genre kpop
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J-Hope has delivered his latest piece of art. The BTS superstar unveiled his newest single, “Mona Lisa,” on Friday (March 21). In a statement, the singer’s label, BIG HIT, described the new song as exuding his “smooth, laid-back charm… expand[ing] his musical spectrum, solidifying his status as one of the most dynamic and sought-after global […]
Hours into their Billboard Women in Music photo shoot, the members of aespa are goofing off. High-pitched giggles reverberate through the studio as Winter, Karina, Ningning and Giselle tickle one another’s sides, talk in silly voices and play with the straps on their leathery stage outfits.
It’s mesmerizing to watch the four early-20-somethings be so, well, real, not just because they’re one of K-pop’s most polished acts — which they demonstrate by immediately snapping back into place once the photographer is ready again — but also because aespa has a particular penchant for the surreal. The SM Entertainment group debuted in 2020 with K-pop’s first lineup to feature both human and virtual members, pairing each girl with an artificial intelligence (AI) avatar as part of a cyberpunk musical metaverse marked by dark, 808-laced hyperpop and edgy-chic outfits.
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Ever since, the act has leveraged its niche into unprecedented crossover success — in November, mini-album Whiplash made it the first K-pop girl group to have six projects reach the Billboard 200 top 50, and it just wrapped its second global arena tour — and a reputation for being one of the genre’s “most adventurous and contemporary” groups, as its “Over You” collaborator Jacob Collier put it to Billboard in January.
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But going forward, 2025’s Billboard Women in Music Group of the Year also wants to focus on something potentially even more subversive: showing that beneath the personas, its members are just those real-life girls blowing off steam between camera flashes. “We’re not actual AI; we do have days where we don’t feel the best,” Giselle says once the foursome has squeezed together on a couch. “Our storyline can be fun to keep up with, but I want fans to look up to aespa for our human traits, too.”
Karina
Abi Polinsky
Why do you think aespa has made a name as trendsetters?
Giselle: There’s always going to be trends, but we don’t follow them because we can’t. We have our own story to tell that was set from the start.
Winter: We usually talk about ourselves more than love [in our lyrics]. We’re the main characters of our stories.
Karina: We’re honest. Of course, you have to be professional and present your best self, but we also try to show the not-perfect side. We’re not trying to filter everything or over-mask ourselves.
Giselle
Abi Polinsky
What’s next in aespa’s evolution?
Ningning: We did start out with our avatar concept, but now we’re also trying really hard to explore different concepts and themes. In the future, there may be moments where the fans don’t see the avatars.
Karina: We want aespa to be a really stylish group, not only in fashion and music, but also in terms of versatility and excelling in every genre. I also want all our members to shine individually when we’re together and even when we’re not together.
From left: Ningning, Karina, Giselle, and Winter of aespa photographed on February 10, 2025 in New York.
Abi Polinsky
Who are your favorite artists/dream collaborators at the moment?
Ningning: Doechii. I’d just really like to meet her.
Winter: Billie Eilish. She’s so good at expressing her honest feelings through her music.
Karina: Olivia Dean. Whenever I need to find composure, I listen to her.
Giselle: SZA. Her music is so hard to get sick of — and very relatable.
Winter
Abi Polinsky
As a girl group, how do you support one another?
Ningning: We’re all from different countries and environments, but we’ve been doing this for five years. They’re always there for me. Working with this mindset that we’re in this together makes it easier to handle challenging situations and emotions.
Winter: I don’t think we could’ve made it through this alone. We’ve had to overcome certain obstacles, but with each other’s support, we were able to move forward. (Karina giggles as Giselle starts poking her affectionately.) These girls are all very precious to me.
Ningning
Abi Polinsky
This story appears in the March 22, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Hours into their Billboard Women in Music photo shoot, the members of aespa are goofing off. High-pitched giggles reverberate through the studio as Winter, Karina, Ningning and Giselle tickle one another’s sides, talk in silly voices and play with the straps on their leathery stage outfits. It’s mesmerizing to watch the four early-20-somethings be so, […]
BLACKPINK‘s LISA dropped a high-energy YouTube Music Nights Special Stage Performance video for her solo single “FUTW” on Tuesday night (March 18). The visual is a static shot of the singer and six backup dancers on a stage framed by blood red columns, with all seven women wearing variations on black leather bikinis. Explore See […]
KQ Entertainment, the South Korean music company behind ATEEZ, signed a multi-year agreement with AEG Presents to oversee the production of all global tours for the K-pop supergroup. The partnership, the terms of which were not disclosed, will enable “both companies to leverage their core strengths to further promote K-pop on a global scale,” according […]
BTS‘ j-hope is setting ARMY up for his latest masterpiece with a second tease of the upcoming solo single, “Mona Lisa.” The official 30-second teaser of the song due out on Friday (March 21) continues the fine art-theme of the previous sneak, which peeled back a nine-second taste of the tune’s smoothed-out R&B vibe.
