aespa's 3rd EP 'My World' sells over 2 mil. copies K-pop girl group aespa poses for a photo during a promotional press conference for its third EP "My World" held at COEX in southern Seoul, May 8. YonhapK-pop girl group aespa's third EP "My World" has sold over 2 million copies, breaking its own previous album sales record, its agency said Monday. The album released on May 8 had sold 2.01 million copies as of Sunday, SM Entertainment said. "My World" received 1.8 million preorders ahead of its release and sold 1.37 million copies on the first day, the highest first day sales record for a K-pop girl act.The four members are set to attend the red carpet event for the 76th Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday in the capacity of global ambassadors of luxury Swiss jewelry brand Chopard. (Yonhap)May 22, 2023
2nd generation boy bands return to shake up K-pop scene K-pop boy group Teen Top / Captured from TwitterComebacks ahead for Teen Top, INFINITE, SHINee, UKISSBy Dong Sun-hwaA slew of second-generation K-pop girl groups like Girls' Generation and KARA, who enjoyed their glory days from the late 2000s to the early 2010s, took the music scene by storm last year after making much-awaited comebacks. This summer, second-generation boy groups will pick up the baton and evoke nostalgia with their retro vibes.Teen Top, best known for its hits like, “No More Perfume On You” (2011)” and “To You” (2012), will drop a new album in July. The exact release date has been kept under wraps. The group was brought back to the spotlight after appearing on popular MBC variety show, “Hangout with Yoo” in March. Marking the 13th anniversary of its debut, Teen Top took the stage with a series of popular songs and became the talk of the town on YouTube, with a video featuring its performances surpassing more than 1.6 million views as of Sunday. According to its management company, TOP Media, the group's upcoming album will iMay 21, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
FIFTY FIFTY breaks K-pop girl group record on Spotify By Dong Sun-hwaK-pop girl group FIFTY FIFTY / Captured from TwitterRookie group FIFTY FIFTY has exceeded 30 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The quartet is now the K-pop girl group with the highest number of monthly listeners on the world's largest streaming platform.FIFTY FIFTY reached the 34.3 million mark as of Friday (local time), according to Spotify. It shattered the previous record set by K-pop heavyweight BLACKPINK last year of 34.12 million. FIFTY FIFTY's viral hit, “Cupid” has also retained spots on the top 10 of Spotify's Daily Top Songs Global chart for more than a month.“Cupid” is going strong on Billboard, clinching the No. 17 in its eighth week on its main singles chart, Tuesday. The feel-good earworm has been climbing up the chart after debuting at No. 100 on March 28. FIFTY FIFTY is the fastest K-pop group to land a song on this chart, which achieved the feat just 130 days after its debut. "We are currently discussing the necessary details to prepare for the next release and we are working with the members to adjust the production schedulMay 21, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
INTERVIEW After 'Boys Planet,' PENTAGON's Hui learns bad can be good too Hui, the leader of K-pop boy group PENTAGON / Courtesy of Cube EntertainmentK-pop singer reveals how 'Boys Planet' has changed his lifeBy Dong Sun-hwaWhen cable channel Mnet floated teasers for its new audition program “Boys Planet” earlier this year, it immediately became the talk of the town thanks to one contestant ― Hui. The frontman of K-pop boy group PENTAGON seemingly had no reason to participate in a competition show for yet-to-debut idol trainees. But the young performer, whose real name is Lee Hoe-taek, still threw his hat in the ring. Although the 29-year-old did not manage to make it through to the top 9 and join the project boy group ZEROBASEONE (ZB1), Hui says he has no regrets at all. “Honestly, I have no regrets because I did my best at all times and learned so many things,” Hui said during a media interview at a cafe in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, Wednesday. “Thanks to the program, I learned that bad can be good too.”Hui, a gifted vocalist and songwriter, entered the top 9 list at the beginning of the show. But his rank beganMay 18, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
Girl group Fifty Fifty stays on Billboard Hot 100 for 8 consecutive weeks K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty poses during a press conference held at a Seoul music hall, April 13. Korea Times fileK-pop rookie Fifty Fifty has ranked at No. 17 in its eighth week on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with its new single, "Cupid."According to the latest U.S. music chart unveiled Tuesday (U.S. time), "Cupid" rose two spots from 19th last week.The group's achievement matches that of BLACKPINK, the biggest K-pop girl group currently, as they both hold the record for the longest chart presence among K-pop girl groups. In 2020, BLACKPINK charted for eight consecutive weeks with "Ice Cream," a collaborative single with Selena Gomez.Fifty Fifty debuted on the chart at No. 100 on March 28, becoming the fastest group to enter the chart after its debut in November. It has since kept moving up the chart to make it into the top 20. Also this week, "Cupid" ranked No. 8 on Street Songs, second on World Digital Song Sales, 10th on Digital Song Sales and 58th on Artist 100 of Billboard.On the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, the song came in second and thiMay 17, 2023
