SHINee's Onew to drop 1st individual studio album Onew, a member of K-pop boy group SHINee, is seen in a concept image provided by SM Entertainment for his first full-length individual album set to drop at 6 p.m., March 6. YonhapOnew, the leader and lead vocalist of K-pop boy group SHINee, will release his first full-length album as a solo artist Monday, his agency said."Circle" and its music video will hit various online services at 6 p.m., SM Entertainment said.The upcoming album consists of 10 songs about various moments of life that are relatable to everyone, such as being in love, breakups, expectations and disappoints, growth and anxiety.The singer singled out "healing," "recovery" and "circulation" as the album's keywords. "I made this album with the conviction that good moments will return no matter what happens," he said in a Q&A released through the agency. Since it's his first full-length album, he has tried different methods to sing quality songs. But instead of showing off what he can do, he said, he focused on exhibiting his musical tastes through the album.The title track is a dreamlike RB track that compares lifeMar 6, 2023
BLACKPINK Jisoo's first solo album to arrive on March 31 A teaser image for BLACKPINK member Jisoo's solo debut album set to drop on March 31, provided by YG Entertainment / YonhapThe release date of BLACKPINK member Jisoo's much-awaited first individual album was confirmed, the group's agency said Monday.YG Entertainment announced on its official blog that the album will arrive on March 31 with a mysterious "Coming Soon" teaser image featuring a bright wide red piece of cloth spread on a beautiful green field. The agency, however, did not give further information on the album except for the release date.Korean singer Jisoo poses ahead of the presentation of Christian Dior Womenswear Fall-Winter 2023-2024 collection during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, Feb. 28. AFP-YonhapEarlier this year, it confirmed that Jisoo was preparing for a solo debut album to become the fourth and final member of the quartet to go solo. Three other members made successful debuts as soloists ― Jennie with "Solo" in 2018 and both Rose and Lisa in 2021 with "R" and "Lalisa," respectively.BLACKPINK is currently on a large-scale world tour that is expected to attract sMar 6, 2023
Le Sserafim achieves career's 1st million seller with 'Antifragile' K-pop girl group Le Sserafim is seen in this concept photo for the group's 2nd EP, "Antifragile," provided by Source Music. YonhapK-pop newbie group Le Sserafim has recorded the first million seller since its debut less than a year ago, with its second EP "Antifragile," the group's agency said Friday.The album has sold a total of 1,030,808 copies since it was released in October, Source Music said, citing data released Thursday by Circle Chart that tracks album sales."Antifragile" had become a half million seller early on by selling more than 630,000 copies in the first week of its release.The EP reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200 main albums chart in November, making the K-pop girl group the fastest to debut on the major music chart.The multinational group composed of members Chaewon, Sakura, Yunjin, Eunchae and Kazuha debuted in May with its first EP, "Fearless." (Yonhap)Mar 3, 2023
Who is BABYMONSTER? Meet YG's new girl group Ahyeon, a member candidate of upcoming girl group BABYMONSTER / Courtesy of YG Entertainment YG's new girl group to debut amid high hopesBy Dong Sun-hwaFollowing the stellar success of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, its management company YG Entertainment has taken a quick step to prepare for the next game ― launching a new female act to walk in the footsteps of the quartet, which is currently having its largest-ever world tour for some 1.5 million fans worldwide.BABYMONSTER ― YG's first girl group in seven years after BLACKPINK's debut in 2016 ― will reportedly burst onto the K-pop scene in the first half of this year. The K-pop powerhouse recently unveiled details about the members who are likely to join the group: three Korean (Ahyeon, Haram and Rora), two Thai (Pharita and Chiquita) and two Japanese (Ruka and Asa). According to YG, only those who pass the “final test” will be part of BABYMONSTER. The selection process will be disclosed on a new reality show titled,Mar 3, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
J-Hope releases individual single 'on the street' An image of the online cover of BTS dancer-rapper J-Hope's upcoming single, "on the street," provided by BigHit Music / YonhapJ-Hope of K-pop juggernaut BTS dropped a new solo single, "on the street," and its music video Friday.The dancer-rapper returned with the digital song, seven months after releasing his first official solo album, "Jack in the Box," in July last year.The lo-fi hip-hop song with a comfortable melody and warm lyrics is a collaboration with American rapper and producer J. Cole.In the music video simultaneously released with the track at 2 p.m., J-Hope walks down New York streets, losing himself to the rhythm and singing, "Every time I walk / Every time I run / Every time I move / As always, for us." Later, he raps, "Even my walk was made of your love and your faith." The agency earlier said he would share his candid feelings toward his fans through the song. It said the word "street" in the title refers to J-Hope's roots ― street dance ― where his dream to become an artist began and traces of his intense life exist.The video ends with him meeting his longtime inspiMar 3, 2023
