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In a rare moment of emotional candidness for the K-pop industry, NewJeans member Hanni took to the floor of South Korea’s National Assembly on Tuesday (Oct. 15) to address the issue of workplace harassment and bullying. Testifying before the Labour Committee of South Korea’s National Assembly, the 20-year-old spoke about her and NewJeans’ experiences working under ADOR, the group’s sub-label that’s part of HYBE that also houses the labels supporting BTS, SEVENTEEN, LE SSERAFIM and more.
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Arriving at the Seoul court midday on Tuesday to a media frenzy of eager reporters and photographers, Hanni, who is Vietnamese-Australian, shared in her testimony that she felt undermined and ignored by her company’s management. Recalling the incident she had previously shared during NewJeans’ guerrilla livestream last month, Hanni described how a manager overseeing another K-pop act had instructed the artists to “ignore” the NewJeans singer.
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“We have a floor in our building where we do hair and makeup and, at that time, I was waiting in the hallway because my hair and makeup was done first,” Hanni shared, per the BBC, during the televised parliamentary audit. “I said hello to all of them, and then they came back about five or 10 minutes later. On her way out, [the manager] made eye contact with me, turned to the rest of the group, and said, ‘Ignore her like you didn’t see her.’ I don’t understand why she would say something like that in the work environment.”
Hanni says these incidents were not isolated but part of a broader pattern that left her and her bandmates feeling disrespected. She detailed additional instances where senior HYBE executives failed to acknowledge her.
“Since my debut, we ran into a person in a high-up position many times, but they never greeted me when I greeted them,” she said, sometimes through tears, in her testimony. “I understood from living in Korea that I have to be polite to older people and that’s part of the culture — but I think it’s just disrespectful as a human being to not greet us, regardless of our professional status. There was a certain vibe [of disrespect] that I felt within the company.” Adding that the incidents had her come “to the realization that this wasn’t just a feeling. I was honestly convinced that the company hated us.”
Representing HYBE during the hour-long hearing, current ADOR CEO Ju Young Kim (who replaced NewJeans creator Min Hee-jin as CEO after HYBE’s multiple requests to step down) said she would “listen more closely” to the artists. “I believe I did everything I could,” Kim responded. “But seeing that Hanni felt this way and that the situation escalated to this point, I wonder if there was more I could have done.”
“I was told that because there wasn’t any evidence, there was nothing that could be done,” Hanni explained, per The New York Times. The outlet added that Kim cited her decision based on differing accounts of what happened.
With the K-pop industry infamous for tightly controlled and high-pressure narratives between artists, companies and the media, Hanni’s direct testimony is a unique insight into an artist’s daily experiences beyond the spotlight that can signal hope toward more open conversations about accountability. South Korea’s Environment and Labor Committee of the National Assembly is currently investigating working conditions in the entertainment sector, where labor laws do not cover many performers. During the hearing, An Ho-young, the head of the panel, emphasized the need for lawmakers to safeguard the rights of entertainers.
According to the Korea JooAng Daily, Ju Young Kim, previously in a leadership position in HYBE’s human resources department, expanded on the complexity of handling artists and employees.
“My understanding is that artists are not defined as employees by the law,” she said when asked about anti-harassment regulations for company employees and artists, per Korea JooAng Daily. “We have an internal guidance policy where we explain how constituents, regardless of whether they are employees or not, should respect each other. We are holding regular training programs and using a lot of effort to form our corporate culture.” Kim added that artists cannot use HYBE’s company hotline to report workplace harassment but instead adhere to “an internal guidance policy where we explain how constituents, regardless of whether they are employees or not, should respect each other.”
While NewJeans have actively sided with Min Hee-jin in the executive’s ongoing power struggle with HYBE, Hanni expressed a more universal hope regarding the future of working in K-pop.
“I hope trainees don’t suffer these incidents and that’s why I decided to appear,” Hanni said, according to Reuters. “I know it’s not going to solve all the problems in the world, but if we just respect each other, at least there will be no problems with bullying and harassment in the workplace.”
Coldplay have become the first British band to simultaneously top the album charts on both sides of the Atlantic since 2016.
The band’s 10th studio album Moon Music landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the Official Album Charts in the U.K. following its release on October 4.
By doing so, they are the first band to reach the summit since The 1975’s second album I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It did the same in February 2016.
It is the fifth time that Coldplay have achieved the feat, having done so in 2005 with X&Y, Viva La Vida (2008), Mylo Xyloto (2011) and Ghost Stories (2014). Moon Music makes them the British artist – solo or group – with the most No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 this century.
Since 2000, a handful of other British groups have done the same including Radiohead, The Beatles, One Direction, Mumford & Sons, Muse and Florence + The Machine.
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British solo acts have had more success, with Adele, Ed Sheeran, Paul McCartney, Harry Styles, Zayn, David Bowie and Susan Boyle all having done so since 2000.
In a statement, Coldplay’s manager Phil Harvey said: “In Moon Music, the band has made one of their very best albums and I’m really happy that it resonated with fans all around the world. Even after 26 years, Chris, Guy, Jonny and Will never cease to amaze me with their outstanding artistry and unceasing hard work. To achieve this success in the middle of a record-breaking stadium tour makes it all the more impressive.
