Ateez lands on UK chart with 2nd LP, to go on world tour

K-pop boy group Ateez’s second studio album, “The World Ep. Fin: Will,” landed at No. 2 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart Top 100 Saturday. The chart is compiled by the Official Charts Co. based on sales of CDs and vinyls, downloads, audio streams and video streams. Ateez debuted on the same chart with its ninth mini album, “The World Ep. 2: Outlaw,” in June this year. Ateez is the second K-pop boy group to land on the Official Album Chart Top 100 following K-

K-popDec. 10, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Ateez sells 1.7m copies of 2nd LP

Ateez sold over 1.7 million units of its second studio album in the first week, according to KQ Entertainment Friday. LP “The World Ep Fin: Will” became its third million-selling album and set a first-week sales record for the band, surpassing that of its previous album – its ninth EP “The World Ep. 2: Outlaw,” which ranked No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart when it came out in June. The new album swept all major albums chart at home and a series of those across the

K-popDec. 8, 2023

BTS’ V to star IU’s new music video next year

BTS member V will appear in the new music video of a singer-songwriter IU. IU's agency, Edam Entertainment, confirmed that she wrapped up filming the music video with V on Tuesday. The new album is likely to be released within the first half of 2024. V appeared as a guest on IU's official YouTube channel in September, showing their close friendship. The new music video was directed by Um Tae-hwa, who directed the 2023 film “Concrete Utopia.” Um was also in charge of directi

K-popDec. 8, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Aespa makes New York Times’ best song list

  Girl group aespa’s English-language single “Better Things” was chosen as one of the “Best Songs of 2023” listed by New York Times. It is the only K-pop song on the list that described it as “a K-pop kiss-off with ingeniously cascading vocal harmonies and absolutely no regrets.” The minimal dance tune was dropped in August and was put on stage for the first time at the group’s concert in Los Angeles in advance. Last month, the foursome releas

K-popDec. 7, 2023

BTS' V and Blackpink's Jennie break up: sources

BTS' V and Blackpink's Jennie, who were rumored to have been dating, recently broke up, music industry sources said Wednesday. The two K-pop stars have been caught up in rumors that they are in a romantic relationship after an online post claimed they spent time together on South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju last year. In May, a video posted online also showed what appeared to be V and Jennie seemingly on a date in Paris. Their respective agencies, BigHit Music and YG En

K-popDec. 6, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Riize to return on Jan. 5: report

Rookie boy band Riize is set to release a new single on Jan. 5, according to a local media report on Wednesday. Label SM Entertainment confirmed the news following the report. The band’s latest release was the digital single “Talk Saxy” that was released in October and topped the iTunes top songs chart in seven regions. Riize debuted in September with the single album “Get A Guitar” that sold over a million copies in the first week, and topped Oricon’s daily

K-popDec. 6, 2023

Blackpink survives 7-year curse, renews exclusive contract with YG

Jennie, Lisa, Rose and Jisoo will remain as Blackpink, defying K-pop's infamous “seven-year curse.” The seven-year curse in K-pop refers to the disbanding of most K-pop groups seven years after their debut as the exclusive contracts with their agencies come to an end. “Based on our strong trust in one another, Blackpink renewed its exclusive contract with the agency for group activities,” YG Entertainment announced Wednesday. YG said it plans to actively support Blac

K-popDec. 6, 2023

5 cities in Japan splashed with Seventeen

K-pop boy group Seventeen is adorning five different cities in Japan through The City, a project which hosts diverse events across a specific region for its fans to enjoy. The project is being carried out at 70 different places across Tokyo, Saitama, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka along with 30 companies in time for the group’s visits to these cities as part of its dome tour in Japan, according to Hybe. “The project also took place last year in three different cities in Japan with 25 loca

K-popDec. 6, 2023

BTS to open new chapter after military service

RM, V, Jimin and Jungkook of BTS communicated with their fans through a livestream on Weverse on Tuesday night ahead of starting their mandatory military service next week. “We are looking forward to the day that we resume working as a full unit. We know that together we will generate significant synergy. With this in mind, we will spend the coming year and a half in the military,” said the members. RM and V are enlisting on Dec. 11, and Jimin and Jungkook on Dec. 12, according to in