In the new look, Hobi sits on a long white bench in a mostly blank-walled gallery space in bedazzled acid-washed jeans, black boots, a black leather jacket and backwards baseball hat, elbows on his knees as he contemplates the silence. The only action comes when he turns around to look at the series of five photos of a woman in various states of profile, each of which is being blown around by a fan behind the singer.
There is no music in the teaser, and the only action comes with j-hope stands up and an unseen hand smears his face with white paint as the song’s title pops up on screen.
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Last week, j-hope shared a brief preview of the song, containing a buzzy, glitched-out beat and wavering bass line with inaudible vocals. In a statement, the singer’s label, BIG HIT, described the hip-hop/R&B song as exuding his “smooth, laid-back charm… expand[ing] his musical spectrum, solidifying his status as one of the most dynamic and sought-after global artists.”
It continues, “‘MONA LISA’ is a love song that pays tribute to celebrating one’s unique beauty. It explores an infatuation towards a person whose beauty is one of a kind.” It was, of course, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic masterpiece of the same name with the legendary sly smile, with the track likening “the praise for the alluring person to the timeless masterpiece. It conveys that what truly moves someone is not external beauty, but rather the distinctive characteristics that make each person special.”
BIG HIT promises that the bouncy tune “seamlessly blends a groovy rhythm with a funky chord progression, creating an irresistibly refreshing sound,” noting that “as the song builds, the chorus toward the end invites an infectious sing-along, amplifying the uplifting, feel-good atmosphere.”
“Mona Lisa” is the follow-up to Hobi’s recently released digital single featuring Miguel, “Sweet Dreams,” which will debut at No. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated March 22.
Check out the official “Mona Lisa” teaser below.
Billboard Korea has published the second issue of Billboard Artist, and this time, the spotlight is on the multi-talented artist and member of BLACKPINK, JISOO. JISOO continues to make a powerful impact both as a solo artist and as an actress. Her solo album AMORTAGE, released on Feb. 14, explores love with a cinematic touch. This special issue captures JISOO’s charm in a visual story, blending soft, delicate aesthetics with bold and independent imagery. Shot in unique settings like a terrarium and an aquarium, these visuals symbolize comfort and familiarity—contrasted by striking, avant-garde designs that push her artistry into new territory.
Unlike regular magazines, Billboard Artist is a large-format, unbound conceptual edition where each page feels like a collectible poster. This timeless collectible is an artistic deep dive into musicians’ creative worlds, featuring photography, essays, interviews and art for fans to enjoy. Available in English and Korean.
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Why did you choose JISOO for the second issue?
Billboard Korea: The Billboard Artist aims to showcase musicians from fresh, unexpected angles going beyond their usual image to create something truly special. This process naturally leads to a process in which the musicians themselves have a moment of wanting to communicate through a new appearance and have a clear synergy with us. JISOO’s AMORTAGE project was the perfect fit, offering a cinematic and emotional take on love, far from completeness and perfection. Her vision aligned perfectly with our goal of reinterpreting artists in new ways, making her an ideal choice for this issue.
What aspects of JISOO did you focus on?
Billboard Korea: While JISOO is known for being BLACKPINK’s steady presence and for the massive success of her solo hit “Flower,” we wanted to explore the many sides of her personality, not just her elegance and grace, but also her passionate, vulnerable and even provocative moments. Through this issue’s photography and visual storytelling, we highlight her evolution as an artist and actress. She herself is the source and inspiration for Billboard Artists.
Lucian Bor
Why were the terrarium and aquarium sets used?
Billboard Korea: These small, enclosed ecosystems represent comfort zones, safe, self-sustaining spaces where everything is perfectly balanced. But stepping outside of them means facing the unknown, new challenges, unfamiliar environments and personal growth. We felt this concept beautifully symbolized JISOO’s artistic journey, as she steps beyond her comfort zone into new creative territories.
What did JISOO express through Billboard Artist?
Billboard Korea: We’d like to share some of our conversation about love from Billboard Artist.
Lucian Bor
Billboard Korea: Flowers often symbolize love in Korean literature. Your first solo album was released on Valentine’s Day, which is all about love. How do you define love?
