LAY ZHANG – GLOBAL MUSIC ICON RELEASES LIT ALBUM

Award-winning, global superstar drops highly-awaited final songs of his innovative cross-cultural studio album

See the behind-the-scenes video of making the LIT music video here.

A new wave of sound has arrived! Influential, global icon and China’s top superstar LAY (Lay Zhang) drops his final component of the LIT album today, by Zhang Yixing Studio, which comes to completion with the final six songs for the twelve-track album. Following the record-breaking success of the first six songs of LIT, LAY continues to bridge two cultures and two sounds in an astonishing cross-cultural blend, while showcasing his personal growth in his artistry. LAY most recently released the perfect summer anthem BOOM, where LAY gracefully forged together tropical and hip-hop elements. To date, the first part of the album surpassed over 13 million streams and the music video for LIT has been viewed more than 10 million times.

LAY creates a sensational, cross-cultural music style all of his own by using traditional Chinese instruments and modern hip-hop beats for a new innovative sound interlaced with English and Mandarin lyrics. Each of the tracks was co-written and co-produced by LAY himself to ensure his message and story is clearly infused in each song. For the full album, LAY teamed up with GRAMMY Award-winning producers Scott Storch (50 Cent, Beyoncé, DJ Khaled, Snoop Dogg) and Murda Beatz (Travis Scott, Gucci Mane, Drake) to finish his vision. LIT is LAY’s final contribution to his groundbreaking cross-cultural hip-hop album that has been highly-awaited by fans.

LISTEN TO THE FULL ALBUM “LIT” BY LAY

“蓮“- translated to LIT in English describes a Chinese religious belief of the duality of “Life & Death”. The “Lotus Flower” is also used by the same Chinese character as it’s a cultural icon recognized as something that “grows and blossoms out of the dirt/mud”. This paints a perfect metaphor of LAY’s album; firstly, the duality of a two-part release, and secondly it represents a new birth plus a new sound in the midst of all his past achievements. Through the songs, LAY explores the concepts of solitude, arrogance, self-confidence, loyalty, resolution and courage. These twelve songs blend very ancient musical elements and concepts with the modernity of contemporary pop. From the lyrics, to the production, be prepared for an emotional and auditory journey. The cutting edge production for newly released songs like Changsha, Mama, Call My Name, Late Night, and Wish will give you a very cross-cultural and refreshing journey as the combination of traditional “peking opera” and Chinese instruments are showcased through passionate lyrics showing a whole new blend of music.

LAY received tremendous success this year garnering international attention after joining forces with Steve Aoki and will.i.am for the hit cross-cultural collaboration Love You More, reaching #1 on the QQ Music China chart. He became a household name in Asia and one of the most beloved stars in the region with a loyal 49.5 million followers on Weibo and over 12 million followers on Instagram. As a solo artist, LAY’s career has skyrocketed from tremendous success becoming the highest-ranked Mandopop star on Billboard 200 chart and the first Chinese artist to enter the iTunes Top 60 in the US with his third album NAMANANA.

The pre-order for Lay Zhang’s new digital album LIT went live on China’s QQ Music platform, and 9 certification records were instantly broken as it went live. The digital album surpassed 1.5 million pre-orders within 7 minutes and 19 seconds of launch, locking in the #1 position on QQ Music’s daily and weekly album sales chart. The music video and EP for LIT went on to break records for a Chinese artist. In 24 hours, LAY received over 1.6 million views on his YouTube channel, and over 5 million views in four and a half days on the music video for LIT. Organically, LAY received over 100 reaction videos on YouTube within a week of the music video’s release, which led to 1 million subscribers in that same week on LAY’s YouTube channel (officially June 6^th). Additionally, LAY’s song debuted at #22 on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales Chart while LAY peaked on Billboard’s Social 50 Chart at #36.

Outside of music, he is a powerhouse in the acting world of TV and film and hosted multiple top-rated reality shows in Asia, all while being the face of and representing top-tier brands such as Converse, M.A.C, and Biotherm Homme in Asia, as well as Calvin Klein and Daniel Wellington Watches globally.

ABOUT LAY

LAY (Lay Zhang) is a multi-talented Chinese artist, producer, singer-songwriter, actor, dancer, fashion muse, and philanthropist. He is China’s current top #1 idol becoming the highest-ranked Mandopop star on Billboard 200 chart and the first Chinese artist to enter the iTunes Top 60 in the US with his third album NAMANANA. His big screen debut was the romantic-comedy film Ex-Files 2 and he won the Best Movie Original Soundtrack at 16th Top Chinese Music Awards for the film. His first solo single What U Need? debuted at #4 on China V Chart and Billboard’s World Digital Songs. His EP Lose Control stayed at #1 on Billboard’s China V Chart for 6 weeks in a row, reached #1 on the Gaon Album Chart, and reached #4 on Billboard’s US World Albums Chart. His second album Lay 02 Sheep broke five records on QQ Music, reaching Diamond Record in 9 hours and 11 minutes. His third album NAMANANA debuted at #21 on Billboard 200, ranking first on World Albums and Independent Albums chart. Last year, he released a digital EP titled Honey and its title track of the same name in June 2019. The EP reached over 1.87 million digital sales in just three minutes after its release on QQ Music in China. In 2019, LAY was invited as China’s Promotional Ambassador to attend the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. He reached unprecedented success when tickets for the concert at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China had sold out in eight seconds, while the stop in Nanjing, China had its tickets sold out in twenty-five seconds. He debuted in the music industry as a K-Pop idol with best-selling group, EXO.

Follow LAY (Lay Zhang)

Hello, will you briefly introduce yourself to our readers please?

Hello, I am Kim Sehee. I am an Animal Flow instructor and fitness athlete.

Tell us about your sport to those who may not be aware.

Animal Flow is a movement program that’s designed to improve the function and communication of the ‘Human Animal

Do you have any advice for beginners?

Animal Flow uses the wrist a lot, so I advise you learn it with a professional rather than by yourself. I recommend you to practice after getting used to the basic movements first.

How long do you train per day?

After relaxing the body for 20~30 mins, I train 3 times for 2 hours of session each.

Is there a secret to being good at a sport?

If you have a lighter body, it makes it easier to do the sport, so it is great to get on a diet at the same time.

What do you do as hobbies?

I like to learn diverse sports and use it on the sport that I do. I sometimes have a mind to alter Animal Flow to a newer version but I still need a lot of research.

What is your favorite food/beverage?

I like to eat meat and enjoy eating it with wine often.

