ENHYPEN's new EP becomes double-million sellerK-pop boy band ENHYPEN's eighth EP, "The Sin: Bliss," has sold more than 2 million copies, its agency Belift Lab said Thursday. The EP had recorded cumulative sales of 2,022,369 copies as of Wednesday, becoming the group's fifth album to achieve double-million seller status, the agency said, citing data from local album sales tracker Hanteo Chart. ENHYPEN previously reached the milestone with its fifth EP, "Orange Blood"; second full-length album, "Romance : Untold"; sixth EP, "Desire : Unleash"; and seventh EP, "The Sin: Vanish." "The Sin: Bliss" is the group's first release since it was reorganized as a six-member act. The 10-track EP includes lead single "Bloody Paradise" and B-side track "Two Fools."1d agoBy Yonhap
SM Entertainment forms China joint venture with Tencent MusicKorean K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment has announced a joint venture with Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME) as it seeks to expand its presence in Chinese-speaking markets. The new Beijing-based company, named STE, will develop and manage Chinese artists, SM said Thursday. Zhoumi, a member of Super Junior-M, Super Junior's China-based unit, has been appointed chief executive of the venture. SM said the partnership followed a memorandum of understanding signed with Tencent Music Entertainment in May in a move aimed at stepping up the expansion of its influence in the Chinese-speaking entertainment markets. STE will launch a new Chinese idol group within two to three years, according to SM. For this, the venture will run auditions to recruit members and oversee the group's management in China after its debut. The company will also support the activities of SM artists from Chinese-speaking regions, including NCT Dream's Renjun and WayV members Yangyang and Xiaojun. "We will present differentiated content and create meaningful results as a bridge between the two companies by combining S1d agoBy Yonhap
Tomorrow X Together to launch new world tour in NovemberK-pop boy group Tomorrow X Together will embark on a new world tour, beginning with three concerts in Seoul from Nov. 13-15, its agency BigHit Music said Thursday. The "Steal the Wind" tour will then continue in other Asian countries, North America and Europe through June next year, according to the agency. The quintet's previous world tour, "Act: Tomorrow," drew some 564,000 fans across 29 shows in 17 cities around the world.1d agoBy Yonhap
SF9 marks 10th year with new album 'TENACITY,' vows 6 more decadesK-pop boy band SF9 marks its 10th anniversary this year, but the eight-piece is measuring its career in a much longer unit: 60 more years, by the group's own reckoning, health permitting. The FNC Entertainment act returned Wednesday with "TENACITY," its second full-length album, led by the single "Without Wings," coming back to the scene with a decade's worth of added experience behind it. "We plan to keep this going for another 60 years or so, and we're a group with the will and the nerve to do it," Inseong said at a media showcase in Seoul, Wednesday afternoon. "As long as we stay healthy, it's possible." SF9 debuted in October 2016 with the single album "Feeling Sensation" and opened its 10th year in March with the special album "About Love." Wednesday's release caps off that run, with 10 tracks spanning a range of genres. The group, now made up of Youngbin, Inseong, Jaeyoon, Dawon, Zuho, Yoo Tae-yang, Hwiyoung and Chani, held the press event at Cube Convention Center in Seoul's Mapo District hours ahead of the release, performing the new song for the first time and reflecting on the1d agoBy Pyo Kyung-min
NewJeans' Haerin returns to spotlight in new Dior photos amid hiatusNewJeans member Haerin has offered fans a rare glimpse of herself amid the group's prolonged hiatus, appearing in new photos highlighting her continuing ties with luxury fashion house Dior. Several photos of Haerin were posted to NewJeans' official account Tuesday, showing the singer posing with perfume and flowers from Dior, for which she has served as an ambassador. Wearing a gray jacket paired with a light-colored skirt, Haerin sports long wavy hair and bright makeup, presenting a more mature look than the youthful image she had when NewJeans debuted in 2022. The photos drew particular attention as Haerin has largely remained out of the public eye since NewJeans suspended activities amid its dispute with agency Ador. They also signal that her relationship with Dior, which began before the group's hiatus, remains intact. Born in 2006, Haerin turned 20 this year. She has long attracted attention among K-pop fans for her distinctive features. NewJeans announced in November 2024 that it was terminating its exclusive contracts with Ador and later pursued independent activities. The group su2d agoBy Xportsnews
