NCT Dream put out its first single in Japan, “Best Friends Ever,” on Wednesday, said label SM Entertainment. The NCT subunit of seven members dropped the single that consists of two tracks: a main track of the same title and the Japanese-language version of “Glitch Mode,” the titular track from its second studio album. The band will perform the new song for the first time at its upcoming concert in Osaka. It is set to go live at Kyocera Dome next week as part of its seco

K-pop Feb. 8, 2023

Seventeen’s three-piece unit BSS sold over 478,000 copies of its first single on the first day of release. This tops the first-week sales record for an album from a K-pop band subunit, according to agency Pledis Entertainment on Tuesday. Single “Second Wind” -- from Seungkwan, Dogyeom and Hoshi -- came out Monday, about five years since their digital single “Just Do It.” Lead track “Fighting” from the three-track album landed atop iTunes top songs chart

K-pop Feb. 7, 2023

Baekhyun of EXO went live on the band’s YouTube channel Monday evening, a day after he completed his military service. He will chat with fans and share episodes from when he shot his own vlogs. He served his duty as a social service agent from May 2021 and was discharged Sunday. He uploaded a handwritten letter addressed to his fans last month, thanking them for not forgetting him and promising them that he is ready to give it his all. With Baekhyun back, the band is likely to make a full

K-pop Feb. 6, 2023

Twice is making a comeback on March 10 with its 12th EP “Ready To Be,” said label JYP Entertainment on Friday. The EP comes about seven months since its previous album “Between 1＆2” that notched third place on Billboard 200, its third entry among top ten on the chart. The 11th EP was the fifth most-sold album in US last year, according to music sales data provider Luminate. The group dropped the English-language single “Moonlight Sunrise” last month as a pre-

K-pop Feb. 3, 2023

Tomorrow X Together sold two million copies of its fifth EP as of Wednesday about one month short of its four-year debut anniversary, according to a local tally published Thursday. It recorded 2 million first-week album sales in the shortest time among K-pop artists. It is also the second K-pop group to sell over 1.8 million units on the day of release after BTS, label Big Hit Music highlighted. The EP, titled “The Name Chapter: Temptation,” headed straight to the top of Oricon&rsqu

K-pop Feb. 2, 2023

Blackpink added another city and more dates to its ongoing tour, according to label YG Entertainment on Wednesday. The quartet’s ever-expanding international tour will now include a concert in Mexico City slated for April 26 and two concerts each in Melbourne and Sydney, due on June 10-11 and 16-17. Separately, Lisa logged 900 million streams on Spotify with her solo album “Lalisa.” This is the first time a K-pop solo musician achieved the feat on the platform. “Lalisa&r

K-pop Feb. 1, 2023

Twice entered Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 84 with single “Moonlight Sunrise,” tweeted Billboard on Tuesday. “Moonlight Sunrise” was dropped on Jan. 20 as the group’s second English-language single and is its second entry on the chart. It first made the chart in October 2021 with its first English-language single “The Feels” that ranked No. 83. Twice is the third K-pop girl group to hit the chart more than twice, following Blackpink and NewJeans. It

K-pop Jan. 31, 2023

The upcoming album from Seventeen’s unit BSS will feature Peder Elias and Lee Youngji, according to agency Pledis Entertainment on Monday. Although details are yet to be known, the band’s trio unit of Seungkwan, Dogyeom and Hoshi collaborated with the Norwegian singer and songwriter as well as the South Korean rapper for its first single album “Second Wind” that is due out on Feb. 6. In the meantime, the 13-member act’s reality show “In The Soop Seventeen&rdq

K-pop Jan. 30, 2023

Haechan of NCT will restart all activities when NCT 127 returns with repackaged version of its 4th studio album on Jan. 30, SM Entertainment announced Friday. He has been taking a break for about three weeks for health reasons. He had chest problems and has been resting and recovering in accordance with his doctor’s orders. The idol will join the nine-member subunit of NCT as it rolls out “Ay-Yo,” a reissue of its fourth LP “Two Baddies.” “Ay-Yo” will c

K-pop Jan. 27, 2023

Lisa of Blackpink set three new world records last year, the Guinness World Records said Tuesday. “Guinness World Records can confirm that in 2022, Lisa achieved three more record titles to add to her collection,” it said. She already has two records for the music video for her first solo song “Lalisa” from 2021. She is the first K-pop solo act to win at the MTV Video Music Awards and MTV Europe Music Awards for the Best K-pop prize. The third record is for her dominance

K-pop Jan. 26, 2023

Taeyang of Big Bang debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 as a solo musician with “Vibe,” ranking No. 76 on the chart. The collaboration with Jimin of BTS is Taeyang’s first entry on the chart on his own. It was No. 9 on Billboard’s Global Excl. the US chart. “Vibe” hit the UK’s Official Singles Chart Top 100 at No. 96 and Billboard Japan’s Hot 100 at No. 35. The digital single came out on Jan. 13 and topped iTunes top songs charts in 100 regions a

K-pop Jan. 25, 2023

Super rookie group aespa will hold its first standalone concerts on Feb. 25 and 26, SM Entertainment announced Friday. Under the title “Synk: Hyper Line,” the two-day gig will be held in Seoul and be a showcase of both its hit songs and never-before-seen performances. The second day’s live show will be broadcast online as well for fans across the world. Separately, the foursome is set to become the first K-pop group to perform at the Governors Ball Music Festival 2023 in New Y

K-pop Jan. 20, 2023

BTS reclaimed a spot on Billboard 200 with its fifth EP from 2017, according to the chart dated Jan. 21. EP “LOVE YOURSELF ‘Her’” ranked No. 13 on the albums chart, reentering the chart for the first time in over four years. The EP debuted on the chart at No. 7, the highest spot for an Asian musician at the time, and stayed on the chart for 29 weeks. Main track “DNA” peaked at No. 67 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and “MIC Drop Remix” came in at No.

K-pop Jan. 19, 2023

NewJeans hit Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first time with “Ditto,” a pre-release track from the single album “OMG.” “Ditto” debuted on the chart at No. 96, about six months since the rookie girl group’s debut. It is a record time for a K-pop artist to hit the main singles chart. Last week, “Ditto” hit UK’s Official Singles Chart Top 100 at No. 95 and ranked No. 11 on Spotify’s Weekly Top Songs Global chart. “Ditto&rdqu

K-pop Jan. 18, 2023

Key of SHINee will bring out a reissue of his second solo studio album in February, according to a local media report on Tuesday. Label SM Entertainment confirmed the news following the report. It has been about six months since he released LP “Gasoline” that topped iTunes top albums chart in 24 regions. The veteran idol held solo concerts in Seoul in October and in Yokohama the following month. It was his first solo concert in Japan in about four years. In March, he will host conce

K-pop Jan. 17, 2023