What movie, book or musical have you enjoyed recently?

Musical – Off work at 6! I loved the fun harmony the actors and singers provided.

Where do you think is the best place in Korea for travel?

Yeosu. I understand why there is a song about the beach’s night scenery.

Tell us about your goals and plans for the future.

I plan to work hard so that Animal Flow will become a sport Koreans will seek after. With my talent as a sports entertainer, I think it will be possible. ^^

*To learn more about the sport of Animal Flow here are a few resources: https://vimeo.com/354226789 along with a Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalFlow1/

–J.Chung.

Worldwide sensation ATEEZ is calling on their fans, once again, to choose their next promotional song through a special voting event.

After the success of last year’s voting project which counted over 620 000 votes, and led to “WAVE” being chosen as the main promotional song for their third album TREASURE EP.3: One To All, ATEEZ is launching another voting campaign with their fans for their upcoming release ZERO: FEVER PART 1.

From July 14 to July 21, ATEEZ and their fans will vote through a four-round voting project:

The first round of voting starts on July 14 at 00:00 Korea time, where the fans will discover two storylines from which they will have to choose the one that speaks to them.

July 15 at 00:00 korea time, will see the start of the second round and the reveal of short audio clips of the two potential title songs. The third round of voting will then proceed on July 18, also at 00:00 Korea time, and fans will vote once again after watching a preview of the choreography for the same two songs. The fourth and final round of voting will be done by ATEEZ on July 21.

After debuting in October 2018, ATEEZ kept themselves busy and continually challenged their creative impulse by releasing over 4 mini albums and 1 full album in a span of a year.

The January release, Epilogue: Action to Answer perfectly wrapped their epic Treasure Saga, so fans and the music industry are now sitting tight for the start of a new era with the upcoming ATEEZ ZERO: FEVER PART 1.

After selling out their first world tour “The Expedition Tour” earlier in 2019, ATEEZ have upgraded from a thousand capacity theater show to an arena show for their now-postponed world tour <The Fellowship>: Map The Treasure, solidifying their status as K-pop’ next worldwide phenomenon.

The band’s well-crafted performances and producing skills received worldwide attention, both from the fans and the media by being featured on Billboard, MTV, The Grammy, DAZED, and many more outlets around the world.

ATEEZ current line up consists of Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho. For additional information regarding ATEEZ’s song voting project, please visit https://ateez.vote

About KQ Entertainment :

Home of Block B’s label Seven Seasons, KQ entertainment is a global music content company that flexibly responds to the rapidly changing domestic and overseas markets.

Based on a label-specific operating system that takes into account the characteristics of musicians, KQ Entertainment continues to discover and support high-potential labels and talented musicians, thereby enabling idol groups and artists to coexist and positively influence each other.

After successfully captivating audiences all over the world in 2019 and faithful to their will of always staying connected to their fans, ATEEZ will be holding their online comeback show AIR CON <ZERO : FEVER Part. 1> on July 28 starting 22:00 KST.

This show comes to celebrate ATEEZ ‘impending comeback in today’s reality of restricted travels and social distancing. This unique online show will allow global fans of the Seoul-based group to experience their new music and energetic performances from the comfort of their homes.

The 180 minutes-long show will feature the premiere of ATEEZ new songs, the result of the title song voting campaign they held with their fans, as well as exclusive content and behind the scenes.

ATEEZ’s online show was made possible by a technology forward platform, MyMusicTaste, that not only allows fans to request physical concerts of their favorite artists in their cities, but also provides the newly added feature of online streaming, which allows artists and fans to stay connected in the pandemic age.

After debuting in October 2018, ATEEZ kept themselves busy and continually challenged their creative impulse by releasing over 4 mini albums and 1 full album in a span of a year.

The January release, Epilogue: Action to Answer perfectly wrapped their epic Treasure Saga, and fans and the music industry are now sitting tight for the start of a new era with the upcoming ATEEZ ZERO: FEVER PART 1 set for release on July 29, 6PM.

After selling out their first world tour “The Expedition Tour” earlier in 2019, ATEEZ have upgraded from a thousand capacity theater show to an arena show for their now postponed world tour <The Fellowship>: Map The Treasure, solidifying their status as K-pop’ next worldwide phenomenon.

ATEEZ current line up consists of Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho.

Early bird tickets sale will start on July 16 11:00 AM KST, on MyMusicTaste.com. Further information regarding ticketing and the show itself can be found through MyMusicTaste’s social media.

About KQ Entertainment :

Home of Block B’s label Seven Seasons, KQ entertainment is a global music content company that flexibly responds to the rapidly changing domestic and overseas markets.

About MyMusicTaste:

MyMusicTaste is a fan initiated live event making service that brings fans, artists and promoters from all over the world together in one place to create a valuable and meaningful concert experience for everyone involved. MyMusicTaste puts the power in the fans’ hands, allowing fans to request their favorite artist’s concert in their city. With the mission to connect and amplify the voices of fans all over the world, MyMusicTaste successfully promoted concerts of artists such as EXO, GOT7, MONSTA X, The xx, Machine Gun Kelly, and more in over 57 different cities. With the simple idea–empowering fans to bring their favorite artist’s concert in the city of their choice based on fan demand–MyMusicTaste is challenging the $27 billion concert market through cutting-edge technology and sophisticated, user-friendly service. Currently, www.mymusictaste.com supports more than 30 countries and offers 15 different languages.

A divorce mediation session for Ahn Jae-hyun and Gu Hye-sun was held on July 15^th at Seoul Family Court. Ahn Jae-hyun and Ku Hye-sun’s legal representatives attended in the meeting.

The two Korean actors married in May of 2016 when they met on the set of the K-drama series “Blood,” and Ahn Jae-hyun filed a divorce lawsuit in September of 2019 – As of July 15 2020, they are now legally divorced.

Their official statement goes:

Ahn Jae-hyun and Ku Hye-sun settled for divorce through mediation on July 15, 2020. The two will each walk their own paths, and wish the best for each other’s futures. They apologize for causing concern to the public over their personal problems

–J.Chung.

Eye-catching Hair Colors & Costumes

Whenever you watch some music show clips or fancams of your favorite group, what comes to your eyes first would be their rainbow hair colors. You can find entire spectrum of hair colors, latest trend of hairstyles on K-pop live stages. Sometimes You can even notice their hair colors changing in just a week – on music show stages right next weekend! Hairstyles and colors are arranged by stylists in the best way that matches their fashion on stage or album concept.

