Girl group aespa will make a much-anticipated return on May 8, according to a local media report Friday.

SM Entertainment confirmed the news following the report. More details and a timetable for promotions will be announced soon, the company said, asking fans to keep their expectations high.

It has been about 10 months since the release of the group's second EP “Girls,” which went on to hit the Billboard 200 at No. 3. The EP sold 1.64 million copies in preorders and became the first album from a K-pop girl group to sell over 1 million in the first week of sales.

The quartet recently released “Hold On Tight” as part of the soundtrack for Apple's original movie “Tetris.”

The group was set to drop its first full album in February, but the release was pushed back as the label got mired in conflict over management issues. Aespa held its first standalone concert in late February, unveiling 11 unpublished songs.

Blackpink’s ‘Pink Venom’ music video tops 600m views

The music video for Blackpink’s “Pink Venom” has now garnered over 600 million views on YouTube, according to YG Entertainment on Friday.

It is the group’s 13th video to reach the milestone.

The video logged 90.4 million views in 24 hours, a world record for a female act, and surpassed 100 million views in less than 30 hours, also a record for a K-pop girl group.

“Pink Venom” came out in August last year as a prerelease from its second studio album, “Born Pink.” The single landed atop iTunes top songs chart in 81 regions and hit No. 22 on both the Billboard 200 and the UK’s Official Singles Top 100.

Meanwhile, Jennie could attend Cannes Film Festival, as her HBO drama series “The Idol” was included as a selection out of competition. Her label said it has not been decided yet.

Twice to kick off 5th world tour with Seoul concert

Twice will begin touring the world with concerts in Seoul this weekend, JYP Entertainment announced Friday.

The group will go live in southern Seoul for two days for its first standalone in concert in about 16 months. The second day’s concert will be livestreamed as well.

In May the tour resumes, bringing the nine members to Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, before heading over to Osaka and Tokyo in Japan. From June, they will visit eight cities in the US as well as Toronto through early July. More concerts may be added later to the tour.

The tour is titled after its 12th EP, “Ready To Be,” which came out last month. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 2, a new high mark for the group, and has stayed on the chart for three more weeks.

Ex-Nmixx Jinni signs with new agency

Jinni, formerly of Nmixx, joined the agency UAP and will restart as a solo performer, her management firm Sublime said Friday.

Sublime signed an agreement of understanding with the agency and will support her to realize her potential, it said.

Jinni debuted as a member of girl group Nmixx in February last year but quit in December for personal reasons. Last month, she opened a social media account and said “hi” to fans, just in time for the release of Nmixx’s first EP, “Expergo.”

The group made its first entry on the Billboard 200, hitting the chart at No. 122. From next month, it will hold showcases in eight cities the US and four cities in Asia, greeting fans away from home for the first time.

By Hwang You-mee
(glamazon@heraldcorp.com)