Soyeon looks back on her 20s with first full-length solo albumSoyeon, the leader and producer of K-pop group i-dle, is returning to the solo stage with her first full-length album, “The Awesome Life,” five years after her last solo release. Cube Entertainment said Wednesday that it released an intro film for the album on i-dle’s official social media channels at midnight, coinciding with Soyeon’s birthday. The film follows Soyeon as she looks back on her life on her final birthday in her 20s, beginning with her first birthday party and moving through her trainee years, appearance on Mnet’s “Produce 101,” i-dle’s debut and her work as a producer. The video then turns to her present as she prepares her first full-length solo album, with phrases including “I always wanted to be new” and “I wanted to do better” appearing throughout. Soyeon said she had put off making a full-length solo album for quite some time. “If I look back on this album when I’m a grandmother, I think I’ll say, ‘Ah, it was really romantic,’” she said, asking fans to look forward to “The Awesome Life.” The film ends by revealing the album’s t2d agoBy Lee Kyung-min
InterviewStray Kids' music chart milestone points to system, not luck, scholar saysSince its debut in 2018, K-pop boy band Stray Kids have released more than 20 albums, with all nine of their albums to make the Billboard 200 debuting at No. 1. — a first for any act. The group's latest release, "THIS & THAT," debuted atop the chart on Aug. 22. The eight-track EP also earned 369,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Aug. 13, according to Luminate. Traditional album sales accounted for 357,000 units, marking the biggest sales week of the group's career. By now, the pattern is familiar enough that the more interesting question is not how Stray Kids did it again, but why it keeps happening. Since its 2018 debut, the eight-member group has built its identity around an unusually high degree of creative control. Its inhouse producing unit 3RACHA — composed of members Bang Chan, Changbin and Han — writes and produces much of the group's music, while its relationship with its official fandom, STAY, has grown alongside its global reach. Those two elements have become central to understanding the group's sustained chart performance. Some 8,000 kilometers away from Seo2d agoBy Pyo Kyung-min
KATSEYE lands 4 songs on Billboard Hot 100U.S.-based K-pop girl group KATSEYE has simultaneously landed four songs on Billboard's Hot 100, according to the latest chart released Tuesday (U.S. time), after scoring its first No. 1 on the main albums chart. "Animal," a single on the group's third EP, "Wild," rose six notches to No. 24, while "Hootie Frutti," the title track, debuted at No. 31, according to the singles chart. "Pinky Up" came in at No. 81, while the group's collaboration single "Iconic By Mistake," with fellow HYBE girl groups LE SSERAFIM and ILLIT, ranked No. 94. Elsewhere on the Hot 100, BLACKPINK's Jennie held steady at No. 8 with "Dracula," a collaboration song with Australian act Tame Impala. On the main albums chart, Katseye clinched its first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with "Wild," while the group's other albums "Beautiful Chaos" and "SIS (Soft is Strong)" also made the chart. Stray Kids' "This & That" reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, down from the top spot last week, while the BTS album "ARIRANG" ranked No. 24.2d agoBy Yonhap
BLACKPINK's Jisoo to release new solo single on Sept. 4Jisoo of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK will release a new solo single, titled "Click," on Sept. 4, her agency Blissoo said Tuesday. The release will mark her first new release as a solo artist in 11 months, following "Eyes Closed," a collaborative single with British singer Zayn, formerly of boy group One Direction, in October. Blissoo said further details about the upcoming song will be released later. Jisoo made her debut with BLACKPINK in 2016. She released her first solo EP, "Amortage," in February last year, which topped iTunes' Top Albums charts in 45 countries and regions.Aug 25, 2026By Yonhap
HYBE's new girl group TUIDE begins its journey with 'soultronic' musicTUIDE, the first act from ABD, a new HYBE subsidiary dedicated to girl groups, made its debut Monday with the EP "TUNE & PLAY," arriving with the stated ambition of becoming 2026's top new act. The seven-member group is made up of Seohee, Seoyeon, Elena, Jia, Saki, Seah and Yi Hani. Its name comes from the phrase "tune the tide," reflecting what the members describe as their intent to steer the currents of the music scene themselves. The group met with reporters Monday at YES24 Live Hall in Seoul's Gwangjin District, where the members introduced the album and spoke about their debut. They showed little sign of nerves, greeting the press in bright, assured voices. "I'm thrilled to be making the debut I dreamed of," Seah said. "I want to show refreshing performances and give audiences something to enjoy." Elena, who is from the United States, said she has loved singing since she was young and was drawn to R&B. "As a member of TUIDE, I want to show a lot of that groovy tone," she said. Saki, who is from Japan, said debuting in Korea had been her dream since childhood. "It feels like a dream toAug 24, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
