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SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — K-pop superstars BTS were releasing their new album Friday, breaking records even before it came out as the country’s most pre-ordered album of all time, with its lead single the first track to make its debut on video app TikTok. BTS — or Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates as Bulletproof Boy Scouts — has gained a huge global following, becoming the first K-pop group to top charts in the US and […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Elton John has tearfully apologized to fans after cutting short a concert in New Zealand due to illness, with the British superstar saying he was suffering from “walking pneumonia”. The 72-year-old, who is in the midst of a gruelling world tour, struggled to sing while seated at a grand piano during a performance at Mount Smart Stadium on Sunday night. After being checked by a medic with a stethoscope, he […]
by Gaël BRANCHEREAU Agence France-Presse STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) — The lead singer of Swedish pop duo sensation Roxette, Marie Fredriksson, who shot to global fame in the 1990s with hits like “It Must Have Been Love”, has died aged 61 after a long fight with cancer, her manager said Tuesday. The mother of two, who died on Monday, had been diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2002 but went into remission and made a musical […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — As the 2010s winds to a close streaming titan Spotify announced Tuesday that poppy rap sensation Drake is the most globally streamed artist of the decade with more than 28 billion streams. British crooner Ed Sheeran, hip hop warbler Post Malone, pop royalty Ariana Grande and rap iconoclast Eminem rounded out the top five most-streamed artists between 2010 and 2019, Spotify said. Global hit machine Sheeran’s “Shape of You” […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A South Korean pop star has become the latest celebrity to spark anger on the Chinese internet after he “liked” a tweet about the divisive issue of pro-democracy unrest in Hong Kong. Choi Siwon, a member of popular K-pop boy band Super Junior, was forced to apologize twice after liking a post on Twitter by South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo about the Hong Kong protests. Twitter is blocked in China, […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Fans and fellow performers on Tuesday mourned the death of a K-pop star who had long been the target of online bullying, some calling for greater mental health support for those working in the country’s notoriously competitive show business industry. The body of Sulli, a former member of top girl group f(x), was discovered Monday by her manager at her home on the outskirts of Seoul. “There has been […]
by Aziz EL MASSASSI RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — The Saudi capital burst into life with the cheers of young fans of Korean pop group BTS as they performed in the kingdom seeking to transform its ultra-conservative image. The seven members of the wildly popular K-pop band were sweating it out as they danced and sang Friday night in front of thousands of Saudis and expatriates in Riyadh’s 70,000-capacity King Fahd International Stadium. “I am […]
by Pauline FROISSART IPSWICH, United Kingdom (AFP) — The little-known town of Ipswich in eastern England has historically prided itself on farming and football, but is now celebrating the stellar pop career of its most famous son, Ed Sheeran. The global hit machine’s journey to stardom began in the nearby town of Framlingham, where he played his first gig in front of around 30 people. Fourteen years later, the singer is capping off a two-year […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — R. Kelly has been arrested on child pornography and other charges, the New York Times reported, in the latest criminal investigation into the R&B superstar dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct. The 52-year-old, whose legal name is Robert Kelly, was taken into custody by federal agents in Chicago late Thursday, the newspaper said. Federal prosecutors have issued a 13-count indictment against the singer, which also includes enticement of a […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Jay-Z is officially hip hop’s first billionaire, Forbes declared Monday, founding his kingdom on entertainment but also reaping earnings from liquor, art and real estate. The rapper born Shawn Carter, who grew up in one of Brooklyn’s most notorious housing projects, “has accumulated a fortune that conservatively totals $1 billion, making him one of only a handful of entertainers to become a billionaire — and the first hip-hop artist […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle was shot dead in the US city of Los Angeles Sunday, sparking an outpouring of grief from fellow celebrities as the city’s mayor blamed “senseless gun violence.” According to local media reports, Hussle was shot in front of his own clothing store Sunday afternoon at close range, by a man who fled in a getaway car. “Our hearts are with the loved ones of Nipsey Hussle […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A burgeoning K-pop sex scandal claimed a second scalp as a singer who rose to fame after coming second in one of South Korea’s top talent shows admitted secretly filming himself having sex and sharing the footage. Jung Joon-young, 30, announced his immediate retirement from showbusiness amid allegations he shot and shared sexual imagery without his partners’ consent. “I admit to all my crimes,” he said. “I filmed women […]
