BTS releases new album after historic success of 'Dynamite'

SEOUL -- K-pop sensations BTS released their highly anticipated new studio album on Friday, following the historic success of their all-English single "Dynamite."

The trailblazing septet cemented their prominence in the world's biggest market in August, becoming the first South Korean act to top the US singles chart -- with "Dynamite" entering the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 1.

They are credited with generating billions for the South Korean economy, and last month their label Big Hit Entertainment made a high-profile stock market debut.

Their latest effort, titled "BE", was to be given a simultaneous worldwide release at 2 p.m. South Korean time.

The new, eight-track record is the group's fifth Korean-language studio album, and "contains the most 'BTS-esque' music yet," Big Hit said in a statement ahead of the release.

"BTS have been on an explosive trajectory this year -- an amazing feat considering how much they've been continuously attracting new fans for years now," Jenna Gibson, a researcher at the University of Chicago, told AFP.

"Before this year, some skeptics may have still had doubts that BTS were just a fad, that the growth would drop off. This year has clearly, firmly, put those doubts to rest.

"It's hard to overestimate the anticipation for this album."

The English single "Dynamite" is among the tracks on the album, and the first number, "Life Goes On," aims to deliver a "message of healing" in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Big Hit said.

"Our goal with the music on 'BE' is that it can be a comfort to a lot of people," member Jimin told a press conference Friday. "If many people can relate to it, I will be really thankful."

Since their debut in 2013, BTS have ascended to global superstardom, holding a string of sold-out shows in Los Angeles, Paris and London last year.

Their lyrics are often socially conscious -- themes include societal competition and the ills of consumerism -- and they consistently engage with fans at home and abroad through social media, having accumulated 30.7 million followers on Twitter.

"What this album needs to do is to persuade the skeptics who have more recently heard about BTS that their work is powerful, original, and deep," CedarBough Saeji, a visiting professor at Indiana University Bloomington, told AFP.

"If this album can demonstrate that loyal fans exist in large part because of phenomenal artistic offerings, the critics who attribute BTS's success only to loyal fans will be forced to reassess."

The megastars are scheduled to perform "Dynamite" and "Life Goes On" for the 2020 American Music Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles. 

Agence France-Presse

MYX Awards 2020: SB19 wins big in first-ever virtual edition of awards show

MANILA -- SB19 reigned supreme at the MYX Music Awards on Saturday night, winning two of the major awards along with New Artist of the Year, a definite high point in the young career of the K-pop-inspired boy group whose breakout year was marred by the pandemic forcing cancellations of a major concert and fan-meet. 

The effects of the COVID-19 health crisis could be felt through the fact that the awards show was pushed towards the online sphere, shown to fans via YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok. 

But despite this threat of it being defined as just that --a show held online because there's a ban on mass gatherings-- it managed to still be a fun event, filled with special recorded performances, a touching tribute in honor of OPM legend Francis M, and surprise presenters that included the likes of LANY's Paul Klein and Carly Rae Jepsen. 

The big winner of the fan-decided awards show was SB19, who took home Song of the Year for "Go Up" and was named Artist of the Year. 

The pair of major recognitions are a testament to their meteoric rise to fame, and the group, composed of Sejun, Josh, Stell, Ken, and Justin, could have definitely hit higher highs if not for the pandemic. 

"Baguhan lang po talaga kami sa industry," Sejun said after accepting the award, humbly admitting that they are not entirely sure if they are deserving of it. "Basta ang masasabi ko lang po is maraming, maraming salamat sa mga sumuporta sa amin." 

SB19 (@SB19Official) wins #MYXAwards2020 ARTIST OF THE YEAR! pic.twitter.com/AuOjRIJKrf

— MYX Philippines (@MYXphilippines) July 25, 2020

The other winners were James Reid and Nadine Lustre for their music video "Summer" and K-pop stars BTS, who won International Video of the Year. 

