Blackpink will perform three more times in North America, YG Entertainment announced Thursday.

The quartet was originally planning to perform 10 times across seven cities for the North American leg of its world tour, but added three more concerts at fans' strong urging. The girl group will hit Dallas on Oct. 25 and go live in Los Angeles, the final destination of the leg, on Nov. 19. The ever-expanding tour is estimated to attract about 1.5 million concertgoers in total, and is likely to set a record for a K-pop girl group.

The grand tour starts in Seoul on Oct. 15 and will bring the band to Europe, Asia and Oceania as well.

The four bandmates left for Los Angeles on Thursday.

Kang Daniel to tour Japan for the 1st time

Kang Daniel will hold concerts in Japan for the first time to mark his official debut in the country next month.

He is set to roll out his first EP, “Joy Ride,” on Oct. 5 and will perform in front of fans as a solo musician for the first time on Oct. 15 and 16, first in Osaka and then in Yokohama.

The EP will include the titular track and “TPIR,” a collaboration with Japanese guitarist Miyavi that was released in advance. Four tracks from his first full album “The Story,” including a rearranged version of “Loser,” will also be part of the EP.

The singer and actor held his first standalone concerts, "First Parade in Seoul," last month for two days. However, he withdrew from joining Summer Sonic, one of the largest music festivals in Japan, in the following week after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Ex-IZ*ONE Lee Chaeyeon to debut solo

Lee Chaeyeon, formerly of IZ*ONE, will debut as a solo musician next month, agency WM Entertainment said Thursday.

She is preparing an album that is set to be released in October, it confirmed.

There has been speculation that she would make the move soon, and sister Chaeyreong, who is a member of Itzy, hinted that she is gearing up for a solo debut in an entertainment show earlier this month.

Lee debuted as a main dancer of IZ*ONE in 2018 through reality TV competition “Produce 48.” Since the girl group disbanded in April last year, she has appeared in a series of variety shows including "Street Woman Fighter," and starred in a web drama set in Busan opposite of Chanhee of SF9.

Ex-NU’EST Ren begins new chapter on his own: report

Ren, formerly of NU’EST, is readying himself to take more bold steps as a solo musician, hosting fan concerts in Korea and Japan from early November, according to a local media report Thursday.

He will be the last from the band that he has been a member of for 10 years to hold concerts on his own. The five-member act disbanded in March, as the bandmates decided to pursue careers individually after their contract expired. Ren signed with Big Planet Made in May.

He has been active in musicals and will take on the role of D’Artagnan in "The Three Musketeers" beginning Friday. He also has appeared on TV music programs as a solo performer.

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