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[Today’s K-pop] Super Junior goes back to beginning

By Hwang You-mee

Published : March 16, 2021 - 17:51

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(Credit: Label SJ) (Credit: Label SJ)

Super Junior hosted an online media conference Tuesday and discussed its 10th studio album, “The Renaissance.”

“We were supposed to release it in December last year but wanted to push it to better quality,” said Leeteuk. With the LP that came out that day, fans will understand why the timeline was moved, he said confidently.

“EPs and singles are quite common these days but we’re coming out with an album filled with 10 tracks,” Eunhyuk went on. “We’ve put a lot of effort (into the album) and the title track in particular, so hopefully you’ll love it.”

Lead track “House Party” is a catchy disco-pop number that mixes uplifting guitar sounds with trendy melodies and trap music.

The number 10 signifies perfection, said Ryeowook, while Shindong admitted that having a 10th album also added pressure to show maturity. Hopefully it will be a link between the band’s previous and upcoming albums, Kyuhyun added.

The album goes on sale Tuesday and the band will perform the main track for the first time at an online concert that will be broadcast live later.

Enhyphen takes on DJ role for Japanese radio show

(Credit: Big Hit Entertainment) (Credit: Big Hit Entertainment)

The members of Enhypen have been chosen as disc jockeys for a Japanese radio program.

The band participated in a media event Monday night via a prerecorded video clip and said: “It is an honor to become a regular, especially since we only debuted in November last year. … Through the show, we’ll strive to make listeners feel that we’re connected.”

Enhypen will carry “All Night Nippon X(Cross),” an established late-night program, for an hour every Monday. This is the first time the show, now in its 55th year, will have a non-Japanese artist as a regular presence. The band’s first appearance will be March 29.

The band’s debut EP, “Border: Day One,” entered multiple Billboard charts and landed at the top of the Oricon daily album chart and the iTunes top albums chart in Japan. The track “Given-Taken” made it to No. 1 on Japan’s Line Music chart.

Blackpink’s Rose logs record views with solo music video 

(Credit: YG Entertainment) (Credit: YG Entertainment)

Rose of Blackpink set a record with her solo debut music video, according to data released by YouTube on Tuesday.

Her “On the Ground” music video blasted through 41.6 million views on the platform in 24 hours, breaking the record for a solo K-pop artist set by Psy eight years ago, which was 36 million. It also drew over 1.2 million viewers at the time the visuals were unveiled, becoming the most viewed YouTube Premiere music video by a solo musician.

It has amassed close to 80 million views so far, barely four days since it came out, and pushed the number of Blackpink subscribers to 58.8 million.

Meanwhile, the band also became the first female group ever to amass 20 million followers on Spotify, said the label YG Entertainment on Tuesday.

Pentagon tops music chart for 1st time

(Credit: Cube Entertainment) (Credit: Cube Entertainment)

Pentagon rose to the top of a music chart for the first time with its new music.

The band put out its 11th EP, “Love or Take,” Monday and the track “Do or Not” topped a local music chart -- a first for the group.

“We are so delighted and happy,” the band said, “and the fact that we can share the feeling with Universe makes it even better.” Universe is the band’s official fandom. The fans let the musicians realize another dream and they will push themselves even more, taking a step at a time at their own pace, they added.

“Do or Not” is a collaborative effort by leader Hui, Wooseok and songwriter Nathan, and its pop-rock tune combines an addictive melody with a performance style that recalls a Broadway musical.

Hui and Jinho are currently serving in the military. Hongseok admitted at the online showcase Monday that their bandmates had leaned on the two a lot but their absence had also made their bonds stronger.

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