Le Sserafim's 'Fearless' tops Japanese Oricon's monthly singles ranking K-pop girl group Le Sserafim / Courtesy of Source MusicK-pop girl group Le Sserafim has sat atop the Japanese Oricon's monthly singles ranking with its debut single "Fearless" in the market, the band's agency said Tuesday."It became the first K-pop girl group to top the ranking in four years," Source Music said in a release.The five-member group's first Japanese single was released on Jan. 25 and has sold about 220,000 copies in the first week, a record for all first Japanese singles by K-pop girl groups.The three-track album ruled Oricon's daily and weekly charts before rising to the top of the monthly list. (Yonhap)Feb 14, 2023
Seventeen's The8 sustains collarbone fracture The8 of K-pop boy group Seventeen / Korea Times fileThe8, a member of the popular boy group Seventeen, has fractured his left collarbone, the group's management agency said Tuesday.He was advised by doctors to wear a fracture brace and keep from moving excessively until he recovers, according to Pledis Entertainment."We'll manage his future schedule flexibly, putting top priority on his recovery," it said.But he will attend an upcoming autograph signing event and a meet and greet with Chinese fans as planned wearing the brace, according to the agency.It did not say how he got the injury. (Yonhap)Feb 14, 2023
TXT spends 2nd week in top 3 of Billboard albums chart K-pop boy group Tomorrow X Together (TXT) / Courtesy of Big Hit MusicK-pop group Tomorrow X Together has stayed in the top three on the U.S. Billboard's main albums chart for the second consecutive week.Billboard said Sunday (U.S. time) in a preview of this week's charts that the Korean group ranked third on the Billboard 200 with its latest album, "The Name Chapter: Temptation," a week after its debut at No. 1.TXT is the only K-pop act to stay in the top three for two or more weeks in a row, except for BTS, according to BigHit Music, the K-pop agency that manages both groups.The chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the country, measured by equivalent album units comprising physical album sales and other digital sales records."The Name Chapter: Temptation" is the fifth EP from the quintet, which depicts youths swaying in front of the temptation to live in the present while enjoying freedom and entertainment even though they know they have to grow up.It consists of five tracks, including the main single, "Sugar Rush Ride," as well as "Devil by the Window" and "Happy FoolFeb 13, 2023
Rookie girl group H1-KEY rises in popularity K-pop girl group H1-KEY / Courtesy of Grandline Group (GLG)By Dong Sun-hwaRookie K-pop girl group H1-KEY is revving up its presence in the K-pop scene with its latest release, “Rose Blossom.” “Rose Blossom,” the first mini-album by the four-piece act that dropped on Jan. 5, reigned atop the real-time physical album chart on Hanteo, a local album sales tracker, Saturday. Unlike most other K-pop albums ― which usually top different charts during the first week of their release when fans make the most purchases ― “Rose Blossom” reached the milestone more than a month after its release, seeing a gradual increase in popularity. The mini-album was quite a success from the beginning, too. Upon its release, it ranked first on the iTunes top album chart in Turkey and Bahrain, while securing the top spots in seven other countries including Singapore, Mexico and Australia. Its lead single of the same name has also been creating a splash on major streaming charts in Korea. The track notched the No. 5 and the No. 32 spots on Hanteo and Melon, respectively, soonFeb 12, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
K-pop documentaries dominate OTT platforms The teaser for upcoming documentary, “j-hope IN THE BOX” / Courtesy of Big Hit Music'j-hope IN THE BOX' documentary coming to Disney+ on Feb. 17By Dong Sun-hwaA host of documentaries about K-pop will be released on different over-the-top (OTT) platforms this year, giving a sneak peek into the behind-the-scenes stories of the music industry and its singers.The U.S.-streaming platform, Disney+, is poised to unveil two documentaries revolving around K-pop juggernaut BTS ― “BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star” and “j-hope IN THE BOX.” The former will feature all seven members, showing how they have grown to become one of the biggest boy groups in the world. Its release date is unknown for now. The latter will only bring to the fore member j-hope, who dropped his first solo album, “Jack in the Box” last July. It will come out on Feb. 17, presenting how the 28-year-old prepared for his solo project. Disney+ also plans to release “NCT 127: The Lost Boys,” starring high-profile boy group NCT 127. Although details are still being kept undFeb 12, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
