[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ “Butter” music video logs 800m views

    The music video for BTS’ “Butter” reached 800 million views on YouTube on Thursday, said label Big Hit Music on Friday. 　 The video is the band’s eighth to reach the milestone, following those of “DNA,” “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey),” “Dynamite,” “MIC Drop Remix,” “Fake Love,” “Idol,” and “Blood, Sweat, Tears.” 　 “Butter” came out in May 2021 and the dance p

K-popAug. 26, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Twice’s 11th EP sells over 1m in preorders

　 Twice’s upcoming EP has sold more than 1 million units before its release, according to JYP Entertainment on Thursday. 　 The group’s 11th EP, “Between 1&2,” surpassed sales of its previous album, LP No. 3, “Formula of Love:O+T=<3,” that sold more than 700,000 copies in preorders in November last year. The EP is likely to be the group’s first million-selling album. 　 According to 10 years of data released in January, Twice sold the most albums a

K-popAug. 25, 2022

In the right denim, NewJeans aims to be an everyday symbol of music

Less than a month since its debut, NewJeans, the first girl group from Ador, an independent label under Hybe, is taking the music world by storm. Seventeen days after dropping its namesake digital debut album on Aug. 1, the band’s title track “Attention” rose to No. 51 on the Billboard Global Excl. US chart, which ranks songs based on streaming and/or sales activity from more than 200 territories around the globe, excluding the US. The group’s name stems from a class

K-popAug. 25, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Itzy to drop 2nd single in Japan in October

Itzy will put out its second single in Japan on Oct. 5, label JYP Entertainment announced Wednesday. 　 Single “Blah Blah Blah” will consist of four tracks, including the titular track and “Can’t Tie Me Down” as well as instrumental version of the two songs. 　 The quintet officially debuted in Japan in December last year with best-of album “It’z Itzy.” In March, it was named one of the best three new artists in Asia in the Japan Gold Disc Awards,

K-popAug. 24, 2022

[Feature] Is K-pop’s ‘universe’ building still worth it?

In recent years, K-pop idols have vied to create unique concepts with distinctive background stories. To help their acts stand out from the ever-growing crowd of K-pop groups, local entertainment agencies have been cudgeling their brains over making overarching concepts, creating so-called “universes.” Under such concepts, groups weave unique, attractive narratives for their images and albums when making a debut or comeback. The word “universe” originally stems from th

K-popAug. 24, 2022

BTS concert for Busan Expo bid will host 100,000 attendees

K-pop sensation BTS is holding a concert in Busan on Oct. 15 in support of the city‘s bid to host the 2030 World Expo. The event, titled “BTS 'Yet To Come' in Busan,” will take place on Oct. 15 in Gijang-gun, Busan, as part of the septet’s activities as the honorary ambassadors of the international event, according to a statement released by the act’s label Big Hit Music on Wednesday. “Yet To Come” is the title of BTS’ latest single from the band

K-popAug. 24, 2022

Rebranded MAMA to take place in Osaka at end-Nov.

The Mnet Asian Music Awards, or MAMA, the biggest annual music awards ceremony in the K-pop industry, will be held in Japan this year. The show‘s organizer CJ ENM has rebranded it as the “MAMA AWARDS.” The newly named event will take place at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan over two days, starting Nov. 29. The event will also be streamed live through global platforms, including YouTube, according to CJ ENM, on Wednesday. Japan has been the world’s second-largest music marke

K-popAug. 24, 2022

NewJeans’ ‘Cookie’ hit by claims of sexualizing teen members

“Cookies I made. It’s so soft (what?) I keep thinking of you (ayy)”; “If you want it, you can get it”; “(Keep) looking at my cookie. The scent is different (taste it), one bite is not enough (uh)”; “Take it, don’t break it, I wanna see you taste it.” These are few lines from girl group NewJeans’ debut lead single “Cookie,” which, according to the group’s agency Ador, is a song for fans “made with a sincer

K-popAug. 24, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink makes new record with “Pink Venom” music video

Blackpink broke its own record with the music video for “Pink Venom” on YouTube, according to the platform’s official tally. 　 The video logged 90.4 million views in 24 hours when it was unveiled on Friday, surpassing the record it set with the music video for “How You Like That” that amassed 86.3 million views. This is a record for a music video from a female artist, and the third-highest in the world. 　 The video for the pre-release from its upcoming second stu

K-popAug. 23, 2022

CIX delves into essence of love in ‘OK Not’

Boy band CIX has rounded out the summer by finally deciphering the code to its “OK” series. The quintet dropped its 5th EP “OK’ Episode 1: OK Not” on Monday evening. This marks the boy band’s first return to the local music world since the release of its first LP “‘Ok’ Prologue: Be OK” in August 2021. “We’ve poured all we got into this project because it’s been a year since we last released an album. From settling

K-popAug. 22, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s new single tops Spotify chart

