Having sold out the home of football two days running last year, the unstoppable BTS are now planning on doing the same to the home of rugby: the Map of the Soul tour will be coming to Twickenham Stadium on 3 and 4 July this year. Ticket details will be forthcoming in due course. In […]
Musicians: BTS
Two days total immersion in BTS at Kingston: a report from the Global Interdisciplinary Conference Project
When I told someone at the (virtually empty) office on the first Friday of the new decade that I would be spending the weekend at a two-day conference on BTS, he at first looked blank. I had to explain to him that they’re a K-pop boy band, at which he grinned and urged me to […]
Connect, BTS art projects in London, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Seoul, New York
For full details of the projects organised under the CONNECT, BTS umbrella visit the official website, www.connect-bts.com, which explains that: CONNECT, BTS is a global project to connect five cities and twenty-two artists, each of whom contributes their unique philosophy and imagination to it. This project aims to redefine the relationships between art and music, […]
Global CONNECT, BTS art project launched at Serpentine
London’s Serpentine Gallery was chosen as the venue for today’s launch of a new international art project in collaboration with BTS. The band attended the event via a live stream. According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, the art project titled “CONNECT, BTS” is a series of exhibitions in five cities on four continents that is […]
A review of the Korean cultural year 2019
A review of some of the highlights and trends in the Korean cultural year, primarily in London but also with half an eye to anything we might have seen elsewhere in the UK. The review is a personal one, inevitably skewed towards the events we managed to get to. Introduction This time last year I […]
BTS: Fandom Culture in the age of New Media
For those that can’t make it to the two-day conference in Kingston, here is some consolation. I expect this one will be popular. Book soon. BTS: Fandom Culture in the age of New Media Monday 6 January 2020, 6:30pm @ KCCUK Reservation essential via KCC website Dr. Jeeheng Lee will present a lecture at the […]
BTS: A Global Interdisciplinary Conference Project at Kingston University
Media & Communications & Music at Kingston University present: BTS (방탄소년단): A Global Interdisciplinary Conference Project Dates: Saturday 4 January – Sunday 5 January 2020 Venue: John Galsworthy Building | Penrhyn Road campus | Penrhyn Road | Kingston upon Thames | Surrey KT1 2EE Price: to be confirmed Booking and full conference programme is now […]
Concert review: BTS Love Yourself, Speak Yourself at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium had been host to many musical acts over the years, including the 1988 Live Aid concert. 31 years later and the stands and pitch are filled with fans of sensational boy group BTS, who are quite literally conquering the world. So it is no surprise that both of their dates at Wembley sold […]
BTS “Bring the Soul” movie screenings
Can’t get enough of the world’s biggest boy band? Their latest movie will be screening on 7 and 10 August at various venues. Check out www.bringthesoulthemovie.com for details. According to Variety, “Bring the Soul” is expected to be similar in theme to 2018’s “Burn the Stage: The Movie,” which was a mixture of BTS’ live […]
Call for Papers – BTS: A Global Interdisciplinary Conference Project
The call for papers has been issued for the long-planned conference on BTS: Call for Papers – BTS: A Global Interdisciplinary Conference Project Kingston University, January 4-5, 2020 Korean boy group BTS are the first ever Korean act to perform at Wembley Stadium as part of their Love Yourself: Speak Yourself world tour. Debuting in 2013 under […]
BTS perform on Britain’s Got Talent
Last time they were in town for a gig it their chosen UK TV appearance was the BBC’s Graham Norton Show. A small TV studio was not the best place to showcase their talents, but they made the best of circumstances and turned in a good performance despite injuries. This time round the stage was […]
BTS tops the UK album charts
BTS is the first Korean band to top the UK album charts, according to the Official Charts Company. Their new EP, Map of The Soul: Persona, released on 12 April, came straight in at number 1, while its lead single Boy With Luv (ft Halsey) narrowly missed a top 10 entry, coming in at number […]
Embodiment, Performativity and Subjectivity: The Best of BTS’s Music Award Show Stages
Winning end-of-year music award shows is important for Korean idols and groups as it helps to cement their importance and popularity not only in Korea but across East and South East Asia. This is demonstrated by the fact that MAMA 2018 – one of the biggest music shows – took place across multiple countries with […]
BTS world tour: Love Yourself, Speak Yourself @Wembley Stadium
Tickets go on sale on 1 March for the biggest K-pop event this year. Join BTS at this sensational new stadium show and get ready to enjoy the show as the world’s most in-demand pop band perform live on stage to BTS fans from all over the world. Update 3 March: As a result of […]
It’s the Korean Music Awards time of year again…
This is the time of year that I realise how behind I am with the music scene in Korea. The Korean Music Awards make me guilty that I’ve missed out on so much great music, but also grateful that they bring it together in one place so that I know what it is that I […]
Colette Balmain’s top 10 Kpop music videos of 2018
My top 10 Kpop videos of 2018, chosen on the basis of their visuals, storytelling, songwriting and musicality: 10. #Cookie Jar (Red Velvet) Red Velvet are one of the few girl groups to successfully switch between the girl crush and cute concepts. #Cookie Jar, their single from their first Japanese EP, combines the sweet & […]
A review of the London Korean cultural year 2018
Every year at this stage in the year, I look back on the cultural highlights, whether they be live performances, exhibitions, movies or books that I have encountered over the past twelve months. Every year I lament that I’ve been unable to cover everything, that I’m getting slower and that there’s been even more to […]