Categories
KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

BREAKING: ASTRO Member Moonbin has Passed Away at 25

Moonbin has passed away at the age of 25. The ASTRO member died in his home and Fantagio issued a statement addressing the idol’s untimely demise.

Moonbin Found Dead In Gangnam Home

Moonbin’s manager visited his home in Gangnam-gu, Seoul and found the idol’s body on April 19 at 8:10 PM KST. The manager quickly called the police who speculated the cause of death.

ASTRO’s agency Fantagio issued a statement addressing Moonbin’s passing.

“On April 19, ASTRO member Moon Bin suddenly left us and became a star in the sky,” the statement read.

“It is incomparable to the sorrow of the bereaved families who left their beloved sons and brothers, but the members of ASTRO, fellow artists, and executives and employees of Fantagio are deeply mourning the deceased in such great grief and shock,” it continued.

The statement adds, “It is all the most heartbreaking to tell the sudden news to the fans who supported Moon Bin and gave him generous love. It is more heartbreaking because we know the heart of the deceased who always loved and thought of the fans more than anyone else.”

Fantagio Addresses Malicious Reports About Moonbin’s Death

Fantagio also asked people “to refrain from speculative reports and malicious reports” as respect for “the bereaved families.” The statement further adds that “the funeral will be held as quietly as possible.”

Moon Bin started out as a child model appearing in the TVXQ music video for their song “Balloons.” He made his acting debut in 2009’s “Boys Over Flowers” playing the young So Yi Jung. Moonbin debuted as a member of ASTRO in 2016, joining fellow actor Cha Eun Woo.

Moon Bin remained active as an actor playing lead roles in “Soul Plate”, “Mermaid Prince”, and “Mermaid Prince: The Beginning”. He is part of the ASTRO subunit Moonbin & Sanha which was scheduled for a fan con in Jakarta this May.

Categories
KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

Former MOMOLAND Member NANCY Debuts Personal Twitter and YouTube Accounts

NANCY is officially moving forward after MOMOLAND’s disbandment. The “BBoom BBoom” singer has launched her personal Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok accounts. The launch coincides with the former MOMOLAND member’s 23rd birthday.

NANCY Debuts Personal Twitter and YouTube Accounts

NANCY celebrated her 23rd birthday on April 13, 2023, and she had an awesome treat for her fans. The former MOMOLAND member shared photos from her birthday celebration on a new Twitter account. The “Baam” singer also thanked everyone who congratulated her on her birthday.

NANCY confirmed that she is also launching a YouTube channel where she will be posting new content. The first video uploaded to the channel followed the “Banana Chacha” singer as she prepared for her birthday celebration. She also debuted a TikTok account in the same week.

NANCY is currently the most active of the previous members of MOMOLAND since the girl group announced their disbandment in February 2023. Although it is unclear whether she is planning to debut as a solo artist soon, fans are already excited about the possibility.

Remembering MOMOLAND: A Girl Group In Retrospect

MOMOLAND debuted as a seven-member girl group in November 2016. Hyebin, Yeonwoo, Jane, Nayun, JooE, Ahin, and Nancy were joined by Daisy and Taeha in 2017. The group enjoyed success for two years but Taeha and Yeonwoo left in 2019. Daisy later departed in 2020 after some conflict with MLD Entertainment.

In January 2023, MLD Entertainment confirmed that the remaining six members of MOMOLAND refused to renew their contracts. The group’s disbandment was confirmed less than a month later.

NANCY is the first former member to confirm she found a new agency. Nancy Jewel McDonie announced she signed with Aria Diamond, the new talent agency affiliated with Aria Group. She has not yet confirmed plans of releasing new music as a solo artist. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.

Categories
BTS KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

BTS Reunite With JIN For J-Hope’s Military Send-Off

J-Hope is officially enlisting for military service and didn’t have to go alone. All seven members of BTS, including JIN, reunited to give Jung Hoseok a proper send-off.

JIN Takes A Break To Reunite With BTS For J-Hope’s Military Send-Off

J-Hope enlisted in the 36th New Military Education Center in Wonju on April 18. The BTS rapper will begin five weeks of basic training at the center before receiving his station assignment.

The military service will take several months but BTS made sure to give J-Hope all the support he needs. All members of the supergroup travelled all the way to the center to show their support. Eldest member JIN, who is currently an active-duty soldier, even took a leave of absence to be with Hobi. The boys also made sure to take photos with J-Hope and posted them on the official BTS Twitter account.