Below is a full list of the winners: 

Main categories: 

Artist of the Year: SB19
Music Video of the Year: “Summer” - James Reid and Nadine Lustre
Song of the Year: “Go Up” - SB19
New Artist of the Year: SB19
Rock Video of the Year: “Come Inside of My Heart” - IV of Spades
Urban Video of the Year: “Fiend” - James Reid feat. Just Hush
Mellow Video of the Year: “Mabagal” - Daniel Padilla and Moira dela Torre
MYX Celebrity VJ of the Year: Gino Roque and Kiara Takahashi
International Video of the Year: “Boy With Luv” - BTS feat. Halsey
Special awards: 

MYX Magna Award - Francis M
Spotify’s Top OPM Hip-Hop Artist of 2019 - Skusta Clee

news.abs-cbn.com

BTS launches music video of new single ‘Stay Gold’

MANILA – Big Hit Entertainment finally released the official music video of “Stay Gold” on Friday.

The track is the lead single of South Korean boy band BTS’ “Map of the Soul: 7 The Journey” album which is slated for a July release.

Two days since it was uploaded, the music video already garnered more than 36 million views on YouTube.

BTS is composed of RM, Jin, Suga, J-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook.

Their other hits include "Boy With Luv," "Dionysus," "On" and "Fake Love."

Watch the full music video of “Stay Gold” below.


news.abs-cbn.com

S. Korea's boyband BTS suspends world tour over coronavirus

SEOUL --South Korea's K-pop boyband BTS will suspend their world tour over worries about the spread of the novel coronavirus and restrictions aimed at stopping it, their management said on Tuesday.

The seven-member band had already postponed the North American leg of the tour, that was scheduled to start on April 25, and cancelled a Seoul concert because of the coronavirus outbreak.

"Due to the nature of BTS concerts involving travel by thousands of international fans no matter where the performances are held, it is also difficult to resume the tour with the current strict restrictions on cross-border movement still in place," Big Hit Entertainment said in a statement.

"Therefore, we have made the difficult decision to suspend the previously announced tour schedule and develop a new schedule."

The suspension of the tour, which was due to include concerts in Europe and Japan, comes as the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 3 million people globally, with countries imposing travel restriction and lockdowns.

Big Hit Entertainment said it would give details of a new tour schedule as soon as they were clear.

-reuters-

K-pop star Ong Seong Wu is coming to Manila

South Korean singer-actor Ong Seong Wu, who rose to popularity as a former member of the boy band Wanna One, is coming to the Philippines in February 2020.

Ong, 24, will hold a fan meet at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on February 25, local concert promoter DNM Entertainment announced Monday on its social media pages.

Tickets range from P2,500 to P10,500 and will be available on all TicketNet outlets nationwide starting Dec. 8, according to DNM Entertainment.

A pre-selling event will take place at the Gateway Cineplex Lobby in Quezon City on Dec. 7.

In 2017, Ong represented his agency, Fantagio Entertainment, in the second season of the hit Korean survival show "Produce 101," where he finished in fifth place and landed a spot as a member of Wanna One.

Ong visited Manila in October 2017 and September 2018 as part of Wanna One, which disbanded in January 2019.

Last July, Ong made his acting debut with the Korean drama "At Eighteen."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

SHINee star's suicide highlights dark side of the K-pop dream

SEOUL -- Known for its ultra-competitive, pressure-cooker society, South Korea has one of the world's highest suicide rates. And this week the even higher stresses in the country's lucrative showbiz industry took their toll on a K-pop superstar.

Kim Jong-Hyun, a 27-year-old lead singer of the hugely popular boy band SHINee, took his own life in a Seoul hotel room on Monday, with his death sending shockwaves through fans around the world.

Five-member SHINee were at the forefront of the "Korean Wave" that has seen South Korean pop culture sweep Asia by storm in the past decade and lap at shores even further afield.

The band has found fame and fortune with multiple chart-topping albums and sold-out concerts at home and abroad since their debut in 2008.

But a grittier reality lies beneath the glitz and glamour of the K-pop scene -- cutthroat competition, a lack of privacy, online bullying and relentless public pressure to maintain a wholesome image at all times and at any cost.

