INTERVIEW FIFTY FIFTY's chief producer SIAHN shares his formula for success K-pop girl group FIFTY FIFTY / Courtesy of ATTRAKTFIFTY FIFTY grabs No. 19 spot on Billboard Hot 100 chartBy Dong Sun-hwaHardly anyone expected a rookie girl group from a new K-pop label to land a song on the Billboard main singles chart only 130 days after its debut. But FIFTY FIFTY has achieved what seemed to be impossible with its February release, “Cupid,” becoming the fastest K-pop group to pull off such a feat. The accomplishment is worth noting, given that entering the Billboard Hot 100 chart is a daunting task ― and a longtime dream ― even for some of the most celebrated K-pop stars. To date, only a few of them, including BTS, BLACKPINK and NewJeans, have managed to retain spots on the much-covted chart.What's more striking is that “Cupid” ― a feel-good earworm with a retro vibe ― continues to climb up the chart after debuting at No. 100 on March 28. The tune, which became a viral hit on the Chinese video-sharing platform, TikTok, grabbed the No. 19 position, Tuesday (local time), remaining on the chart for seven consecutive weeks. The quartet's meteorMay 11, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
BLACKPINK's 'How You Like That' choreography video tops 1.4 bil. views This image provided by YG Entertainment celebrates BLACKPINK's "How You Like That" dance performance video surpassing 1.4 billion views on YouTube. YonhapThe dance performance video for "How You Like That," a 2020 hit single by K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, has surpassed 1.4 billion views on YouTube, its entertainment agency said Wednesday. The choreography video hit the milestone Tuesday, even surpassing 1.2 million views by the song's official music video on YouTube, YG Entertainment said. It marks the quartet's fourth video with more than 1.4 billion views, along with music videos for "Ddu-du Ddu-du' (2 billion views), "Kill This Love" (1.7 billion views) and "Boombayah" (1.5 billion views). (Yonhap)May 10, 2023
Girl group Fifty Fifty ranks No. 19 on Billboard Hot 100 K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty is seen in this photo. Courtesy of AttraktK-pop rookie Fifty Fifty has ranked at No. 19 in its seventh 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 22 spots from 41st last week.The quartet 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. Meanwhile, K-pop supergroup BTS' member Suga took 13th place on the Billboard 200 main album chart with his first official solo album, "D-Day," staying on the list for the second consecutive week. (Yonhap)May 10, 2023
Mnet's survival show 'Queendom Puzzle' to premiere on June 13 Girls' Generation leader Taeyeon will host the upcoming survival program, “Queendom Puzzle.” Courtesy of MnetBy Dong Sun-hwa“Queendom Puzzle,” a new survival show by cable channel Mnet, is set to air its first episode on June 13.In “Queendom Puzzle,” the members of different K-pop girl groups and female artists will vie against one another to join a new project group. CLC's Jang Ye-eun, Lovelyz's Kei, H1-KEY's Riina and Hwiseo, Momoland's JooE and former IZ*ONE member Lee Chae-yeon, among others, will appear on the upcoming program. They will not compete as individuals, but as groups.“We will discover the best combination of the singers, just like putting a puzzle together,” Mnet said in a statement, Tuesday.“Queendom Puzzle” is a sequel to Mnet's “Queendom” series, which features competitions among K-pop girl groups and soloists. Its first season aired in 2019 starred groups like MAMAMOO, Lovelyz, OH MY GIRL and (G)I-DLE, and its second season invited WJSN, Kep1er and VIVIZ, among others. The latter hit the air May 9, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
'Welcome to MY World': aespa invites people to 'real world' The members of K-pop girl group aespa pose during a press event at the COEX Auditorium in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Yun Da-beenSM Entertainment group returns after 10 monthsBy Dong Sun-hwaK-pop girl group aespa has returned to the “real world” after defeating its longtime enemy ― Black Mamba ― in the virtual world known as Kwangya. The quartet, whose musical universe centers around digital avatars and the metaverse, looked like fearless warriors in their previous releases such as “Black Mamba” (2020) and “Girls” (2022), when they were fighting against an evil force. However, in their third mini-album, “Welcome to MY World,” aespa members return to reality and spend their time like ordinary high school or college students.“We were like warriors in the virtual world, but in this real world, we look just like our peers,” leader Karina said during a press event at the COEX Auditorium in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, Monday. The event was held a few hours ahead of the EP's release. Karina added,May 9, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