K-popDec. 6, 2023

[Herald Interview] Zion.T aims to rebrand with new LP ‘Zip’

Singer-songwriter Zion.T contemplated how to reach new listeners when working on his third studio album, “Zip,” which is his first album release in five years. “I (wanted) to present a good album that rebrands my identity as a musician to attract new listeners. I want this album to open a new chapter of my career,” Zion.T said during an interview with a group of reporters on Monday. Zion.T has made his mark on the music industry over the last 12 years as a creative si

K-popDec. 6, 2023

Lucy returns with 'Boogie Man'

Lucy is back with "Boogie Man." The K-pop rock band, which has continued its musical transformation since debuting in 2019, dropped the new single album Tuesday evening. The titular "Boogie Man" is an emo pop song with a mysterious atmosphere, straying from the refreshing energy Lucy has been known for. The funky yet intense rock sounds are a new attempt, but the sounds of Shin Ye-chan's violin revel in Lucy's unique quality. The boogie man of the song refers to ano

K-popDec. 5, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ V to appear in IU’s music video: report

V of BTS will appear in a music video for IU’s upcoming single, according to a local media report Tuesday. Management firms for both artists confirmed the news following the report. They have already finished shooting the visuals, said Edam Entertainment, adding that IU’s new album will be released in the first half of 2024. The shooting schedule was moved up as V is set to enlist in the military next week along with bandmates RM, Jimin and Jungkook. His label, Big Hit Music, announ

K-popDec. 5, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink hits 1.9b views with ‘Kill This Love’ music video

    Blackpink’s music video for “Kill This Love” has generated 1.9 billion views on YouTube as of Monday, according to label YG Entertainment. This follows the video of “Ddu-du Ddu-du” and makes the foursome the first K-pop artist ever to have two hits to achieve the feat. The music video came out in April 2019 and was one of the top 10 most-viewed music videos in 2023 while the song hit Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 41, setting a record for a K-po

K-popDec. 4, 2023

P1Harmony expands reach in US with iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour

P1Harmony has expanded its presence in the US, performing in front of some 30,000 people during the annual iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, performing in front of some 30,000 local fans. The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, a holiday concert presented by Capital One, featuring the year’s top artists performing their No. 1 hits, kicked off Nov. 26 in Tampa, Florida. The multicity tour's lineup is one of the most anticipated, particularly of the Christmas holiday season. It stops at 11 cities

K-popDec. 4, 2023

Itzy to drop new album, go on second world tour

JYP Entertainment’s girl group Itzy is set to release a new album, "Born to Be," on Jan. 8. The agency announced the five-member group's comeback scheduled for next year, including the album promotion schedule and the album tracklist, on its official social media accounts, Monday. The upcoming release is a 10-track studio album led by the title track, “Untouchable.” The lead track was produced by renowned K-pop lyricists and producers Lee Seuran, Jam Factory and

K-popDec. 4, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS member Jungkook’s ‘Golden’ 4th most-streamed on Spotify this year

The solo single from Jungkook of BTS was the fourth most-streamed song this year on Spotify, according to the platform’s year-end roundup announced Wednesday. His “Seven (feat. Latto)” ranked No. 4 on Spotify’s Top 10 Songs Globally, after “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, “Kill Bill” by SZA and “As It Was” by Harry Styles. The single was No. 1 on its Global Top K-Pop Songs of the Year list. He earned a Guinness World Record with the single fo

K-popDec. 1, 2023

Ateez closes 1st chapter of career with 'The World Ep. Fin: Will’

K-pop boy group Ateez dropped its second full-length album “The World Ep. Fin: Will” on Friday. “It took us four years to release our second studio album. This album wraps up our five years as Ateez and previews what is to come in the following years. Also, we included some unit and solo singles in this album for the first time ever,” said the group’s leader Hong Joong during a press conference in Seoul. The new album carries a total of 12 tracks led by the title tr

K-popDec. 1, 2023