Aespa makes it to top 3 on Billboard main albums chart K-pop girl group aespa / Courtesy of SM EntertainmentBy Dong Sun-hwaK-pop girl group aespa has grabbed the No. 3 spot on Billboard's main albums chart with its second mini-album, “Girls,” the U.S. magazine said Sunday (local time). This is the second-highest rank among all K-pop girl groups, after BLACKPINK ranked second on the same chart with its 2020 release, “The Album.” This is the first time that aespa has made it into the chart's top 10. “Girls,” which came out on July 8, earned 56,000 equivalent album units in the United States this week, Billboard added. “Girls” also sold more than 1.42 million copies during the first week of its release ― the highest for any K-pop girl group ― according to album tracker Circle Chart. Leading the nine-track album is the title track, “Girls,” a dance song peppered with a powerful wobble bass and synth sound. Through their lyrics, aespa members and their digital avatars show how they have grown up after fighting against “Black Mamba,” a great evil force. The album also offeJul 18, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
Seventeen to drop repackaged album K-pop boy group Seventeen / Courtesy of Pledis EntertainmentK-pop boy group Seventeen will return Monday with a repackaged version of its fourth studio album, "Face the Sun."The new album titled "Sector 17" is to hit online music services at about 6 p.m., according to the band's agency, Pledis Entertainment."Sector 17" will have four new songs, including "_World," "Fallin' Flower" and "Cheers," in addition to nine tracks off "Face the Sun," the agency said.The main track, "_World," is a song of funk and urban RB genres, featuring a funky rhythm and a sweet melody.Team leader S.Coups said in a press release from the agency that the group will become able to show its new and refreshing side with the upcoming album."We worked hard on this album for CARATs," member Dino said, referring to the name of the group's global fandom. "We hope the energy we want to convey to CARATs will be delivered well."The album is sure to become a million seller as its preorders had surpassed 1.2 million copies as of Wednesday last week. (Yonhap)Jul 18, 2022
K-pop album sales hit record high in first half BTS / Courtesy of Bighit MusicSales of K-pop albums have once again renewed their all-time-high level in the first half of this year, with the music continuing to be in its heyday, a local market tracker said.According to Kim Jin-woo, head researcher of Circle Chart, which reports accumulated sales and streams, on Sunday, combined sales of the nation's top 400 physical albums have risen to 34.9 million copies in the first half, up 34.6 percent from a year ago. It was the highest first-half sales figure of all time.First-half sales of physical albums have risen from 10.48 million in 2018 to 12.93 million in 2019 and steeply after the COVID-19 pandemic began ― to 18.36 million in 2020 and to 25.96 million last year.By artist, BTS topped the list in the number of albums sold in the first half of this year with 4.52 million copies.The group was followed by NCT Dream with 3.98 million, Seventeen with 2.72 million, Tomorrow X Together with 2.10 million, Stray Kids with 2.07 million and Lim Young-woong with 1.14 million copies.BTS' anthology album "Proof" was the most-sold album with about Jul 18, 2022
Sunye, Nicole, 2nd generation K-pop divas to return to stage Sunye, a former member of Wonder Girls / Courtesy of Blockberry CreativeBy Dong Sun-hwaFrom the late 2000s to the early 2010s, three female K-pop acts Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation and KARA enjoyed their heyday, spearheading the second generation of K-pop. Today, they are not as active as they used to be, but the former members of Wonder Girls and KARA are gearing up to return to the stage as solo artists, while all eight members of Girls' Generation are preparing for their reunion as a group.Ex-Wonder Girls member Sunye is slated to put out her first solo album, “Genuine” on July 26, about 15 years after debuting as the leader of her team in 2007. The JYP Entertainment group took the music scene by storm soon after its debut, thanks to the success of their retro-tinged songs like “Tell Me” (2007), “So Hot” (2008) and “Nobody” (2009), which were all characterized by catchy melodies and easy-to-follow dance movements. But Sunye, who was reputed for her performing skills, put a hold on her career in 2013 after tying the knot with James Jul 17, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
J-Hope's solo album tops iTunes charts in 49 countries Captured images from J-Hope's music video, "Arson." Courtesy of Big Hit Music The first solo album by BTS member J-Hope topped iTunes charts in 49 countries Saturday, the group's agency said.Big Hit Music said the dancer-rapper's "Jack in the Box," released the previous day, ranked No. 1 on iTunes top album charts in the United States, Britain, France, Japan and other countries as of 7 a.m. "Arson," one of the two main tracks of the album, also took the No. 1 position on the iTunes top song charts in 62 countries, the company said. The other main tune, "More," prereleased July 1, topped the charts in 84 countries the following day."Jack in the Box," featuring 10 songs, is also the first-ever official solo album from BTS, which recently announced a new chapter of its career with a focus on individual projects.J-Hope is scheduled to headline the main stage of the annual U.S. music festival Lollapalooza at Grant Park in Chicago on July 31 (U.S. time), becoming the firsJul 16, 2022