It didn’t take long before the BTS members began sharing the images on their personal social media accounts. While RM went for an emotional caption, JIN poked fun at the situation with the simple caption “Next person.”

JIN may love poking fun at the other BTS members but J-Hope confirmed that his hyung is fully supportive of him. The “On The Street” rapper previously shared that Kim Seokjin reached out to him as soon as he received his notice.

“Right when I got the notice, Jin contacted me. I asked a lot of questions, and Jin gave me advice on what I needed,” J-Hope shared. Although he didn’t share details about the advice, it clearly worked as he appears ready for his military service.

JIN is the first member of BTS to enlist for military service. Kim Seokjin began his enlistment in December 2022 after promoting his solo debut single “The Astronaut.”

J-Hope will begin his military enlistment on April 18, 2023. He is expected to be discharged by October 17, 2024.

Categories
KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

DAWN Admits He Still Loves HyunA Despite Break Up

DAWN revealed that he still has feelings for HyunA. The rapper admitted he still loves his ex-girlfriend despite their break-up last year.

DAWN Says He Is Still ‘In Love With HyunA’

DAWN took part in the 1theK Original’s “Look Me Up” where he opened up about his relationship with HyunA. Although they have broken up in November, the “Money” rapper confirmed they continue to be supportive of each other’s careers.

We will support each other no matter what kind of choice is made,” DAWN said. “Even now and at that time, I wanted to fully respect her choice and support her by pressing ‘Like’ (on the Instagram post announcing their breakup).”

HyunA confirmed her break up with DAWN in an emotional Instagram post in November 2022. Still, the former PENTAGON member confessed that he loves his ex-girlfriend dearly.

“I’m the same actually,” DAWN replied when asked if he still loves the former WONDER GIRLS member.

“Whether I break up with HyunA or get back with her, it doesn’t matter what we are, I just love HyunA as a person,” he added. “So, even if we take totally different paths and end up with other people in the future, I’ll still be in love with HyunA.”

DAWN further explained their rumored engagement, stating that it was a misunderstanding.

“We were not planning to get married or anything. I didn’t propose to her to get married,” he said. “It was just because I like her so much. Of course, I had the idea that she would be the person I marry if I get married in the future but at that time, I just wanted to give her a ring. I just wanted to.”

He continued, “Common sense is that if you give someone a ring, you’re engaged, it’s natural. But I’m actually lacking common sense.

DAWN’s new single “Dear My Light” was released on April 13, 2023.

Categories
BTS KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

BTS To Perform Opening Theme of Korean Animated Series ‘Bastions’

BTS is making music for an exciting new project. The supergroup will perform the opening theme for ‘Bastions’, an upcoming South Korean animated series.

BTS Confirmed To Perform ‘Bastions’ Opening Theme

The ‘Bastions’ YouTube channel dropped a teaser for the show’s opening sequence. It features some of the characters from the animated series showing off their dance moves. The teaser also offers a snippet of the opening theme performed by BTS.

BTS joins several K-pop acts in the ‘Bastions’ soundtrack. The soundtrack includes LE SSERAFIM, Brave Girls, Heize, AleXa, Seo J, Kang Min Seo, and P. Cassady. The songs have not yet been officially revealed. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.

The opening theme for the animated show will be the first group effort for BTS this year. Their most recent group song “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” was released in June 2022 as part of the anthology album ‘PROOF’.

‘Bastions’ Opening Theme Might Be Last BTS Group Effort For Some Time

The new song might be BTS’ last group effort for some time now that two members have confirmed their military enlistment. Jin was the first BTS member to enlist back in December 2022 after releasing his debut single “The Astronaut” in October. Although he has just dropped the new single “On The Street” with J. Cole, j-hope is already preparing for military service starting April 18.

The other members Suga, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook have not yet addressed their own enlistment. Min Yoon Gi is currently set to begin his first official solo world tour while Kim Nam Joon is planning to release a second solo album. Park Jimin released his debut solo album ‘Face’ in March while Kim Taehyung appeared in the cooking-travel series “Jinny’s Kitchen”. Finally, Jeon Jungkook was the first South Korean artist to sing an official theme for the World Cup and perform at an opening ceremony for the event in 2022.

‘Bastions’ follows a group of rookie heroes who work to find the villains who are damaging the environment. As they discover the mysterious identity of a hidden villain and protect the earth, the characters will grow into true heroes. The series will premiere on May 14, 2023.