JISOO: Flowers don’t just bloom and end, but they change themselves as they bloom and fall according to the seasons. Isn’t love like that? The thrill and intense emotions when love begins, the happiness felt as it deepens, the pain of separation and even liberation. I think love is more of a ‘journey’ than a single emotion. Through that journey, we grow and become more ourselves. That’s why love to me is ‘learning.’ It’s an emotion that I learn from my relationships with people, through music and through my fans. That’s why I want to say that love to me is not a simple emotion, but a process of maturation that I continue to experience and fill.
Billboard Korea: There are many types of love. What is the most precious type of love to JISOO?
JISOO: I don’t think it has to be defined in a specific way, but to me, the most precious love is ‘respectful love.’ It’s the heart that accepts and respects the other person as they are. I learned a lot about that kind of love while doing music. The warm gaze of fans on stage, the trust of colleagues who make music together and the process of accepting myself as I am. I think love is ultimately the power that helps each other grow.
Billboard Korea: Are there any scenes from JISOO’s all-time favorite movies that you would like to put together as a montage?
JISOO: Like AMORTAGE, which tells the story of a journey of love, I want to connect scenes that contain changes in emotion. For excitement, I would like the scene in Before Sunrise where the two people who first met have a conversation on the train. The unfamiliar but strongly attracted feeling resembles the beginning of love. For the moment of deepening, I would express it with the scene in La La Land where the two people dance under the night sky. I think it captures the moment when love shines the most. For the pain of separation, I would choose the scene in Eternal Sunshine where they look at each other on the beach right before their memories disappear. I was impressed by the movie because it expressed the emotions of separation so delicately. Finally, I want to connect the liberation and growth scene in (500) Days of Summer where Tom finally welcomes a new season. Tom experiences a breakup, gets hurt and wanders, but eventually grows as time passes and meets a new relationship called Autumn, not Summer. I thought of this scene because it captures the process of overcoming a breakup, finding oneself and moving forward again.
What’s inside Billboard Artist, JISOO edition?
Billboard Korea: The magazine opens with an extensive 30-plus page visual story of JISOO, photographed by Lucian Bor. It also features stunning artworks by Fabian Oefner, who captures essence by trapped objects in resin, and the “Bubble Flower” series by Azuma Makoto, a pioneer in plant sculpture. Additionally, it includes AMORTAGE, an essay exploring the complex and elusive nature of love, along with an exclusive interview with JISOO. The issue is available with four unique covers, each showcasing a different side of her.
BTS‘ j-hope previewed his upcoming solo single on Friday, giving ARMY a nine-second taste of the thumping tune. With a buzzy, glitched-out beat and woozy bass line, the first taste of the tune lacked audible vocals, though there did appear to be some chopped-up voices buried in the mix. A first taste on X featured […]
LE SSERAFIM‘s HOT tops this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (March 14) on Billboard, choosing the South Korean pop group’s fresh EP as their favorite new music release of the past week.
This week’s poll was brimming with competition, but the latest from LE SSERAFIM had supporters swooping in with 86% of the vote. Voters this week chose HOT over new music releases from an impressive pool of music talent — with artists in the mix including Chappell Roan, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, Playboi Carti, Haim, Sleep Token, Lil Nas X, Lizzo, Peso Pluma and Charley Crockett.
HOT is LE SSERAFIM’s fifth mini album, the follow-up to last year’s CRAZY, which reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200, their highest spot on the all-genre albums chart to date.
The girl group’s HOT set — featuring five songs: title track “Hot,” plus “Born Fire,” “Come Over,” “Ash” and “So Cynical (Badum)” — dropped on March 14, along with an official music video for “Hot” (seen above). Fans first got a teaser about the project from singers Kim Chaewon, Sakura, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha and Hong Eunchae in February.
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In April, they’ll head out on the Easy Crazy Hot Tour in support of their recent EPs, with concert dates currently scheduled in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, the Phillippines, Thailand and Singapore.
Among the new music trailing behind HOT on the poll this week are Chappell Roan’s new single, “The Giver,” with 4% of the vote; Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco’s latest track, “Sunset Blvd,” with 2% of the vote, and Playboi Carti’s Music album, also with 2% of the vote.
See the final results of this week’s poll below.
Take Our Poll
J-Hope opened his Hope on the Stage show at Barclays Center with a series of questions: What if he had no hope, no dream, no passion, no vision?
Anyone familiar with the role the bright, driven dancer plays in BTS knows exactly why those ideas are so anathema to him, but on his first solo full-length album, 2022’s darkly introspective Jack In The Box, he interrogates that persona: “I asked myself dozens of times / Am I really like that? / Hopeful, optimistic, always with a smile on my face.”
