CL unveiled the second single from her debut studio album in advance on Wednesday.

British singer/songwriter Anne-Marie co-wrote the song, titled “Lover Like Me,” which exudes confidence as the narrator coolly lets go of a partner who tried to cheat, saying the cheater will never meet anyone else like her. “Lover Like Me” highlights her vocals, while the previous single, “Spicy,” focused on her rapping and performance skills.

The first single from her upcoming album featured actor John Malkovich as a narrator and as a golden statue of himself in the video.

“I’m your No. 1 fan,” said the actor in a FaceTime call with CL, congratulating her on the release last month.

The musician is the first female K-pop solo artist to enter Billboard’s main chart, ranking at No. 94 on the Hot 100 with “Lifted,” her first single in the US, in 2016.

“Alpha” will be fully unveiled in October.

Hot Issue aims for iconic status with new single 

Rookie girl group Hot Issue released its latest record, “Icons,” Wednesday, five months after coming out with debut album “Issue Maker.”

After successfully wrapping up the promotional activities for the band’s debut song, “Gratata,” all the bandmates devoted themselves to the new record, said Hyeongsin.

The two-track record further expresses the band’s main concepts -- confidence and candor.

“(The new music) is infused with confident charm, our signature, and I believe it fits nicely with our goal to become an icon on the K-pop scene,” said Hyeongsin.

“The song itself is powerful but when you add the combined spirits of us seven, it will be impressive,” she added.

Because the band debuted amid the COVID-19 pandemic, its members have yet to meet their fans in person.

“But they are supporting us so sincerely and make us tell ourselves that we should improve ourselves as musicians,” said Nahyeon.

Mamamoo’s Hwasa to release solo music soon: report 

Hwasa of Mamamoo is preparing to put out a solo album later this year, according to local media reports Wednesday.

Her agency, RBW, confirmed that a solo album was on the way but did not provide any specific timeline, only saying that it would make an announcement when more details were available.

Besides her activities as a member of Mamamoo, she has been building a solo career since the debut record “Twit” from February 2019. Her previous album was the EP “Maria,” which came out in June last year. The EP topped iTunes top albums charts in 20 regions and she became the first female K-pop solo musician to claim the top spot in the US.

Meanwhile, Mamamoo rolled out its best-of album “I Say Mamamoo: The Best” on Sept. 15.

2PM puts out new EP in Japan

2PM released an EP in Japan on Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary of the band’s debut there.

With the EP, titled “With Me Again,” the band finally kept the promise it made five years ago at its concert at the Tokyo Dome.

It includes title track “Boku to Mata,” which translates to “With Me Again,” and new songs “By My Side” and “Urahara,” as well as the Japanese version of “Must” and “My Home.” “My Home” was the lead track from its 2015 album “No. 5” but gained popularity in 2020 thanks to a fan-made video.

Jun. K, who wrote “My Home,” co-authored the lyrics and melody for “Boku to Mata,” which combines a romantic message with strong sound. The song was dropped in advance on Sept. 9 and landed atop the iTunes K-pop chart as well as all major music charts in Japan.

In June, fans of the band welcomed the new music, which propelled the band’s seventh LP, “Must,” to No. 1 on the iTunes albums chart in Japan.

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