High-profile K-pop stars gear up for April releases
By Dong Sun-hwa
Competition on K-pop charts will intensify in April, with a legion of prominent stars gearing up for new music offerings. Included in the lineup are NCT DOJAEJUNG, IVE, Kep1er and Apink.
IVE (April 10)
K-pop bigwig IVE's first full-length album, "I've IVE," will arrive on the music scene, April 10. It has taken more than a year for the six-piece act to roll out a studio album since its debut in December 2021.
To whet its fans' appetites, IVE unveiled one of the songs ― "Kitsch" ― on Monday, a few weeks before releasing the full album. The track has already created a splash, grabbing the No. 1 spot on multiple music streaming platforms including Melon. Its music video has also drawn more than 7 million views on YouTube as of Tuesday afternoon.
"'Kitsch,' which highlights IVE members' uniqueness and self-confidence, will help them solidify their identities," Starship Entertainment, IVE's management company, said in a statement. "Their upcoming album will revolve around the themes of self-love, self-confidence and free-spiritedness."
IVE rose to meteoric stardom shortly after its debut thanks to the success of three singles: "Eleven," (2021), "Love Dive" (2022) and "After Like" (2022). Kakao Entertainment, which controls Starship, announced recently that it has partnered with the U.S. record label Columbia Records to promote the group's musical activities in North America. Columbia is the company behind stars like Beyonce and Harry Styles.
Kep1er (April 10)
On the same day, K-pop girl group Kep1er will drop its fourth mini-album, "LOVESTRUCK!" Kep1er is a multinational act made up of nine winners from Mnet's 2021 audition program, "Girls Planet 999."
Led by "Giddy," the upcoming EP will express the emotional rollercoaster that the nine members face after falling in love.
"Their fresh mini-album will feature the thrill of love and various feelings related to it," the group's agencies, Wake One Entertainment and Swing Entertainment, said in a statement.
"LOVESTRUCK!" will also offer four other tracks including: "LVLY," "Back to the City," "Why" and "Happy Ending."
NCT DOJAEJUNG (April 17)
NCT DOJAEJUNG, a sub-unit of K-pop boy group NCT, is poised to make its much-awaited debut with the EP "Perfume" on April 17. It consists of three NCT members: Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo.
Fronted by the lead single of the same name, "Perfume" will carry five additional tracks: "Kiss," "Dive," "Strawberry Sunday," "Can We Go Back" and "Ordinary."
"The EP will offer songs of various genres, which all center on the theme of love," the trio's agency, SM Entertainment, said in a statement. "It will have a romantic vibe that can fascinate fans."
The company added that Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo will bring their unexplored sides to the fore.
"The three members first performed as a trio during NCT's Seoul concert last October," it explained. "Their fans reacted wildly to their performance and chemistry, asking them to form a sub-unit."
The three NCT members took the stage with "Can We Go Back" at Jamsil Sports Complex's Main Stadium in southeastern Seoul and garnered rave reviews for their performing skills.
In addition to the aforementioned acts, Apink, Park Ji-hoon, Lee Chae-yeon and EPEX will also put out their new music offerings next month. Apink will release its 10th mini-album, "SELF," on April 5. On April 12, Park is scheduled to roll out his seventh EP, "Blank or Black," and Lee will unleash her second mini-album, "Over the Moon." EPEX's fifth EP, "Prelude of Love Chapter 2. 'Growing Pains'" will hit shelves on April 26.
By Dong Sun-hwa
Competition on K-pop charts will intensify in April, with a legion of prominent stars gearing up for new music offerings. Included in the lineup are NCT DOJAEJUNG, IVE, Kep1er and Apink.
IVE (April 10)
 |
| K-pop girl group IVE / Courtesy of Starship Entertainment |
K-pop bigwig IVE's first full-length album, "I've IVE," will arrive on the music scene, April 10. It has taken more than a year for the six-piece act to roll out a studio album since its debut in December 2021.
To whet its fans' appetites, IVE unveiled one of the songs ― "Kitsch" ― on Monday, a few weeks before releasing the full album. The track has already created a splash, grabbing the No. 1 spot on multiple music streaming platforms including Melon. Its music video has also drawn more than 7 million views on YouTube as of Tuesday afternoon.
"'Kitsch,' which highlights IVE members' uniqueness and self-confidence, will help them solidify their identities," Starship Entertainment, IVE's management company, said in a statement. "Their upcoming album will revolve around the themes of self-love, self-confidence and free-spiritedness."
IVE rose to meteoric stardom shortly after its debut thanks to the success of three singles: "Eleven," (2021), "Love Dive" (2022) and "After Like" (2022). Kakao Entertainment, which controls Starship, announced recently that it has partnered with the U.S. record label Columbia Records to promote the group's musical activities in North America. Columbia is the company behind stars like Beyonce and Harry Styles.
Kep1er (April 10)
 |
| K-pop girl group Kep1er / Courtesy of Wake One Entertainment, Swing Entertainment |
On the same day, K-pop girl group Kep1er will drop its fourth mini-album, "LOVESTRUCK!" Kep1er is a multinational act made up of nine winners from Mnet's 2021 audition program, "Girls Planet 999."
Led by "Giddy," the upcoming EP will express the emotional rollercoaster that the nine members face after falling in love.
"Their fresh mini-album will feature the thrill of love and various feelings related to it," the group's agencies, Wake One Entertainment and Swing Entertainment, said in a statement.
"LOVESTRUCK!" will also offer four other tracks including: "LVLY," "Back to the City," "Why" and "Happy Ending."
NCT DOJAEJUNG (April 17)
 |
| K-pop trio NCT DOJAEJUNG / Captured from Twitter |
Fronted by the lead single of the same name, "Perfume" will carry five additional tracks: "Kiss," "Dive," "Strawberry Sunday," "Can We Go Back" and "Ordinary."
"The EP will offer songs of various genres, which all center on the theme of love," the trio's agency, SM Entertainment, said in a statement. "It will have a romantic vibe that can fascinate fans."
The company added that Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo will bring their unexplored sides to the fore.
"The three members first performed as a trio during NCT's Seoul concert last October," it explained. "Their fans reacted wildly to their performance and chemistry, asking them to form a sub-unit."
The three NCT members took the stage with "Can We Go Back" at Jamsil Sports Complex's Main Stadium in southeastern Seoul and garnered rave reviews for their performing skills.
In addition to the aforementioned acts, Apink, Park Ji-hoon, Lee Chae-yeon and EPEX will also put out their new music offerings next month. Apink will release its 10th mini-album, "SELF," on April 5. On April 12, Park is scheduled to roll out his seventh EP, "Blank or Black," and Lee will unleash her second mini-album, "Over the Moon." EPEX's fifth EP, "Prelude of Love Chapter 2. 'Growing Pains'" will hit shelves on April 26.
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