Korean singer-songwriter eldon brings his 'Comic Book' world to life with Asia, US tourKorean singer-songwriter eldon kicked off his first-ever world tour Saturday, bringing his “Comic Book” series to Asia and the U.S. The tour kicked off following the release of “Finalé,” a surprise single released Thursday that serves as the final installment in the R&B act’s music series of the same name. The tour covers multiple stops across Asia and North America, opening the showcases in Taipei, Bangkok and Tokyo before heading to New York, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. The tour will culminate with a Seoul concert, happening mid-December, eldon revealed. Details on the last stop are yet to be announced. The singer will feature guest artists throughout the tour, listing the help of fellow R&B artists jeebanoff and Kim Seungmin for the Tokyo leg. “I’ve been a fan of both of them for a long time, so I really, really wanted to do a show with them,” eldon explained. Meanwhile, the Houston show will feature HOHYUN, with whom he previously collaborated on his 2024 single “Fraud.” “It was kind of a coincidence," he said. "Our tours just happened to overlap, so we’rOct 19, 2026By Mariel Abanes
InterviewKorean startup targets 'legal AI music' via copyright trackingMore than half of the new tracks uploaded to French streaming service Deezer each day are now made by artificial intelligence (AI). The company said such uploads peaked in June at about 90,000 a day, up from roughly 10,000 in January 2025. The record industry's response is shifting from the courtroom to the negotiating table. Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, which sued AI music generators Suno and Udio in 2024 alongside Sony Music, have since settled with Udio. Warner has also settled with Suno. What the industry still lacks is a way to pay the people whose music feeds these systems. Streaming runs on a simple formula, in which a song is played, counted and paid for, but nothing comparable exists for AI-generated songs that draw on existing ones. For now, platforms are simply keeping fully AI-generated tracks out of royalty payments. These are not distant problems for Korea. K-pop reaches much of its global audience through the same streaming services, and at home, AI-assisted tracks have recently climbed the charts on Melon and YouTube, even though major streaming platformsOct 16, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Hebron's 'House of Green' makes it out of his family group chatSinger-songwriter Hebron, the solo folk project of MGFF vocalist Byun Ha-eun, has opened the doors to “House of Green,” his first full-length album released Sept. 15. A collection of songs written over the course of a decade, the 13-track album traces the artist’s experiences of the world after “stepping out of his house” — comprising stories of love, separation and longing. It features the 2024 single “Anchor,” alongside long-unreleased fan favorites such as “Greeting” and “Honestly.” He also released a physical edition Oct. 6, featuring additional tracks including “Window” and “Home,” bringing the total to 20 songs. “The overarching themes of this record simply couldn’t be captured in anything less than a full-length format,” he told The Korea Times. “I believe these tracks could only truly become the ‘House of Green’ when gathered together.” “House of Green,” a theme that Hebron had been eager to explore for a long time, “is actually the name of our family’s group chat.” It was taken from a scene in a film his mother watched whenOct 14, 2026By Mariel Abanes
ReviewZara Larsson sets Seoul ablaze with 'Midnight Sun' tourZara Larsson, the popstar who rose to fame by winning a Swedish talent show at the young age of 10, is now in the strongest stretch of her career. The Swedish singer won two American Music Awards (AMAs) in May, and "Lush Life," released a decade ago, returned to the Billboard Hot 100 after a fan-dance video went viral. Her fifth album, "Midnight Sun," arrived last year to strong listener reviews and has taken her around the world on a tour of the same name. On Sunday, that tour reached Myunghwa Live Hall in western Seoul for her first-ever headline show in Korea. She had visited only once before, for the 2017 Asia Song Festival. Demand was high enough that a second night was added, and both sold out. For an artist of her current profile, Myunghwa Live Hall, a performance venue with a capacity of about 1,600, is a surprisingly small room, but nobody in it on Sunday night seemed to mind. Many in the crowd were fully glittered and glammed up, flowers in their hair and all, dressed as if the night was a party of their own. Larsson opened the 7:30 p.m. show with the title track, "Midnight SunOct 5, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Korean Chamber Orchestra to explore musical contrasts in SeoulThe Korean Chamber Orchestra (KCO) will highlight music across different eras, from the Baroque period to contemporary works, during its "Contrast Series 5" on Oct. 22 at the Seoul Arts Center. Launched in 2025, the KCO Contrast Series has placed pieces from contrasting periods and styles within a single program to illuminate musical shifts and evolution. The upcoming performance demonstrates the broad musical capabilities of a chamber orchestra. The program opens with Francesco Geminiani's Concerto Grosso in D minor, H.143 "La Folia" and features the premiere of Peter Lieuwen's Sarumba for 2 Violins and Chamber Orchestra in Korea, alongside two guitar concertos by Antonio Vivaldi and Dmitri Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony in C minor, Op.110a. A key highlight will be Lieuwen's Sarumba for 2 Violins and Chamber Orchestra, which will be performed in Korea for the first time. Written for two violins and a chamber orchestra, the piece blends jazz and world music elements based on Brazilian rhythms such as samba, baiao, rumba, frevo and bossa nova. Combining minimalist textures, neoclassicalSep 30, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Seoul International Music