K-pop idols take extra care of their performance wear, sometimes Ent agencies get the costumes sponsored by world-famous brands. Costumes for each member can reach to thousands; one K-pop boy group ZE:A is said to have spent over $200,000 on nine members’ performance wears for only one stage! Their influence on fashion industry, however, is much bigger: high-end performance wears soon become a leading fashion trend in Korea and worldwide.

Idol Albums with Photo Cards

What makes K-pop culture special is that, the more you fall for a group, you find more features to have fun with. There are countless attractions ready to ensure quality fan life, one of the items is photo card of each member included randomly in new K-pop albums. Offered exclusively for new album consumers, photo cards have members on cute costumes, in different style, even special motion effects through photo cards.

Even when you get access to original song from music streaming websites, K-pop fans still purchase a pile of albums just to get their favorite member’s photo card. Once you find collectors gathering photo cards of all the members, you’ll get to understand how this system enhances album sales volume & loyalty of their fanbase.

100% Synched Choreography

K-Ent agencies have different concepts and styles on making their own idol groups, but they all have strict trainee incubation systems: vocal/dance training, camera tests, training for how to react on reality shows, and even foreign language courses. One of the results is dance choreography with perfect sync: K-pop idols are highly expected to make “Sharp angles” on dance formation and choreography – as they are trained to synchronize the angles of arms, legs and even fingertips in each movement with other members. Their pursuit of accuracy in choreography is also revealed from cross-edited live stage videos showing 100% sync throughout many different stages.

Dorm Living System

From trainee period, K-pop idols live in a dormitory provided by their agency with all the members and their manager. Main reason for corporate living comes from their busy schedule, but Idol groups are also expected to raise companionship, coherence and cohesion in a communal setting. Dorm life lasts for 5 years in average, from teen to mid-20s of members. Some Idol groups take reality shows in their dormitory, showing private times and friendship among the members. Reality shows and video clips behind the scenes are popular among K-pop fans who are willing to find their idols being natural. But dorm living system has its shadows as it may not allow the Idol members much privacy for themselves.

Group Roles & Member Chemistry

Chemistry between members is another important aspect to win K-pop fans’ loyalty and affection. Fans love to see members in good terms with each other, both in public and private area. Whenever K-pop fans spot out a member staying close with another, nicknames are given for best friends, or a couple of members whose images and characters are in a best match.

There are many ways to create chemistry upon members, but basic environment to make connection is already ‘set’ by fixing their roles in a group. Group roles can be determined by member positions such as vocal / visual / dancer / rapper, but so many more roles can be newly created according to ages, nationality, character and habits. Maknae and hyung (male) or unnie (female) according to their ages. Group roles can change over time, helping a group shape its identity & create better chemistry.

Concert Materials: Fanchants & Lightsticks

Before you go to live concerts of your favorite K-pop group, you’re definitely not going to the hall with empty hands; for the best fan experience, you need items showing your affection as a fan. To name a few basic concert materials, it’d be fanchants and lightsticks.

Fan communities started to create unified fanchants to shout at music show live broadcast and at concerts, with names of all the members and witty cheering messages. Most fanchants are easy to learn, with repeating sounds and catchy phrases. Recently agencies create Fanchants by themselves, uploading them on official YouTube channels so that fans can memorize & chant at the live show.

Meanwhile, bringing fan club lightstick is a must for K-pop stage audiences. Order-made with unique color, shape, light and effects fixed for each group, lightsticks are used at concerts and music show live stages by fan clubs. with millions of audiences shaking a single unified light, the energy on stage is caught on fire: light of each stick is controlled by central system so that stage artists can create the best flow of light.

Give us your opinion of other “groundbreaking aspects of K-pop” you know about in the comment section below.

—-Uinn Peng

The Mayor of Seoul was found dead on 10^th July, at Sukjeongmun, one of the Eight Gates of the fortress that surrounded the city since the pre-modern times. It appears that Park Won-soon, aged 64, deliberately went to this spot on the previous day without turning up to the City Hall for his daily work. He was serving his third term as mayor of the Korean capital city.

Park‘s death is officially declared as a suicide. The police report says that, since there are no signs of foul play, a post-mortem is not going to take place.

On the previous day, Park’s daughter informed the police after Park left home leaving words “to the effect of a will (after her own expression)”. It is not known what these words were precisely. On the same day, Park was spotted around the area where his body was later found. Sukjeongmun is near the Mount Bugak, and Park had been known to enjoy hiking. But it was clear that he had left home for reasons other than that.

After he was reported missing there were immediate news reports that gave the public to suspect the worst. One of the reasons to suspect some instability on Park’s part was that he was reported to the police by his secretary for sexual harassment. The same secretary is known to have stated that there were others who received the same kind of treatment. It appears likely that more lawsuits would have followed. One other thing that has been talked about the Korean media is that the said harassment occurred not only in certain actions by the late mayor of Seoul, but in the form of personal photographs sent by Park to his accuser. Ironically, Park Won-soon, a former attorney, is said to have had the first victory over a sexual harassment case in Korea.

Park was on the progressive wing, politically speaking. It would not be unjust to call him pro-China, least of all because of his own words that compared Korea to a fly that had to sit on the buttocks of the horse called China. Park was also known to have cited a poem that one should be able to praise Kim Il-sung, the founding leader of North Korea, for the sake of the freedom of speech. It is not uncommon for the Korean progressive politicians to be very well-disposed towards the North Korean regime, at the expense of the people whose freedom it restricts.

Park was first elected as mayor after his predecessor Oh Se-hoon resigned. Oh, who advocated selective welfare, suggested and failed at a referendum over the issue of free school lunch for the public schools of Seoul. Park Won-soon, who was far from being a well-known politician to the public at the time, was supported by Ahn Cheol-soo, the cyber security business owner who was then the favorite candidate, and was elected the mayor of Seoul.

There were consternations surrounding his children during his term as mayor. His son was suspected to have been freed from the obligation of military service, and his daughter had taken a very unusual route in her schooling. Since military service and higher education are two of the topics many Koreans feel passionate about, there have been some suspicions voiced, although no actual legal measures were taken against Park’s family.

Park Won-soon is not the only politician to be accused since the Me Too movement struck Korea. One recent case is the mayor of Busan Oh Keo-don, who gave up his office after a female worker there accused him of sexual harassment. The Democratic Party, the leading party in power to which both Park and Oh belonged, was criticized for not having addressed the issue before the election of public servants in April this year. An even higher-profile case of sexual offense involved Ahn Hee-Jung, who was one of the Democratic Party’s two final candidates (besides Moon Jae-in, the then-candidate and the current president) for presidency. He is currently serving a prison sentence for sexual assault.

