カテゴリー: Pop and rock
The title is loaded with meaning for all Koreans, and will give fans globally an insight into the folksong culture that shaped the world’s biggest K-pop groupBTS announced their long-awaited comeback and world tour this week, with their first full-leng…
Both industries dominate the world but now face fundamental transformation and uncertainty at homeSouth Korea’s entertainment dominance appears unshakeable. From BTS conquering global charts to Parasite sweeping the Oscars in 2020 and Korean dramas top…
Bengali singer who has more Spotify followers than Taylor Swift to bring ‘sheer power’ to same London stage as BeyoncéSitting ahead of US pop megastars Olivia Rodrigo, Doechii and Gracie Abrams in the list of most-listened-to artists on Spotify around …
From K-pop to K-beauty, via film and fashion, South Korea is punching way above its weight. The boyband BTS alone rakes in billions every year. Are there lessons for other countries?How does this sound for a leisurely day of cultural immersion? Ablutio…
Human rights groups had urged Thai government not to deport Russian-Belarusian band, who are now in IsraelA dissident Russian-Belarusian rock band critical of the war in Ukraine have left Thailand for Israel after fears they would be deported to Russia…
Julie Fujishima, now president of Japan’s biggest boyband talent agency, had long been aware of accusations but failed to investigate, experts sayThe current president of Japan’s biggest boyband talent agency, who is the niece of its late founder Johnn…
From a transistor radio shop, Oriental Star Agencies championed legends such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and nurtured bhangra to chart success. Its 84-year-old founder recalls howWhen Muhammad Ayyub moved to Birmingham from Pakistan in 1961, he immediatel…
Johnny Kitagawa’s niece issues apology to men who have made abuse claims while not commenting on veracity of allegationsThe president of one of Japan’s most powerful talent agencies has apologised over allegations that the firm’s late founder and pop i…
Kauan Okamoto says Kitagawa evaded justice because victims knew speaking out would end their careersJohnny Kitagawa, one of the most powerful figures in Japanese entertainment, sexually abused multiple boys but evaded justice because his victims knew s…
From music to movies, technology to food, the world has fallen in love with everything South Korean. Ahead of a big London exhibition, Tim Adams visits Seoul in search of the origins of hallyu – the Korean waveOur critics on where to start with Korean …
Influenced by Led Zeppelin, the 29-year-old’s debut album almost didn’t get made because of a communications blackout. He talks about the blues, the Kashmiri spirit and the fight for freedom‘If someone like Neil Young or Bob Marley were born in Kashmir…
Two dancers injured as suspended LED screen crashes down on to stage during show by Cantopop band MirrorTwo dancers have been injured at a Cantopop concert in Hong Kong after a massive video screen suspended above the stage fell on to performers below….
Guess Who member gets back the Gretsch that he used to write American Woman, after fan tracked it down in Tokyo using photos of woodgrainThe Canadian rock legend Randy Bachman’s long search has come to an end with him being reunited in Tokyo with a che…
Alamat are aiming to bring their music to the world – by singing in their local languagesVocal coach Zebedee Zuñiga twists his hand in the air, and the melody of a tender, haunting lullaby, Ili Ili Tulog Anay, begins. “Little one, little one, sleep now…
Song has more than 111m views on YouTube and has been heralded for transcending boundariesFrom radio stations in Islamabad to the nightclubs of Delhi and house parties in Kathmandu, it is a song that in recent months has been impossible to avoid. As so…