“As well as my fantastic co-managers Mandi Frost and Arlene Moon and the band’s incredible team, I’d like to offer sincere thanks to Max Lousada, Julie Greenwald and her team at Atlantic, everyone at Parlophone, as well as our touring family at Live Nation, WME and SJM. We’re looking forward to a long album campaign – not least in the U.S., where the band will return next year for their third summer of sold-out stadium shows and where we look forward to working with Elliot Grainge and his new team.”
On the Billboard 200, dated Oct. 19, the band achieved 120,000 equivalent album units, 106,000 of which are in traditional album sales. It was the first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 for the band in over 10 years, and became their 10th effort to reach the top 10.
The British act shifted 237,000 units in the U.K. to gain No. 1 on the Official Album Charts. Their opening week would prove the biggest opening week for a British act since Adele’s 30 was released in 2021.
The band are currently in the midst of their Music Of The Spheres global world tour, which was recently named by Billboard Boxscore as the biggest rock tour of all time having passed $1 billion at the box office.
Japanese dance & vocal group BE:FIRST spoke with Billboard Japan for its Monthly Feature interview series highlighting today’s leading artists and works. The hugely popular boy band released their second album, 2:BE, on August 28.
Ever since its formation three years ago through an audition by BMSG, the record label headed by SKY-HI, the group has created countless hits and appeared on numerous music TV shows and festival stages. In 2024, they performed two solo shows at Tokyo Dome and two solo shows in Kyocera Dome Osaka. The seven members of SOTA, SHUNTO, MANATO, RYUHEI, JUNON, RYOKI, and LEO are shaping up to be an undeniable juggernaut of a group. Their fandom and the scope of their activities is constantly growing, but since their debut, they have shown a consistent dedication to their singing, rapping, and dancing, and they’ve been actively and enthusiastically involved in songwriting, lyric-crafting, and choreography.
Their musical journey is reflected in their second album, 2:BE. Billboard Japan spoke to all seven members of the group about what went into the creation of the new album.
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In the three years since your debut, what kind of group do you feel that BE:FIRST has become?
LEO: We’ve always been a group that really enjoys the music. We don’t think of music as work, it’s more like we’re just doing what we want. Personally, none of it has ever felt like a burden for me. I’ve never once thought “I don’t really feel like doing this now.” I think that’s because of the kind of team we are.
I feel like that’s one of the notable features of BE:FIRST, because all of you are actively involved in the group’s creative process. But that usually involves growing pains, right? I’m sure you’ve had slumps.
LEO: Of course, there are times when I’ve found myself butting up against an obstacle, or I’ve felt anxious. But those never made me dislike what we’re doing. After all, I’m here because I love music, and I want to become a better artist. No matter how scared I might feel, it’s fun to hold that mic up on stage, and I feel full of joy when I’m listening to music. That’s always true, no matter what the situation.
SOTA: Our agency also puts music first, so we’re never given work that would interfere with our ability to focus on music. We keep on doing what we want to do. Our work environment is stress-free, and the more songs we create, the more our musical appetite grows, so it’s a lot more common for us to find ourselves struggling to choose between lots of different options than for us to be hitting a wall. I think all of our struggles are positive struggles. I feel very grateful to be able to work in this kind of environment.
That’s truly one of BE:FIRST’s strengths.
SOTA: When we released “Mainstream,” there was a time when we were trying to figure out how to best showcase ourselves as a group. But our agency let us make the kind of music we wanted to make, and all seven of us are united in giving 100% to whatever we want to do. These will continue to be our strengths, and I truly feel that over the past three years we’ve become a group that’s completely focused on music.
MANATO: THE FIRST was an audition focused on each person’s abilities and individuality, so everyone came to the group with their own personal strengths. Over the past three years, we’ve evolved into a group where each of these strengths passes through the filters of our individuality to produce our group’s output. Initially, Hidaka (Mitsuhiro Hidaka/SKY-HI) defined our group’s approach, but from around 2023, we started to think about what we ourselves wanted to do. We became more involved in the creative side, and as soon as we finished a song, we were like “okay, now what should we do next?” I think that was a big transformation.
How do you think that you, as individual artists or as a group, have evolved since your last album, BE:1?
RYUHEI: Our new album, 2:BE, has a mixture of songs that Hidaka wanted BE:FIRST to perform and songs that we wanted to perform. We tried a lot of new things, and I think we’ve become a lot better at reproducing what’s in the recordings. I feel like, through the process of everyone working on their own singing, we’ve taken things to a higher level.
JUNON: Compared to our first album, on this second album, there’s a much smaller difference between the way we sound live and the way the album sounds. Also, we did a lot in the recording process to reflect aspects of our performances in the music, which you can hear even now (before we tour), so I think it’s the kind of album that will make people look forward to seeing our live shows. That’s one way we’ve evolved since our first album.
So you feel you’ve made solid progress.
RYOKI: We’ve already got songs done by sub-units of the group, there are lyrics that we’re finally in a position to write, and the album has a raw feel to it. That’s because BE:FIRST has always lived in the moment—we’re always in an environment where we can do what we want. I think 2:BE reaffirms that sense of freedom to live in the moment. “Blissful” personifies it. When we debuted, it was all we could do just to take care of whatever was right in front of us, but lately we’ve been able to relax a bit, in a good sense.
So you’ve been able to express yourselves more naturally?