Park’s death is simply known as suicide, with no details voiced by the Korean press. The funeral is alleged to be held on 13^th July at the Seoul University Hospital.

–J. Chung.

Billboard acclaimed Kpop girl group DREAMCATCHER successfully held its very first online concert with thousands of fans Streaming Into The Night together with the members of the band.

True to its title “DREAMCATCHER CONCERT GLOBAL STREAMING INTO THE NIGHT & DYSTOPIA,” the group’s online concert was held on July 4 starting at 23:59 KST and encaptivated InSomnia [fan club’s name] with its setlist of 18 breathtaking performances and special clips.

DREAMCATCHER’s first online concert was made possible by a technology-forward platform, MyMusicTaste, that not only allows fans to request physical concerts of their favorite artists in their cities, but also provides the newly added feature of online streaming, allowing artists and fans to stay connected in the pandemic age.

DREAMCATCHER started the concert strong with its newest hit ”SCREAM,” the title track of DREAMCATCHER’s first full-length album that topped at HANTEO Monthly Physical Album Chart in February 2020 with 27,424 copies sold. Without missing a beat, the girls continued with impressive live performances of fans all-time favorites such as “You and I” (2018), “PIRI” (2019), “Deja Vu” (2019) along with fresher sounds of “Red Sun” (2020), “SAHARA” (2020) and “Black or White” (2020).

Exclusively for this online concert, DREAMCATCHER also prepared special unit and solo performances that left all viewers in awe. But this show had even more surprises for both fans and the artists. Handong, a member of the group, unfortunately, wasn’t able to physically perform with her bandmates due to her activities in China. Despite the distance, she joined the show through a special video clip, the sweet message and encouraging words brought not only the audience but also DREAMCATCHER to tears. The girls made an emotional promise to themselves and the fans to come back with a new show as all seven members.

Fans were also encouraged to leave their comments and questions through the chat function throughout the show, and DREAMCATCHER responded to plentiful requests, ensuring the physical concert-like interaction. This meaningful interaction was also enabled by an English speaking interpreter who made it possible for both the Korean and international fans to enjoy the online concert together in real-time.

Fans have been leaving positive comments all over social media and are now eagerly waiting for the VOD to become available in order to seize the precious moments of the show. For those who missed the live stream or those who want to relive the moment can purchase the VOD to turn this streaming into an Endless Night via https://mmt.fans/iaTR.

Record-breaking, global music phenomenon drops hot tropical track preceding much-anticipated conclusion to studio album

Summer calls for new music! Influential, global icon and China’s top superstar LAY (Lay Zhang) drops BOOM as his LIT album, by Zhang Yixing Studio, comes to completion with the final six songs, bringing his twelve-track album to fruition. Following the record-breaking success of the first six songs of LIT, LAY continues to bridge two cultures and two sounds, while showcasing his personal growth in his artistry. LAY gracefully forges together tropical and hip-hop elements, perfect for the hot season with pre-single BOOM. The smooth track is an easy-on-the-ears, sway-with-the-breeze tune, accentuated by refreshing lyrics and a catchy hook that’ll be stuck on repeat in listeners’ heads.

LISTEN TO BOOM BY LAY

BOOM signals the forthcoming of the much-anticipated conclusion to LAY’s twelve-track album. LAY teams up with GRAMMY Award-winning producer and songwriter Scott Storch (50 Cent, Beyoncé, DJ Khaled, Snoop Dogg) for the last six songs featured on the final piece, demonstrating a groundbreaking blend of hip-hop and Mandopop. Previously, LAY worked with producer heavyweight Murda Beatz (Travis Scott, Gucci Mane, Drake) on the first six songs of the LIT album. LIT is a handcrafted, masterpiece featuring twelve tracks, and all songs on the album are co-written by LAY himself, who also personally co-produced every track, ensuring his message and story are clearly instilled in each song. The new project strongly holds a backbone in modern hip-hop with an enjoyable sound, never done before.

LAY received tremendous success this year garnering international attention after joining forces with Steve Aoki and will.i.am for the hit cross-cultural collaboration Love You More, reaching #1 on the QQ Music China chart. He became a household name in Asia and one of the most beloved stars in the region with a loyal 49.4 million followers on Weibo and over 12 million followers on Instagram. As a solo artist, LAY’s career has skyrocketed from tremendous success becoming the highest-ranked Mandopop star on Billboard 200 chart and the first Chinese artist to enter the iTunes Top 60 in the US with his third album NAMANANA.

ABOUT LAY

LAY (Lay Zhang) is a multi-talented Chinese artist, producer, singer-songwriter, actor, dancer, fashion muse, and philanthropist. He is China’s current top #1 idol becoming the highest-ranked Mandopop star on Billboard 200 chart and the first Chinese artist to enter the iTunes Top 60 in the US with his third albumNAMANANA. His big screen debut was the romantic-comedy film Ex-Files 2 and he won the Best Movie Original Soundtrack at 16th Top Chinese Music Awards for the film. His first solo single What U Need? debuted at #4 on China V Chart and Billboard’s World Digital Songs. His EP Lose Control stayed at #1 on Billboard’s China V Chart for 6 weeks in a row, reached #1 on the Gaon Album Chart, and reached #4 on Billboard’s US World Albums Chart. His second album Lay 02 Sheepbroke five records on QQ Music, reaching Diamond Record in 9 hours and 11 minutes. His third album NAMANANA debuted at #21 on Billboard 200, ranking first on World Albums and Independent Albums chart. Last year, he released a digital EP titled Honey and its title track of the same name in June 2019. The EP reached over 1.87 million digital sales in just three minutes after its release on QQ Music in China. In 2019, LAY was invited as China’s Promotional Ambassador to attend the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. He reached unprecedented success when tickets for the concert at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China had sold out in eight seconds, while the stop in Nanjing, China had its tickets sold out in twenty-five seconds. He debuted in the music industry as a K-Pop idol with best-selling group, EXO.

Follow LAY (Lay Zhang)

On July 4, FNC Entertainment released the following statement:

“First, we would like to apologize for causing concern to many people through the events related to Jimin that have been unfolding recently.

From this moment forth, Jimin has decided to leave AOA and halt all of her activities in the entertainment industry.