NewJeans sets Guinness World Record for fastest K-pop act to hit 1 bil. Spotify streams K-pop girl group NewJeans is seen in this photo provided by ADOR. YonhapNewJeans has broken a Guinness World Record as a K-pop act by securing 1 billion streams the fastest with its songs on Spotify, the group's agency said Tuesday.The quartet hit the milestone Monday, only 219 days after it made its debut in July 2022, ADOR said, quoting data from the Guinness World Records.The previous record was held by Jungkook, a vocalist of K-pop supergroup BTS, who took 409 days to secure 1 billion streams on the global music streaming service with three songs, according to the agency. Still, Jungkook holds the title as the fastest K-pop soloist to achieve the feat.NewJeans has six songs on Spotify: "Attention," "Hype Boy," "Cookie," "Hurt," "OMG" and "Ditto." (Yonhap)May 9, 2023
Boy group Seventeen's 'FML' debuts at No. 2 on Billboard 200 K-pop boy group Seventeen is seen in this photo provided by Pledis Entertainment. YonhapK-pop boy group Seventeen has ranked No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with its 10th EP, "FML," its highest ranking ever on the chart.Billboard said Monday (U.S. time) in a preview of this week's chart that the Korean album came after U.S. country singer Morgan Wallen's "One Thing at a Time," which notched its ninth straight week at No. 1 on the chart.This marks the 13-piece group's highest ranking ever on the U.S. chart.The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week in the United States, measured by equivalent album units comprising physical album sales and other digital sales records.Billboard said "FML" earned 135,000 equivalent album units, of which 132,000 came from physical album sales."FML" conveys a positive message about not giving up during even the most difficult times. It consists of six tracks led by two main singles ― "F*ck My Life" and "Super."Released April 24, "FML" set a new record for first-week sales by a K-pop album, as it sold 4.55 million copies in its debMay 9, 2023
HYBE's new boy group BOYNEXTDOOR gears up for debut By Dong Sun-hwaA list of tracks to be included in BOYNEXTDOOR's debut album, “WHO!” / Courtesy of KOZ EntertainmentBOYNEXTDOOR, a new K-pop group by BTS' management company HYBE, is set to debut with three lead singles on May 30. The six-piece act is the first boy group launched by KOZ Entertainment ― HYBE's sub-label which was established by rapper-producer Zico in 2019.According to KOZ, BOYNEXTDOOR aims to be a group singing about the daily lives of their peers. It consists of six members: Sungho, Riwoo, Jaehyun, Taesan, Leehan and Woonhak. Details about each of them have been kept under wraps. “The K-pop infrastructure built by HYBE has met the distinctive musical style of KOZ to create BOYNEXTDOOR,” KOZ explained in a statement. The group unveiled a list of tracks to be included in its debut album, “WHO!” on Twitter, Monday. It will offer three tunes: “But I Like You,” “One and Only” and “Serenade.” BOYNEXTDOOR has attempted to show confidence in its music by having all three of them as the lead singles. TheiMay 8, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
SEVENTEEN continues winning streak with new song 'Super' K-pop boy group SEVENTEEN / Courtesy of Pledis EntertainmentBy Dong Sun-hwaK-pop boy group SEVENTEEN is extending its winning streak on music shows with “Super,” one of the two lead singles off its 10th mini-album “FML" that dropped on April 24.“Super” ranked first on SBS's music show, “Inkigayo” on Sunday after edging out “FLOWER” by BLACKPINK's Jisoo and “I AM” by girl group IVE. As of Sunday, SEVENTEEN has bagged five trophies with “Super,” which also reigned atop the charts on four music shows: “Show Champion,” “M COUNTDOWN,” “Music Bank” and “Show! Music Core.”“Thank you for giving us so much love and we will become a group that our fans can be proud of,” SEVENTEEN said on “Inkigayo.” “Super” is an alternative Jersey club track peppered with kick rhythms, which likens SEVENTEEN to the Monkey King or Sun Wukong. The Monkey King is one of the main characters in the 16th-cenutry Chinese novel, “Journey to the West,&rMay 8, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
Surging prices of K-pop concert tickets infuriate fans K-pop girl group BLACKPINK / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentBy Dong Sun-hwaK-pop fans at home and abroad are complaining about surging concert ticket prices. The average price of K-pop concert tickets in Thailand is approximately 5,270 baht ($155.6), according to local media outlet MGR Online. Concert tickets have risen by nearly 20 percent since 2019 before the pandemic and approximately 60 percent from 2013. MRG Online pointed out that the price today is excessively high, considering that the cheapest ticket was sold at 1,050 baht a decade ago. The most expensive one was reportedly 6,000 baht. A VIP ticket costs 14,800 baht for K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's upcoming concerts at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok ― the largest stadium in Thailand ― on May 27-28. Some Thai fans have even turned to the Consumer Protection Agency for help. Followers of K-pop boy group Stray Kids raised the issue last October, insisting that the tickets for the group's February concert were too pricey. The most expensive ticket was reportedly purchased at 8,500 baht. However, the agency said the goMay 7, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
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