RYOKI: Yes, I think so. That’s true musically, and I think also in our day-to-day lives, we’ve now got some breathing space. Thanks to that, we can focus on our music, which I think has created a positive feedback loop. Being in an environment that provides us with freedom also creates responsibilities, but then all you need to do is make an environment in which living up to your responsibilities is itself also enjoyable. I think BE:FIRST can do that.
SHUNTO: A lot of the songs on the new album have a strong message. It’s an album in which these can also serve as our strengths. The new album is really packed with what it means to be BE:FIRST. I think it’s a well-balanced, highly listenable album.
“Hush-Hush” is a collaboration between yourselves and ATEEZ, right?
SOTA: A long time ago, Hidaka talked about how there was a K-pop group that he particularly liked. It was shortly after our debut, but he was saying “there’s an artist I’d like you to collaborate with one day.” There are certain ways in which we’re alike, so I guess he realized that we’d be a good match.
What did you feel like you had in common?
SOTA: How well we all get along, and the mood within our teams. We feel like hometown friends.
RYOKI: We both have a very down-to-earth feel. ATEEZ has a really warm vibe. That’s something that BE:FIRST also places a lot of importance on.
SOTA: Right. That focus sets ATEEZ apart from a lot of other K-pop groups. As far as music, another similarity is that we both write our own lyrics and take part in the creative process. I feel like there’s a lot of overlap in the core parts of what we focus on.
In closing, then, could you share your vision for the group in the future?
RYOKI: The musical direction we want to go in is always changing. But, no matter what, I want to keep this “Avengers” feel.
SHUNTO: But you can’t really produce that Avengers feeling on purpose. That variety in the way that we shine comes from us all combining our varied strengths.
RYOKI: Everyone’s so impressive. I love everyone in our group.
SOTA: But if we stopped enjoying creating music together, all seven of us working as one, then we wouldn’t need to keep that seven-person approach. Our strength isn’t really a group-focused approach in which, for example, we’re using synchronized choreography or we’re separating singing parts to give songs different feels. Instead, for us, it’s more important that we’re enjoying the vibes together. When we’re doing anything, whether it’s hip-hop or funk, it’s like all seven of us are jamming. One of the things that makes a group so fun—one of its qualities—is the feeling of bouncing the music off of each other. I think the best thing would keep on making the kind of music we want to make, all seven of us.
So it has to be the seven of you.
SOTA: That’s right. If we just did synchronized dancing, it wouldn’t make a difference if one person left.
Everyone: (Laughs)
SOTA: I think it’s when we’re having fun ourselves that it becomes fun for other people to watch. That’s our greatest point of appeal, the way we spread the enjoyment of our music.
—This interview by Takuto Ueda first appeared on Billboard Japan
The latest U.K. Official Singles Chart update sees a thrilling showdown brewing between pop heavyweights Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX, as they battle it out for the top spot.
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Sabrina’s infectious hit “Taste” (Island) holds strong at No. 1 for its eighth week, maintaining its grip on the chart. But Charli’s “Sympathy Is a Knife” (Atlantic) coming in as hot as a brat summer, surging to No. 2 after a remix featuring Ariana Grande gave it a major boost. With only 1,000 chart units separating the two, the competition is fierce, and Charli is well-positioned for a possible takeover.
Not only is Charli challenging Sabrina at the top, but she’s also making noise further down the chart. Her track “365” re-enters the Top 40 at No. 22, following the release of the Shygirl remix.
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Gracie Abrams continues her rise as well, with “I Love You, I’m Sorry” (Interscope) poised to vault eight spots to claim No. 3, which would mar her first-ever U.K. Top 3 single. The song’s emotional depth and strong streaming performance have propelled her into new chart territory.
Also climbing is KSI with his collaboration “Thick of It” featuring Trippie Redd (Atlantic), which looks to break into the Top 10 at No. 8, while Teddy Swims could see a new peak at No. 9 with “The Door” (Atlantic), after slowly climbing for 26 weeks. The track’s soulful vibe has clearly resonated with audiences, giving Swims his first Top 10 hit.
In another notable debut, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Bed Chem” enters the Top 10 at No. 10, giving her a second hit in the upper echelon this week.
Meanwhile, Chappell Roan’s infectious track “Pink Pony Club” is on track to reach a new peak at No. 11 on the U.K. Singles Chart according to the latest blast, while Billie Eilish’s ethereal “Birds of a Feather” (Interscope) is expected to rise to No. 13, continuing her strong presence.
BLACKPINK’s JENNIE is making a mark with her latest solo single “Mantra” (Columbia), which is poised to enter the U.K. Top 20 at No. 18, potentially marking her first major solo chart breakthrough in the region.
As the week progresses, the question remains: Will Charli XCX finally knock Sabrina Carpenter from the top spot, or will Sabrina hold on for another week of chart glory?
Paul Heaton is on track to land his first solo No. 1 on the U.K. Official Albums Chart this week with The Mighty Several (EMI).
Known for his work with The Beautiful South and The Housemartins, Heaton has charted three No. 1 albums on the U.K. Official Albums Chart twice with former Beautiful South bandmate Jacqui Abbott, but never reached the top spot on his own—but all that could change come Friday.
With The Mighty Several making its debut, Heaton’s long-established fan base is giving the album strong momentum, positioning him for his first solo chart-topping album, according to the latest Chart blast.