Additionally, our agency accepts responsibility for this entire situation, and we will put our full focus on managing our artists. Once again, we apologize for causing concern through these unfortunate matters.”

On July 3, former AOA member Mina shared multiple posts on Instagram stating that Jimin had bullied her for years while she was in the group. Mina also revealed that Jimin had visited her in person to apologize – but although she wrote that she had decided to accept Jimin’s apology – she was uncertain whether it was sincere.

Jimin went on to share a public apology on her Instagram on July 4, to which Mina responded with a currently-deleted post.

J. Chung.

The number of hospitals’ internal infections add up to 12% of all coronavirus cases confirmed in Japan. The number of deaths connected with cluster infections in hospitals accounted for 24% of all coronavirus deaths in Japan.

The data conducted in May with medical institution and local government representatives indicates that in-hospital cluster infections broke out at 99 medical institutions in 21 prefectures. The largest number of cases was recorded in Tokyo, with a total of 714 having been confirmed infected in 19 hospitals, Kanagawa’s 242 cases in 13 hospitals, and Hokkaido’s 228 cases in 10 hospitals. Saitama has 140 cases in 8 hospitals, Osaka recorded 285 cases in six hospitals, and Hyogo recorded 101 cases in 6 hospitals.

The number of nationwide in-hospital infections reached 1,028 patients in total, 1,013 health care workers, and 55 miscellaneous employees including clerical staff and external contractors.

Some hospitals have not revealed their COVID-19 fatality figures, but at least 205 patients, or 20% of those infected while staying in hospital have reported to have died. The death rate for patients in hospital clusters was four times greater than all infected persons in Japan, which is 5%.

–J. Chung.

JEONGMIN is a Korean singer-songwriter, well-known for his sensitive and touchy love songs. Previously a member of a K-pop idol group ‘BOYFRIEND’, he had his debut in 2011 as a lead vocal position. With outstanding performance and singing, he has gained global attention and popularity until the disbandment of the group in 2019. To keep going on with his passion in music, JEONGMIN established an entertainment label ‘Araline’ with other music producers. Through his second debut as a solo artist he is boosting to step further as a singer-songwriter, publishing solo albums ‘Nearby’, ‘WHY?’, ‘Winter Dream’ in 2019, and 4^th single album ‘REWIND’ in 2020. We want to thank Jeongmin for this interview.

It has already been a year for you to resume K-Ent activities as a singer-songwriter, with a new label. It is indeed a difficult choice to make, can you make some comments about your last year, and what has changed the most from Jeongmin in BOYFRIEND to Jeongmin as a singer-songwriter?

For last year I got chances to look back on myself. Reflecting the reason that I became a singer, that passion and enthusiasm towards music at the very first time – I made up my mind to grow up as a more passionate artist. My daily life itself hasn’t changed much; but I put more effort on everything such as composing songs, preparing my stage, etc. as I am all on my own now.

Which part of yourself did you want to express through your latest 4th single album? Are there any songs from your past two solo albums that you have special feelings or memories with?

I wanted to describe the longing out of love. My recent album goes the best with what you feel by the riverside in a sunset. One of my favorite song is my solo debut song, ‘Twenty-one, me and you’. Personally, I feel that love is a bucket with smallest memories; I’ve put such feelings in my music to depict how my feelings were in past days, and how I’ve grown up.

In these pandemic days, what is it that you usually do alone at home? What is the first thing you want to do after COVID 19?

I think I take some more sleep, as I got less hectic than before. I got more spare time to work on my new songs, too. But above all I hope to perform on stage soon, as soon as COVID19 vanishes. (LOL) I really look forward to seeing my fans.

You have support from so many international fans all over the world. If some of them travel to Korea, which place or activity would you recommend to them the most?

I’d like to recommend ‘Hongdae (Hongik University Entrance)’ as the hottest spot in Korea. It’s called ‘a street of youth’, you can find artworks out of freedom & unique originality there. At Hongdae you can easily spot free street buskings of musicians and dancers, too bad they are not allowed in COVID19 era.

Your latest title song, ‘The Day of Ours’ was with refreshing melody and sentimental lyrics. Where do you usually get such sentiment to compose song lyrics?

I usually watch videos, movies and dramas to get ideas for my music. Recalling movie or drama scenes, I always imagine what kind of music would go well with the scenes. These days I fell for ‘Itaewon Class’, a famous TV drama in Korea. I find myself immersed into its plot and music tracks.

What was your favorite subject in school? You had debuted as an artist at quite an early age, what was your childhood dream before becoming an idol trainee?

I loved studying Korean the most in school days, but I always devoted myself to music. Before debut I dreamt to be a composer, on my way to build a career as a songwriter I attended an audition of my previous entertainment company -which led to my debut as an idol singer.

You have recently started your YouTube mini radio channel-greeting your fans online. As you have long been famous for a well-rounded singer, are you interested in any other field than singing, such as DJ, Show host or actor?

I love when people smile at me or feel happy because of me. Now I publish my own album and sing on my own, but whenever my fans leave good comments on my songs, I instantly get my energy back. I don’t mind trying many new channels to meet my fans on stage.

Is there any new genre or style of music that you want to try as a singer-songwriter? Could you also give us a hint for your next album?

As a role model for music, I like the singer and producer Yoo Hee-Yul; his own color and feelings on music I like the most. I also like festival music, what makes everyone stand up, dance and enjoy. So I think next album might be something energetic. (LOL)

Though being such a tough year, what is the final goal you want to achieve in 2020? How do you wish to be remembered in after 10 years?

This year I hope to express my own color enough with solo albums on my own. To go further, I want to remain as a good musician with impressive, heart-touching music.

We would like to say thank you, again for taking this interview and assuming that you have had less chances to communicate with fans for the last few months, would you leave any words or messages to your fans?

I feel really bad that I can hardly get chances to see my fans. I’m all set to run at my best, can’t wait to perform at stage. Such heartbreaking times, but cheer up, everyone! See you so soon, I really miss all of you…!

—-Uinn Peng

Guinness World Records revealed that BLACKPINK has five titles with their latest music video “How You Like That” which was released on June 26.

The group has been rewarded for Guinness World Records as the “Most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours” as well as the “Most viewed music video on YouTube in 24 hours,” and “Most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours by a K-pop group.”

BLACKPINK’s 24-hour view count for their latest single was 86.3 million by YouTube.

The first mentioned three achievements were set by BTS with their music video “Boy With Luv,” which has 74.6 million views in the first 24 hours.

