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[Today’s K-pop] Kang Daniel to return next month with 5th EP

By Hwang You-mee

Published : Aug. 30, 2024 - 17:03

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(Credit: ARA) (Credit: ARA)

Kang Daniel announced new music to come in September via his agency Ara on Friday.

A trailer for EP “Act” was uploaded the same day, giving fans an up-close look at the performer, along with several mysterious scenes, including an old television with static and an empty chair. The video clip only included the release month of the mini album with a date.

The upcoming release comes about 15 months since his fourth EP, “Realiez.”

The former member of boy band Wanna One marked the fifth anniversary of his debut as a solo musician last month. He has been mired in legal actions since May, suing management firm Konnect Entertainment for fraud and embezzlement. The company shut down and he signed with a newly established agency last month.

Stray Kids 1st K-pop act on Rolling Stone cover

(Credit: Rolling Stone UK) (Credit: Rolling Stone UK)

Stray Kids graced the cover of Rolling Stone UK, a first for any K-pop act, label JYP Entertainment announced Friday.

The British music magazine unveiled the image online Wednesday, showing the bandmates smiling for the camera with their arms around each others’ shoulders.

Touting the band as “fully-fledged global superstars” the magazine underlined Stray Kids as “the first group in the world to debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200 with their first five chart entries.” The publication devoted 26 pages to the group in the issue due out on Sept. 19.

The octet’s ninth EP, “Ate,” is spending a fifth week on the main albums chart, ranking No. 38. Meanwhile, the band will perform in Seoul this weekend to a sold-out crowd. They also had concerts last weekend to begin their tour that will continue into January next year.

Vanner to drop English-language single: report

(Credit: Klep Entertainment) (Credit: Klep Entertainment)

Boy band Vanner will bring out a new album in September, according to a local media report Friday.

In advance to the full release, the group will drop an English-language single.

The five-member act’s last album was second EP “Capture the Flag” in January. The boy band will promote the upcoming album as a quartet, as Sungkook has been serving his military duty since May.

Vanner debuted in 2019 with studio album “V,” but gained more popular recognition after coming out on top in band contest “Peaktime” last year. The band held its first standalone concert in Seoul in April, followed by live shows in Taipei in Taiwan, Tokyo and Hong Kong to last month. On July 27 and 28, Vanner held encore concerts in Seoul, then last week, it surprised fans with a busking gig in Seoul.

Taeil stays mum while NCT members cancel activities

(Credit: SM Entertainment) (Credit: SM Entertainment)

Taeil, formerly of NCT, quickly lost about 1 million followers on his Instagram account, as of Friday.

His private account had approximately 6 million followers before he was kicked out of the band days ago. SM Entertainment took the action after the emergence of a sexual crime accusation.

Taeil set a mark recognized by the Guinness World Records in 2021 for drawing 1 million followers on the platform in the shortest time, at 1 hour and 45 minutes.

All his former bandmates across multiple units of NCT have since unfollowed him.

Taeil has not released any comment since the news came out.

In the meantime, a Thursday autograph session for Jaehyun to mark the release of his first solo album was postponed, as was a video call event for Mark and Haechan of NCT Dream.