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Standing in Heaton’s way, however, is none other than Charli XCX, who rockets up the charts this week with her remix album Brat, But Not Really Brat (Atlantic), moving from No. 16 to No. 2. The album, which features collaborations with Ariana Grande, The 1975, and Shygirl, is set to give Heaton some serious competition.
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With streaming numbers on the rise, Charli could challenge Heaton for the top spot as the week progresses.
Elsewhere in the chart, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet (Universal) sits tight at No. 3, while James Blunt’s 2004 debut album Back to Bedlam (Atlantic) returns to the top 10 at No. 4, celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special reissue. Lady Gaga also makes a notable return to the top 10 with Harlequin (Polydor), which re-enters at No. 5 following the release of physical formats. This week’s chart shows Gaga’s continued power in both streaming and physical sales.
In the lower half of the top 10, Skinny Living’s Day By Day makes a strong debut at No. 9. The Wakefield indie-rock trio earns their first top 10 album. Meanwhile, The Highlights by The Weeknd (Republic/XO) climbs back into the top 10, moving from No. 14 to No. 10 after spending an incredible 193 weeks on the chart.
The Last Dinner Party’s debut Prelude To Ecstasy (Island) could re-enter the Top 40 this week thanks to its deluxe edition, currently sitting at No. 12. Meanwhile, Ben Howard’s I Forget Where We Were (another win for Island), originally released in 2014, is re-entering the chart at No. 19, celebrating its 10th anniversary.
New entries to the Top 40 include Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken (EMI) debuting at No. 22, Myles Kennedy’s The Art of Letting Go (Napalm) at No. 26, and The Offspring’s Supercharged (Concord) at No. 30, marking a strong week for rock and indie releases.
This week’s chart is packed with exciting moves and potential shakeups, particularly with Heaton and Charli XCX neck-and-neck for the top spot. Tune in to see if Heaton’s first solo No. 1 will be secured, or if Charli’s Brat remix will steal the crown.
Utattemita is Japan’s online culture of uploading vocal covers of Vocaloid tracks or pop songs to video sharing sites, and the singers who post such covers are generally referred to as utaite. From Nov. 22, the country’s largest video platform, Nico Nico Douga, will be hosting Utattemita Collection (commonly referred to as Uta-Colle), a four-day event inviting utaite singers to submit such covers. Uta-Colle is the utattemita version of The VOCALOID Collection (aka Voca-Colle) submission project that began in 2020.
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At the Uta-Colle event held this spring, utaite Underbar (officially stylized as __) submitted an a cappella cover of “Igaku” by Sasuke Haraguchi. He reproduced all the notes using only his own voice without using any musical accompaniment, and ranked No. 5 among the top 100 submissions to the event. Underbar is a veteran utaite with 1.05 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, celebrating the 15th anniversary since his debut this year.
Sasuke Haraguchi began composing music at the age of five and made his major label debut in 2018 as track maker SASUKE when he was 15 years old. He submitted his representative track “Hito Mania” to the Voca-Colle Summer 2023 event, and this hit song went on to achieve 18 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard Japan‘s Nico Nico Vocaloid Songs Top 20 list.
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The two artists sat down together to chat about today’s utattemita culture ahead of the upcoming Uta-Colle Autumn 2024 event, sharing their views from the standpoints of utaite and track maker.
Underbar, you covered “Igaku” a cappella for the previous Uta-Colle event. Why did you choose that style to cover it?
Underbar: When listening to the way the sounds are put together (on the track), I got the impression that it was unusual and quite different from other Vocaloid producers (Vocalo-p). I really like the way it uses sound effects as accents and male voices, and thought, “I want to try doing this with my own voice.” I thought it would be interesting to be able to express a composition of unusual sounds with my mouth instead of using a normal guitar or bass. He’d officially released the stem data, so I also used that as a reference.
Haraguchi: I thought the stem data would be used for remixes or something, so I never imagined it would be used for utattemita (a vocal cover). [Laughs]
I’ve heard that when you create tracks using Vocaloid, you try to be aware of things that make people want to cover them. Could you elaborate on that?
Haraguchi: There are a few, but one is to keep the tracks short. People seem to think I do this to make them TikTok or (YouTube) Shorts-friendly, but that’s not the case. It’s to make recording vocals easier when covering them. I sometimes record temporary vocals for commercial productions so I know how singers feel, and I’m glad when (the tracks) are short. Some songs have the same lyrics in the chorus, so you could copy and paste if worse comes to worst.
Underbar: I really like your videos, as well as your music, of course. I think it’s amazing how you make such stylish videos at a low cost. Nowadays, it’s like a race to see how much money you can spend to come up with a good video, the utattemita community included.
Haraguchi: Yeah, there are music videos that make you go, “Is this an opening sequence for an anime series?”
Underbar: Right? So it’s amazing how you create that stylish collage feel using live-action footage. I’m like, “Wow, I never would have thought of that!”
Sasuke, could you share what creative aspect about Underbar that you respect?
Haraguchi: You were already well known when I was in elementary school, and I respect the fact that you’ve been consistent all this time. Rather than taking years to establish the way you do things, you had it all worked out from the start. That’s awesome, and at the same time, you’re expanding the scope of what you do.
