[CNN] K-pop star Taeyang lends support to 2018 Winter Olympics


 

Taeyang, one part of Korean pop band Big Band, was appointed honorary ambassador for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

– K-pop sensation becomes ambassador for 2018 Winter Olympics
– Taeyang will help attract younger audience, say organizers

(CNN) The 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea just got a little bit cooler — thanks to the help of K-pop sensation Taeyang.

The 29-year-old singer-songwriter has taken on the role of honorary ambassador for next February’s Winter Games in PyeongChang.

Boasting 7.4 million Instagram followers, Taeyang is a member of BIGBANG, South Korea’s biggest boy band, and the first K-pop act to feature on Forbes’ prestigious Celebrity 100 list.

“What I felt as a singer is that music and cultural contents are the biggest strengths that go beyond language and go to any country in the world,” Taeyang said in a video posted on PyeongChang 2018’s official Facebook page.
“I feel like people can be united under music no matter what country you go to. When I perform in another country. The local people there sing along to my song in Korean.

“It’s a really exciting and heartfelt feeling. I think those aspects apply to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.”

Lee Hee-Beom, president of PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee, says Taeyang will help encourage younger fans to get involved.
“K-Pop has a huge following in Korea and around the world so we are very happy to have Taeyang as an ambassador for the Games,” Lee said.

“He will help us reach out to a younger audience that we want to engage and excite around winter sports.”

Taeyang joins a list of ambassadors from the worlds of sport and entertainment to promote the Games that run from February 9-25.
Source: CNN

[Billboard] G-Dragon Tops World Albums Chart for 2nd Week to Nearly Double Total U.S. Sales


Courtesy Photo
G Dragon, “Untitled, 2014”

The achievement makes him the first solo K-pop act to have an album rule the chart for multiple weeks.

While G-Dragon‘s debut record sales last week were already something to gawk at — achieving his best U.S. sales week in just one day — the BIGBANG icon continues to set more impressive chart feats with his recently released EP.

For the second week in a row, G-Dragon’s Kwon Ji Yong rules Billboard‘s World Albums chart with an additional 3,000 copies sold for the week ending June 15, according to Nielsen Music. That pushes the EP’s cumulative total for the two weeks to just over 7,000 copies. The achievement makes him the first solo K-pop artist and second K-pop act overall to have an album spend multiple weeks at No. 1 on the chart.

G-DRAGON

So far, only BTS has logged multiple weeks atop World Albums among K-pop acts. The boy band’s 2015 release The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2 returned to the summit on the chart dated January 16, 2016 and stayed there an additional two weeks. BTS’ Wings album also spent two weeks atop World Albums starting last October. Both BTS and G-Dragon have three No. 1s on World Albums.

Elsewhere on the charts, GD sees more action on Billboard‘s World Digital Song Sales chart as lead single “Untitled, 2014” rises to a new peak at No. 4 (up from No. 14 last week) and the track “Bullsh*t” debuts at No. 10.

Source: Billboard

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