In addition, “How You Like That” also hold titles for “Most viewers for the premiere of a video on YouTube” and “Most viewers for the premiere of a music video on YouTube.”

YouTube announced that the single had set the record with 1.66 million simultaneous viewing. BTS’s “ON” previously held the record for most-viewed YouTube Premiere.

Looks like BLACKPINK’s hard work has been paid off. Congrats!

–J.Chung.

The latest “State of World Population 2020” report by the UN Population Fund shows that an average North Korean is expected to live 72 years, which puts the nation at 118th position in terms of life expectancy in the world. This is 11 years shorter than the life expectancy of South Korea.

South Korea is currently 9th among 198 countries with an average life expectancy of 83 years.

North Korea which has a population of 25.8 million – also has a low birth rate – with the average number of children per female estimated at 1.9 this year.

–J.Chung.

Please briefly introduce yourselves to our readers please.

Hyunduk: Hello, I am Hyunduk and I am the vocalist from TRISS.

Youngkwon: Hello, I am Shin Youngkwon, the drummer of TRISS.

Daisy: I am Daisy and I play the synthesizer.

Minkyu: I am Kim Minkyu and I am the bassist of TRISS.

Please explain about what kind of music TRISS offers.

Hyungduk: TRISS’ music is based on 80’s Synth music. We select a concept when we get inspiration from a scene or a picture. For example, we think of a scene – a 80’s racing animation, a tennis court in front of an apartment complex or something – then we produce a song that could be used showing the scene through sound and synth music.

Youngkwon: We use a digital instrument called a synthesizer to make unique and fun rock music mixed with fresh mood.

Minkyu: We produce a lot of diverse music. Our asset I think would be that four of us all play and perform.

How did you get together as a band?

Hyungduk: We formed as a band in 2017 since we wanted to create a new band that plays synth music. We began with Mingyu who was playing for a different band, then we were introduced to Youngkwon the drummer. Then we were joined by Daisy who was a frequent performer at live clubs last.

How often do you have sessions or practice a day?

Hyungduk: We hold sessions one or two times a week, and we practice as much as we need individually. I take once a week to write songs at the studio.

Youngkwon: We’re all busy so we have group sessions for about 4 hours a day.

Daisy: It depends on the day, but sometimes I practice all day.

Minkyu: I do a lot of work in the studio and practice rooms. Recently, I’ve been writing a lot of ballads and taking the time to work on other projects.

Which musician or artist do you admire the most?

Hyungduk: This is hard because there are so many. I listen to a lot of music by Tame Impala and Foster the People. Since I was young, I was a fan of Foo Fighters, Muse, Radiohead and The Strokes.

Youngkwon: I admire Foo Fighters and like Chvrches.

Daisy: Mark Foster (Foster The People)

Which song or album do you listen to the most these days?

Hyungduk: I’ve been listening to a lot Tame Impala’s latest album. Personally, I like to listen to new music that’s come out, but I take the time to listen to Foo Fighters – Nothing Left to Lose and Pheonix – Wolfgang Amadeus a lot since I’ve been listening to it for years.

Youngkwon: I listen to Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways album a lot.

Daisy: I listen to a lot of classical music these days.

Minkyu: The Strokes’ new album came out, so I am listening to that. I used to listen to a lot of rock music but I’ve recently moved onto a lot of Hip Hop and R&B.

What are your current hobbies?

Hyungduk: I usually sit at home with my wife and play Heroes of the storm. Since I like playing console games, I play most of the recent Ps4 games that are available. I also so on walks to the park with my wife and dog. The name of our dog is Jessie.

Youngkwon: I go on walks or watch baseball.

Daisy: I do all sorts of things and listen to a lot of classical music.

Minkyu: I play games or work on new and diverse music with my friends at my home.

Where do you think is the best place to travel in Korea?

Hyungduk: I recommend Sokcho. It’s a small city by the East Sea – the sea is clean and there aren’t that many people around the area compared to where tourists go. There’s a lot of nice stuff to eat at the nearby market and since it’s only 2~3 hours away from Seoul so it’s convenient to visit.

Daisy: Geoje-do.

Minkyu: Korea has a lot of great places to visit since it has the oceans on three of its dimensions. On the westside, there is Incheon. On the east – Gangneung, in the southern part – there is Jeju and Busan.

Please tell us about your future goals and plans.

Hyungduk: We want to continue making music for a long time, if possible. To me, making music is a hobby and a challenge that helps to develop myself. I wish our first album being released this year will be something I can be proud of.

Youngkwon: We are currently working on it, and it is our goal to release an album this fall.

Daisy: I want to achieve the basics of a professional musician.

Minkyu: I am always thinking our video contents. I want us to challenge ourselves on a new genre of music.

Please leave a comment for the fans.

Hyungduk: Thank you for your continued support. Please show much interest to our upcoming album as well.

Youngkwon: We thank so many people who support us and we’ll repay you with great music.

Daisy: We’re always so grateful. We’re inspired by you every time we feel like giving up.

Minkyu: We’ll always be here. Please come see us perform.

TRISS – Rolly Rolly MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb91RXuRGN0

TRISS Brazil Tour: https://youtu.be/oORp4-_tb48

–J.Chung.

Clips of the true kings of the stage BTS, J-Hope and GOT7 Jackson Wang! About K-Crush We are a contemporary urban lifestyle digital and printed publication dedicated to keeping you updated on the latest entertainment news and events in Asia. Over the past four years we have been working tirelessly behind the scenes, to ensure that you receive the latest scoops and those exclusive interviews on your favorite Asian artists and celebrities. Our mission is to bring you a more in depth insight into Asian culture and the Asian entertainment scene uniting both Asian and American cultures through collaborations that will inspire present and future generations.

KPop Social Night (KPSN) and parent company, MACG Productions, will host their first-ever online festival, #KPSNPODCASTFEST! Slated for the weekend of July 18, 2020, KPSNPODCASTFEST is an online event curated to showcase the diverse voices in the Hallyu fan community. Due to the current global health crisis, most conventional festivals either canceled or postponed their schedules. Fortunately for Hallyu fans, KPSN is continuing the Hallyu experience in new and exciting ways.

By providing a space for fans to converse with each other while being safe in their homes, KPSN shows support to Hallyu fans. KPSNPODCASTFEST will help fans worldwide break up the monotony of social distancing.

“Hallyu commentary continues to diversify beyond what YouTube originally provided content creators,” States Ashley Griffin, President of Operations of MACG Productions. “In placing the podcast and online radio community center stage, we hope to create an event that promotes the awesome content these hosts bring to the fandom.”

