Author: Denise Coley
iKON’s Junhoe is making his solo debut this coming July. Junhoe is scheduled to make a debut with the ‘BRUISE’ mini-album on July 3. Junhoe, also a talented actor, will be following the steps of his other group members who have walked before him in the solo artist realm, including DK, Bobby, and Song. Junhoe’s solo debut also comes days after iKON’s Chanwoo and Bobby enlisted into the military. This is a monumental moment for Junhoe who has been in the K-Pop industry for the last 9 years. —-Karen Mwenda #JunhoeofiKON #iKON #Junhoe #JUNHOEminialbum #kcrushnews #Chanwoo #Bobby #militaryenlistment…
The former Wonder Girls member is above the moon with the joy of becoming a mother again. Hyerim, who walked down the aisle with her lover in 2020, first joined motherhood in 2020 after giving birth to their firstborn, Si Woo. On June 25, the former Wonder Girls member shared the joyous news about her pregnancy thrilled that Si Woo would finally get a sibling. With the baby’s gender still a mystery, fans have shown their unwavering support through heartwarming congratulatory messages on her social media platforms. Hyerim promised to keep her fans updated, including through her YouTube channel. Congratulations…
On June 28, BTS’s Jimin graced fans with a pre-release single in collaboration with the talented rapper Loco. Titled “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band”, this lyrical piece is a track from Jimin’s upcoming solo album, ‘MUSE’. ‘MUSE’ will be Jimin’s 2nd solo album scheduled for release on July 19. The “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” pre-release single comes days after a full track list for the upcoming ‘MUSE’ album was revealed. With the track list reveal, fans cannot wait to see how Jimin’s voice blends with the various artists he has collaborated with in this ‘MUSE’ album. Loco, Jimin’s iconic collaborator for…
In this interview, Film Critic and Journalist Carolyn Hinds speaks with director Raita Yabushita about his black & white short film ‘AI Love You’, which screened in the Asia & Japan Program of the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, 2024. It stars 柄本時生, 佐々木春香, 広岡由里子, 谷川昭一朗. Interpreting for the interview was done by John Haggerty, MC for the festival. #SSFF2024 #KCrush #JapaneseFilm #ShortFilm #AsianCinema
KARA, a legendary second-generation girl group, is set to make a comeback this coming July according RBW Entertainment. KARA, which debuted in 2007, was among the leading contributors to the rise of Hallyu wave, especially with the 2012’s “Mr.” hit song. This comeback will be KARA’s release in a while with their last release being the ‘Move Again’ special album in November 2022 for their 15th anniversary. The album gained massive views confirming that KARA is indeed the queen on Hallyu. The “When I Move” single, a track from the ‘Move Again’ album, was also selected among Billboard chart’s “Best…
The wait is over for Germany’s, and neighboring states, K-fans. The biggest international K-Pop culture and entertainment festival will be heading to Germany for a 2-day packed-up event. Featuring performances from notable K-Pop artists, KCON Germany is scheduled to take place on the 28th and 29th of September at Messe Frankfurt. KCON Germany will be the fourth KCON event, including the upcoming July 26th to 28th KCON Los Angeles. The other two global KCON events happened in Japan and Hong Kong. KCON is also hinted to be gearing up for an event in Saudi Arabia. The KCON Germany artist line-up…
WINNER’s Lee Seung Hoon, famously known as Hoony, is set to officially debut as a solo artist this coming July. The solo debut comes days before the band, which debuted in August 2013, celebrates its 10th anniversary. According to YG Entertainment, the star is finalizing the debut album which is set to be released in mid-July. In addition to being a skilled dancer and choreographer, Hoony has showcased his capability through WINNER band’s lyrical pieces. One of his most memorable lyrical masterpiece is the “FLAMENCO” track, his solo track, which featured in WINNER’s ‘CROSS’ album released in 2019. Hoony is…
GOT7’s Yoongjae and Bae In Hyuk have switched agencies. Yoongjae of GOT7 boy band has transferred agencies to AndBut Company. The talented musical guru, who also ventured in to the solo artist realm back in 2021, released a teaser of his upcoming comeback digital single titled “T.P.O” late last month. On June 24, AndBut Company shared their joy of working with the star who was formerly under JYP Entertainment. AndBut Company is said to be owned by a former employee of JYP Entertainment. Bae In Hyuk also changed agencies and joined YY Entertainment family that houses legendary artists like…
Film Critic and Journalist Carolyn Hinds speaks to Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Nedda Sarshar about her short film ‘Unibrow’, beauty standards, teenage and cultural insecurity and acceptance. The film screened in the Shibuya Diversity Program at SSFF & Asia. #CanadianFilm #BeautyStandards #JapaneseFilmFestival #AsianFilmFestival #Interview #KCrush
In this interview film critic and journalist Carolyn Hinds speaks with filmmaker Nguyễn Hồng Anh about her queer romance short film ‘Saigon Kiss’ which screened in the Rainbow Program at the Japanese festival (SSFF& Asia) #VietnamesFilm #Saigon #ShortShortsFilmFestival #LGBTQ #kcrushfilminterview #QueerRomance #kcrushamerica #filmfestivalinterview #2024kcrushinterview #KCrush #AsianFilmFestival #Interview
