K-Pop
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K-pop boy band Seventeen surprised fans during the second night of a two-night stand at Macao’s Olympic Sports Center Stadium on Sunday (Jan. 21) when they busted out a brand-new song, “The Meaning of Meeting.” The sentimental, swooning ballad was released a short time later on Chinese music streaming platforms as a standalone digital single, […]
The ladies of ITZY are certifiable It Girls. Like popular K-pop girl groups before them — including f(x), 2NE1, BLACKPINK and TWICE — ITZY has quickly vaulted to international stardom, appearing on several Billboard charts since its 2019 debut.
2023 was a banner year for the quintet comprised of Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna. During the summer, the group released its seventh EP, Kill My Doubt, which housed lead single “Cake.” The EP became the girls’ fifth entry on the Billboard 200. They made their first appearance on the ranking back in 2021 with their Guess Who EP (No. 148), and have since made one trip to the chart’s top 10 with 2022’s Checkmate: Mini Album EP (No. 8).
To kick off the new year, ITZY launched its sophomore studio album on Jan. 8. Titled Born to Be, the LP features the single “Untouchable,” as well as each group member’s debut solo track. Born to Be marks the group’s first Korean-language LP since 2021’s Crazy in Love, which reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200.
Since the group’s first Billboard chart appearance, ITZY has placed four songs on the Billboard Global 200, the top 40 hit “In the Morning” (No. 34). On the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, the group has notched five entries, reaching the top 40 with both “In the Morning” (No. 22) and “Loco” (No. 29). In addition, the award-winning group has landed 10 songs on the World Digital Songs Sales Chart, including the top 10 hits: “Dalla Dalla” (No. 2), “Wannabe” (No. 4), “Icy” (No. 7) and “Not Shy” (No. 8).
Check out the full Billboard Explains video on the rise of ITZY above.
After that video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about Peso Pluma and the Mexican music boom, the role record labels play, origins of hip-hop, how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and more.
BTS‘ Suga is at his high-fashion finest in a series of new images from Italian fashion house Valentino’s “Narratives” campaign. The K-pop superstar who was announced as a Valentino brand ambassador in 2023 looks sharp strutting his stuff to the sound of camera shutter clips in a video announcing the campaign on Friday morning (Jan. […]
KCON just keeps getting bigger. Entertainment company CJ ENM announced on Wednesday (Jan. 10) this year’s plan for the K-Pop and K-culture festival, including its first ever stop in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong date will kick off the festival series, taking place at AsiaWorld-Expo on March 30 and 31. The 10,000-capacity arena will host create […]
Happy new year, MIDZY! ITZY kicked off 2024 with the release of its brand new mini-album, Born to Be, on Monday (Jan. 8). The set, which makes the group’s eighth mini-album overall, is now available to listen to on streaming platforms.
The set features 10 tracks: “Born to Be,” “Untouchable,” “Mr. Vampire,” “Dynamite” and “Escalator” performed by Yeji, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna, and for the first time, five solo tracks by each member — “Crown on my Head (Yeji),” “Blossom (Lia),” “Run Away (Ryujin),” “Mine (Chaeryeong)” and “Yet, But (Yuna).”
Born to Be was released alongside the official music video for “Untouchable,” which features the K-pop group facing off against a series of soldiers planning to take them down, as well as deteriorating buildings and pinpoint lasers. “I’m untouchable, it’s already begun/ With this flow, just (Just) going (Going) on and on/ Go on mess it up now, easily knockout/ Whatever it is, I don’t care about/ I’m untouchable, everlasting form,” the girls sing on the chorus of the energetic track.
Lia is notably absent from the music video, as well as promotional materials for Born to Be. She is currently on hiatus from the group while she recovers from a series of personal health issues.
“Lia underwent consultation and examination as she is experiencing extreme tension and anxiety about carrying out her scheduled activities and received medical advice that she needs rest and treatment,” the group’s label, JYP Entertainment shared in a September announcement. “With the artist’s health as our top priority, after careful discussion with the members, we decided that Lia will not participate in scheduled activities starting from today and will take a break for the time being to focus on her treatment.”
Lia followed up the statement with a letter of her own, telling fans, “I felt like I needed to take some time off to love and fill myself first. As I always say, I sincerely hope that MIDZY will be happy. I will work to return in good health.”
Stream Born to Be below and watch the music video for “Untouchable” above.
While the world waits for BTS to regroup in 2025 once the septet’s members have completed their mandatory duty in the South Korean military, an upcoming manga comic book will tell the story of K-pop superstars’ rise to global domination. Tidalwave Productions announced on Thursday (Jan. 4) that BTS will be the latest subjects of […]
It looks like 2024 is going to be a big year for K-pop group Stray Kids. After hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2023 with their 5-Star album and performing at Lollapalooza in Chicago and Paris, the eight-member group dropped their annual “Step Out” video on New Year’s Day. The clip looked backward […]
12/29/2023
TXT and aespa crafted career-best collections, (G)I-DLE, Suga and NCT DREAM discussed important topics and ATEEZ, ONEW and V created musical worlds.
12/29/2023
Time to party like it’s 2012: Psy‘s culture-shifting “Gangnam Style” music video has officially topped 5 billion views on YouTube, 11 years after its initial release. The K-pop hit made a massive splash in the summer of 2012, thanks in large part to a music video that saw Psy and a string of quirky co-stars […]
12/28/2023
From charged anthems by Stray Kids and IVE to NewJeans’ inescapable earworms, there was a delicious balance from the industry this year.
12/28/2023