By Regina Kim At first glance, the futuristic music video for the South Korean foursome Aespa’s (styled all lowercase) breakout single “Black Mamba” may not seem that different from other K-pop visuals, with dynamic shots of explosive choreography and brightly colored costumes set against even brighter backgrounds. But about two-and-a-half minutes in, something shifts. As a girl stares wistfully at a subway window, the reflection gazing back is not quite human. With cartoon eyes and long purple hair, she’s an animated doppelgänger, stretching her hand toward her human counterpart. With the release of this futuristic clip in November 2020, the girl...
Former IZ*ONE member Kim Min-ju has reportedly rejected an offer by BTS agency HYBE to join its upcoming girl group. READ MORE: STAYC – ‘Stereotype’ review: K-pop’s most promising girl group prove they are anything but cliché This is according to a new report by YTN News, which claims that the South Korean singer-actress has decided to turn down HYBE’s offer after discussing it with her agency Urban Works Media. Instead of joining the upcoming HYBE girl group, which will reportedly be managed by former GFRIEND agency Source Music, Kim will continue to pursue her burgeoning acting career. The...
Coldplay have announced details of a two-day immersive event in London, dubbed ‘The Atmospheres’. The event, which will take place next weekend (October 15-16) and comes in association with Amazon Music, will also be taking place in New York, Tokyo and Berlin. A press release about the event states: “Inside the custom-built installation, fans will be transported to The Spheres – the distant solar system that plays host to the band’s latest album, where each of the twelve tracks is twinned with a different planet. Advertisement The event is said to “recreate the alien worlds at the heart of...
We Are Scientists have shared a new track called ‘Sentimental Education’ – listen below. READ MORE: We Are Scientists look back on ‘With Love & Squalor’: “It’s been a rollercoaster ride, in that we’ve been throwing up a lot” The New York duo – aka Keith Murray and Chris Cain – released the euphoric single yesterday (October 6) as the latest preview of their new album ‘Huffy’, which arrives tomorrow (October 8). Announcing the song this week, We Are Scientists said that it “was guaranteed to keep summer alive for at least a few more days”. Advertisement ‘Sentimental Education’ arrives...
Former IZ*ONE member Jo Yu-ri has revealed the music video for her debut solo single ‘Glassy’. READ MORE: PURPLE KISS on writing their own songs: “We didn’t know that we would end up being so deeply involved” The clip follows the K-pop star as she heads to a retro diner called ‘Glassy’ for a cup of coffee. There, she comes across a news story about a giant glass shoe that has mysteriously appeared in the “centre of the city”. Things soon take a fantastical turn as she’s transported to a world where giant gift boxes line the street in...
Diplo has denied the recent sexual misconduct allegations made against him, claiming that his accuser is a “stalker” who is attempting to “extort” him. The EDM artist – real name Thomas Wesley Pentz – posted a lengthy statement to Instagram last night (October 6) after Buzzfeed News reported that he may face charges of invasion of privacy and intentionally giving someone a sexually transmitted infection. The Los Angeles city attorney’s office told the outlet that it was considering charging Diplo over a report filed to the LAPD by an unidentified 25-year-old woman in October 2020. “I will keep this...
Billie Eilish has announced a new suite of dates for her forthcoming world tour, taking the pop megastar to Australia and New Zealand next September. The five-date leg is set to kick off at Auckland’s Spark Arena on Thursday September 8, before Eilish and her entourage dip off to Australia for shows in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth. Ticket sales for all dates will go live at 11am local time next Friday (October 15), with a series of presales running from the Monday prior (October 11). More details on those are available from a site purpose-built for the tour....
KISS have confirmed when their current ‘End Of The Road’ world tour will finish. The band are currently in the middle of their lengthy jaunt, which was originally slated to end on July 17 this year. But due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and two of the band members previously coming down with the illness, the tour is likely to take much longer to finally be over. Advertisement “I believe strongly by the beginning of 2023 we will be finished,” Paul Stanley told Ultimate Classic Rock, adding that the band will end their tour in New York. “It seems...
Metallica have admitted they “weren’t equipped” to deal with former bassist Jason Newsted’s exit in 2001. READ MORE: Metallica and friends: “‘The Black Album’ was a victory for the underdog” He played with the band from 1986 but quit after becoming frustrated over his lack of creative input. Now, the band have admitted had they been equipped with a different mindset, Newsted may have remained in Metallica. Advertisement “Jason is the only member of Metallica who has ever left willingly,” drummer Lars Ulrich told Apple Music in a new interview. “And that in itself is a statistic. And the...
Pharrell Williams has pulled his Something In The Water festival in Virginia following the fatal shooting of his cousin earlier this year. The bash was launched in 2019 and curated by Williams, but the 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled due to COVID-19. Now, Williams has confirmed it will not be returning to Virginia Beach in 2022. “I love my city, but for far too long it has been run by and with toxic energy,” the singer wrote in a letter to Virginia Beach city manager Patrick Duhaney. “The toxic energy that changed the narrative several times around the...