Underbar: I’ve always liked festivities. This might be something common among people of my generation who post videos on Nico Nico Douga, but the main thing is that I wasn’t doing it for the money. This is the big difference between now and then. Now, many people start posting with the aim of earning ad revenue or becoming a major-label or professional artist, but back then there was no such thing as ad revenue, and just because you became famous didn’t mean you could be signed to a major label or appear on TV and stuff. At the base of why I got started was, “It’s popular and seems like fun.” That still hasn’t changed for me, and when I see a new fad that seems like fun, I get the urge to join in.
When did you start watching utattemita videos, Sasuke?
Haraguchi: Around 2015 or 2016, maybe?
You were probably already composing by that time. Did utattemita videos influence your own production?
Haraguchi: I did hope singers would cover my works like that someday. But I wasn’t making that kind of music at the time. If you want to make a song that people will want to cover without using Vocaloid software, it either has to go pretty viral or be tied to an anime series. I wasn’t doing either.
Underbar: When choosing a song to cover, it’s certainly easier to choose a Vocaloid track. Songs that use Vocaloid are open to a wide range of interpretation, so everyone can be “correct.” With the ones that have human vocals, both the cover artists and listeners tend to think that the original version is correct, so the singers will cover them in a way that’s closer to the original. I tend to prefer utaite singers putting their own spin on their covers.
Haraguchi: I know what you mean. Maybe because my songs are a little unusual, some people sing them in a way that’s similar to the original Vocaloid version, but I don’t think that’s necessary. I want people to just do whatever they want and mess with it.
Have you noticed any changes in the feedback you receive, or any differences in your fanbase since you started releasing Vocaloid tracks?
Haraguchi: Yes, very much so. With the music I’d been doing up until then, I never really had the chance to hear directly from listeners, so I didn’t really know how many people were listening to it. The culture in the Vocaloid community is that if you think something is good, you make sure to say so, whether you’re the listener or the creator. The comment section on video platforms are like that, and communication on X (formerly Twitter) is, too. I feel like I’ve suddenly been thrown into such a place and it worries me in an opposite way. Sometimes when I’m at home alone, I tell myself, “Don’t get carried away, you have to work hard.”
How do you feel about events such as Voca-Colle and Uta-Colle that Nico Nico Douga has primarily been organizing since 2020?
Haraguchi: There was a period when Vocaloid culture had cooled down, so I’m glad many people are making (tracks) and watching (the videos) again now. But I also think that it’d be scary if the mood became like, “We have to work hard at it.” I want to use the opportunity to expose myself to a lot of other people’s works to feel things like, “This trick is interesting” and “I want to do this too,” no matter how they’re ranked.
How about you, Underbar?
Underbar: I think projects like Uta-colle are great. The reason is that utaite have never really had a clear goal to aim for. Now it’s possible to be signed to a major label, but even if that happens, if you don’t make it big then it’s over. And a song you covered could become a hit, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you will become famous, because the original version is the main focus. After all, utattemita is derivative. So even if you suddenly decide to write your own lyrics and music, people might be like, “No, that’s not what I want to hear.” The hard thing about being an utaite is that just because you’re good at singing doesn’t mean you’ll make it big. I’d like to see a trend where utaite can dream and be like, “If I keep doing what I do on Nico Nico Douga, I can get this far,” and Nico Nico Douga actively promotes the winner of the Uta-Colle.
—This interview by Yuuka Higaki first appeared on Billboard Japan
Less than 48 hours after RIIZE announced it would welcome back seventh member Seunghan after a controversial 10-month hiatus, the decision has been flipped in a shocking about-face.
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On Sunday (Oct. 13), two directors under Wizard Production — the management division under the K-pop label SM Entertainment that is in charge of RIIZE — shared the news that Seunghan will permanently leave the boy band. According to the letter from Kim Hyeong Guk and Lee Sang Min, the return news was to “give the artist and the fans greater joy” before, “we realized that our decision had actually hurt fans more and caused them greater confusion instead.”
While some fans celebrated the comeback, others protested the decision by surrounding SM Entertainment’s local headquarters in Seoul with funeral wreaths — an increasingly common but concerning move from K-pop fans looking to make a bold statement, which has also recently been employed by the likes of fans of BTS and NewJeans.
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“Seunghan has consistently expressed his desire to leave the group for the sake of the members and the fans,” Wizard Production added. “Out of respect for the artist’s decision, we are announcing Seunghan’s departure from RIIZE, instead of his joining the group.”
The announcement included a promise that “We will support Seunghan in the future so that he can showcase his talents and follow his dreams,” seemingly indicating he will remain signed under SM Entertainment. (At press time, Seunghan is still listed as a member of RIIZE on SM’s official website as he was during his hiatus.)
Seunghan followed up with a handwritten letter posted to RIIZE’s Weverse account, where he still has an active account as a group member, to explain his decision to leave.
“After pondering deeply whether I’ve been thinking only of myself too much, whether I’m causing too much harm to the members and the company, and whether it’s really okay for me to be part of RIIZE, who should be loved, I only felt worried and apologetic,” the 21-year-old wrote. “So I think that my leaving the group is the right path for everyone. I don’t want to cause any more hurt or confusion for the fans, and I don’t want to harm the members any further, and I also don’t want to hurt the company any further.”
Seunghan added that he didn’t want to cause tension or infighting between fans.
Previously, on Oct. 11, RIIZE’s social media accounts announced that Seunghan would “gradually” rejoin the act beginning in November, citing “numerous discussions with the staff and members about the direction of the group’s future activities.” He also greeted fans in a letter, writing, “The members held my hand once again. I am only filled with gratitude and apologetic feelings for giving me another chance.”