Categories
KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

BLACKPINK Confirms BORN PINK North America Encore Shows

BLACKPINK is playing more dates this year. The North American leg of the BORN PINK World Tour is getting encore shows. BLINKS now have another chance to see Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa in concert.

BLACKPINK Adds New North American Dates To BORN PINK World Tour

The official BLACKPINK Twitter account shared a teaser for the BORN PINK encore shows in North America. The teaser doesn’t reveal the new dates and locations. However, BLINKs believe they have figured out the venues based on official social media posts.

The official Los Angeles Dodgers Twitter account posted a photo of Dodger Stadium lit up in pink with “Soon…” as the caption. It is a confusing post for baseball fans but BLINKs immediately deduced it was a teaser for BLACKPINK.

For now, the official dates and venues have not been announced. However, the next teaser will reveal more details about the BORN PINK World Tour encore shows. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. Stay tuned for more updates.

In related news, the BLACKPINK members have shared their thoughts on headlining COACHELLA 2023 on April 15 and 22. Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa admitted that the gig is an exciting one.

“It feels absolutely unreal,” Rosé said. “I think performing for Coachella in 2019 was a moment that really woke us up as BLACKPINK—to be motivated, to dream on and dream big.” She added. “But we never expected anything as big as being the headliner of a festival we’ve all grown up admiring and hoping someday we could find ourselves in the crowd of.”

“It is an honor to perform as a headliner for Coachella festival; we want to show our improvement as BLACKPINK on stage — and will — so, stay tuned,” Jisoo stated.

BLACKPINK is currently on the BORN PINK World Tour. The girl group will perform as the main headliners on both Coachella festival weekends on April 15 and 22, 2023.

Categories
BTS KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

BTS’ J-Hope Logs Final Weverse Live Before Military Enlistment

J-Hope is saying goodbye to ARMYs, at least, for now. The BTS rapper logged on for a final Weverse Live before his military enlistment next week. Jung Hoseok took time to assure fans that he is preparing for his military service.

On April 13, ARMYs learned that J-Hope will begin his basic training on Tuesday, April 18. The BTS member will enlist with the New Recruit Training Center Division A in Gangwon-do. However, Hobi made sure his fans got a proper farewell before he left.

J-Hope Logs Final Weverse Live Before Military Service Next Week

In the early hours of April 15, J-Hope logged on to Weverse Live to interact with ARMYs. He read fan comments and admitted that he is no longer worried about his military enlistment.

“To be honest, I felt like ‘what do I do’ about a week ago. But now I feel okay to the point I wonder if I should feel this way. Maybe I became indifferent,” he said.

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately,” Jung Hoseok added. “I thought ‘time passes by so fast,’ that it’s already time (for me to enlist).”

J-Hope also assured ARMYS that he is taking time for himself before his enlistment. “I’ve been eating and sleeping well,” he stated.

Jung Hoseok confirmed that he received his notice for military service on March 16. He also revealed that fellow BTS member Jin reached out to him with some great advice.

“Right when I got the notice, Jin contacted me. I asked a lot of questions, and Jin gave me advice on what I needed,” J-Hope said.

Jin is the first member of BTS to enlist for military service. Kim Seokjin began his enlistment in December 2022 after promoting his solo debut single “The Astronaut.”

J-Hope will begin his military enlistment on April 18, 2023. He is expected to be discharged by October 17, 2024.

Categories
KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

Former NMIXX Member Jinni Signs With New Agency In Preparation for Solo Debut

Jinni is finally ready to move forward with her solo career. The former NMIXX member has signed on to a new agency UAP. The talent agency also confirmed Choi Yun Jin is currently preparing for her solo debut.

Jinni Signs On To UAP In Preparation For Solo Debut

Sublime Artist Agency issued an official statement about their MOU (Memorandum Of Understanding) with UAP (United Artist Production). The statement confirms that Sublime with collaborate with Jinni’s new agency on the former NMIXX member’s management.

“Jinni recently signed an exclusive contract with UAP, and through our management MOU collaboration, our agency will be carrying out her management on their behalf,” the statement read.

“We plan to give our unsparing support to UAP artist Jinni’s global activities so that she can fully display her wide array of hidden potential, and we are delighted to be able to work together,” it continued.

Jinni Launches Sophisticated New Look In UAP’s Artist Profile

UAP also released a new profile for Jinni on the agency’s official Instagram account. The image features Choi Yun Jin with a sophisticated new look. It confirms that the young artist is ready to take control of her solo career.