Girl group Kep1er to drop new album next month K-pop girl group Kep1er is seen in this photo provided by Wake One Entertainment and Swing Entertainment. YonhapK-pop girl group Kep1er will return with a new album next month, about six months after dropping its third EP, "Troubleshooter," the group's agencies said Thursday.According to Wake One Entertainment and Swing Entertainment, the nine-piece group will drop the new album on April 10, without giving further details of the album, regarding its length and title.Kep1er consists of nine contestants from local music channel Mnet's multinational idol audition show "Girls Planet 999." The group debuted in January with its EP "First Impact," which became a sensation upon its release. The EP sold more than 200,000 copies in the first week of its release, a record for debut albums by girl groups, according to figures from Hanteo Chart, a local market tracker.The album's main track, "Wa Da Da," has garnered more than 100 million streams on Spotify, the world's largest music streaming platform, and received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan in OctobMar 2, 2023
Is K-pop's popularity waning after reaching its peak? K-pop juggernaut BTS / Courtesy of HYBEBTS' temporary absence fuels worries of K-pop's declineBy Dong Sun-hwa“I am afraid that one day, people will not listen to K-pop anymore,” Park Ji-won, CEO of K-pop powerhouse HYBE, said during an interview with Bloomberg News last week. He added that some people are already concerned about the possible downfall of K-pop, which achieved exponential growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.HYBE CEO Park Ji-won / Courtesy of HYBEAs Park said, K-pop certainly has boosted its global presence over the past couple of years. According to the Korea Customs Service, the total amount of K-pop album exports stood at $231.4 million ($305.3 billion won) in 2022 ― the highest figure ever. It has more than tripled since 2019, before the pandemic, when the total amount of exports was $74.6 million. Numerous people are known to have fallen under K-pop's spell during the global health crisis, as they came across a tsunami of Korean entertainment content on social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube while staying at home due to social distancing.But whMar 2, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
ASTRO member Rocky leaves K-pop group Rocky, a member of K-pop boy group ASTRO / Courtesy of FantagioBy Dong Sun-hwaRocky has left K-pop boy group ASTRO and terminated his contract with the group's agency, Fantagio. On Tuesday, Fantagio announced Rocky's departure from the group and company without citing specific reasons.“After a long discussion with ASTRO's member Rocky, we have agreed that it's best to part ways at this time. We want to thank Rocky for having done his best as a member of ASTRO for seven years,” Fantagio said. “From now on, ASTRO will perform its musical activity as a quintet (consisting of MJ, JinJin, Cha Eun-woo, Moonbin and Sanha). The members who will continue their partnership with us will focus on their solo and sub-unit activities for the time being,” it added. According to the company, the four members ― JinJin, Cha Eun-woo, Moonbin and Sanha ― have renewed their contracts. MJ, one of the group members who is currently fulfilling his mandatory military service, will have a discussion about his contract being renewed once he is discharged from the army. The 24-year-old siMar 1, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
REVIEW 'Metaverse group' aespa takes stage with digital avatars, electrifies 5,000 fans Members of K-pop girl group aespa perform with their digital avatars during their “SYNK: HYPER LINE” concert at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in eastern Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of SM EntertainmentAespa premieres 7 new songs in first solo concertBy Dong Sun-hwaReputed as the first metaverse group in the K-pop universe, aespa consists of four human members ― Karina, Winter, Giselle and Ningning ― and four digital avatars representing each one of them. To make use of this unique characteristic, its management company SM Entertainment pulled out a trump card for its first-ever solo concert last weekend: bringing virtual avatars to the center stage and having them dance in sync with their human counterparts. The digital entities stole the scene from the very beginning of the 120-minute show, Sunday. Before the four human members burst onto stage, the hyper-realistic virtual characters performed “Girls” ― the lead single off the group's second EP that dropped last July ― on the transparent LED screen, welcoming some 5,000 spectators at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in eastern SeoulFeb 28, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
Former Wanna One member Hwang Min-hyun debuts as soloist Hwang Min-hyun, a member of now-disbanded project boy groups Wanna One and NU'EST, poses during a media showcase to promote his new solo album “Truth or Lie” at a music hall in eastern Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of PLEDIS EntertainmentHwang Min-hyun, a member of now-disbanded project boy groups Wanna One and NU'EST, made his debut as a solo artist Monday, 11 years after he began his musical career.In "Truth or Lie," his first EP and first release as a soloist, the singer exposes his various sides that have not been shown to anyone before and asks a question: What do you think is my true self?He then answers, "You can believe what you want," because there is no clear answer to the question, and this is the message that penetrates the album."Since this is my first solo album, I wanted to tell about myself," Hwang said during a media showcase to promote the EP at a music hall in eastern Seoul. "I have so many different sides, but people don't seem to know them yet. I also wanted to show those sides through an album."The EP has a total of six tracks ― the main single "Hidden SidFeb 27, 2023