Many stars like Kim are picked up by agencies at a young age, usually in their early or mid teens, their lives then taken over by gruelling singing and dancing training, with the ever-present risk of falling foul of a cut-throat screening process.

Holidays are rare and privacy an unaffordable luxury as many live with other band mates in dorm-like apartments provided by their agents, who dictate everything from music styles and diet regimen to mobile phone use -- and normally impose dating bans.

Many struggle with a constant lack of sleep and privacy.

Kim Se-Jeong, a popular K-pop singer, confessed of once sleeping a total of one hour for four days. "I had to perform on stage, appear in TV shows and shoot ad commercials all at the same time," she told a television interviewer earlier this year.

Kang Daniel, of the popular boy band Wanna One, admitted that his biggest wish was "having just one day of rest."

"For months ahead of my debut, I usually woke up four or five in the morning... practised until two or three in the morning the following day," Kang said in a television interview aired in August.

He was "grateful" to get a chance at fame, he added, but the gruelling schedule eventually affected his health and the 21-year-old cancelled all public appearances earlier this month.

Smiley happy face
Many K-pop stars face tremendous pressure to look and behave perfectly in an industry powered by so-called "fandoms" -- groups of well-organized admirers who spend enormous amounts of time and money to help their favored stars climb up the charts and attack their perceived rivals.

In return, the stars are expected to tread carefully in an industry where today's most-fervent fans can be tomorrow's most vicious critics if their idols fail to meet their expectations -- or "betray" them.

Drug use or drunken driving are seen as career-breakers, while behavior that causes a "stir" -- anything from a social media gaffe to a failure to smile ceaselessly at public appearances -- could be criticized for years.

Many are constantly chased by paparazzi and camera-touting fans who share or sell every single detail and images of the stars' daily lives online for public scrutiny.

"These 'idols' virtually live in a fishbowl and are pressed to put on a smiley, happy face while behaving nicely 24/7," said cultural commentator Kim Seong-Soo, adding the strain could "cripple them emotionally."

Such challenges are common among celebrities around the world, he told AFP, but are amplified in the hyper-wired South Korea, which has some of the world's fastest internet speeds and highest smartphone usage, and a society where pressure to conform is high.

Taboos about mental illness dissuade many from seeking medical help, including public figures, he added.

Winner takes all

Kim's death is unusual for a K-pop musician at the height of his popularity, but is the latest in a long list of showbiz suicides.

In 2010, Park Yong-Ha, a top actor who had huge followings at home and in Japan and China, hanged himself, and former actor Kim Sung-Min, whose career was ruined by a jail term for drug abuse, did the same last year.

In the most shocking series of suicides, actress Choi Jin-Sil - a household name - hanged herself in 2008, her actions blamed on online bullying.

Her brother, also an actor, killed himself two years later, and her ex-husband, former baseball star Cho Sung-Min, followed suit in 2013.

Actress Park Jin-Hee interviewed hundreds of actors and actresses for her master's thesis in 2009 and said that 40 percent had considered suicide at least once due to a lack of privacy, online bullying or unstable incomes.

But celebrity suicides are only a microcosm of South Korea's wider social problems, including cutthroat competition in areas from education to workplaces and a lack of safety nets, said commentator Kim, calling depression an "inevitable outcome" of living under such strain.

"Our country has an extreme form of winner-take-all system where those who fail can hardly make a comeback, or even survive."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Fans mourn death of SHINee's Jonghyun

SEOUL - Hundreds of fans of top South Korean boy band SHINee member Jonghyun visited his altar on Tuesday at Asan Medical Centre in Seoul to mourn the death of the singer.

Tearful fans and his fellow singers offered condolences and expressed their sadness at the loss of the K-pop star.

  
"I feel really sorry that I didn't consider his pain at all, I only thought of him giving me strength," said Jeong Yujin, a 22-year-old South Korean fan.

"I hope Jonghyun is happy wherever he is," said Walatip Kitkan, a 24-year-old Thai fan.

