.

Recognizing the latest of the achievements of BTS—grabbing the top spot of the Billboard Top 200—Moon said: “The songs, dance, dreams and enthusiasm of BTS energized and gave strength to young people around the world.”

Congratulations to the Seven Music-loving Boys and Their Wings, ‘ARMY’!
The songs, dance, dreams and enthusiasm of BTS energized and gave strength to young people around the world. https://t.co/6ZL4XdrZVv

— ??? (@moonriver365) May 28, 2018

 Moon posted on his Twitter and Facebook a note, in English and in Hangul, for the seven-piece group.

BTS or Bantan Seonyondan or Behind the Scene is the first Korean group to land on the Billboard Top 200 with their latest outing “Love Yourself: Tear.”

“At the very heart of the BTS’s outstanding dancing and singing is sincerity. This magical power turns grief into hope and differences into similarity,” the South Korean president added.

“Thank you to BTS for spreading joy across Korea and the world with your great performances,” Moon also said.

Quoting the Billboard, a report from the Associated Press said that the BTS album is “first primarily foreign language album” to grab the top spot since Il Divo’s “Ancora” in 2006.

BTS, composed of Rap Monster (Kim Namjoon), Jin (Kim Seokjin), Suga (Min Yoongi), J-Hope (Jung Hoseok), Park Jimin, V (Kim Taehyung) and Jeon Jungkook,
is among the third generation of global phenomenon Hallyu or “Korean Wave.”
The South Korean government promotes Hallyu as one of its global cultural policies. The global trend also contributes to Korea’s GDP. — with a report from Associated Press

source: philstar.com

Lead singer of South Korean boy band SHINee dies in possible suicide

SEOUL | The lead singer of top South Korean boy band SHINee died in hospital on Monday in a possible suicide that robs fans of the globally-famous K-Pop genre of one of its biggest stars.

Kim Jong-hyun, 27, was found unconscious next to burning briquettes on a frying pan inside a serviced residence in the South Korean capital Seoul, a police official told Reuters.

“His sister was first to call the police assuming that he might commit suicide,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive subject. Yonhap news agency said the singer sent a final message to his sister asking her to “let me go.”

Kim spent nearly a decade in his leading role as one of five members of SHINee, one of the most popular boy bands in the country, as well as a solo artist. His death is a blow to the massive worldwide fan base that Korea’s “K-pop” music has attracted in recent years.

Thousands of Korean children dream of becoming household names like rapper Psy, whose 2012 “Gangnam Style” video was a global YouTube hit, often putting up with punishing schedules in the hope of one day making it big in the music industry.

K-pop is the rage in Asia, especially in China and Japan, and the industry has made inroads in the West, with a song by the group BTS maintaining a spot on the Billboard 200 for a seven weeks as of the end of November.

The genre has become one of the defining icons of Korea and forms a major part of what’s been called the Korean Wave, or hallyu, that has made South Korea a global player in culture, in addition to electronics, cosmetics, and other industries.

K-pop’s international appeal is such that South Korean President Moon Jae-in used K-Pop celebrities at events, including a state dinner, in China last week in a bid to smooth out a year of difficult diplomacy with a star-laden charm offensive.

Another member of SHINee, Choi Min-ho, was brought in to make an appearance with U.S. first lady Melania Trump during a state visit to Seoul in early November, only to steal the spotlight from her when a loyal fan’s enthusiasm went viral in a video of the event.

source: interaksyon.com

Zayn Malik quits One Direction, wants normal life

LONDON | Singer Zayn Malik said on Wednesday he was quitting the best-selling pop band One Direction because he wanted to live a normal life and apologized to fans of the hugely popular British-Irish group for doing so.

The decision by Malik to quit came after he dropped out of an Asian tour due to what he said was stress when pictures of the singer, who is engaged to Perrie Edwards of Little Mix, were published showing him partying with another woman in Thailand.

“I’d like to apologize to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart. I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight,” Malik said in a statement on One Direction’s Facebook page.

