Two candidates unveiled for SM’s new NCT subunit pre-debut reality show

SM Entertainment on Monday unveiled some of the trainees taking part in its pre-debut reality show, “NCT Universe: LASTART.” The trainees unveiled go by the names Riku and Ryo, while eight more trainees are set to be revealed in the coming weeks. These trainees are candidates who will debut as NCT’s new subgroup, one of the three new groups that the K-pop powerhouse plans to launch this year. Through the pre-debut reality show, SM will show the process of evaluating the 10 can

K-popJuly 11, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s 7th LP sells over 1.6m copies in pre-orders

The seventh studio album from EXO sold more than 1.6 million units in pre-orders, a record for the band. The LP “Exist” debuted Monday, over two years since the release of its special album “Don’t Fight The Feeling.” Its previous LP was “Obsession” that came out in November 2019. The new album was supposed to be the band’s full-group effort, but Kai will be absent from the promotional activities, as he was unexpectedly summoned to serve his milita

K-popJuly 10, 2023

EXO returns after 2 year hiatus with 7th LP “Exist”

Legendary K-pop group EXO is back, releasing its seventh studio album “Exist” on Monday. It is the first group effort in over two years since the release of the special album, “Don’t Fight the Feeling.” Prior to its official release, “Exist” had racked up a total of 1.6 million pre-order sales as of Sunday, according to SM Entertainment. The new album is led by the title track “Cream Soda,” which is of the pop dance genre composed with rhythm

K-popJuly 10, 2023

Attempts to poach popular K-pop artists nothing new

Allegations and controversy surrounding Fifty Fifty continue, but the group is not the first K-pop group to face suspicions over a potential buyout after rising to stardom in the competitive music industry. “Poaching members of a group or attempts to breach their exclusive contracts have been ongoing in the entertainment industry for a long time. These practices have impeded normal business activities, resulting in irreversible consequences for both the company and its artists,” said

K-popJuly 10, 2023

BTS' Jungkook to perform in 'Good Morning America' 2023 Summer Concert Series

Jungkook of K-pop megastar BTS will headline this year's "Good Morning America" Summer Concert Series, an annual summer concert hosted by the famous U.S. morning talk show. The vocalist will open the concert on July 14 at New York's Central Park with "Seven," his first official solo song set to come out earlier that day, the show's broadcaster ABC said on social media Friday (US time). It will be Jungkook's first performance in the annual event as a solo a

K-popJuly 8, 2023

Infinite joins second-generation boy band comeback rush

K-pop boy band Infinite is returning as a full group this month, amid the rush of veteran boy band comebacks. The band's agency, Infinite Co., on Friday heralded the six-piece's long-awaited comeback for July 31 with a poster in black and gold. The sextet's return comes five years after it released its last album, its third LP "Top Seed," in 2018. This is the first time the group is getting together following its departure from its former agency Woolim Entertainment unde

K-popJuly 7, 2023

Tomorrow X Together teams up with Jonas Brothers

Tomorrow X Together has unveiled a collaboration with US pop group Jonas Brothers. The K-pop quintet on Friday afternoon dropped its collaborative single with Jonas Brothers, "Do It Like That." The song and its music video was released globally at 1 p.m. The rhythmical dance pop tune gives out summer vibes as it spells out the enchanting feelings of fledgling love. The band, also known as TXT, said via Big Hit Music on Friday that "it will be the best summer song of 2023." &q

K-popJuly 7, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] TXT tops Oricon chart with 2nd Japan LP

Tomorrow X Together's second Japanese studio album placed atop Oricon’s daily album rankings dated for July 4, according to the chart announced Tuesday. LP “Sweet” also was No. 1 on Line Music’s real-time albums chart, as was the music video for main track “Sugar Rush Ride (Japanese Ver.)” on its weekly music videos chart. Its first LP in Japan, “Still Dreaming” from January 2021, hit the Billboard 200 at No. 173 and landed atop Oricon’s dai

K-popJuly 6, 2023

BTS' Jimin tops as K-pop soloist on US' Pandora Music

Jimin of the world's biggest K-pop band BTS is setting new records as a Korean solo artist on Pandora Music. Jimin's first breakthrough on the American music streaming platform came on June 27 when he reached 500,000 monthly listeners as the first K-pop soloist to do so. The feat came around three months after his official solo debut in March with his album "Face." The number soared to 594,000 listeners on June 30, surpassing BTS' 571,000 and setting a new all-time high

K-popJuly 6, 2023

Le Sserafim tops sales among rookie artists in Japan in the first half

Japan's Oricon named Le Sserafim as the nation's top-selling rookie artist of the first half of the year. Oricon, the biggest music chart provider in Japan, on Thursday announced that the five-piece topped album sales among the new artists in the local market dated between Dec. 12 and June 11. Since 2018, Oricon has been releasing the ranking based on the compiled sales of the artist's physical singles and albums, as well as streams, Blu-rays and DVDs. "Le Sserafim logged sal