If the opening set introduced any doubts, though, the rest of the show refuted them. As J-Hope toured through his early mixtape and SoundCloud drops, Billboard Hot 100-charting BTS hits and new solo singles, he was completely in his element (“a fish that met water,” as he brags on the raucous, rock-rap “MORE”), easily proving he has all the aforementioned qualities in spades. “I’m at my happiest when I’m on the stage,” he shared at one point, though he needn’t have spelled it out in words: “You guys can tell, right?”
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Thursday night (Mar. 13) may have been J-Hope’s first solo concert in the U.S. (his historic 2022 Lollipalooza set made him the first Korean artist to headline a major U.S. festival), but he addressed the momentous occasion with modesty — and just a bit of fan service. “You’re here on this meaningful day,” he told the audience, smiling. “And you’re the center of attention.”
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Still, all eyes were rightfully on J-Hope as he checked off another big first as a soloist. Here are seven highlights from his New York show.
J and the Box(es)
There’s no confusing one BTS solo concert for another. Sonically and visually, the seven members have established their own artistic identities — all while still actively participating in the biggest boyband on the planet. J-Hope’s stagecraft is completely unique from that of SUGA’s 2023 Agust D tour, yet the two are comparable in their level of detail: whereas SUGA stripped the stage down so far that he was performing on the floor by the end, J-Hope elevated himself on boxes that reconfigured themselves for nearly every song.
So integral were the lifted boxes to the show that, during the encore, J-Hope emerged from backstage with a miniature glass replica of one in hand. “It’s very special, so I’ll put it down,” he said, laughing.
Taking It to the Streets
Even accomplished dancers need backup, and J-Hope’s troupe helped him pay homage to his roots as part of a collaborative dance crew on the streets of Gwangju. The lo-fi, old-school hip-hop of Hope On The Street, Vol. 1’s “lock / unlock,” “i don’t know,” and “i wonder…” are accompanied by popping, tutting and more. Every single person on the stage got an individual shout out — by name — from the dancers to the live band. Now that’s how you give flowers.
An Artful Single Debut
J-Hope’s recent release, “Sweet Dreams (feat. Miguel),” was a departure for the rapper, given that it was far more explicitly romantic than most of his solo discography. Then he debuted a brand new single, “MONA LISA,” at Thursday’s show, which is even more of a switch up: “Love the way you take the stress and Louis off of me,” he sings on the sultry song. Add in that choreo? An artwork ready for the Louvre.
A History Lesson, Bangtan-Style
Just as SUGA added a few certified BTS classics (ahem, “땡 (Ddaeng)”) to the setlist for his tour, J-Hope took ARMYs on a short but impactful trip down memory lane. After starting the section with “1 VERSE” — his first ever solo — and selections from his mixtape, Hope World, adrenaline spiked for his solo run of “Airplane Pt. 2,” “MIC Drop,” and “Silver Spoon.” It came to a close with “Dis-ease” and “Outro : Ego,” which, until now, never got its proper day in the sun because of COVID-19 tour cancellations.
OT7 4-Ever
The past few years have flown by, so it’s easy to forget BTS haven’t played a show in the U.S. since 2022. Still, fans aren’t out of practice. As the fiery intro of crowd pleaser “MIC Drop” blared, ARMYs screamed the full OT7 fanchant — aka, all seven names — while J-Hope waved his arm like a conductor with his baton. The countdown to the first post-enlistment BTS tour begins now.
Hobilingo
J-Hope prepped English words for throughout the show, but to allow himself some spontaneity toward the end of the night, he asked if he could talk freely in his native language. One condition, though: he wanted that permission in Korean, asking the audience to yell, “한국말 해줘!” (“Please speak in Korean!”) Elsewhere, J-Hope coached the crowd in a call-and-response of “병” and “아니야” (“disease” and “no”), before joking, “You guys speak Korean!”
Spanish was also no problem for the seemingly multilingual crowd, who took on Becky G’s “Chicken Noodle Soup” verse with ease: “Ninguna de estas mujeres tiene el flow que tiene Becky / Latino americano, soy de aquiii.”
A New Hope
We could all use a little hope right now, and count on J-Hope to provide. While he doesn’t shy away from complexity in his solo work, as the Pandora’s box allegory on JITB suggests, light always follows the dark. Thus, his encore was top to bottom optimism. “= (Equal Sign)” brought the social commentary — a BTS trademark — while “Future” laid out a bright road ahead; “NEURON,” a nod to the name of his former dance crew, told the story of a passion so deeply rooted it could never be extinguished.
It takes us back to the beginning: So, what if J-Hope didn’t have hope, dreams, passion, vision? Hopefully, we’ll never know the answer.