Jinni debuted with NMIXX in February 2022 and immediately became a fan favorite. She later announced her departure from the group and JYP Entertainment in December 2022.

Cho Yun Jin launched a new Instagram account in March. The new social media account immediately had netizens wondering if the former NMIXX member is teasing her solo debut. Luckily, it was only a matter of time before Jinni signed on to UAP.

For now, UAP and Sublime have not yet shared details about Jinni’s solo debut. However, there will be updates on the young artist’s new music in the next few weeks. Check this space for more updates on this story.

Categories
K-DRAMA KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

EXO Sehun Gets Between Jo Joon Young and Jang Yeo Bin in ‘All That We Loved’ Poster

Sehun is showing off his youthful and vibrant vibe in an upcoming drama. The EXO maknae gets between Jo Joon Young and Jang Yeo Bin in the new “All That We Loved” poster. The visual also teases the similarities between Sehun and Jo’s characters in the drama.

Sehun Takes Center Stage In ‘All That We Loved’ Main Poster

TVING shared the main poster for “All That We Loved” which features the three main characters of the upcoming drama. EXO’s Sehun takes centerstage as Go Yoo, the high school basketball star who donates a kidney to his best friend Go Hoon Hee (Jo Joon Young). Jang Yeo Bin‘s Han Seo Yoon rounds out the trio with her own sweet charm.

“All That We Loved” is a romance drama following best friends Goo Yoo and Go Joon Hee. Despite being polar opposites as the basketball star and top student, the boys begin to resemble each other after Goo Yoo donates a kidney to Go Joon Hee. The kidney gives Go Joon Hee cellular memory syndrome and they both fall in love with Han Seo Yoon.

Cellular memory syndrome is the hypothesis that one can acquire the personality, habits, and memories of their organ donor. After receiving a kidney from Goo Yoo, Go Joon Hee begins to resemble his best friend. When Go Yoo develops feelings for Han Seo Yoon, Go Joon Hee exhibits the same feelings as well.

Sehun has been busy since the beginning of April. In addition to playing one of the leads in “All That We Loved”, Oh Sehun reunited with the other members of EXO for a special fan meeting. The group celebrated their 11th debut anniversary with the 2023 Exo Fanmeeting ‘Exo’ Clock. The special fan meeting was held at the KSPO Dome on April 8 to 9, 2023.

The first two episodes of “All That We Loved” were released on April 5, 2023.

Categories
KPOP NEWS LATEST STORIES

BLACKPINK Share Their Thoughts on Headlining Coachella 2023

BLACKPINK is returning to COACHELLA. The girl group will be the first K-pop act to headline the annual rock festival in California. It’s a huge milestone for Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa who are sharing their thoughts about their achievement.

BLACKPINK Discuss Headlining COACHELLA 2023

BLACKPINK will perform as the closing act on April 15 and 22 at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. They will be the first South Korean group to headline the event and Jennie told Billboard they feel “honored.”

“We’re so excited and honored to be able to return to Coachella as headliners,” the “Solo” singer said. “We had the best time in 2019 and can’t wait to experience the energy of the audience again. There are some nerves, but more than anything, we’re just ready to have fun.”

Headlining COACHELLA ‘Feels Absolutely Unreal’

Rosé still can’t believe it’s happening. The “Gone” singer claims, “It feels absolutely unreal.”

“I think performing for Coachella in 2019 was a moment that really woke us up as BLACKPINK—to be motivated, to dream on and dream big,” she added. “But we never expected anything as big as being the headliner of a festival we’ve all grown up admiring and hoping someday we could find ourselves in the crowd of.”

Jisoo laughed when she said, “It’s always so happy to meet BLINKs up close.”

“2019 Coachella was full of fascination and excitement, but we have no clue how 2023 Coachella will be. We try all the time to show a new side of ourselves for each stage to repay the love from BLINKs,” the “Flower” singer said. “It is an honor to perform as a headliner for Coachella festival; we want to show our improvement as BLACKPINK on stage — and will — so, stay tuned.”

Finally, Lisa stated that she is looking forward to having fun. “Our motto is to enjoy every stage and moment, ‘as if it’s the last,’ [by] interacting with the audience by energy and doing our best while performing,” she said. “We’re working hard on various performances for 2023 Coachella; look forward to it!”

BLACKPINK is currently on the BORN PINK World Tour. The girl group will perform as the main headliners on both Coachella festival weekends on April 15 and 22, 2023.

Exit mobile version