The announcement said Malik’s decision had come after five years with the band, which came to prominence for its performance on the popular televised singing competition “The X Factor” in 2010.

One Direction’s biggest hits include “Best Song Ever”, “Kiss You”, “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life”.

The remaining band members, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, will continue on their current world tour as a foursome and will release their fifth album later this year, the statement said.

“We’re really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future. The past five years have been beyond amazing, we’ve gone through so much together, so we will always be friends,” the band members said.

Simon Cowell, the British music and television impresario who launched the band, said:

“I would like to say thank you to Zayn for everything he has done for One Direction. Since I first met Zayn in 2010, I have grown very, very fond — and immensely proud — of him.

“I have seen him grow in confidence and I am truly sorry to see him leave. As for One Direction, fans can rest assured that Niall, Liam, Harry and Louis are hugely excited about the future of the band.”

The announcement instantly made Malik’s name one of the top trends on Twitter and produced anguished reactions from fans.

“I KEEP HOPING THAT @zaynmalik LEAVING IS SOME EARLY APRIL FOOLS JOKE BY @onedirection,” tweeted one American fan.

source: interaksyon.com

One Direction teases for new album with single

NEW YORK | Boy band One Direction, whose last album was 2013′s top seller, on Monday announced a November release for their latest record and streamed a free single to whet fans’ appetites.

The British heartthrobs’ fourth album — entitled, simply, “Four” — will go on sale on November 17. In a message to fans on their website, One Direction offered free downloads for one day of the first track, entitled “Fireproof.”

“Fireproof” stays largely true to One Direction’s style, with light guitar-based pop backing up multiple singers, avoiding the heavier sound with which the band flirted on their last album, “Midnight Memories.”

“Midnight Memories” sold four million copies worldwide last year, making it the most-bought album of 2013 even though it was released in late November.

One Direction have been prolific in their output since storming onto the stage in 2010 with performances on the British talent show “The X Factor.”

On October 11-12, a film of one of the band’s concerts in Italy — called “Where We Are,” after the name of their tour — will air in cinemas around the world, following up on One Direction’s documentary film “This Is Us” last year.

One Direction joins a list of bands that have chosen to release albums entitled simply by their number in their respective discographies, with artists as diverse as Beyonce and Stone Temple Pilots also making records called “Four” or some variation thereof.

Listen to “Fireproof” here:

source: interaksyon.com

One Direction named Penshoppe’s newest international endorsers

After days of teasing and speculation following Zac Efron’s departure, fashion retailer Penshoppe has officially announced its newest international endorsers— the phenomenal British boy band One Direction.

“Introducing the newest members of our TEAM – One Direction #WeAreTeamPENSHOPPE,” Penshoppe posted on both its official Facebook and Twitter accounts late Sunday night.

This was later confirmed by Ivory Music & Video, the local distributor of One Direction’s recordings and DVD with their own FB and Twitter post, “It’s now official! One Direction is the newest endorser of Penshoppe (OFFICIAL)!”

Formed by Simon Cowell on the 2010 series of “The X Factor”, One Direction is composed of 18 to 20 year old lads Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.

The boy band made pop music history when they became the first British group to enter the Billboard 200 chart at number one with its debut album, “Up All Night” only last March. The record-breaking album went on to sell over 2.3 million copies worldwide and is a certified number one release in 16 countries.

Following the release of their debut single “What Makes You Beautiful” late last year, One Direction have since been a ubiquitous presence in the music charts. With over 12 million records sold worldwide, 1D Mania has indeed swept the globe.

Outside of the official announcement of the boy band’s association with Penshoppe, there is no other official word yet on whether 1D will visit the country for their own fan conference or if they would headline their own concert.

Fans of the group, particularly the Juan Directioners, will have to wait for further announcements.

One Direction’s music and videos are distributed by Ivory Music & Video and are available at AstroPlus and Odyssey Music and Video.

source: interaksyon.com