How will HYBE-SM collaboration transform K-pop industry? HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk / Courtesy of HYBEHYBE to become SM's largest shareholderBy Dong Sun-hwaThe K-pop industry is undergoing a tectonic shift following HYBE's acquisition of a controlling stake in SM Entertainment, with speculation mounting over how the collaboration between the two biggest K-pop powerhouses will reshape the music industry. HYBE, home to K-pop titan BTS, announced that it will purchase a 14.8 percent stake in SM for 422.8 billion won ($335.8 million) from the company's founder Lee Soo-man. The deal will make HYBE the largest shareholder of its rival.In a regulatory filing on Friday, HYBE said the deal intends to combine the global competitiveness of the two companies and make them become game changers in the international pop music scene. SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man / Courtesy of SM EntertainmentThe announcement came just one day after Lee, the mastermind behind K-pop bigwigs TVXQ, Girls' Generation, EXO, NCT and aespa, threatened legal action against executives of his own company for selling 9.05 percent of the company's stock to Kakao, making the teFeb 10, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
TWICE forms first unit with 3 Japanese members TWICE's first unit, composed of three Japanese members, is seen in this photo provided by JYP Entertainment. YonhapK-pop girl group TWICE will debut its first unit, composed of the band's Japanese members Mina, Sana and Momo, in July in Japan, the group's agency said Thursday.JYP Entertainment also unveiled a group photo and video of the three members on its official Japanese social media channel."Misamo is the first unit to be presented by TWICE since its debut eight years ago with the name created by combining the first two letters of the members' names," the agency said. "It will go into activities in earnest after dropping its first EP in Japan on July 26."The three members previously released a Japanese song, "Bouquet," together on Jan. 25. The song was used as part of the original soundtrack for a Japanese TV drama. (Yonhap)Feb 9, 2023
Red Velvet to perform at annual music festival in Spain This image provided by SM Entertainment shows girl group Red Velvet. The group will perform at the Primavera Sound 2023. YonhapKorean girl group Red Velvet will take part in the Primavera Sound, a large annual music festival held in Spain, the group's agency said Thursday.This year's event will be held from June 1-3 in Barcelona and in Madrid on June 8-10. Red Velvet will appear on the first day of each edition, according to SM Entertainment.It is the only K-pop act invited to the 2023 festival, the agency added. (Yonhap)Feb 9, 2023
K-pop stars and dating Jin, a former member of now-defunct K-pop girl group Lovelyz / Courtesy of Woollim EntertainmentFormer Lovelyz member stirs debate after K-pop stars' dating revelationsBy Dong Sun-hwaJin, a former member of the now-defunct K-pop girl group Lovelyz, said Monday she would take legal action against those who bombarded her Instagram account with malicious comments. The 26-year-old's warning came only a day after she apologized for making “controversial” remarks on her YouTube channel about different ways K-pop stars make time for dating amid their tight schedules. According to Jin, management companies these days do not deter their singers from dating if they are experienced enough to avoid any trouble. She added that they have frequent chances to get to know each other when they film music shows together, mentioning the name of a specific program where they can easily build rapport. In fact, Jin talked about dating ― a longstanding taboo topic in the conservative K-pop industry ― in response to her fans' questions. Her fans claim she did not drop a bombshell because many othFeb 8, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
NCT Dream drops Japanese debut single This cover image provided by SM Entertainment is "Best Friend Ever," the first Japanese single by K-pop group NCT Dream. YonhapK-pop boy group NCT Dream will roll out its first Japanese single, "Best Friend Ever," on Wednesday, the group's management agency said.The single composed of two tracks ― the title track and the Japanese-language version of its hit song "Glitch Mode" ― will hit various music streaming platforms at 1 p.m., SM Entertainment said."Best Friend Ever" is a pop song with a refreshing synth sound about the light and shadow of youth. It delivers a message that one can overcome any hardship if one has his best friend by his side, comparing the group's fans to the "best friend."The music video for the song will be uploaded on the agency's YouTube channel on Friday at 6 p.m.The team, which consists of Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung, debuted in 2016 as the third subunit of K-pop supergroup NCT with its song "Chewing Gum" and has released hit songs, such as "Glitch Mode," "Beatbox," "Hot Source," "Hello Future" and "We Go Up."The unit initially comFeb 8, 2023