K-popJuly 6, 2023

EXO to open pop-up store in Seoul to promote upcoming album

EXO is opening a pop-up store in time for the release of its seventh LP, “EXIST.” According to SM Entertainment on Thursday, EXO’s pop-up store “EXOcial Club -- Cream Soda” will be open from July 11 to Aug. 6 at the D Museum and Understand Avenue in Seoul. The concept of this pop-up store is “Cream Soda,” which is also the name of the title track of EXO’s upcoming LP. There will be a photo zone similar to the “Cream Soda” music video se

K-popJuly 6, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink refutes rumor about concert set list

Blackpink’s forthcoming Hanoi gig will be carried out in the same format as other concerts of its tour, said label YG Entertainment Wednesday. This announcement came after complaints arose in response to rumors that the event would only have 13 songs and would not include solo performances. The group is set to hold concerts in the Vietnamese capital on July 29-30 for the first time in the country. Separately, the quartet went live in London on Sunday in the UK, headlining the 2023 British

K-popJuly 5, 2023

Seventeen's 'FML' sells record-high 6.2m copies

Boy band Seventeen's 10th EP, "FML," has become K-pop's top-selling album of all time. "FML" recently surpassed 6.2 million copies in sales, the group's agency Pledis Entertainment said Wednesday, citing data from the album's distributor YG Plus. It reached the feat two months since its release on April 24. This is the first time that any K-pop album has reached 6 million copies in sales. Seventeen broke the record of 5.03 million copies set by BTS' 2

K-popJuly 5, 2023

Teen Top says forever with fans is 'for sure'

Teen Top, which made a smash debut as rookies in 2010, is now in its 13th year but the group still retains its boylike freshness. Teen Top on Tuesday dropped its new album "4Sho," making a comeback after three years. With the album, the team celebrates its first comeback as a four-piece and promises their firm resolution to stay together "for sure." Much have happened in the meanwhile. The members' exclusive contracts with TOP Media ended, leading to members Niel and Cha

K-popJuly 5, 2023

Lapillus tapped as ambassadors of Boryeong Mud Festival

K-pop girl group Lapillus has been appointed as the ambassadors of the 26th Boryeong Mud Festival. The appointment ceremony took part at the Boryeong City Hall on June 29, according to MLD Entertainment on Wednesday. The 26th Boryeong Mud Festival starts on July 21 and runs through Aug. 6 at various parts of Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. The annual Boryeong Mud Festival is one of Asia’s three major festivals selected by the International Festivals & Event Asso

K-popJuly 5, 2023

SHINee movie to premiere in September

The documentary film “My SHINee World,” produced to celebrate the K-pop boy group SHINee’s 15th debut anniversary, will be released in September. SM Entertainment announced Wednesday that the film will consist of exclusive clips that have never been previously released. The movie will go over the past 15 years of SHINee and its journey with its fandom, SHINee World. It also includes footage of the act’s recent three-day standalone concert “Perfect Illumination&rdquo

K-popJuly 5, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink hits 1.6b views with ‘Boombayah’ music video

    Blackpink garnered 1.6 billion views on YouTube with the music video for “Boombayah,” according to label YG Entertainment on Tuesday. It is the group’s third video to reach the milestone, after those of “Ddu-du Ddu-du” and “Kill This Love.” “Boombayah” is one of the two main tracks from debut single “Square One” that was released in August 2016. On Sunday in London, the group made its festival debut in the UK at

K-popJuly 4, 2023

Treasure to make an early comeback on July 28

K-pop band Treasure will make a full group comeback on July 28 with the band's second studio album, "Reboot," earlier than the previously announced August timeline. "We're happy to announce a comeback on July 28, earlier than initially announced. The boys have devoted themselves to the production to return the love of the fans who have been waiting," YG said in a press release on Tuesday. The band also posted an announcement film on its official blog, which showed t

K-popJuly 4, 2023

Oh My Girl to release 9th EP ‘Golden Hourglass’ this month

K-pop girl group Oh My Girl is set to release its ninth mini album, “Golden Hourglass,” on July 24. WM Entertainment revealed the act’s comeback schedule on its official social media account Tuesday, along with a teaser image of the upcoming album that shows an hourglass on a beach. This is a long-awaited full-unit comeback as the new album comes in a year and four months. The seven-member group debuted in April 2015 with its EP “Oh My Girl" and has since released hi

K-popJuly 4, 2023

IVE to drop Pepsi campaign song “I Want”

Girl group IVE is releasing a new Pepsi campaign song “I Want” on July 13. IVE has been a Pepsi brand ambassador since the beginning of the year. Pepsi and Starship Entertainment dropped teaser images of the upcoming campaign song on Monday on their official social media accounts. The images show Yujin posing in front of refrigerators filled with Pepsi, Rei holding up a can of Pepsi Zero Sugar, and Gaeul working as a cashier scanning the barcode of a cola can. Yujin of IVE was a Peps

K-popJuly 4, 2023