Multinational boy band ＆Team will greet its fans in Korea and Japan to celebrate its first anniversary, said agency Hybe Labels Japan on Monday.

It will host concerts in Saitama, Japan and in Seoul on Sept. 3 and 9, respectively, to mark the occasion. The events will be livestreamed online for its fans as well.

The nonet was formed through an audition program in September last year and officially debuted in December under Hybe’s Japanese affiliate.

In the meantime, the bandmates flew in from Tokyo last week to join the lineup for group concert K-pop Super Live, which will be held in Seoul on Friday. The event was originally planned to be held in Buan, North Jeolla Province on Aug. 6.

Cravity to release 6th EP next month

Boy band Cravity will bring out sixth EP “Sun Seeker” on Sept. 11, announced agency Starship Entertainment on Sunday.

The album will be fronted by two main tracks and will be full of the band’s signature positive energy, added the company.

The nine members debuted in 2020 with “Cravity Season 1 [Hideout: Remember Who We Are]” and its latest album, fifth EP “Master:Piece,” sold more than 192,000 copies in the first week, marking a career high.

Meanwhile, the band visited six cities in the US for its first tour, “Masterpiece,” in June after its concerts in Tokyo and Osaka, and performed in Taipei, Hong Kong and Manila until last week. It will resume the tour in Bangkok, Thailand in October. Last month, it officially debuted in Japan with single “Groove – Japanese ver.” which ranked No. 2 on Oricon’s daily single ranking.

Super Junior’s Kyuhyun signs with Antenna

Kyuhyun of Super Junior signed with agency Antenna, said the company on Monday.

He, along with bandmates Eunhyuk and Donghae, left label SM Entertainment last month after over 17 years as its artist. The rest of the members renewed their contracts and all nine members will carry on group activities represented by the label, said the management firm.

Kyuhyun was the last to join the team as the main vocalist and in 2014, began a career as a solo musician as well, with EP “At Gwanghwamun.” He also has branched into theater since 2010 and is cast in the lead role for musical “Ben Hur," which premieres on Sept. 2.

Separately, the veteran idol band traveled to Manila, the Philippines last month for a fan meeting event.

Choi Yena to tackle Japan as solo performer

Choi Yena will tackle Japan with her first single, “Smiley -- Japanese Ver. (Feat. Chammina),” according to agency Yue Hua Entertainment on Monday.

It will be the Japanese-language version of her solo song “Smiley,” which was the lead single of her first solo EP of the same title from last year. She teamed up with Japanese rapper Chammina for the upcoming single while the original song featured Bibi.

The single album, due out on Aug. 9, will also include a B-side track “Deja vu.” Choi will host a showcase in Tokyo on Monday before her official debut there.

She already has a loyal following in Japan as she was a member of girl group Iz*One, a project group that disbanded in April 2021 after about 2 1/2 years.

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