For only $5, fans can participate in chats and experience live interviews of the hosts. Attendees will also receive access to live show recordings of the podcasts. Additionally, broadcasters will have the chance to interact live with listeners as well as promote themselves and charitable causes. Attendees can directly contribute if they so choose.

MACG Productions is proudly a safe and inclusive environment. To better ensure both the broadcasters and fans will have pleasant experiences, KPSN will closely screen and moderate all chats.

Interested podcast and online radio hosts and emcees can apply for registration between June 18 – June 26, 2020, at this official link. For press access, contact pressandpr@macgproductions.com.

The full lineup and schedule will be released on June 29 on Eventbrite.

Kpop Social Night hosts Hallyu events that encourage fun and fandom pride, created by Multifacetedacg Productions, LLC.

—

That simple act of making a cup of tea has somewhat ritualistic, relaxing, and healing effect. Whether you prefer black tea, herbal tea, or tea with milk, we always prepare our current favorite picks whenever we start our day. While the global tea market is facing rapid changes of consumer demands and preferences, emerging power of Asian tea brands is highly noticeable.

The Asian region has their unique, long-standing culture of enjoying tea; even predating written history. The act of pouring tea has been elevated into the level of art, with years of training. Its sophisticated tea culture and different varieties of tea works as strong points to attain market competence, attracting tea enthusiasts all over the world.

The list below contains the most prominent 10 brands of tea in the Asia-Pacific region, among them China, Japan and India in particular. As tea is the most beloved beverage in these countries, growing demand from these countries are credited for their dominance of the global tea market.

China

Da Yi Tea (Taetea)

Initially Da Yi (‘Great benefit’ in Chinese) was a name of a tea brand from old Menghai tea factory, one of the biggest manufacturers of ripe (Shu) Pu-erh tea in Yunnan during 1938-1950. With a group of over 90 tea professionals with origins from all over China, this factory is the oldest specialized tea factory in Yunnan Province.

Da Yi tea has a solid reputation, well renowned by Pu-erh tea lovers. Their tea leaf pancakes with white and red printed packaging are one of distinctive features you can find from Da Yi tea. Farmed in Kunming region and stored in maturation process, Da Yi patties are well known for its high-quality puerh tea bulks. Established as a group company in 2004, it is looking for global market sales with continuous R&D under the name of ‘Taetea’.

Bama Tea

Spanning four centuries, the former royal tribute tea from Fujian Province has transformed into a high-end Chinese tea chain with more than 1,800 stores. Their signature product is Tiegwanyin tea, known as one of the 4 precious varieties of Chinese tea with Puerh and Longjing and Jasmine tea. Its deep fruity flavor is beloved among generations of tea lovers.

Bama’s owner, Wang family has kept the lineage of providing tea for Qing emperors since the discovery of this breed in 1736. Well acknowledged in Southeast Asia, Bama started to expand its business globally with refined facilities- now exporting over 2000 tons of tea products all over Europe, North America, and Africa.

Wuyutai

Wuyutai holds its name from almost all of tea lovers in Beijing. First established in 1887, Wuyutai has won high reputation as one of the historical brands of China, well-known for its high-quality tea products. Wu Xiqing from Anhui province opened a tea store in Beijing during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), naming the shop ‘Yutai’; later updated to include his family name ‘Wu’. For over 120 years, Wuyutai has been holding up its unique tea producing methods. The most beloved is its secret jasmine tea recipe – a sought-after mixture of green tea and jasmine. Rebranded as Beijing Wuyutai Co. in 2005, it now has more than 190 chain stores in China.

Japan

Fukujuen

Established in the Yamashiro region of Kyoto in 1790, Fukujuen has a long tea-making history. Honoring its history and tradition, ‘Iyemon Tea’ was named after the founder, Iyemon Fukui. The tea master of Yamashiro was assigned to deliver the official tea to Japanese Bakuhu governments.

Tea from Yamashiro has contributed largely to the famous “Uji-cha” (Uji tea), which is a product of Fukujuen well known in all over Japan and even globally. One distinct characteristic in their tea-farming process is that they take time to pull out the highest quality of matcha from their stone mills.

Giontsujiri

Its initial history dates back to 1860, but its first store – Tsujiri Tea Shop was opened in Taipei in 1902. First store in Japan was opened in 1948 after war in Gion, Kyoto. Being famous for its Uji tea and Ooolong tea, Giontsujiri’s Uji Tea is majorly sourced from southern Kyoto province. Giontsujiri produces a wide stretch of tea leaves numbering up to 12 – on top of that, Giontsujiri is growing famous for its eye-pleasing dessert products made with green tea flavors.

IPPODO

IPPODO

Located in the heart of Kyoto, Ippodo Tea Co. has been providing the highest quality Japanese green tea for over three centuries, cultivated in fields of Kyoto and its surroundings. This region is renowned for producing the highest grade of green tea in Japan, thanks largely to its mild misty climate, mineral-rich soil and near-perfect balance of sunshine and rainfall.

Its origin dates back to the year 1717, when founder Rihei Watanabe established a tea shop called OMIYA at Teramachi Nijo. The shop’s reputation for providing high quality tea grew quickly, receiving recognition from royal court. In 1846, the shop was renamed IPPODO(preserve one).

India

Taj Mahal Tea

Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea initially started in 1966 in Kolkata, soon established its position as India’s first premium tea brand. Their tea farms are located in the gardens of Assam, Darjeeling and the Nilgiris.

Launching its tea houses in collaboration with Unilever in 2015, it seeks for global expansion -Their products include loose teas, whole leaf tea bags as well as their Gourmet Chai collection, with teas such as Karipatta Delight and Mint Masala tea.

The Hillcart Tales

This Kolkata-based premium tea brand was launched in by a family with over five generations in tea trade business. With 32 variants and with Green tea, Black tea, Orthodox long leaf etc. All the tea variants include no processed sugar. But what features the most of this brand is wide range of Dessert teas, known for their rich flavor – named as Tiramisu Delight, Apple Strudel, Lemon Cake, Caramel Dream, Strawberry Lime, and Exotic Mélange.

Bio-degradable tea bag made of muslin cloth is one of the distinctive features of this brand. Having supply chains to more than 40 destinations worldwide, this company has also been associated with world’s luxury Hotel chains such as Marriott, Hyatt, Trident, Westin.