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.

"We're always going to miss you. And I'm so sorry this is what you thought and you needed to do, though I'll always love you. And for everyone that couldn't be here, I'm so sorry. But he knows you guys are here with him too," said 26-year-old American fan Natasha Burgard.

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. He also sang 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.

Editor's note:

A group in the Philippines is dedicated to addressing those who have suicidal tendencies.

The crisis hotlines of the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation aim to make these individuals feel that someone is ready to listen to them.

These are their hotline numbers:

Information and Crisis Intervention Center

(02) 804-HOPE (4673)
0917-558-HOPE (4673) or (632) 211-4550
0917-852-HOPE (4673) or (632) 964-6876
0917-842-HOPE (4673) or (632) 964-4084

In Touch Crisis Lines:

0917-572-HOPE or (632) 211-1305
(02) 893-7606 (24/7)
(02) 893-7603 (Mon-Fri, 9 am-5 pm)
Globe (63917) 800.1123 or (632) 506.7314
Sun (63922) 893.8944 or (632) 346.8776

source: news.abs-cbn.com

SHINee's Kim Jonghyun bemoans loneliness in suicide note

SEOUL -- A top K-pop star bemoaned feeling "broken from inside" and "engulfed" by depression in a suicide note, it emerged Tuesday, as his death sent shockwaves among fans worldwide.

Kim Jong-Hyun, a 27-year-old lead singer of the massively popular K-pop boyband SHINee, was found in a Seoul hotel room on Monday in what police said was suicide.

Kim's close friend, musician Nain9, released a suicide note on Tuesday on her Instagram account, saying he had asked her to publish the message in the event of his death.

"I am broken from inside. The depression that gnawed on me slowly has finally engulfed me entirely," it said, adding he "couldn't defeat it anymore".

"I was so alone," he went on. "The act of ending is difficult. I've lived until now because of that difficulty."

"Please tell me I did a good job," he implored, ending the note with: "You've worked hard. You've really gone through a lot. Goodbye."


Five-member SHINee debuted in 2008 and went on to lead the "Korean Wave" that saw South Korean pop culture develop followings across Asia and beyond.

Known for peppy songs and carefully choreographed dance numbers performed with military precision, SHINee has become one of the world's best-known K-pop acts.

The band has released five albums that swept charts at home and abroad, with some topping the US Billboard World Albums chart.

The band's agents SM Entertainment -- which dominates K-pop and has several other top acts under its wings -- said Kim's funeral would be held on Thursday.

"Other members of SHINee as well as other artists at our company are all mourning his death amid deep sorrow and shock," it said in a statement.

Many other K-pop stars at the firm cancelled public appearances to visit the mourning altar at a Seoul hospital where his body lies, with hundreds of tearful fans also in attendance.

"It looks certain that it was a suicide," police told a briefing. "So we plan to close the case without autopsy as requested by the family."

Ultra-competitive society

Social media was flooded by thousands of messages of mourning, with photos showing throngs of fans sobbing near a makeshift memorial set up outside the Korean embassy in Santiago, Chile.

Kim was pronounced dead shortly after being moved to a hospital. A coal briquette was found burning on a frying pan in the room where he was found -- a common method of suicide in South Korea.

The country -- known for its ultra-competitive society -- has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, with the deaths of public figures and celebrities often making headlines.

K-pop stars go through cutthroat competition and gruelling, years-long training by their agents, who dictate everything from the artists' music style to diet regimen and even mobile phone use.

Many are also pressed to maintain squeaky-clean and wholesome images at all times, smiling throughout their public appearances and staying away from "troubles" such as romantic relationships.

Kim earlier sent his sister several text messages saying "This is my last farewell" and "Please let me go and say I did a good job", prompting her to make an emergency phone call to police.



Editor's note:

A group in the Philippines is dedicated to addressing those who have suicidal tendencies.

The crisis hotlines of the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation aim to make these individuals feel that someone is ready to listen to them.