Curiously, RIIZE member Wonbin had directly addressed fans about Seunghan’s return just hours before the reversal was announced — until its removal.
Writing on Weverse, Wonbin seemed to sense trepidation from some fans. “I am worried that you guys would struggle more and be confused if the members don’t say a word or react to anything, so, I am writing this after organizing the conversations we’ve had with the members,” the 22-year-old wrote. “I’m sure many of you have wondered if Seunghan was coming back or not a lot, or why there wasn’t a clear answer sooner… us, Seunghan, and the company, really talked about this for a long period of time.”
As Seunghan mentioned in his first letter to fans after his announced return, Wonbin emphasized that the decision came from within RIIZE.
“I hope that you guys realize the members have thought about this together again and again, considering this deeply,” Wonbin wrote. “I had wanted always to make all of our BRIIZE happy, but I’m sorry I am unable to do that… I know this post will not be able to erase all of your worries, but I hope that it can comfort you in your confusion, even just a little bit.”
Wonbin’s post was deleted from RIIZE’s Weverse account after Seunghan’s exit was confirmed. See a screenshot of the removed post, and a translation, from a social media account dedicated to sharing RIIZE’s Weverse activities.
#WONBIN 🌟 WROTE A POST“RIIZE wouldn’t be here without BRIIZE. As I always say, I want to continue making good memories with BRIIZE for a long, long time. So please keep looking at us warmly, like you always have, and keep cheering for us, it would mean so much to us” pic.twitter.com/c61nGQbbNe— RIIZE WEVERSE (@riize_weverse) October 12, 2024
Seunghan’s controversies began before RIIZE’s official debut. Since August 2023, the young singer has dealt with the fallout of leaked pre-debut photos and videos of him that ignited backlash within some of South Korea’s more conservative social climates. Images showed Seunghan in bed with an unidentified woman and smoking a cigarette, which some fans labeled as inappropriate for a K-pop idol, demanding that he exit the group. Last November, SM Entertainment announced that Seunghan would “halt activities indefinitely” with no follow-up news from the label leading fans, media and industry insiders forced to speculate about RIIZE’s future.
Read RIIZE’s full statement below from Wizard Productions (with translation provided via Soompi):
Hello, this is Wizard Production.
First, we sincerely apologize for hurting BRIIZE [RIIZE’s fandom] and causing confusion through our announcement of Seunghan’s return on October 11.
We feel particularly apologetic for prioritizing Wizard Production’s position, instead of making our top priorities the growth achieved by the six RIIZE members while working their hardest; the support of BRIIZE, who have been RIIZE’s greatest source of strength during that journey; and the preciousness of the times that RIIZE and BRIIZE have spent together.
We made this decision after debating it for a long time because we thought that if Seunghan returned after reflecting on his past wrongdoings and RIIZE showed another level of growth as a group, we would be able to give the artist and the fans greater joy.
However, the announcement of his return, we ruminated carefully on each and every one of the opinions and responses sent in by fans, and we realized that our decision had actually hurt fans more and caused them greater confusion instead.
At the same time, Seunghan has consistently expressed his desire to leave the group for the sake of the members and the fans.
Out of respect for the artist’s decision, we are announcing Seunghan’s departure from RIIZE, instead of his joining the group.
We will support Seunghan in the future so that he can showcase his talents and follow his dreams.
Above all else, we also sincerely apologize for creating hardships and confusion for the six members who have, ever since their debut, always given their all while thinking of the fans and who made the RIIZE of today possible by thinking and working harder than anyone else in each and every moment.
We will continue to do our utmost to support the RIIZE members so that they can grow even further in the future as well.
Wizard Production will be careful and cautious in all matters in the future, and we will work hard so that RIIZE and BRIIZE can be happy together for a long time.
– Wizard Production directors Kim Hyeong Guk, Lee Sang Min
Read Seunghan’s full letter below (with translation provided via Soompi):
Hello, this is Seunghan.
I know that many people took the matter of my return to activities seriously, and I too am aware of the seriousness of the current situation.
After pondering deeply whether I’ve been thinking only of myself too much, whether I’m causing too much harm to the members and the company, and whether it’s really okay for me to be part of RIIZE, who should be loved, I only felt worried and apologetic.
So I think that my leaving the group is the right path for everyone.
I don’t want to cause any more hurt or confusion for the fans, and I don’t want to harm the members any further, and I also don’t want to hurt the company any further.
I’d like to thank the company and the members, who made efforts to give me another opportunity, and I’m also both sorry and thankful to the people who have cheered me on all this time despite my many shortcomings.
I truly do not want the relationship between RIIZE and BRIIZE, who were growing together while supporting one another, to be damaged because of me. It also breaks my heart to see the fans, for whom it should be more than enough to just love RIIZE, fighting with each other because of me.
I will sincerely cheer on RIIZE, whom I love, while hoping that they will receive more love in the future.
Coldplay has once again soared to new heights, securing their 10th consecutive No. 1 album on the U.K. Official Albums Chart with Moon Music.
Not only did Moon Music debut at the top spot, but it also logged 237,000 chart units in its opening week, making it the biggest debut for a British act in three years, since Adele’s 30 in 2021.
