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From a musical and commercial perspective, SEVENTEEN’s best-ever chart rankings and sales numbers all feel wholly deserved for their 10th mini album FML.
With 135,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the week ending May 4, according to Luminate, the set marks the K-pop group’s biggest sales week, plus a new chart peak of No. 2 on the Billboard 200. (With just 3,000 units separating them from ending Morgan Wallen’s two-month run atop the chart). As the top-selling album of the week, as well as the fourth-largest sales week for all of 2023, SEVENTEEN also notch their fifth No. 1 on Top Album Sales as well as seventh No. 1 on World Albums.
After FML racked up over a reported 4.64 million in pre-orders globally to be the most-ordered album in K-pop history, SEVENTEEN tell Billboard that their latest accomplishments are hardly comprehensible.
“I think [our debut album] 17 CARAT sold 1,400 copies and we were really grateful,” Mingyu reflects. “So, 4.64 million is a number that’s really difficult to grasp. [Laughs] It’s close to 3,000 times how many were sold for our debut album—it’s all very surreal. It makes me think a lot about what we need to do to return this enormous amount of love.”
Throughout FML, the 13-member boy band share with fans—known affectionately as CARATs—how they remain honest about life’s hardships but also offer hope.
“Within our album, we offer two ways of defining the expression ‘FML,’” Joshua explains. “There’s ‘F*ck My Life,’ which is what the acronym usually means, and we also offer ‘Fight for My Life,’ which is what we want the acronym to mean. There are multiple other ways to turn the expression ‘FML’ around to mean something else other than ‘F*ck My Life,’ and that’s what we hope our fans, CARATs, and listeners will also take a stab at after listening to the album.”
Adds Woozi, who wrote on every track on FML and co-produced five songs, “From a macroscopic view, we often only see the good parts, the picturesque parts of everyone’s lives, but there are so many battles that are not visible to the naked eye. Everyone goes through rough times, fiercely fighting to live their lives. We wanted FML to be a reflection of these different layers.”
The guys recognize an uncharacteristically boldness in the group’s two new K-pop singles, “F*ck My Life” and the anthemic, energizing “Super,” the latter of which marked SEVENTEEN’s first Top 40 hits on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. US, but say it’s necessary in order to express themselves genuinely.
“These are our honest thoughts without an attempt to dress them up,” Wonwoo shares. “By letting everyone know the things we feel and asking ourselves to fight for our lives, we hope those listening will also gain a bit more energy to do the same together with us. I think it’s a mindset that we all relate to even if the trailer and our song might not look like they offer the most pleasing or comforting set of words.”
Through SEVENTEEN’s hard battle as K-pop underdogs—with twice as many members as most groups—members S.Coups, Mingyu Joshua, Woozi, Woowoo, Jeonghan, Hoshi, Jun, DK, The 8, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino rose to the top ranks of the global charts motivated not just by their inherent talent to express themselves creatively as a “self-producing” group but find peace from delighting their supportive fans around the world.
“We always work to make our CARATs proud,” SEVENTEEN’s leader S.Coups says. “And I think they would be the most proud of us now.”
Read on for the exclusive track-by-track breakdown with SEVENTEEN below.
“F*ck My Life”
Image Credit: PLEDIS Entertainment
Written by: BUMZU, WOOZI
Composed by: BUMZU, WOOZI
WOOZI: It’s the first time ever that SEVENTEEN is singing a lead single of this tempo, I think. But I don’tthink that it’s any less “SEVENTEEN” than our previous lead singles. We might make different choices each time when it comes to how we express what we think and feel, but at every song’s core, it remains the same that we just present and perform what feels true to us at that point in time.
THE 8: At first, the track might be surprising both sonically and because of its title, but “F*ck My Life,” aswell as “Super,” were just the songs we wanted to share with everyone at this time. We really liked them both so couldn’t single one out to be the lead single either. I think the contrast between the two lead singles makes the album more fun, and actually works to better articulate the overall message of the album.
“Super”
Image Credit: Courtesy of PLEDIS Entertainment
Written by: BUMZU, WOOZI, S.COUPS, VERNON
Composed by: BUMZU, WOOZI, Agust Rigo
WOOZI: Initially, we just had the vague idea of highlighting a strong image of SEVENTEEN through the lead single for this album. Thinking about superheroes for that reason, we started pulling together ideas from the many versions of heroic figures we know of and that eventually turned into “Super.”
MINGYU: I also really like the lines “I love my team, I love my crew!” I think it accurately expresses where our heads are right now.
HOSHI: It’s also the perfect song for a performance—it’s exhilarating when over 200 dancers’ footwork begins to sync up and without even thinking, you just know that your entire crew is acting in unison. It’s a different type of energy, which I hope will be passed onto our audience too!
