01/07/2025

TUESDAY | JULY 1, 2025

26

LYFE

Hyeri to visit Malaysia for fan meet in August

K OREAN multi-talented artiste Lee Hye-Ri (Hyeri) has kicked off her Asia fan meet tour 2025 Hyeri Fanmeeting tour – Welcome to Hyeri’s Studio. Following shows in Korea, Japan and Macau, Hyeri is finally making her way to Malaysia for the first time, giving fans the chance to meet her up close and in person. The Malaysia stop of the tour is set to take place on Aug 17 at ZEPP Kuala Lumpur. In this special fan meet, fans will have the opportunity to experience Hyeri’s stage charisma up close. This year marks a significant milestone for Hyeri as she celebrates the 15th anniversary of her debut. She recently starred in the hit Netflix K-drama Friendly Rivalry , playing the role of Yoo Jae-yi, a genius high school girl. Breaking away from her usual sweet image, Hyeri delivered a powerful and darkly compelling performance that impressed and captivated audiences worldwide. Since the drama’s release, her Instagram following has surpassed 10 million. This marks her rise in popularity worldwide. Looking back on her career, every step has reflected her remarkable growth and transformation. She first burst onto the scene in 2010 as the youngest member of the girl group Girl’s Day. In 2014, her genuine and down-to-earth appearance on the variety show Real Men earned her the affectionate title of Nation’s Little Sister. Then in 2015, she gained recognition for her leading role as Sung Deok-sun in the beloved drama Reply 1988 , which became the highest-rated Korean cable series at the time of its airing. Her standout performance o Artiste’s popularity sees new heights after popular K-drama Friendly Rivalry TIME really does fly. It seems just like yesterday that Killswitch Engage was being heralded as the new voice of metal with its masterful blend of death metal and hardcore. The clean, shouty vocals were a nice counterpoint to the deathly growls and seemed designed for stadia-rousing singalongs. It was all very new and novel. Fast forward a quarter of a century later, KIllswitch Engage has just dropped its ninth album but returns to a vastly different musical landscape. Its last album was Atonement in 2019 and since then music fans have been exposed to waves of K-pop dominance and further genre bending from the likes of Sleep Token and Poppy. Since then, it could even be argued that bands such as In Flames has stolen its thunder by perfecting the melodic metalcore sound. Does the new record do enough to satisfy modern listeners? For a band this long in the tooth, it becomes that much more difficult to reinvent itself. What it can do in spades is deliver the perfect amalgam of metal and hardcore elements that has enough melodic appeal to entice a wider audience. This Consequence is packed with songs, not just riffs, that are catchy, melodic and feature ALBUM REVIEW Ű BY R.BALA

Sirup’s previous brand collaborations include work for Mini and Bose.

WHAT happens when two of Japan’s most genre-defying voices step into the same room? You get Undercover feat. Ayumu Imazu – a slick, stylish R&B cut that hits hard and lingers long after the beat fades. Out now on all platforms, this is the first official collaboration between Sirup and Ayumu Imazu. Produced by Taka Perry, Undercover slips between the lines of our digital lives – the faces we show, the ones we hide – and sets that tension to a hypnotic groove. Sirup’s effortless vocals meet Ayumu’s smooth bilingual flow, creating a late-night anthem for the double life we all live online and in real life. The music video levels it up. Directed by Daiki Kamoshita, it is cinematic and full of duality. Saori Izawa (known for stunt work in Kingdom and Rurouni Kenshin ) brings sharp fight choreography, while Ayumu himself steps in as choreographer for the final dance – a mirror-like showdown that brings it all home. With a vocal style that effortlessly moves between rap and singing, Sirup delivers genre-defying music rooted in neo-soul and R&B, blending elements of gospel and hip-hop into a refined sound that makes anyone feel good. Sirup has released collaborative tracks with artistes from the UK, South Korea, Australia and Taiwan. In 2022, he held his first solo concert at the iconic Nippon Budokan, and in 2024, his music was nominated at the Golden Melody Awards, the largest music awards in the Chinese entertainment industry. Imazu, born May 12, 2000 in Osaka, composes, choreographs and performs in Japanese and English. His 2024 viral hit Obsessed topped Korea’s Billboard Japan Songs chart and earned a 2024 Japan Record Award. A new generation global artist, his music and performance presence continues to resonate worldwide. Sirup, Ayumu Imazu’s new single Undercover explores hidden digital lives

not only resonated deeply with audiences, but also earned her multiple acting awards – cementing her transition from idol to acclaimed actress. To show her appreciation for years of fan Hyeri’s visit on Aug 17 is her first to these shores.

support, Hyeri is going all out in preparing this fan meeting, aiming to deliver a truly unforgettable experience. Tickets will go on sale July 8 and are priced from RM498 and RM798.

Killswitch Engage returns with impressive album

influences on its sleeve and could just be the albums best track with its chugging riffage and razor-sharp guitar solos. The production is also pleasingly full-bodied with the bass drums boosted to the nth degree to give the whole exercise a very solid foundation.

This Consequence is the band’s ninth studio outing. – PICS FROM INSTAGRAM @KILLSWITCHENGAGE

In the age of streaming, newbie fans can have their pick and choose from Killswitch Engage’s discography, or even cherry pick the finest cuts in a random playlist. But there is absolutely no harm giving this new opus a go in its entirety as with a very lean 35 minutes running time, there is hardly any excess fat. With many a metal publication and forum calling this one of the finest albums of 2025 thus far, it is worth suggesting there are few better ways to spend a half hour. Great head swirling fun is almost guaranteed. This Consequence is released via the Metal Blade imprint and is available to stream on all major platforms.

absolutely epic choruses. Prime examples include Collusion and Requiem with big, shout-along arena-friendly choruses that will keep old and new fans entertained for long stretches of time. Abandon Us also showcases the band’s fine grasp of traditional heavy metal licks, with Judas Priest-style solos jostling for the listeners’ attention. Where It Dies proudly wears its Metallica Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band formed in 1999.

Imazu performs in English and Japanese.