Korea

Osulloc

Osulloc

Osulloc is a top-notch Korean tea brand, well known for its exquisite Jeju green tea products. their premium tea product ‘Illohyang’ and ‘Sejac’ has been awarded the first place at the North America Tea Championship and the World Green Tea Contest.

Jeju island, where Osulloc’s tea farm is located, is a best green tea field with an annual temperature over 14℃, slightly acid soil of pH4.0~5.0, and the hot and humid climate with annual precipitation of more than 1,600mm. Once a barren and rocky field, Jeju Island.has turned into the best tea field for premium green tea with Osulloc’s passion and devotion.

With its nation-wide fame and worldwide acknowledgment, it has established tea cafes at the major locations in Seoul. Osulloc is now expanding and developing its specialties, with a variety of different tea products and green tea-based desserts; including green tea icecream, green tea cookies and cakes.

Ogada

Ogada

Founded in 2009, Ogada is an emerging Korean blended tea franchise, operating 131 local stores in Korea. Ogada has its passion of targeting consumers of all ages to break stereotypes about tea and encourage general tea consumption. Ogada incorporate herbs, fruits and local ingredients blended into modern tastes based on traditional tea.

With skyrocketing sales growth of around 30 percent, it is receiving the benefit of tea boom in Korea – expecting to achieve 10 billion won ($8.82 million) sales by 2020.

—-Uinn Peng

After successfully captivating audiences all over the world in 2019, DREAMCATCHER is determined to stay connected with their fans through their very first online concert titled DREAMCATCHER CONCERT GLOBAL STREAMING INTO THENIGHT & DYSTOPIA.

DREAMCATCHER’s first online concert was made possible by a technology forward platform, MyMusicTaste, that not only allows fans to request physical concerts of their favorite artists in their cities, but also provides the newly added feature of online streaming, which allows artists and fans to stay connected in the pandemic age.

This show comes after DREAMCATCHER’s successful completion of their North American, European and Latin American tours, also actualized through the overwhelming requests of fans on MyMusicTaste. In today’s reality of restricted travels and social distancing, this unique online concert will allow global fans of the Seoul-based group to experience their music and energetic performances from the comfort of their homes.

DREAMCATCHER debuted in January 2017, with the single “Nightmare” and quickly caught the attention of music critics with their unique “Young Metal” sound, and intoxicatingly enthralling choreography. Voted no.3 on Billboard’s Best New K-Pop Acts in 2017, the group’s worldwide fame has grown exponentially since; their title track, “데자부 (Deju Vu),” from their special mini-album Raid of Dream released in September 2019 entered Billboard’s World Albums Chart at no.10. Shortly after its release, Raid of Dream also topped the iTunes album charts of nine different regions—Argentina, Peru, Finland, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates—and entered the top five iTunes album rankings in ten additional countries, further solidifying DREAMCATCHER’s rapidly increasing K-pop influence.

DREAMCATCHER’s burgeoning fandom was also demonstrated by the rapid trajectory of their two crowdfunding projects. Both crowdfunding projects were launched in collaboration with MyMusicTaste and easily surpassed their respective funding goals: their first crowdfunding project opened in July 2018, and reached 555% of its funding goal, while their second crowdfunding project opened in November 2019, and reached 779% (raising $233,823) of its funding goal. DREAMCATCHER is composed of seven female members: JiU, SuA, Siyeon,Yoohyeon, Dami, Handong, and Gahyeon.

Online show ticketing info: Ticket sale is open from July 12, 11:00 AM KST, onMyMusicTaste.com. Early Bird special prices are applied on a very limited quantity of tickets.

Handong will not be participating in this show due to her activities in China.

Further information regarding ticketing and the show itself can be found throughhttps://mmt.fans/HQRW or through other social media channels of MyMusicTaste.

DREAMCATCHER CONCERT GLOBAL STREAMING INTO THE NIGHT & DYSTOPIA July 4, 2020, 23:59 KST – MyMusicTaste

About MyMusicTaste: MyMusicTaste is a fan initiated live event making service that brings fans, artists and promoters from all over the world together in one place to create a valuable and meaningful concert experience for everyone involved. MyMusicTaste puts the power in the fans’ hands, allowing fans to request their favorite artist’s concert in their city. With the mission to connect and amplify the voices of fans all over the world, MyMusicTaste successfully promoted concerts of artists such as EXO, GOT7, MONSTA X, The xx, Machine Gun Kelly, and more in over 57 different cities. With the simple idea–empowering fans to bring their favorite artist’s concert in the city oftheir choice based on fan demand–MyMusicTaste is challenging the $27 billion concert market through cutting-edge technology and sophisticated, user-friendly service. Currently,www.mymusictaste.com supports more than 30 countries and offers 15 different languages.

About Happy Face Entertainment: Established in 2008, Happy Face Entertainment is a South Korean entertainment company founded by the prominent production duo E-tribe. Since the debut of its first artist Nassun, the company has grown in size over the years, producing artists and idol groups under its own name. V.O.S, Dalshabet, and Dreamcatcher are the major artists that are currently associated with the label. Recently, the company also launched subsidiary labels HF Music Company and Dreamcatcher Company, and is garnering much attention and recognition from the public as the rising creator of future K-pop artists.

News of yet another death of a young K-Pop star has reached us. Kim Jeong-hwan, better known as his stage name of Yohan, has passed away at the age of 28. He was a member of Top Secret (TST), a boy band formed by JSL Company and making its debut in 2017 with Time’s Up.

The agency has confirmed Yohan’s death, the cause of which is to be kept private, because of the wishes of his family to be discreet. Many of such cases tend to be suicides, although a few recent deaths of persons in the public eye in Korea have also been conjectured to be due to the recent spread of the new coronavirus. Nothing, however, is confirmed about Yohan’s death.

Top Secret started off as a seven-member group. With a member leaving and another entering military service, the group became a five-member band. Yohan was the second oldest member of the group and sub-vocal.

The TST star had recently celebrated his 28th birthday, on 16^th of April.

A wake for the singer is to be held at the Severance Hospital in Sinchon, Seoul. Then Yohan is alleged to be moved to a cemetery in Yongin on 18^th June.

A statement from KJ Music Entertainment is as follows:

“Hello, this is from TST’s agency KJ Music Entertainment.

We have come forward to tell everyone some very sad and heartbreaking news. The TST member Yohan has passed away on June 16^th.

His bereaved family is in deep mourning. We cordially ask the media to refrain from spreading rumors and speculation on Yohan’s cause of death.”

—-J. Chung

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