These are their hotline numbers:

Information and Crisis Intervention Center

(02) 804-HOPE (4673)
0917-558-HOPE (4673) or (632) 211-4550
0917-852-HOPE (4673) or (632) 964-6876
0917-842-HOPE (4673) or (632) 964-4084

In Touch Crisis Lines:

0917-572-HOPE or (632) 211-1305
(02) 893-7606 (24/7)
(02) 893-7603 (Mon-Fri, 9 am-5 pm)
Globe (63917) 800.1123 or (632) 506.7314
Sun (63922) 893.8944 or (632) 346.8776

source: news.abs-cbn.com

One Direction back with 4th album of boy band pop

One Direction has returned for the fourth straight year with a holiday season album, as the boy band proves its longevity through a gradually maturing sound.

The British heartthrobs stormed onto the stage in 2010 with an appearance on the talent show "The X Factor." Since 2011, the band has released an album every year in November, in time for the holiday shopping season.

With their fourth album released Monday, One Direction defies the short shelf lives that are notorious among boy bands as the five members -- whose early works were often penned by others -- take turns on writing the songs.

The album -- entitled, simply, "Four" -- stays true to One Direction's style of fresh-faced pop but increasingly incorporates rock elements, with several tracks resembling the power ballads of 1980s arena bands.



The first track, "Steal My Girl," opens the album with keyboards reminiscent of Journey's hits before quickly merging into the boy band style of a polished vocal chorus.

One Direction, unlike earlier generations of synthesizer-driven boy bands, has always embraced guitar. On the latest album, the guitar leads the way on several tracks including "Clouds" and "Stockholm Syndrome."

The lyrics revolve around familiar themes of youthful love but also repeatedly speak of coming to terms with getting "older," with the band's senior member Louis Tomlinson hitting the ripe age of 23 next month.

"Let's have another toast to the girl almighty / Let's pray we stay young, stay made of lightning," Niall Horan sings on "Girl Almighty."

The ballad "18" waxes nostalgic for that age: "I want to love, like you made me feel when we were 18."

"Act My Age," which appears on the album's deluxe edition, predicts the future with dread, with the first verse running, "When I'm fat and old and my kids think I'm a joke, 'cause I move a little slow when I dance/ I can count on you after all that we've been through."

One Direction's last album, "Midnight Memories," was the best seller worldwide for 2013, selling four million copies within the year despite coming out in November.

The band faces a greater challenge if it wants to repeat its feat as Taylor Swift smashed expectations this month with "1989," whose release led to the highest sales in the United States in a single week in 12 years.

Unlike Swift, who controversially pulled her music off Spotify in a dispute over compensation to artists, One Direction's "Four" appears on the streaming service.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Meet new 12-member boy band Men of Manila

MANILA - There's a new boy band in town.

Men of Manila, composed of 12 young men aged between 16 to 25 years old, is being billed as "entertainment with a heart" as the group aims to incorporate causes or charity in its record and ticket sales.

The group consists of Imm Zaidi, Jester Hernadez, Clark Merced, Yano Gaspari, Arcel Delgado, Kurt Batacan, Nelson Valencia, Paolo Sta. Maria, Xen Monforte, Reggie Relucio, Lio Garcia, and Gabriel Bayan.

The 12 guys come from different backgrounds, making the group a "melting pot" of sorts, hence its name.

The members hail from Mindanao, the USA, Europe, and the Middle East. Some are still studying, while others have just graduated from university.

Men of Manila will hold its first concert on July 22 at the Music Museum in San Juan City, and are expected to perform its renditions of The Police's "Every Breath You Take" and Frank Sinatra's "Something Stupid."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

One Direction Singer Harry Stylin' in New Ferrari

One Direction singer Harry Styles is wasting no time spending his boy band dollars and cruised around Beverly Hills in a brand new Ferrari convertible this weekend.

The 18-year-old's new luxury ride is a Ferrari California, which retails for around $200K.

You can bet the unfamous One Direction doesn't have one of these.

source: tmz.com