Music News Roundup – 21 October 2014

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Reggie Myers is a writer and communications professional living in Philadelphia, Pa., where he graduated from Temple University. Music, television, film, books, video games, politics, and human sexuality are just a few of the many things that make him tick. When he's not working behind a computer screen, you can find him looking for new adventures, practicing photography, scheming ways to get to the front row of a concert, or scouring the corners of the internet for new music to put his friends on to. @reggieakil

Ex-Glee Singer Talks Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity with Oprah

Former Glee star Charice Pemengco sat down with Oprah Winfrey for ‘Where Are They Now?’ this past Sunday to discuss her sexuality amongst other topics. This sit down comes about eight years after the singer’s first appearance on Oprah’s show in May 2006.

When the 22-year-old singer was asked by Winfrey about when she knew she was a lesbian, Charice told the former talk show host that she knew ever since she was five. She said she was in grade school, and she saw a girl and it felt different. She goes on to say she first identified as gay when she learned what it meant at 10.

Oprah then asked her about struggling with whether or not she is transgender, and if she ever considered transitioning. Charice clarified that while she feels that her soul is male, she does not plan to transition and change her body. She did, however, say she would transition as far changing her appearance goes.

You can find the preview clip below, and if you want to find the full interview, check your listings to see when this episode will re-air on the OWN network.

K-Pop Suffers Another Devastating Blow

If you all remember, I reported about the death of two members of a K-Pop band outside a Seoul a couple of months ago. Well, this time there are multiple deaths in the double digits that happened during an outside concert.

This past Friday, a group of people fell down a ventilation grate, which caved in during a 4Minute concert in Seongnam. Sixteen people were reported dead, and eleven more people were reported to be treated at a nearby hospital. According to the Associated Press, the grate that collapsed is reported to be 20 meters deep and 3-4 meters wide.

A video recorded at the concert and used by the YTN news network shows the girl group continuing to sing while most of the crowd is unaware of what has happened. People around the grate were seen looking down into the chasm where the people once stood.

The official, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, believes the grate collapsed due to the weight of the people, but no cause has been determined for sure.

The following day, a man who was one of the concert’s organisers was found dead in an apparent suicide. The 37-year-old man was an employee of Gyeonggi Institute of Science and Technology Promotion, who sponsored the concert as a part of a local festival by Edaily. He was questioned after the concert was stopped the day before.

The Associated Press reported that it was believed the man jumped from the top of a 10-story building according to Park Jeong-ji, a police officer.

That’s enough from me for this week’s Music News Roundup. What about you all? What music stories have captured your interest? Please feel free to let me know in the comment section or on one of the many social media sites Vada operates on.

Photo Credit: Harpo Inc., George Burns.