Ex-IZ*ONE’s Miyawaki Sakura addresses move to HYBE’s Source Music in heartfelt letter

HYBE has officially unveiled former IZ*ONE’s Miyawaki Sakura as the first member of its upcoming girl group LE SSERAFIM.On April 4 at Midnight KST, HYBE subsidiary Source Music uploaded its first introduction video for the upcoming girl group featuring Miyawaki. In the new clip, the Japanese K-pop idol dons a suit as she struts towards the camera to an upbeat instrumental, later getting on a motorcycle and blazing through futuristic neon-lit tunnel.The label has also shared official photos of the ex-IZ*ONE member via its social media accounts, hinting at the forthcoming act’s fierce new image.

The Grammys has valiantly plodded on, making announcements about what it has in store, without dislodging Smith and Rock from the headlines: what price the hot news that Bruno Mars and Anderson . Paak’s retro-soul outfit Silk Sonic are opening the show, that the Foo Fighters’ appearance has been replaced by a hastily convened tribute to their late drummer Taylor Hawkins, or indeed the saga of Korean boyband BTS – two of whom have Covid, and may or may not perform – compared with one Hollywood star lamping another on live TV?Anyone tuning in for that sense of schadenfreude can always cling to the prospect of Kanye West attending – barred from performing as a result of his latest social media meltdown, he has nevertheless received five nominations for his album Donda – and the fact that the event is hosted by Trevor Noah, the subject of a recent Instagram tirade by West that included racial slurs.

Manchester’s new futuristic rollerskating rink Paradise Skate World is throwing open its doors on June 2, it’s been confirmed. And those keen to don their rollerboots and get out there can buy tickets from next week.

Luna, from the girl group f(x), is set to make her Broadway debut with a starring role in the musical KPOP.Deadline reported on March 30 that KPOP is set arrive on Broadway with previews on October 13 showing at Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre, before proceeding with opening night on November 20, according to producers Tim Forbes and Joey Parnes.Luna will be portraying MwE, a role originated by Emily In Paris’ Ashley Park during the musical’s off-Broadway run in 2017. A complete roster of the production’s cast has yet to be unveiled, but is expected in the coming months.“Anyone who has followed my career knows that musical theatre has always been a driving passion of mine,” Luna said at the press conference held at New York’s Korean Cultural Centre.

The Sound Of Magic is set to hit Netflix this May.Helmed by Itaewon Class and Love In The Moonlight director Kim Sung-youn, The Sound Of Magic is based on a popular webcomic titled Annarasumanara, written and illustrated by Ha Il-kwon.The upcoming series, which premieres on Netflix on May 6, will feature a star-studded cast that includes Hwang In-youp (True Beauty), Ji Chang-wook (The K2, Backstreet Rookie) and Choi Sung-eun (Beyond Evil). The Sound Of Magic is a fantasy series that follows main character Yoon Ah-yi (Choi), a girl who loses her dreams after facing the harsh realities of life, and Na Il-deung (Hwang), who feels immense pressure to bring his dreams to life. The tale begins to unravel after the pair encounter the enigmatic yet mystical magician Rieul (Ji).The Sound Of Magic was first announced in April 2021.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFlorence + the Machine are set to play an extended run of headline dates later this year, kicking off September 2 in Montreal with further stops including New York’s Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl and many more. One dollar from every ticket sold will benefit Choose Love to aid refugees worldwide.The group has assembled a formidable array of up-and-coming support acts at select dates on the tour: Arlo Parks, Sam Fender, King Princess, Yves Tumor, Japanese Breakfast and Wet Leg will join as support on select dates throughout the tour.

MONSTA X‘s Joohoney has opened up about his personal goals as a songwriter and producer for the group, revealing his intent to dispel the “fixed notion” that older idol groups make “half-hearted” music.In a new interview with Arena Homme Plus, the MONSTA X rapper revealed that the hardest song he’s ever produced is the K-pop group’s June 2021 single ‘Gambler’, through which he hoped to dispel assumptions about older idol groups.“I wanted to break the fixed notion people have that the further you get into your career, you’ll start making music half-heartedly, or the tempo of your songs will get slower,” Joohoney said, per translations by Soompi.Joohoney also said he wanted ‘Gambler’ to be a “powerful” song that would allow MONSTA X, who are nearly seven years old as a group, to showcase the same levels of energy of a younger K-pop act.“Because if a song has a powerful sound, its choreography gets more powerful as well,” he added. “I feel apologetic to the members who suffered [because of the song’s choreography], but looking back on it now, I think it was the right decision.

MONSTA X are reportedly gearing up to release new music.Earlier today (March 23), South Korean outlet Sports Donga reported that the six-member boyband are currently preparing for an April comeback. MONSTA X’s label, Starship Entertainment, has since confirmed the news through a separate press statement.“Our agency’s artist MONSTA X is preparing for an album with the goal of making a comeback this upcoming April,” a representative from the management company said, as translated by Soompi.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on March 21, Oscars co-host Wanda Sykes lamented how little she's getting paid for leading Hollywood's big night this upcoming weekend. "I was real excited about [the gig], but then I realized, out of all the jobs that I have, this one is actually gonna cost me money," said the comedian, who will share the stage with Regina Hall and Amy Schumer on March 27.The paltry pay wasn't exactly news to the late night host, as he's hosted the Oscars solo twice, in 2017 and 2018. After asking Wanda how much she was making, she replied, "I don't even know it's, like, scale probably." "Scale" is a term used by the union, SAG-AFTRA.