BTS’s jovial Jin has been discharged from the military. On June 12, Jin celebrated the milestone with other BTS members as they congratulated him for the hardwork. Jin enrolled into the military last year in June. The star was serving in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, under the 5th Infantry Division recruit training center. Jin was the first BTS member to undertake the mandatory military training. J-Hope and Suga followed months after. Jung Kook, V, Jimin and RM were the last members to enlist in December 2023. BTS is expected to reunite as a band in 2025 after all the members…
In addition to the recently finished “Queen of Tears” and “Lovely Runner” k-dramas, the first half of June 2024 has seen a trend in k-dramas of diverse genres. Here are 8 k-dramas that have received high ratings and are worth bingeing on this June. 1. Connection A reputable narcotics unit detective is forcibly addicted to drugs and his best friend is murdered. Uncovering the mystery behind those who made him addicted and his friend’s murder unveils a web of dark secrets tied to the most powerful figures. With every episode revealing the connection between the over decade-long rogue deals and…
In a devastating heart-wrenching post, the former Hello Venus member shared the news of her battle with cancer. Yoo Ara gained fame after debuting under Hello Venus girl group with the “Venus” hit single in 2012. In June 11, 2024, Yoo Ara shared a touching message on her Instagram page revealing that she had recently been diagnosed with cancer. The star poured her heart out sharing that she had undergone surgery to remove a malignant tumor. Yoo Ara shared that although the journey has been difficult, she is getting better and plans to work hard on recovering and being the…
The legendary boy band has made yet another groundbreaking stride through collaboration to appear in a Hollywood film, the internationally accredited Minions series. On June 14, “Despicable Me 4” hinted that BTS would be part of their highly anticipated film. Despicable Me 4 uploaded a teaser video showing BTS minions dancing to the band’s “Permission to Dance” song. Produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures, this American animated comedy film premiered in New York City on 9th June 2024, and is expected to be released next month. Pharell William, who performed the “Happy” hit song for “Despicable Me 2”,…
Film Critic and Journalist Carolyn Hinds speaks with Filmmaker Ikeda Kei about his latest short film ‘to I’ which screens in the Asia International & Japan Program of the 2024 ShortShorts Film Festival & Asia in Japan. Language interpretation was done by John Haggerty.
“All that glitters isn’t gold” Is a phrase I often heard growing up to describe how people can project an outward appearance of perfection while behind closed doors their lives would be anything but perfect. In her second feature film Time to Be Strong, which premiered at the 25th Jeonju International Film Festival, writer and director Namkoong Sun strips down the facade of perfection projected by the Korean music industry to show that the lives of its artists are anything but golden. Following the success of her 2021 debut feature Ten Months which screened at numerous film festivals within…
The legendary American singer and songwriter, Billie Eilish, is set to appear on Korea’s popular tvN talk show, “You Quiz On The Block’”. The “Lunch” hitmaker is set to interact with Yoo Jae Suk and Cho Sae Ho with the filming scheduled for mid-June. Billie Eilish released her 3rd studio album, ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’, early last month. On June 5, the star released a music video teaser of one of the album tracks. The “Chihiro” track MV teaser has skyrocketed the fans’ expectations, especially Korean fans as Bille Eilish is expected to visit Korea in June to promote…
Crayon Pop became a sensational K-pop act from the “Bar Bar Bar” single that gave them over 65 million YouTube views in 2021. Formerly known as Hurricane Pop, Crayon Pop girl band debuted in July 2012 with the “Saturday Night” single under Chrome Entertainment. Composed of Gummi, Choa, Way, and Ellin after Soyul’s departure, Crayon Pop band made international strides including occulting in doing an opening act for Lady Gaga. The group strived to maintain high ratings throughout their career earning a well-deserved credibility status in the history of K-pop. Crayon Pop band has been inactive since 2017 after their…
Bobby, who was set to join mandatory military service last month on the 21st finally enlisted on June 4, 2024. The iKON boy band member became the band’s third member to enlist in the military. Bobby shared a picture with his hair cut short as he thanked the fans for their continued support. Bobby rose to fame after winning the 2014 Mnet’s Show Me the Money 13 survival reality program. Bobby’s agency, 143 Entertainment, announced it would hold a small private ceremony during his enlistment. Bobby has been quite busy in the first half of 2024 including releasing his 3rd…
Viral Music Sensation Gets Ready for 19-city Nationwide Tour on the Heels of Celebrating Two Billion Views Collectively Trending Asian-American boy group, North Star Boys has released their much-anticipated second full-length album, CYDIA on all digital streaming platforms. The seven-track album showcases the group’s versatility and emotional depth, marking a significant milestone in their careers. Back in April, North Star Boys had already released their main track of CYDIA, Jet Black which garnered attention from fans from all over the world with their 55+ million social media followers. Jet Black, is a dark yet catchy song that highlights the group’s…