Mamamoo's Hwasa under fire over racy choreography at college festival Fan opinions are divided over Hwasa's recent performance at a campus festival. Captured from Hwasa's social media accountBy Yoo Soo-kyungHwasa's recent performance at a university in Seoul has become the topic of heated online debate.The Mamamoo singer was invited to Sungkyunkwan University to perform at a campus festival on May 12. She was also being filmed for a new variety show on the cable network tvN titled “Dancing Queens on the Road”. Hwasa sang a medley of Mamamoo's greatest hits as well as “Don't Give”, her solo collaboration with Loco.Hwasa is regarded as one of K-Pop's greatest on-stage performers and this latest event was no exception as she got the crowd buzzing with her powerful vocals and dance moves.But controversy erupted after a fan video taken by one of the spectators went viral.While performing the track “Don't Give”, Hwasa squatted on stage with her legs spread, licked her fingers and brushed them over her denim shorts in an apparently suggestive way.It all happened in a brief moment, but it spawned a flood of GIFs and memes thMay 17, 2023
'Queencard': (G)I-DLE spreads message of self-love The members of K-pop act (G)I-DLE pose during a press event at a hotel in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Choi Joo-yeon(G)I-DLE returns with sixth mini-album 'I feel' By Dong Sun-hwaBeauty is timeless and fleeting; nebulous and retreating. It is many things to many people. But to K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE, it is all about adoring oneself. The Cube Entertainment group put out its new song, “Queencard” on Monday, an ode to those who love themselves regardless of their shortcomings. Through its lyrics, “Queencard” attempts to boost the self-esteem of its fans, who often feel a sense of inferiority as they cannot stop comparing themselves to others. “The core message of 'Queencard' is that you can be a beautiful person if you adore yourself,” leader Soyeon, who took part in its creative process, said during a press event at a hotel in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, Monday. “And if you adore yourself, others will adore you. I hope a lot of people can feel this with our new music.” In the “Queencard&rdqMay 16, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
Hybe uses AI voice technology for Midnatt's multilingual single Midnatt, an alter ego of ballad singer Lee Hyun, speaks during a press conference in Seoul, May 15, in this photo provided by its music label Big Hit Music. YonhapK-pop powerhouse Hybe on Monday unveiled its first artificial intelligence (AI) project Midnatt, which sings a song in multiple languages and switches between female and male voices using generative voice technology.Midnatt, an alter ego of ballad singer Lee Hyun, dropped the new digital single "Masquerade" in six languages: Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese.Big Hit Music, Hybe's music label behind K-pop supergroup BTS, teamed up with Hybe IM, its interactive media arm, to adopt AI startup Supertone's voice synthetic tools for the project. Hybe acquired Supertone for 45 billion won ($36.5 million) in January."We expect this technology to lessen the burden of learning foreign languages when K-pop artists tap into the global market and ultimately boost the genre's global influence," Shin Young-jae, CEO of Big Hit Music, said in a press conference. Lee, who has performed as a soloist and as part of theMay 15, 2023
NCT's Taeyong to drop first solo album 'SHALALA' on June 5 Teasers for NCT member Taeyong's upcoming mini-album, “SHALALA” / Courtesy of SM EntertainmentBy Dong Sun-hwaTaeyong of K-pop boy group NCT will kick off his solo journey with the mini-album “SHALALA,” June 5. The 27-year-old is the first NCT member to make an official solo debut. According to his record label SM Entertainment, the upcoming EP will carry seven tracks including the lead single of the same name. “From planning to producing, Taeyong actively participated in making his first-ever solo album,” SM explained in a statement, Monday, adding that he took part in songwriting too. “He already has credits on several NCT songs such as 'Sticker' (2021) and 'Cherry Bomb' (2017), as well as his solo tracks like 'Long Flight' (2019),” the company said. “Since his musical prowess has been recognized by many people, his upcoming mini-album is also expected to draw attention.” Details about the mini-album have not been disclosed, but SM floated a teaser on NCT's Twitter account, Monday. Taeyong debuted as part of NCT in 2016. NCMay 15, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
Le Sserafim ranks at No. 6 on Billboard 200 Girl group Le Sserafim / Courtesy of Source MusicK-pop girl group Le Sserafim ranked at No. 6 on this week's Billboard 200 main album chart with its first official album, "Unforgiven," industry data showed Monday. It is the first time the rookie girl group has entered the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. It previously ranked at No. 14 with its second mini album, "Antifragile," last year. Le Sserafim is the fifth K-pop girl act to make the top 10 on the chart, following BLACKPINK, TWICE, aespa and ITZY. The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the United States based on multi-metric consumption measured in equivalent album units, compiled by music data tracker Luminate. "Unforgiven" earned a total of 45,000 equivalent album units during the week ending on May 11. 'The album's total score consisted of 38,500 traditional album sales and 6,500 streaming equivalent album units, which translates to 9.04 million on-demand audio streams over the course of the week. (Yonhap)May 15, 2023