WOOZI: “Super” is also our answer to the question that follows the first track of the album, “F*ck My Life.” If you ask “So, how is SEVENTEEN fighting for ‘your’ life?” “Super” provides our answer by talking about how SEVENTEEN has fought our way through, for whom and with whose support, all of which also continue to propel us forward.
“Fire”
Written by: BUMZU, MINGYU, S.COUPS, VERNON, WONWOO, WOOZI
Composed by: BUMZU, VERNON, WOOZI
VERNON: “Fire” was a fun song to work on. I threw in the idea of adding in the bells, went on the keyboard and asked [producer] BUMZU if he could make it sound this way. Hopefully it will be a song that gets everyone dancing.
S.COUPS: I’m sure all of the Hip-Hop Unit members have already imagined what it’ll be like to put “Fire” on stage. It’s an addicting sound, one that sort of just hooks you on. It’ll be so much fun to enjoy it with our CARATs at a show, I really can’t wait.
WONWOO: In the midst of the addicting sound, I think the Hip-Hop Unit members’ distinct characters also stand out in each of our verses. It adds a great extent of diversity within the track, and it’s fun because we all sound very different and each have a very different [verse].
“I Don’t Understand But I Luv U”
Written by: BUMZU, DINO, HOSHI, WOOZI
Composed by: BUMZU, WOOZI, Nmore
HOSHI: “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U” is our letter back to the heartwarming and beautiful message from our CARATs. When you’re performing in front of thousands of people that have gathered at that precise moment in time and location just to see you perform, and you feel that pure feeling of joy and love in the air; it’s not a feeling and a sight you can ever forget. That air of affection is not something that can be described in words, as is the connection we have with our fans across the world regardless of the language any of us speak. I hope knowing that brings comfort to everyone listening.
JUN: We recorded this song over multiple sessions, starting with a session before the tour and continuing on after as well. I didn’t realize it at the time, but after touring around all over the world, the music must have hit me differently. BUMZU said I sounded different, that there was a change in how I sing the song.
DINO: We have had the privilege of getting to experience these powerful connections firsthand touring around countries and, because of that privilege, I think we need to try harder to make it known how beautiful these emotional connections are.
JUN: Adding on, we are the Performance Unit after all! We’ve never really set a limit to the type of music we perform. The future of our team lies in performances that sound great, look great and something everyone watching can also become a part of.
“Dust”
Written by: BUMZU, WOOZI
Composed by: BUMZU, WOOZI, Kitae Park
WOOZI: The melody came together first, and I thought that there was a sense of loneliness and longing that came with the sound. Outside the bounds of this song too, I think it’s often the case that we feel a mixture of these sentiments all at once—putting the two together didn’t feel difficult or like a struggle.
JEONGHAN: From our point of view, this track is very classically WOOZI, and has SEVENTEEN written all over it. We’ve been seeing a lot of fan responses that say the song sounds like it could be a soundtrack to a cartoon series, which I agree with! I’m happy to see our fans also enjoying and digging into the song.
“April Shower”
Written by: BUMZU, WOOZI, Kareem James, Softserveboy
Composed by: BUMZU, WOOZI, Kareem James, Softserveboy
DK: Looking back, we also made our debut in May, so the saying “April showers bring May flowers” is something we really resonate with! We wanted our 10th mini album FML to console those listening, even if it’s just a little bit. Everyone has troubles of their own, so whatever it is that you’re going through, we hope you will be able to feel a little better and come to have a little bit of hope that brighter days will come after listening to our album.
DINO: We weren’t originally supposed to say it but since it’s been spoiled already by some of our members… We are planning on another comeback later this year. We hope you’ll join us then too!
A pair of BTS summer blockbusters are coming to screens near you next month. Two solo documentaries chronicling the break-out journeys of members J-Hope and Suga will be released in theaters worldwide beginning June 17.
j-hope IN THE BOX and SUGA: Road to D-DAY will be released to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the K-pop superstar group that is currently on a break as its members pursue their solo ventures and prepare for (or begin) their compulsory South Korean military service. According to a release announcing the films, “moviegoers around the world will get a behind-the-scenes look at the lives and work of the global music superstars in an immersive experience that can only be felt in movie theaters, thanks to large screens, three-dimensional sound.”
Tickets for both films will be available here beginning May 16 at 7 p.m. ET.
According to a description of IN THE BOX, the doc follows the BTS member as he works on his first solo album, Jack in the Box. “Over the course of the documentary, viewers will be given a close look at the creative process of the artist during the album’s preparation process, as well as front row seats to j-hope’s epic 2022 Lollapalooza performance and the Jack In The Box listening party,” the release promises.