This monumental achievement sees Coldplay joining the ranks of British music royalty. With Moon Music, the band ties ABBA, Michael Jackson, and Queen, each boasting 10 No. 1 albums on the U.K. Official Albums Chart.
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Coldplay’s chart-topping streak, which began with their 2000 debut Parachutes, includes A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), Mylo Xyloto (2011), and their most recent effort, Music of the Spheres (2021). Moon Music isn’t just Coldplay’s latest No. 1—it’s also the fastest-selling album of 2024 in terms of physical and digital sales, with 209,000 of its units coming from pure album purchases.
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It trails only behind Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, which sold 270,000 units earlier this year, however, Coldplay’s strong numbers have put them leagues ahead of other British acts,.
Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet continued its steady climb, moving up one spot to No. 2 this week. Public Service Broadcasting landed their third Top 10 album with The Last Flight, debuting at No. 3, while James Bay’s Changes All The Time entered at No. 4, marking his fourth Top 5 album.
Further down the Top 10, The Smile’s Cutouts, featuring Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, debuted at No. 7, while Alison Moyet’s Key entered at No. 8—her highest-charting album in over a decade. Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works Volume II also made waves, re-entering the Top 40 at No. 21 following its 30th-anniversary reissue.
Coldplay’s consistent chart domination, now spanning over two decades, shows no signs of slowing down. With Moon Music securing their place among legends, the band continues to solidify their lasting impact on the U.K. music scene.
Sabrina Carpenter is on fire! The pop superstar just smashed the record for the most weeks spent at No. 1 in a single year on the U.K. Official Singles Chart, proving that she’s truly in a league of her own.
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Her hit single “Taste” has now spent seven consecutive weeks at the top in the U.K., and when you add that to the No. 1 runs of her previous singles “Espresso” (seven non-consecutive weeks) and “Please Please Please” (five non-consecutive weeks), the pint-sized pop star has officially racked up 19 weeks at No. 1 in 2024.
This makes her the female artist with the most weeks at No. 1 in the U.K. in a single year—ever!
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That’s not just any record—Sabrina has now overtaken the legendary Olivia Newton-John, who held the record with 16 weeks at No. 1 back in 1978.
As if that weren’t enough, she’s also tied with Ed Sheeran for the most weeks at No. 1 in a single year this century. Sheeran also hit 19 weeks in 2021 with tracks like “Bad Habits,” “Shivers,” and his Christmas collaborations with Elton John and LadBaby.
“Taste” is proving to be irresistible, pulling in over 6 million streams this week alone, making it the most-streamed song in the U.K. for the seventh straight week. It’s tied with Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” for the longest-running No. 1 of 2024, and with no major competition on the horizon, Sabrina’s reign could stretch even further.
Elsewhere on the charts, things are getting interesting. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ mid-career hit “Die With A Smile” is surging, climbing to a brand-new peak of No. 3. It’s their highest-charting song in the U.K. in years, proving they’ve still got it.
Meanwhile, Gigi Perez scores her first-ever Top 10 hit with “Sailor Song,” which leaps five spots to No. 6 this week, earning a lot of buzz in the process.
Sonny Fodera, Jazzy, and D.O.D.’s summer anthem “Somedays” is still heating up, jumping two places to land at a new peak of No. 8, while Gracie Abrams is edging closer to her first U.K. Top 10 with “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” which skyrockets eight spots to No. 11.
Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” is also making a move, rising four places to No. 13.
Not to be outdone, KSI and Trippie Redd make a big splash with their latest single “Thick Of It,” which debuts at No. 14, marking KSI’s 19th Top 40 single and Trippie Redd’s second. Meanwhile, Addison Rae is continuing her rise in the pop world, as her track “Diet Pepsi” cruises up seven spots to No. 15, marking her first-ever U.K. Top 20 hit.
Rounding out the Top 20, Coldplay makes a strong return with “FeelsLikeImFallingInLove” re-entering the charts at No. 18 after a 13-week absence, thanks to the release of their new project Moon Music. Their track “We Pray” also hits a new peak at No. 20.
With three massive No. 1 hits and 19 record-breaking weeks at the top, Sabrina Carpenter is officially unstoppable. Her taste for chart domination shows no signs of slowing down, and it’s clear that 2024 is shaping up to be her year.
The question now is, can anyone knock her off the top?
After a nearly yearlong absence, the seventh member of breakout K-pop group RIIZE will rejoin his band mates.
RIIZE’s official social media accounts announced that Seunghan will gradually participate in select group activities starting in November, marking a return that’s been highly anticipated yet fraught with confusing controversy.
Beginning in August 2023, Seunghan’s break stemmed from pre-debut photos and videos of the young star leaking that ignited backlash within some of South Korea’s more conservative social climate. The images showed Seunghan in a bed with an unidentified woman and smoking a cigarette, leading to some fans labeling his actions as inappropriate for a K-pop idol and demanding his removal from RIIZE. Last November, the group’s label, SM Entertainment, announced that Seunghan would “halt activities indefinitely” while reflecting on his behavior with no further updates from the label in a decision that left fans and industry insiders forced to speculate about his future.
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The controversy surrounding Seunghan’s return reflected the broader tension between the global aspirations of K-pop artists and the expectations placed on them by domestic audiences. While RIIZE has earned international acclaim for music and the group’s authentic approach to social media and fan connection — highlighted in a Billboard digital cover touting them as “K-pop stars on the rise” from this past June — Seunghan’s situation highlights the pressure increasingly international idols face to uphold traditional values in a rapidly modernizing industry.