Festival returns to celebrate beauty of human lifeThe Seoul International Music Festival (SIMF) returns for its 18th edition with a curated series of classical music to offer comfort, hope and joy to audiences. The festival will present seven concerts from Oct. 8-16 at the Seoul Arts Center and Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul under the central theme "Bravo My Life!" Artistic Director Ryu Jea-joon framed the seven concerts into a single narrative arc reflecting human existence. The journey begins with the opening concert "Breath" and continues through "Three Portraits," "Serenade," "Light and Shadow," "Wonderful Memories," "Dichterliebe" and the closing concert "Humanity, That Brilliant Journey." "We prepared classical music with care to deliver comfort, hope and joy, encouraging everyone who lives their daily lives faithfully," Ryu said during a recent press conference. "I hope the beautiful music played by these precious artists offers small strength, courage and warm comfort to your lives." He said the festival will bring together musicians carrying their own stories from countries around the world, including the Czech Republic, Spain, AuSep 30, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Luci Gang cooks up fresh hip-hop flavor with latest albumWalking down into the basement venue in Sangsu felt like meeting an old friend. I'd been a fan of Seoul's indie hip-hop scene right up until the pandemic hit in 2020, and I never quite got the magic back after that. Venues I used to go to closed for good. Lockdowns worldwide coincided with a boom in Korean culture abroad, but the wave that broke through leaned almost entirely toward K-dramas and K-pop. Since then, there hasn’t been much in the local hip-hop scene that got me excited. Then "HEADLOCK" turned up in my feed one day in the middle of July. I didn't know who Luci Gang was, but the song and the video caught me immediately, a two-minute house-inflected gut-punch that felt unapologetically quirky and infectious. It's the standout single off her third album, "Rolling Stone," from an independent rapper, born Lee Eun-seon, who has spent six years building a catalog almost entirely outside the traditional label system. The song has been traveling. It even landed on rap veteran Lupe Fiasco's Instagram story, which drew even more support and made clear it's resonating with internatioSep 25, 2026By Justin Kyle
AI music is already charting. Korea is slow to respondAn artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted song's entry into Melon's Top 100 chart has exposed a regulatory vacuum over AI music in Korea, just weeks after the country's largest music copyright collective withdrew its first attempt to allow the registration of such works. "Forest of the Heart," released in May by YouTube creator Joseon HipHop, peaked at No. 89 on the Top 100 chart and No. 99 on the daily chart for Melon, one of the country's top streaming platforms, according to Yonhap News Agency. The creator wrote the lyrics and produced the melody and vocals using Suno, a generative music AI service. The track became popular by word of mouth, especially among listeners in their 40s. The song has since dropped out of both charts, but its run showed that AI-assisted music can already reach mainstream listeners here, well before rules on authorship and royalties are in place. In March, the Board of Audit and Inspection said 29 composers had submitted more than 200 songs each to the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) in 2024, and roughly 5,200 of those songs showed signs of generativSep 21, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Why K-pop vocal coaches behind EXO, aespa are betting on virtual idols in JapanIt’s hard to say exactly how many K-pop artists have trained under Jang Jin-young and Kim Seong-pil, two of the industry’s most prominent vocal directors, or received their guidance in the recording studio. Jang has trained numerous SM Entertainment acts, including EXO, Red Velvet, SHINee, NCT, aespa, RIIZE and Hearts2Hearts. Kim currently works primarily with artists at The Black Label, while also coaching Japan-based acts including Avex-affiliated XG and artists under LDH. Together, they have spent years shaping the voices of countless stars. The two vocal directors are now stepping into new roles as producers and their first act is an unexpected choice — a five-member virtual idol group aimed at the Japanese market. The pair founded A-TOP Company in 2013 and have since worked with entertainment agencies in Korea and overseas, drawing on more than two decades of vocal training experience. They later established A-TOP Universe to develop and produce their own artists. Their first project is a “2.5D” virtual act combining Japanese subculture with the K-pop production system. ThSep 12, 2026By Hankookilbo
Busan Int'l Rock Festival goes big with 99-act lineupThe Busan International Rock Festival will bring 99 musical acts to Samnak Ecological Park this October, backing a massive lineup with international travel packages, late-night stages and regional transit links to attract fans from overseas. The festival, scheduled for Oct. 2-4, will feature British rock band The Libertines as its final headliner, alongside Korean artists including Jang Beom-jun, Broccoli, You Too, N.Flying, Kwon Jin-ah, Say Sue Me and Lucy. Japanese artists Aina the End and Hanabie also join previously announced performers including Avenged Sevenfold, Megadeth, Songgolmae, Jannabi, Creepy Nuts, Suchmos, Hanroro and WOODZ. Busan said it is expanding overseas ticket sales through global travel platforms including Klook, KKday and Trip.com, with packages combining festival admission and local tourism products. Round-trip shuttle buses will connect Gimhae International Airport and Busan Station with the festival grounds, while guides will assist international visitors. Foreign visitors can also purchase packages combining festival tickets with round-trip transportation betweSep 7, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