The Suga film follows the rapper as he heads out on his solo adventure, “traveling the world in search of inspiration for his recently released solo album D-DAY. Throughout the documentary, moviegoers will see the star at his most vulnerable, as he discusses his writer’s block with other musicians, and delves deep into his most traumatic memories to pen lyrics for several of his latest songs.”
In a statement about the films, Trafalgar Releasing CEO Marc Allenby said, “We are excited to continue our long-standing working relationship with the HYBE team for the theatrical release of j-hope and SUGA’s solo documentaries, following our recent record-breaking successes with the BTS projects ‘BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE – SEOUL: LIVE VIEWING’ and ‘BTS: Yet To Come in Cinemas’. It’s great to bring their stories to the big screen in celebration of BTS’ 10th anniversary, a must-see experience for moviegoers around the world.”
Check out a poster below.
Colde’s RM collaboration “Don’t Ever Say Love Me” takes the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s May 13-dated Hot Trending Songs chart, powered by Twitter.
Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running April 28-May 4.
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“Don’t Ever Say Love Me” was released May 4 after being teased for a few days on Korean singer-songwriter Colde’s social media, with some chatter owed to the featured appearance from BTS’ RM.
Concurrently, “Don’t Ever Say Love Me” debuts at No. 4 on the World Digital Song Sales chart thanks to 2,000 downloads, according to Luminate, with more chart appearances possible on the May 20-dated surveys upon the song’s first full seven weeks of tracking. It’s Colde’s second appearance on the chart, following his appearance on RM’s “Hectic,” which peaked at No. 6 in December 2022. As for RM, it’s his seventh appearance, which includes a No. 1 in “No.2” the same month.
“Don’t Ever Say Love Me” is one of eight songs from Colde’s new album Love Part 2. Another, for “Heartbreak Club” (featuring LEE CHANHYUK), received a music video treatment on May 4 as well.
Colde and RM reign over Jack Harlow, whose “They Don’t Love It” bows at No. 2 on Hot Trending Songs. “They Don’t Love It” is the breakout hit from the rapper’s surprise new album Jackman., which concurrently debuts at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with 36,000 equivalent album units earned, as previously reported. The song itself is also the Billboard Hot 100’s Hot Shot Debut at No. 54, thanks to 8.6 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads.
Nos. 3-5 on Hot Trending Songs are taken up by music from the late Gordon Lightfoot, who died May 1 at age 84. “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” a No. 2 hit on the Hot 100 in November 1976 for Lightfoot, starts at No. 3, followed by his lone Hot 100 No. 1, 1974’s “Sundown” (No. 4) and “If You Could Read My Mind” at No. 5 (also No. 5 on the Hot 100 in February 1971).
Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.
SEVENTEEN re-enters the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated May 13) at No. 1 to become the top musical act in the United States for the first time, thanks to the group’s new EP, its 10th mini album, FML.
The set debuts at No. 1 on World Albums and No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 135,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. April 28-May 4, according to Luminate. It becomes the 13-member act’s seventh leader on World Albums and third top 10 on the Billboard 200.
SEVENTEEN is the third K-pop act to top the Artist 100 chart this year, after TOMORROW X TOGETHER in February and Jimin in April.
Dating to the Artist 100’s 2014 launch, SEVENTEEN is the seventh K-pop group to rule the ranking. It joins BTS (21 weeks at No. 1), BLACKPINK, Stray Kids (two each), SuperM, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and TWICE (one each).
Meanwhile, Gordon Lightfoot, who died May 1 at age 84, is the top debut on the Artist 100, at No. 14. Four of his classic songs from the 1970s infuse the Digital Song Sales chart’s top 10, led by “If You Could Read My Mind” at No. 1. The song sold 10,000 downloads, up from a nominal sum, in the U.S. in the week ending May 4. Lightfoot ranks atop a Billboard chart for the first time in 48 years, since “Carefree Highway” ruled Adult Contemporary in May 1975. Also new to the Digital Song Sales top 10: “Sundown” (No. 3; 9,000), “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (No. 5; 7,000) and “Highway” (No. 10; 4,000).
Paced by Lightfoot’s retrospective Gord’s Gold (3,000 sold), his U.S. album sales in the tracking week vaulted by 906% to 6,000; his digital song sales soared by 3,637% to 41,000; his radio airplay audience surged by 317% to 3 million; and his official on-demand U.S. streams jumped by 290% to 14 million.
The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.
NewJeans and their Bunnies fanbase have a major achievement to celebrate.
Guinness World Records confirmed that the K-pop group — which consists of members Minji, Danielle, Hanni, Hyein and Haerin — has officially become the K-pop act (solo male, solo female or group) to hit 1 billion streams the fastest on Spotify, after just 219 days.