'Jack In The Box': BTS' J-Hope goes solo, lays bare ambitions, anguish A teaser image for BTS member J-Hope's solo album, “Jack In The Box” / Courtesy of Big Hit MusicJ-Hope becomes first BTS member to release solo albumBy Dong Sun-hwaWhen J-Hope of K-pop sensation BTS revealed the title of his debut solo album, “Jack In The Box,” many people guessed it would give off a fun and playful vibe that suits his bright and positive image. However, the 28-year-old singer defied all expectations. “Jack In The Box,” which came out at 1 p.m., Friday (KST), turned out to be a dark and weighty album with profound resonance, which highlights his anguish and struggles.“'Jack In The Box' zooms in on my authentic thoughts, ambitions and passion,” J-Hope said in a video released by his record label Big Hit Music a few hours ahead of the album's release. The singer did not hold a press event to promote the album. “It carries two lead singles, 'MORE' and 'Arson.' The former is a song about my ambitions and greed hidden inside a box, while the latter is a tune about myself agonizing at a crossroads after getting out of tJul 15, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
Girl group ITZY to drop new EP 'Checkmate' K-pop girl group ITZY / Courtesy of JYP EntertainmentK-pop girl group ITZY will roll out a new EP on Friday, to be followed by its first-ever U.S. tour, the group's agency said. The album titled "Checkmate," set to be out at 1 p.m., is the band's fifth EP and first release in about 10 months since its first full-length album "Crazy in Love" last September.Preorders for the upcoming album had surpassed 720,000 copies as of Thursday afternoon, a record for the group."Checkmate" has seven tracks led by the main single "Sneakers," according to JYP Entertainment."Ranging from songs that fans would like, to those we wanted to try and to what we haven't shown so far, this album is full of ITZY's distinct colors," member Chaeryeong said in an interview with the agency about the new album. The transcript of the interview was released to media on Friday morning. "We wanted to show that ITZY is a team that has really diverse charms through the album."K-pop girl group ITZY /Courtesy of JYP EntertainmentThe main track "Sneakers" is a song encouraging listeners to run as far as possible without heJul 15, 2022
BTS' J-Hope to drop solo debut album A teaser image for J-Hope's first formal solo album "Jack in the Box," provided by Big Hit Music, July 15. YonhapJ-Hope of K-pop supergroup BTS will drop his first formal solo album Friday, his agency said."Jack in the Box," set to be released at 1 p.m., is also the first-ever official solo album from the septet, having recently announced a new chapter of its career with a focus on individual projects.Big Hit Music said "Jack in the Box" is the name of a children's toy where a clown or jester pops out of the box when it is opened. The title represents J-Hope's aspirations to break the mold and grow further, it added.As J-Hope revealed a week ago, the album's tracklist will include 10 songs: "Intro," "Pandora's Box," "MORE," "STOP," "=," "Music Box : Reflection," "What if…," "Safety Zone," "Future" and "Arson." The cover art for the album was done by renowned American pop artist KAWS."More," the single prereleased two weeks ago, and "Arson" are the album's two main tracks, according to the agency. It also said the two main singles represent the central message of the album, whiJul 15, 2022
Super Junior going strong on music charts with new album K-pop act Super Junior / Courtesy of Label SJBy Dong Sun-hwaK-pop act Super Junior is enjoying chart success with its 11th full-length album, “Vol.1 'The Road : Keep on Going.” The five-track album, which came out on Tuesday, ranked first on the iTunes top album chart in 23 countries including Brazil, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Thailand, the next day. According to Super Junior, “Vol. 1 'The Road : Keep on Going” is an album showing its willingness to walk its own path. Its lead single “Mango” took the No. 1 spot on iTunes top songs chart in six countries including Chile and Paraguay. Its music video, which was also released on Tuesday, has exceeded 1.6 million views as of Thursday morning. “Mango” is a funky pop song about a man in love. Super Junior is the first SM Entertainment group to put out an 11th studio album since the company's establishment in 1995. “I feel good because it seems Super Junior has etched its name into K-pop history,” front man Leeteuk said during an online press conference on the day of the album's releJul 14, 2022By Dong Sun-hwa
aespa's 'Girls' sets 1st-week sales record for girl group album K-pop girl group aespa / Courtesy of SM Entertainment"Girls," the second EP from aespa, has broken the record for the biggest first week sales by a K-pop girl group in history, its agency said Thursday.The album set the record by selling more than 1.42 million copies in the first week of its release last Friday, SM Entertainment said, citing data from Circle Chart, the country's official K-pop chart previously named Gaon.Several boy groups, such as BTS, Seventeen, NCT, Enhypen and trot singer Lim Young-woong, have sold more than 1 million copies with their albums in the first week of their releases. It, however, marks the first time in K-pop history that an album by a girl group has hit the milestone in the first week.In the music industry, an album's first-week sales figures are considered an important standard for measuring the artist's popularity or the size of his or her fandom. "Girls" has a total of nine tracks, including the title track of the same name and the English and Korean versions of "Life's Too Short," the band's first English-language single prereleased on June 24. AJul 14, 2022