   　 Blackpink’s single “Pink Venom” topped Spotify’s global top 50 chart upon release and maintained the spot on the following day, a first for a K-pop artist, according to YG Entertainment. 　 It was streamed over 7.93 million times on the first day on the platform. 　 “How You Like That,” the main track from the band’s first studio album, “The Album,” charted at No. 2 in 2020. 　 “Pink Venom” is a prerelease from

K-popAug. 22, 2022

Blackpink continues record-breaking success with ‘Pink Venom’

K-pop girl group Blackpink is continuing a winning streak with its latest single “Pink Venom,” setting multiple records upon returning to the music scene after a 22-month hiatus. The quartet made a comeback on Friday with the first release from its upcoming second full-length album “Born Pink,” set to be released on Sept. 16. It marked the band‘s first full-group release since its first studio album titled “The Album” in October 2020. Upon release, th

K-popAug. 22, 2022

NMixx to drop new single ‘Entwurf’ on Sept. 19

Rookie girl group, NMixx of JYP Entertainment, is making is set to return next month. JYP Entertainment on Monday said through a statement that NMixx will return for the first time in seven months with its second single, “Entwurf,” on Sept. 19. Official promotion for the return kicked off earlier that day when the group tweeted the name of the track. A few minutes after the release of the poster, the band retweeted a post from a suspicious-seeming account, warning fans not to follo

K-popAug. 22, 2022

BLACKPINK's 'Pink Venom' tops iTunes top songs charts in 69 countries

K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's new single "Pink Venom" debuted atop iTunes charts in 69 countries around the world, the group's agency said Saturday. YG Entertainment said the song, released the previous day, ranked No. 1 on iTunes Top Songs charts in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania as of Saturday. The song also started on top of domestic music streaming services such as Melon, Bugs, Vibe and Genie. Its music video surpassed 70 million views in just 15 hours af

K-popAug. 20, 2022

[Today's K-pop] NCT 127 gears up for return with 4th LP

   NCT 127 returns with its fourth studio album next month, SM Entertainment said Friday. 　 The LP will be titled “2 Baddies” and is to consist of 12 songs. It comes about 11 months since “Favorite,” a repackaged version of the third LP, “Sticker.” 　 The third LP debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 3, a best for the band, and stayed on the chart for 17 consecutive weeks. It sold over 2 million units in the first week of sales and in total recorded

K-popAug. 19, 2022

‘Pink Venom’ shows contradictory sides of Blackpink

After a 22-month hiatus, K-pop girl group Blackpink returned to the music scene on Friday with “Pink Venom,” a prerelease single of the highly-anticipated second full-length album “Born Pink” out next month. Ahead of the release of “Pink Venom” and the accompanying music video, the group held an online press conference to talk about new music and the long-awaited comeback. “Pink Venom” best expresses the group’s identity, said the singers.

K-popAug. 19, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink sells 1.5m in preorders

Blackpink’s second studio album has already sold more than 1.5 million in preorders, according to YG Entertainment on Thursday. 　 Expectations are high for the album to break sales records, especially since the LP “Born Pink” became available for preorders just a week ago and will be released on Sept. 16. First LP “The Album” sold 800,000 copies in six days in preorders and was the first million-selling album from a K-pop girl group. 　 The quartet will drop &ldqu

K-popAug. 18, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] BTS to launch photo project, starting with Jungkook

　 BTS will release a series of photo books one by one from Sept. 1. 　 The series will consist of eight books in total, seven dedicated to each of the septet and one for the whole group. Jungkook uploaded a teaser trailer for the project dubbed “Special 9 Photo-Folio” on Wednesday showing himself as a vampire. 　 Each of the 80-page books will be linked by their final photographs, which will hint at the next bandmate to be featured. 　 Meanwhile, the band’s anthology album &ldq

K-popAug. 17, 2022

[Herald Interview] BAE173 aims to strengthen its presence in K-pop scene with ‘Odyssey: Dash’

With a slew of big-name K-pop artists splashing onto the scene with summer bops, rookie boy group BAE173 has also joined the flock with a new release. Having dropped its fourth EP titled “Odyssey: Dash” on Wednesday, the nine-piece act held an interview with a group of reporters at its label Pocketdol Studio’s headquarters in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, a day ahead of the new album’s online release. The act -- comprised of members J-Min, Hangyul, Yoojun, Muzin, J

K-popAug. 17, 2022

The Boyz says 7th EP ‘Be Aware’ is a gift for fans

Less than two weeks have passed since the Boyz ended their first world tour, “The B-Zone,” in Seoul with three days of encore concerts, and the act is already back with fresh new sounds and performances to fill fans’ summer. Ahead of dropping its seventh EP, “Be Aware,” at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, the bandmates shared their feelings and thoughts through an official press statement released that morning. “It’s exciting to be making this comeback after almos

K-popAug. 16, 2022