Mark of NCT Dream tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be able to join the band’s upcoming concert, said label SM Entertainment on Monday. 　 The idol band is holding three concerts in Seoul from July 29, its first in-person gig in Korea in over 2 1/2 years. The concert, dubbed “In A Dream,” was to be the first since Mark rejoined the subunit in 2020 and drew more than 1.5 million fans concurrently when the tickets opened for purchase online. All tickets were sold upon re

K-pop July 25, 2022

The Boyz will make a comeback with its seventh EP on Aug. 16, agency IST Entertainment announced Friday. 　 The EP comes about nine months after it released its third single “Maverick” that swept a series of television music chart shows and sold over 480,000 copies in the first week of sales. The single topped the iTunes top albums chart in seven regions and the titular track hit the iTunes worldwide songs chart at No. 17. 　 Since late May, the 11-member act has been touring the worl

K-pop July 22, 2022

Rookie girl group Kep1er will debut in Japan with the single “Fly-Up” on Sept. 7, agencies Wake One and Swing Entertainment announced Thursday.   　 The single will be available in four versions and will consist of three tracks: focus track “Wing Wing” and Japanese-language versions of the main tracks from its first and second EPs: “Wa Da Da” and “Up!” Some albums will also have the new Japanese-language song “Daisy.”   　 The

K-pop July 21, 2022

J-Hope of BTS lept straight to the top of Oricon chart with his solo album “Jack In The Box.” 　 The album debuted at No. 1 on Oricon’s weekly digital album ranking, according to the latest tally announced on Wednesday. 　 The 10-track album topped iTunes top albums charts in 49 regions and lead single “Arson” ranked No. 1 on its top songs chart in 62 regions. “More,” a double title track from the LP, was the chart-topper in 84 regions. 　 The latter en

K-pop July 20, 2022

The focus track from Seventeen’s repackaged album landed atop iTunes top songs chart in 28 regions, said agency Pledis Entertainment on Tuesday. 　 “_World” is a hybrid of funk and urban R&B genres and fronted “Sector 17,” the band’s repackaging of the fourth LP “Face The Sun,” which sold over 935,000 copies of the physical album on Monday, the day it was released. Preorders for the album reached more than 1.2 million units. 　 The 13-member a

K-pop July 19, 2022

Ateez announced plans for world tour dates scheduled for later this year. 　 “The Followship: Break the Wall” will be a follow-up to the band’s current tour, “The Fellowship.” A two-day concert in Seoul at the end of October will kick off the tour that will bring the band to six cities in the US in November. The following month, the band will head to Toronto before flying to Chiba, Japan. 　 The group has been hosting “The Fellowship,” hopping from Seoul

K-pop July 18, 2022

Zico will release a track from upcoming fourth EP in advance, according to agency KOZ Entertainment on Friday. 　 Single “Seoul Drift” from EP “Grown Ass Kid” will be dropped on July 19 and the teaser photograph that came with the news showed him taking a break on a motorcycle against a dizzying night view of Seoul. 　 On Thursday, he shared the list of songs for the five-track EP including focus track “Freak.” The musician participated in writing all songs a

K-pop July 15, 2022

Rookie band aespa set a record with its second EP “Girls.” 　 The EP sold more than 1 million copies in the first week of sales, a first for a girl group in K-pop history. 　 The album consists of nine songs including titular track and its first English-language song “Life’s Too Short” which was dropped in advance to the full release. 　 The quintet “has been surrounded by a lot of buzz since its debut … but the root of it all is the music,” said

K-pop July 14, 2022

Twice will return with its 11th EP on Aug. 26, announced label JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. 　 The EP is titled “Between 1&2,” hinting that the group is ready for the second part of its career. All nine members renewed their contracts with the label before their expiration in October. 　 It has been about nine months since its third studio album, “Formula of Love: O+T=<3,” hit the Billboard 200 at No. 3, the band’s career-high. 　 Last month the group cel

K-pop July 13, 2022

All nine members of Twice have renewed their contracts, label JYP Entertainment announced Tuesday. 　 Their exclusive contracts were due to expire in October but all of them decided to stay and signed well in advance. 　 The group debuted in 2015 with studio album “Twicetagram.” It has established itself as one of the leading female bands in K-pop, setting a series of records. It put its third full album at No. 3 on Billboard 200 and has 20 music videos with over 100 million views e

K-pop July 12, 2022

   　 Tomorrow X Together will team up with American rapper and songwriter iann dior, according to their label Big Hit Music on Monday. 　 The band will put out the single “Valley of Lies (feat. iann dior)” on July 22. The American artist, whose collaboration with rapper 24kGoldn “Mood” topped Billboard’s Hot 100 in 2020, suggested working together. 　 K-pop columnist Jeff Benjamin touted the collaboration as the boy band’s “next crossover m

K-pop July 11, 2022

Enhypen shared the where it will be performing during its upcoming international tour on Friday. 　 The group will kick off its tour with two concerts in Seoul on Sept. 17 and beginning Oct. 2, will visit six cities in the US, from Chicago and Atlanta to New York. 　 The “Manifesto” tour, named after the boy band’s third EP “Manifesto: Day 1,” will bring the septet to Japan the following month. The group will perform six times in three cities, including Osaka. 　 T

K-pop July 8, 2022

   　 The first solo album from Twice’s Nayeon debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 7, a record for a K-pop solo artist, according to label JYP Entertainment on Thursday. 　 “Im Nayeon” also topped the top current album sales, top album sales and world albums charts while placing the singer at No. 5 on its Artist 100. She is the first of the girl group’s nine members to release a solo album. 　 This is the third time the singer has made the Billboard 200 -- Tw

K-pop July 7, 2022

Jessi has decided to leave her agency P Nation upon her contract’s expiration, according to the company on Wednesday. 　 She was the first artist represented by the firm established by Psy, signing with the company in 2019. She had released a series of hit songs including “Nunu Nana” and “What Type of X.” The music video for the former amassed 180 million views on YouTube. In April, she dropped the single “Zoom,” whose music video surpassed 97 million v

K-pop July 6, 2022

　 Zico will make a comeback on July 27 with a new album, according to a local media report Tuesday. 　 He is gearing up for return and more details will be announced later, agency KOZ Entertainment said following the report.  　 It will be his first activities since he was discharged in April. 　 The musician debuted as a member of Block B, a seven-piece boy band, in 2011. He went solo in 2014 and has been releasing a series of hits songs, including the megahit “Any Song” in 202

K-pop July 5, 2022