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In the statement, SM Entertainment acknowledged both Seunghan’s personal growth during his time away and the label’s internal deliberation on the timing of his return. While many fans will welcome his reappearance (an online petition requesting his return had 20,000 signatures), the decision to reintegrate him into RIIZE marks a pivotal moment in how the group will navigate its future trajectory both at home and abroad and, potentially, how the K-pop industry can more seamlessly navigate controversies of cultural clashes.
Seunghan followed up on the statement with a handwritten letter uploaded to RIIZE’s Weverse account, in which he apologized to his fans, company, and band mates. The 21-year-old shared that he questioned his future as a musician but pointed out that his RIIZE members Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Sohee and Anton actually reached out to him.
“Because I caused such great disappointment, I continued to have more realistic thoughts such as, ‘Will I be able to stand on stage again?’” he wrote. “During that time, the members held my hand once again. It must have been a very difficult decision, and I am only filled with gratitude and apologetic feelings for giving me another chance. I know there is so much I need to show to the members who have taken my hand again, the fans who are worried that the achievements made in my absence might be tarnished, and the company that made the tough decision. Of course, I feel burden and fear about this.”
Earlier today (Oct. 10), RIIZE released the “KENZIE RE:WORKS” remix of their pre-release buzz single “Memories,” which dropped ahead of the septet’s official debut in September 2023.
Read the full statement below (with translation provided via Soompi):
To the BRIIZE [RIIZE’s fandom] who love RIIZE,
Hello, this is Wizard Production, who is in charge of producing for RIIZE. We would like to cautiously make a statement regarding member Seunghan’s return and the direction of RIIZE’s future activities.
As the fans know, it has been around 10 months since Seunghan went on a hiatus from group activities due to issues with his pre-debut personal life.
Seunghan acknowledges that his past actions were wrong, and he has currently halted activities for nearly a year while deeply reflecting [on his actions] and feeling apologetic to the other members and his fans. We also recognized that Seunghan’s past actions were not appropriate as an artist, which is why it took us a long time to debate the timing of his return to activities.
Because there was no announcement regarding Seunghan’s activities, the fans went beyond curiosity to become worried and concerned, and we empathize with those feelings. But as we continued to debate the matter from various angles, [our decision took some time], and we sincerely apologize for the fact that we are only now telling you our decision about the direction of RIIZE’s future activities.
We poured our heart and soul into planning out RIIZE even before their debut, and we have determined that RIIZE’s next chapter would be even more meaningful if the seven members were together. Therefore, after numerous discussions with the staff and members about the direction of the group’s future activities, it has been decided that Seunghan will be returning to the group. After joining the group and preparing for a certain amount of time, we plan for Seunghan to gradually participate in some of the group’s scheduled activities for November and greet the fans once again.
Even during his hiatus, Seunghan has consistently worked to build his skills, and as he still has a lot to show you in the future, we hope that you will look warmly upon him.
Once again, we sincerely apologize for causing confusion and difficulty for the fans who have watched over and cheered for RIIZE’s growth. However, as RIIZE is a group that aims to rise and realize their dreams together, the members think of the group as their top priority and are, even at this very moment, working hard to practice [for their future activities]. We ask that you trust our decision so that we can properly show the fans a RIIZE consisting of seven members.
We are certain that many people are curious about what RIIZE’s next chapter will be, how much farther they will rise, what sorts of dreams they are harboring, and how they will realize those dreams in the future. Because we, the people who are the closest to RIIZE and who are also passionate fans of RIIZE ourselves, are also eagerly looking forward to RIIZE’s next chapter.
We will continue to work hard in the future to repay [the fans] with RIIZE’s great music and performances while sharing the members’ dreams. We ask that you stay with the members and share all of their moments of rising and realizing that will continue to unfold in the future.
Seunghan’s Weverse letter (via Soompi):
Hello, this is Seunghan.
First of all, I sincerely want to apologize to the members and the fans. When the photos from before my debut were released, although they were photos of me, I was deeply disappointed and regretful about myself. If even I felt that way, I can’t even imagine how the members and fans by my side must have felt.
You must have been angry, shocked, and disappointed. I am truly sorry to the fans who supported us from the very beginning, which was such a crucial time, and to those who were hurt by my immature actions. I also feel sorry to the members, with whom I should have been working hard to move forward together, which led to my sudden suspension of activities. I want to apologize to everyone who had to endure and overcome that situation. I felt both sorry for the situation and a sense of despair at not being able to be with everyone.
Because I caused such great disappointment, I continued to have more realistic thoughts such as, “Will I be able to stand on stage again? Can I continue making music?”
During that time, the members held my hand once again. It must have been a very difficult decision, and I am only filled with gratitude and apologetic feelings for giving me another chance.
I know there is so much I need to show to the members who have taken my hand again, the fans who are worried that the achievements made in my absence might be tarnished, and the company that made the tough decision. Of course, I feel burden and fear about this aspect.
However, I am determined to work even harder and do better because of the trust placed in me.
I will strive to be a good member who takes responsibility and does not tarnish the achievements the members have built up. I want to become a necessary presence to the team RIIZE.
Once again, I want to apologize to the members and company staff who made the difficult decision and to the fans who must have been shocked. I will work more diligently and responsibly in the future.