K-Pop
Page: 22
SM Entertainment’s publishing subsidiary, Kreation Music Rights (KMR), announced it has signed 86 songwriters to its roster since launching in September. The fast-growing music publisher also announced plans to expand into Europe and North America. The company says its “top priority” is to recruit top songwriters around the globe, not just writers within SM Entertainment’s […]
The minds behind acts like BTS and BLACKPINK know a thing or two about minting global stars — and Western companies are starting to take note.
NewJeans brought the fun to Billboard’s Women in Music event on Wednesday night (March 6), where they took the stage to perform a high-energy mash-up of “OMG” and their viral hit, “Super Shy,” before accepting the Group of the Year award. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
Adding to an arsenal of fashion partnerships such as Dior and Cartier, Jisoo is the new face of Self-Portrait, marking several firsts for the BLACKPINK superstar and the London-based fashion house.
Following previous Self-Portrait muses such as Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Gigi Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, Irina Shayk, Bella Hadid, Kate Moss and Phoebe Dynevor, the news not only marks the brand’s first time having a musician front the accessible line since its 2013 founding, but also serves as Jisoo’s first contemporary fashion campaign following the February announcement of her own label and agency, Blissoo.
Billboard has a look at the Spring/Summer 2024 collection, including an exclusive photo of Jisoo in a blue dress from the campaign. Captured in South Korea by photographer Yoon JiYong (who shot the artwork for Jisoo’s ME solo album, her 2023 ELLE Korea cover, as well as lensed her bandmates Rosé, Lisa and other top K-pop stars), Self-Portrait founder and creative director Han Chong describes Jisoo’s campaign in a press release as showcasing “her beauty, both inside and out, to be front and center of this first series of portraits we shot together in Seoul.”
Trending on Billboard
BLACKPINK self-portrait
©self-portrait/Yoon JiYong
Chong notes that the collaboration is a natural step after first connecting with Jisoo around BLACKPINK’s debut in 2016.
“We first started dressing Jisoo over seven years ago, sparking a relationship that we hope will continue for many more years to come,” he tells Billboard. “Aside from the pieces she has worn on and off stage, my favorite moment has to be when we were together on set for this shoot — Jisoo gravitated towards her favorite pieces immediately, and so we let her choose what she wanted to wear for the campaign. It needed to feel real and authentic to where Jisoo is in her life right now, and for me, knowing that she felt like the best version of herself brought me such satisfaction and joy.”
Citing Jisoo’s “Flower” and BLACKPINK’s “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down” as favorites, Chong adds that the goal is “wanting to capture Jisoo in an honest and authentic way — it’s our take on modern portraiture. She is evolving into her next chapter as an independent artist, and there is something so empowering about that. I hoped to shine a light on Jisoo on this important moment in her life and career.”
Chong says Jisoo’s indie move — which includes a renewed contract for BLACKPINK under YG Entertainment — influenced the timing to officially team with Jisoo for the accessibly priced fashion line, which has been worn by musicians including Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Rosalía, Olivia Rodrigo and BLACKPINK.
“When it comes to our campaign casting, I’m always inspired by women who inspire our audience and women who are truly themselves,” says the Penang, Malaysia–born creative. “It’s something which has become a constant thread running through our campaigns. We then look to tailor each campaign or creative to the face of that moment, making it a celebration of the personality which we hope shines through in the images. With Jisoo, I was really interested in where she is on her journey, stepping into solo projects and celebrating her transition into independence. The first set of images captured through a series of portraits bring to life her journey into womanhood.”
The items Jisoo showcases — including the pale-pink sequin minidress with black trim, the orange and pink rhinestone embellished minidress and the blue minidress with the very appropriate flower embellishments — are all available online, in Self-Portrait stores globally and through its international network of retailers as part of the new collection.
See photos from Jisoo’s Self-Portrait campaign below:
Jisoo for self-portrait
©self-portrait/Yoon JiYong
Jisoo for self-portrait
©self-portrait/Yoon JiYong
K-pop giant HYBE purchased 868,948 shares of SM Entertainment, the company behind such acts as aespa and NCT 127, for approximately 104.3 billion won ($78 million) after SM founder Lee Soo-man exercised an option to sell the shares, HYBE announced in a Feb. 28 regulatory filing. The purchase concludes a transaction that briefly created a […]
South Korean pop group LE SSERAFIM is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting act thanks to the group’s new single, “Easy.” Released Feb. 19 on its new five-track EP of the same name, the song debuts at No. 99 with 5.2 million official streams and 1,000 downloads sold in the U.S. in its first full tracking […]
Permission to celebrate! HYBE and Trafalgar Releasing announced on Tuesday (March 5) that D-Day: The Movie, Suga’s concert film about the encore of his 2023 Agust D tour, is coming to theaters around the world. And if seeing the BTS member’s solo show isn’t enough, the movie will also feature appearances from bandmates RM, Jimin […]
After nearly 20 years, two all-female groups are in the top 10 at the same time on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as the latest releases from TWICE and LE SSERAFIM debut at Nos. 1 and 8, respectively, on the chart dated March 9. TWICE achieves its first No. 1 with the chart-topping debut of With YOU-th, while LE SSERAFIM lands its second top 10 effort with the arrival of Easy.
The last time that at least two all-female groups were in the top 10 concurrently was on the Aug. 5, 2006-dated chart, when The Chicks were at No. 9 with Taking the Long Way, while The Pussycat Dolls were No. 10 with PCD.
Trending on Billboard
Notably, as both TWICE and LE SSERAFIM are South Korean ensembles, this week marks the first time at least two all-female Korean pop (K-pop) groups are in the top 10 together.
With YOU-th is the third No. 1 on the Billboard 200 by an all-female group in less than three years. NewJeans was the last all-female group on top with 2nd EP ‘Get Up’ (Aug. 5, 2023, chart) and they were preceded by BLACKPINK with Born Pink (Oct. 1, 2022). All three acts are Korean pop groups, their respective albums were their first No. 1s, and all debuted atop the tally. Before BLACKPINK, the last all-female group to lead the chart was American act Danity Kane, with its second album, Welcome to the Dollhouse, which bowed at No. 1 on the April 5, 2008, chart.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new March 9-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on March 5. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Taylor Swift linked up with one of her most famous fans at her Sunday (March 3) concert in Singapore — BLACKPINK‘s Lisa, the second member of the girl group to make it out to see the Eras Tour. The 26-year-old K-pop star shared photos from Singapore National Stadium on Instagram, showing off her many friendship […]
TOMORROW X TOGETHER is looking to the future. The K-pop quintet announced Sunday (March 3) that its sixth mini album, minisode 3: TOMORROW, is coming up fast on the horizon, marking the band’s first release of 2024. Bandmates Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai broke the news to fans on the second day of their […]