BTS' J-Hope to release 1st solo album next month

J-Hope, a rapper and dancer of K-pop supergroup BTS, plans to release his solo album "Jack in the Box" next month, his agency said Sunday. J-hope will debut his first solo album on July 15 and drop a prerelease single Friday, according to Big Hit Music. He will be the first BTS member to go solo since the septet announced plans earlier this month to take a temporary break to focus on their individual projects. J-Hope released his first solo mix tape, "Hope World," in 2018, wh

K-popJune 26, 2022

Twice’s Nayeon overcomes limits with first solo EP ‘Im Nayeon’

Nayeon of K-pop band Twice dropped her first solo album “Im Nayeon” on Friday as the first member from the group to go solo. Ahead of dropping the album at 1 p.m., Nayeon conducted a press conference in Seoul to discuss her first album. “I have very mixed feelings right now. I’m kind of relieved as I’ve been preparing this for so long, but at the same time, I feel excited and very anxious,” Nayeon said, sporting platinum-blonde hair and in an elegant black p

K-popJune 24, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream to host concert in Seoul next month

NCT Dream will hold its second standalone concert series in Seoul from July 29-31, SM Entertainment announced Friday. 　 It has been over 2 1/2 years since its previous standalone concert, and it will be an upgrade in terms of music and performance, the band’s label proclaimed. The last day’s performance will be broadcast live as well via Beyond Live. 　 The septet put out their second full-length album “Glitch Mode” and repackaged album “Beatbox” in March an

K-popJune 24, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen confirms Japan tour plan

Seventeen will tour three cities in Japan from Nov. 19, Pledis Entertainment announced Thursday. 　 It will perform six times, in Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya, until Dec. 4. It will be the band’s first dome tour in the country. 　 The Japan leg is likely to be the final part of its upcoming international tour. The first show is in Seoul on Saturday. In August, the band will start the North American leg bringing it to 12 cities, including Vancouver, Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington.

K-popJune 23, 2022

VIVIZ to drop 2nd EP next month

Girl group VIVIZ will put out its second EP next month, the group's management agency said Thursday. The EP titled "Summer Vibe" will hit various music services at 6 p.m. on July 6, Big Planet Made said. It will be the first release from the band since its first EP, "Beam of Prism," in February. The trio aims to become the new summer queen of the K-pop scene with the new EP after returning with a more mature side, the agency said in a release. VIVIZ debuted in February w

K-popJune 23, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids tops 100m views with “Maniac” video

The music video for Stray Kids’ “Maniac” reached 100 million views on YouTube, said label JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. 　 The video was fully released in March and became the band’s sixth music video to reach the milestone, following those of “God’s Menu,” “Back Door,” “Miroh,” “My Pace” and “Thunderous.” 　 “Maniac” is the focus track from the EP “Oddinary” that ranked No. 1 on th

K-popJune 22, 2022

Back after 2 years, Kard is ready to start off fresh with EP ‘Re:’

Co-ed quartet Kard on Wednesday made its full group comeback after nearly two years with the new album “Re:,” through which the group hopes to embark on a new start of their musical journey. The four bandmates, consisting of two female members Minseo and Jiwoo alongside male members BM and J. Seph -- said they felt like they were redebuting in preparing the new album, so named the album “Re:.” “When you add the prefix ‘re-’ in front of a verb, it means

K-popJune 22, 2022

CJ ENM announces lineup for KCON 2022 LA

KCON, the world’s biggest Korean popular culture festival, will return to a physical location in over two years in Los Angeles in August. The event is headlined by the trendiest lineup of K-pop groups, including Enhypen, Itzy and NCT Dream. CJ ENM, the Korean entertainment conglomerate organizing KCON, revealed on Wednesday the lineup of performers to feature in the global K-pop event, slated to run from Aug. 19-21 at the Crypto.com Arena (previously the Staples Center) and the LA Convent

K-popJune 22, 2022

Two new BTS songs on Billboard singles chart, 'Yet To Come' at 13th

Two new singles from the BTS anthology album "Proof" have entered the Billboard's Hot 100 main singles chart for this week. According to the latest chart unveiled Tuesday (US time), "Yet To Come," the main track of the album, debuted at No. 13 and "Run BTS," also off the same album, at 73rd on the chart. Released on June 10, "Proof" started on top of the Billboard 200 main albums chart for this week despite the group's recent announcement of a pa

K-popJune 22, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] TXT to tour 4 cities in Asia in October

Tomorrow X Together announced plans to visit four cities in Asia in October on Tuesday. 　 The band uploaded a poster that showed destinations for the Asian leg of its international tour, adding Jakarta, Manila, Taipei and Bangkok to its itinerary. 　 The quintet will kick off its first world tour, dubbed “Act: Love Sick,” with two concerts in Seoul on July 2-3. The following week, it will fly over to the US, performing eight times in seven cities from Chicago and New York to San Fra

K-popJune 21, 2022

Forgotten boy bands to get second chance for revival on JTBC‘s ’Peak Time‘

Every year, around 30 new boy bands make their debut on the K-pop scene, dreaming of the limelight and glitter that comes with the idol lifestyle. But only a lucky few are given the chance to climb the ladder and get the recognition they aspire to. JTBC is launching a project to give a second chance to K-pop acts who have fallen short in making a successful career. According to JTBC, its upcoming program “Peak Time” will be a competition for boy bands that have already debuted.

