Seventeen confirmed that it is putting out new music in Japan in April.

The boy band is releasing its third single album in Japan, titled “Hitorijyanai,” which translates as “You are not alone.” The title track of the same name conveys the band’s support for young people who are living through a challenging time as well as the promise to meet again with their official fandom, Carat.

The album includes two more songs -- “Run To You” from the group’s 2018 special album “Director’s Cut” and “Home;Run” from last year’s “;[Semicolon],” both in Japanese. 

The 13-piece act continues to pay tribute to young people, singing about the brevity and resolve to stand at the starting line with their eyes set on their dreams.

Seventeen was the only K-pop artists to be included in the Top 10 on Billboard Japan’s annual singles chart with its second single “Fallin’ Flower” last year. It also was the first foreign male act to rank first on Oricon’s weekly albums ranking for four consecutive weeks with second Japanese EP “24H.”

“Hitorijyanai” will hit the sales rack on April 21.

BTS maintains record run on Billboard’s global charts

BTS remains atop Billboard’s newly added charts maintaining their reign in the top five, according to the data released by the US media.

Billboard started two global tallies, Billboard Global Excl. US and Billboard Global 200, in September last year based on streaming and sales data. 

The septet’s “Dynamite” ranked No. 2 on Billboard Global and No. 4 on Billboard Global 200 for Feb. 6. The Billboard chart-topper stayed atop the former for a record eight frames, and this week’s results added another week to the top five, pushing the record there to 21 consecutive weeks.

Although it was released in August last year, the English song, a first for the band, is still going strong on other Billboard charts as well: 46th on its main singles chart Hot 100, third on the Digital Song Sales and 18th on Adult Contemporary.

Meanwhile, BTS will unveil “Be (Essential Edition)” on Feb. 19 to express their gratitude to fans around the world for letting them rewrite K-pop history, such as in landing at the top of Billboard’s singles chart and being nominated for the 2021 Grammy Awards.

Chungha gives taste of 1st studio album
 

Chungha uploaded a second teaser trailer for her upcoming first full-length album.

The singer floated another snippet of highlights from “Querencia” on her social media and YouTube accounts on Wednesday, giving fans a sample of the sixth to tenth tracks from the album.

The medley, including “Sida B {Savage},” produced by Vincenzo who also worked on lead track “Bicycle,” exudes the unique sensibilities of the solo artist.

The album’s title comes from a Spanish word that refers to the place where one feels at home. She picked it herself while talking to her language tutor.

Chungha, who went solo in 2017, has been preparing for the album for about 10 months and put 21 tracks in total under four different themes -- noble, savage, unknown and pleasures.

She has been raising expectations, dropping singles one by one from last year: “Stay Tonight,” “Play,” “X” and “Dream of You,” a collaboration with international DJ and producer R3HAB.

The album will be available on Feb. 15.

Treasure gives sneak peek at merchandise

Treasure shared a one-minute teaser to give fans a peek at the “Welcoming Collection,” its first seasons greeting goods.

The 12 bandmates showed off versatile styles that ranged from cute and casual to sharp suits. They also hinted at items such as a calendar decorated by the performers and a selection of photographs that would highlight each and every one of them.

The boy band debuted about six months ago, and its “The First Step” series of EPs sold over 1 million copies and nabbed a string of rookie awards at the year-end award shows last year. Its recently released first studio album and lead track “My Treasure” topped music charts not only in Korea, but also in Japan. Four of its members are Japanese, and the group also sang “Beautiful” for Japanese animation “Black Clover,” its first original single in Japanese.

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