HYBE Labels subsidiary Source Music has confirmed that its upcoming girl group, which includes former IZ*ONE members Miyawaki Sakura and Kim Chae-won, are set to debut in May.Today (March 21), the agency confirmed to News1 that their next K-pop act are preparing to debut in May. The news comes just a week after Source Music confirmed that it had signed ex-IZ*ONE’s Miyawaki Sakura and Kim Chae-won as members of its upcoming girl group.“The first girl group created under HYBE with Kim Chae-won and Miyawaki Sakura is preparing with an aim to debut in May,” said the agency, as translated by Soompi.

SEVENTEEN member The8 has unveiled his brand-new Chinese-language single ‘Hai Cheng’.On March 18 at 11am KST, Chinese SEVENTEEN member The8 released his fourth solo single, titled ‘Hai Cheng’, alongside its accompanying video treatment. The clip starts with The8 returning home, before he walks around the living room reminiscing the memories that took place in that space. “The day winter comes / People’s smiles are concealed by their scarves / I long to become a ray of light and caress her face / When blossoms bloom expressions,” The8 croons longingly in the chorus.Titled after Hai Cheng City, the singer’s hometown in China’s Liaoning province, ‘Hai Cheng’ marks The8’s first solo track since last April’s ‘Side By Side’, which was released in both Korean and Chinese.

Stray Kids have unveiled an energetic teaser for the music video of ‘Maniac’, the lead single off their upcoming mini-album ‘ODDINARY’.In the new visual, member Felix breaks through a layer of glass with a drill. The boyband explore various locations in a deserted ghost town, which seemingly sits on the edge of the world, by an open cliff face.“Maniac, going crazy, like I have a loose screw, maniac / Spinning, going crazy, maniac / Laugh like I have a loose screw, maniac,” they chant, stomping and shaking their heads in the accompanying choreography.‘Maniac’ is the lead single of the boyband’s upcoming mini-album ‘ODDINARY’, which arrives this Friday (March 18) at 1PM KST.

In its sophomore outing, Warner Bros/DC’s The Batman kept a firm grip on the international box office, dropping just 42% to add $66.6M from 76 offshore markets. That brings the overseas cume through Sunday to $224.7M for $463.2M global. As the Robert Pattinson-starrer heads to $500M worldwide this week, in like-for-like markets and using today’s exchange rates, it’s currently tracking 132% ahead of pandemic comp Godzilla Vs Kong and is 44% above Wonder Woman, 36% ahead of The Dark Knight and 24% over Justice League.

IZ*ONE members Miyawaki Sakura and Kim Chae-won will return as bandmates in Source Music’s as-yet-unnamed new girl group, the entertainment company has confirmed.On March 14, a representative from Source Music shared a statement confirming that the two idols had signed “exclusive contracts with the agency” and would be joining its upcoming girl group. Notably, the label had reportedly signed the two stars as early as last August, though it did not confirm the news at the time.“Miyawaki Sakura and Kim Chae-won have signed exclusive contracts with the agency on the basis of mutual trust.

A.D. Amorosi To complement Japanese director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s grieving, soft-spun vision for “Drive My Car,” which has received four Oscar noms including director and best picture, the choice of composer to create a melodramatic and delicate score was crucial.Enter Eiko Ishibashi, an experimental Japanese multi-instrumentalist whose 2018 “The Dream My Bones Dream” was a turning point in an already decade-long career of scores for theater and short films.Ishibashi’s 2018 album of haunting soundscapes and its electro-acoustic mix of noise, oddball pop, improvisational jazz and minimalist, modern classical music made her a cinematic force equal to Hamaguchi.

Pitchfork has announced the lineup for the 2022 edition of the Pitchfork Music Festival. Mitski, The Roots, and The National will headline the three-day concert taking place July 15-17 in Chicago's Union Park.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMitski, the National and the Roots will headline the Pitchfork Music Festival when it returns to Chicago’s Union Park, running from Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 17.The Festival kicks off on Friday with The National, who played Pitchfork Music Festival’s first year in 2006, Spiritualized, Parquet Courts, Tierra Whack, Amber Mark, Dawn Richard, Tkay Maidza, Indigo De Souza, Spirit of the Beehive, Spellling, Camp Cope, Wiki, Ethel Cain, and CupcakKe.The festivities continue on Saturday with Mitski, Japanese Breakfast, Lucy Dacus, Low, Magdalena Bay, Dry Cleaning, Karate, Iceage, yeule, Arooj Aftab, The Armed, Chubby & the Gang, Hyd, and Jeff Parker & the New Breed. Closing day features The Roots, Toro y Moi, Earl Sweatshirt, Noname, BadBadNotGood, Cate Le Bon, Tirzah, Xenia Rubinos, Erika de Casier, Injury Reserve, Kaina, L’Rain, Sofia Kourtesis, and Pink Siifu.“This year’s lineup is a celebration of the rising indie class, and those who continue to pave the way for innovation,” said Puja Patel, editor in chief of Pitchfork.