When A.C.E debuted with CACTUS in 2017, WOW began a journey that would see him spend the next several years performing, making music and growing alongside the other four members. Since then, the group have moved through different sounds and concepts, never really staying in one place for too long, while WOW has built much…
Tag: music
BIGBANG at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: Twenty Years In, They Still Know Exactly How to Own a Stage – Concert Review
Twenty years is a long time in pop music and it is surely an eternity in K-pop. When BIGBANG debuted in 2006, the industry they entered looked very different from the one that now fills stadiums thousands of miles away from Seoul. Social media had not yet become the engine through which Korean music travels…
coldrain’s Masato Talks “OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE”, Technology and Why Imperfection Matters – Exclusive Interview
After two decades in the music industry, watching the world around him change in ways that once seemed unimaginable, Masato is thinking about imperfection. Not how to eliminate it, hide it or polish it until nobody can see where the rough edges used to be, but whether those rough edges might be among the most…
coldrain – “OPTIMIZE = OPTDEMISE” Album Review: Keep the Noise Human
Almost twenty years into their career, coldrain have watched the music industry change dramatically around them. Streaming changed how we listen, social media gave artists new ways to reach audiences, and now AI can write songs, imitate voices and create music in seconds. For five musicians whose work depends so heavily on real people playing,…
The A Festival: In Conversation with Emmanuelle Amelin, Fouder and President of 5 Oceans Entertainment
Women have always been part of the machinery that keeps the entertainment industry moving, but increasingly they are the ones deciding how that machinery should work. Behind concerts, festivals, tours and international productions are women working as promoters, producers, strategists, publicists and company founders, often managing the less visible side of the business: negotiations, budgets,…
JIB DREAM FANMEET 7: Joong and Dunk – Roman Adventures, New Challenges and a Little “Dare You to Death” – Exclusive Interview
Rome had plenty of reasons to be loud that weekend, and JIB DREAM FANMEET 7 added a few more. Two days, some very excited fans and a line-up of much-loved Thai stars – the event certainly gave the city something to shout about, and yes, there was a lot of shouting. Joong Archen and Dunk…
JIB DREAM FANMEET 7 – No Easy Roles: Sky and Nani on “WU”, Trust, Growing Together and Fanmeet in Rome – Exclusive Interview
Something quite extraordinary is happening with Thai BL right now; its stars are no longer loved only at home, or even within Asia. They arrive in cities such as Rome and are greeted by fans who know the characters they have played, the stories they have told and the journeys they have followed despite living…
JIB DREAM FANMEET 7: Acting, Laughter and Everything in Between with Pond and Phuwin – Exclusive Interview
When Pond Naravit and Phuwin Tangsakyuen first began working together, both were at very different points in their careers, still finding their feet as leading actors and probably with little idea of just how much their lives would change over the next few years. Since then, they have grown up in front of an audience,…
TAEMIN “PHASE 1: Soft Violence” Review: An Attempt At Something New – EP Review
What do you do when you’re an artist with an already well-established visual and musical language? Do you tap back into what everyone loves you for, or try something new? Taemin is having a go at the latter in his newest 10-track EP PHASE 1: Soft Violence, promoting it with a title track we wouldn’t…
Love Includes Everything: JUNHEE on “LOVED METHOD”, Healing and the Music He Wants to Leave Behind – Exclusive Interview
JUNHEE, a member of the beloved K-pop group A.C.E, has worked incredibly hard to reach where he is today. Although his solo career is still in its early stages, he has already shown that he has no intention of pausing. One thing that has always impressed me is that, whether with A.C.E or as a…
XG’s THE CORE Tour Lands in London
Japan has never lacked girl groups; what it has lacked is the international machinery needed to turn its acts into global phenomena. Much of the Japanese idol industry has traditionally focused on its domestic audience, leaving many talented performers without the visibility they deserve elsewhere. Yet when a Japanese girl group does break through internationally,…
The A Festival Is Bringing Asia to Paris – And It’s Much Bigger Than You Think
Paris is hardly short of festivals, but on 24 and 25 October 2026, something rather different is taking shape at the Paris Event Center. The A Festival is setting out to bring several corners of Asian entertainment into the same space: K-pop and T-pop, P-pop, Japanese rock and pop, Chinese artists, Thai hip-hop, music from…
K-Music Festival Returns to London with Its Most Diverse Programme Yet
The K-Music Festival returns to London this autumn with another ambitious programme that highlights the richness and diversity of Korean music. Running from 28 September to 23 November, this year’s edition brings together traditional folk music, shamanic rituals, jazz, hip-hop, indie rock, experimental sound art and even video game music, offering audiences a chance to…
ZELO Finds a New Sound with “ELA” – Single Review
ZELO has never been afraid to try something different, and “ELA” is another step away from the sound many fans first knew him for. Instead of going for a powerful K-pop sound, ZELO takes a different approach with the song. The Latin-inspired pop track is light and very catchy. But while the melody feels carefree,…
