Brave Girls held a media showcase Wednesday to present their sixth EP, “Thank You.” The EP came out on March 14, but the showcase was pushed back as three of the bandmates tested positive for COVID-19.
 
The titular main track is intended to express their gratitude for the love they received last year, they said, as they felt they had not had the chance to do so properly.
 
“Fans thanked us for hanging in there, but we wanted to tell them that we could because of them,” said Minyoung.
   
“Thank You” is a retro-pop dance number that is in line with the band that rose to popularity long after debuting.
 
“There were those who said they saw hope from us,” said Yuna, “but we gained strength from them.”
 
The bandmates admitted they were under pressure all the more from the unexpected success of the previous EP. But this EP is special in the sense that it contains the stories they wanted to tell, said Yujeong.
  
Monsta X to return next month: report

 
Monsta X is gearing up for an April return, according to local news reports Wednesday.
 
Agency Starship Entertainment confirmed the news following the reports.
 
The group’s last album was 10th EP “No Limit” in November last year, with which the band placed No. 1 on five music chart shows. Its second studio album in the US, “The Dreaming,” stayed on the Billboard 200 chart for two weeks. 
 
In the meantime, the individual band members, except Shownu who is serving his military duty, have also been pursuing separate careers. Kihyun put out his first solo album, “Voyager,” earlier this month, while Hyeongwon appeared in a web drama series. They also have been hosting a number of radio and online variety shows.
 
In May, the band will participate in KCON 2022 Premiere and perform in Seoul alongside Highlight, the Boyz and Loona.
  
Mamamoo releases best-of album in Japan

Mamamoo put out a compilation album in Japan, “I Say Mamamoo the Best - Japan Edition,” Wednesday, according to agency RBW Entertainment.
 
It is a repackaged version of the group’s best-of album from September last year and consists of 17 songs, including a new Japanese track titled “Smile.” Also included are its Japanese hits “Shampoo” and “Just Believe in Love,” as well as Japanese versions of “Decalcomanie,” “Wind Flower” and “Starry Night.”
 
The band officially debuted in Japan with the single “Decalcomanie” in 2018.
 
Separately, the quintet gave a sneak peek at its forthcoming documentary with a teaser clip on Wednesday. The four-part film, “MMM_Where Are We Now” chronicles the seven-year music career of the band, and will be fully unveiled Friday.
  
TXT to perform at Japan’s biggest music festival

Tomorrow X Together has joined the lineup of Summer Sonic 2022, one of the biggest music festivals in Japan.
 
It has been canceled twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but is set to resume this year in August. TXT will perform in Osaka on Aug. 20 and in Tokyo on Aug. 21. The lineup includes British rock band the 1975 and American singer-songwriters Post Malone and Salem Ilese, as well as Japanese rock band One Ok Rock.
 
Meanwhile, the band entered Billboard’s song breaker chart, dated March 12, at No. 18.
 
This is the first time a K-pop male artist or group charted on the monthly ranking that lists musicians “in the digital space who are driving music consumption through content creation” on social platforms including TikTok and YouTube. The band has 16 million followers on TikTok, second most among K-pop boy bands after only BTS.
 
By Hwang You-mee
(glamazon@heraldcorp.com)