K-popJune 21, 2022

Dream Concert goes live again after pandemic pause

Dream Concert, one of the world’s biggest K-pop events, was held in person for the first time in three years on Saturday, becoming the longest-running K-pop event in the country. According to data compiled by the Korea Entertainment Producers’ Association on Tuesday, the accumulated number of people who attended the festival rose to 1.67 million since its first show in 1995. It has featured a total of 616 K-pop acts so far, the data showed.  The 28th Dream Concert took pla

K-popJune 21, 2022

BTS tops global music charts with anthology album ‘Proof’ and new song ‘Yet To Come’

K-pop sensation BTS’ winning streak on global music charts continues with its latest anthology album “Proof” and new song “Yet To Come.” The band’s new single “Yet To Come” scored No. 1 on Billboard’s Global Excl. US chart, which ranks songs based on streaming and sales activities in 200 regions worldwide, excluding the US. According to the chart operator, BTS racked up 96.5 million streams and sold 42,000 copies in the June 10-16 tracki

K-popJune 21, 2022

Loona aims to become K-pop summer queen with ‘Flip That’

As the summer season approaches and music charts are ready to revel in new anthems, K-pop girl group Loona has eyes set on becoming the new summer queens of the K-pop scene, with a new mini album just in time for summer. The 12-member act’s new release, “Flip That” marks a return for the full group a year since the release of fourth EP “&” dropped in June last year. It is also the band’s first-ever summer album since the group’s debut in August 201

K-popJune 20, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ “Black Swan” music video tops 400m views

The music video of BTS’ “Black Swan” reached 400 million views on YouTube, said label Big Hit Music on Monday. 　 It became the band’s 18th music video to achieve the feat. “Black Swan” is an emo hip-hop number that was dropped in January 2020, in advance of the release of fourth full album “Map of The Soul: 7.” It topped the iTunes songs chart in 93 regions. 　 On the same day, its “Yet To Come” music video surpassed 100 million views

K-popJune 20, 2022

Kep1er invites fans to musical island for a summer rest with second EP ‘Doublast’

As many big-name K-pop artists are set to return this summer, rookie girl group Kep1er opened the sunny season music craze with second EP, “Doublast,” released Monday evening. This marks the nonet‘s return, nearly six months since its debut album, “First Impact,” released in January. In a press conference Monday, leader Yu-jin described it as “an album where Kep1er embarks on a new adventure after its debut.” She continued, saying that the bandmate

K-popJune 20, 2022

How K-pop idols have come to stand the test of time

A wave of change is slowly sinking into the once harshly systematic K-pop industry. Last Tuesday, boy band BTS announced it will halt group activities in order for the seven bandmates to focus on their individual pursuits, which have been pushed back for the past decade. While the members stated several reasons for their group’s hiatus, they openly condemned the systematic pressures of the K-pop idol industry, which innately restricts the personal time they ought to have as individuals.

K-popJune 20, 2022

Flood of big-name K-pop artists set to return this summer

Summer is one of the busiest seasons in the K-pop scene, always loaded with refreshing bops for the sweltering heat. This year again, the competitive industry welcomes numerous big-name artists returning with a new batch of bangers that will find their way into listeners’ summer playlist. On the star-studded roster is Super Junior, one of the longest-running K-pop boy groups. The group is set to make a grand return with its 11th full-length album Vol. 1 “The Road: Keep on Going&rdq

K-popJune 20, 2022

BTS snatches sixth No. 1 debut on Billboard 200 with 'Proof'

BTS' new album, "Proof," has topped the US Billboard's main albums chart for this week, becoming the sixth chart-topper from the South Korean group, the chart's operator said. The anthology album landed atop the Billboard 200 by earning 314,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending June 16, Billboard said Sunday (US time). "The overwhelming majority of that unit figure was driven by CD album sales," it added. Billboard 200 ranks the mos

K-popJune 20, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Jennie considering HBO drama: report

    Jennie of Blackpink is considering appearing in an upcoming US television series, according to local media reports on Friday. 　 She was offered a not yet specified role for “The Idol,” an HBO drama set in music industry. The series will evolve around a female pop idol who falls for a mysterious club owner who is also a modern-day cult guru. 　 The cast includes Lily Rose Depp, the female lead, and is co-created by musician The Weekend and Sam Levinson, director of

K-popJune 17, 2022