The feat comes less than a year after NewJeans made its formal debut in July 2022. The K-pop stars have a total of six songs on Spotify: “Attention,” “Hurt,” “Hype Boy,” “Cookie,” “Zero, “”Ditto” and “OMG,” with the last two charting at Nos. 82 and 74 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, respectively. “OMG” is currently the girl group’s most-streamed song on the platform, clocking over 320 million plays.
According to Guinness World Records, NewJeans has claimed the throne from BLACKPINK‘s Lisa, who previously held the title among all K-pop acts with a record of 411 days, starting from Oct. 26, 2022. (BTS‘ Jung Kook broke the solo artist record in 409 days on March 27.)
In addition to a performance at Lollapalooza this summer — which will make the quintet the first K-pop group to perform at the music festival, following BTS member J-Hope’s solo performance at last year’s fest — NewJeans are gearing up for a comeback this summer, which means new music for fans to devour.
“It was actually yesterday that they finished recording for the new album that is scheduled to be released this summer,” Min Hee Jin, executive producer/CEO of NewJeans’ label ADOR, told Billboard in early April. “I wanted to break the stereotype that only certain styles of music would be able to succeed in the so-called mainstream industry. In the albums going forward, NewJeans will continue to strive to present something new and unique to exceed the expectations of their fans. NewJeans members keep growing and growing, and we can’t wait to surprise the world again.”
Jung Kook is getting a little fed up with unsolicited attempts to feed him. In a Thursday (May 4) post on Weverse, the BTS star pleaded with fans to stop sending food to his house, noting he’ll take action if the deliveries don’t let up anytime soon.
“Don’t send home delivery food,” the 25-year-old K-pop star wrote in a message translated from Korean to English by the app. “I won’t eat it even if you give it to me. I’m thankful, but I eat well. You can buy it yourself.”
“I beg you,” Jung Kook continued. “If you send it one more time, I will check the receipt order number you sent and take action. So stop it.”
Following the “Left and Right” singer’s post, ARMY took to Twitter to back Jung Kook’s request — so much so, the phrase “respect his privacy” trended on the platform. “This is actually getting out of hand,” tweeted one fan. “sending him food delivery literally on his address u all have lost humanity he is literally begging at this point.”
“I wish jungkook would have really took some action already,” wrote another. “No need to be so kind to anyone who can’t even respect his privacy. He must feel so uneasy and maybe even scared. Some of you really need to stop overstepping your facking boundaries boundaries.”
According to fans, this isn’t the first time Jung Kook has had his personal boundaries invaded. Many are recirculating a video from a past Weverse livestream in which the musician — according to translated subtitles — asks ARMY not to show up and/or harass him while he works out.
“I’m a human too,” he reminds viewers, according to the subtitles.
See fan reactions to Jung Kook’s plea for privacy below:
This is actually getting out of hand in previous live jungkook told to respect his privacy and private time how he has to ask us to give him personal space now sending him food delivery literally on his address u all have lost humanity he is literally begging at this point— Shru⁷ (@bangtinyboyys) May 4, 2023
the fact that this video has to be tweeted every two business months as reminder for everyone to know their place as a fan and to respect his privacy, is so disappointing pic.twitter.com/tl7WPKsmN3— jungkook loops (@jeonjkloops) May 4, 2023
I wish jungkook would have really took some action already. No need to be so kind to anyone who can’t even respect his privacy. He must feel so uneasy and maybe even scared. Some of you really need to stop overstepping your facking boundaries boundaries.— alee⁷ D-DAY (@mimilostjams) May 4, 2023
jungkook is always so nice and polite and he always tried his best to not be rude about what he asks, but this is not a reason to pretend he doesn’t care. you’re not a fan if you can’t respect his privacy, and he shouldn’t have to ask for that. please respect him.— ◡̈ (@agustdfms) May 4, 2023
i pray for jungkook to always be safe cause some people showed up at his workout place, now some feel like they have the right to know his address, violate his privacy and order food delivery for him. he’s a human being before he is your idol, please have some respect and empathy— jungkook admirer (@dreamjeons) May 4, 2023
jungkook is one of the most loveliest people ever, please stop taking advantage of his kindness. please know your boundaries as a fan & learn to respect his privacy. i am always praying for jungkook’s safety & well-being. ):— ✿ (@jjkgaIlery) May 4, 2023
IVE arrived on the K-pop scene in November 2020 and quickly became the industry’s next reliable hitmaker with three addictive yet distinctly unique singles: the exotically intriguing pop of “Eleven,” the snappy, runway-ready throbber “Love Dive,” and the Gloria Gaynor–sampling disco update “After Like.” But through the differing sounds, the girl group’s identity connected with K-pop fans thanks to undeniable cohesion and confidence to pull off whatever genre or concept that came next. That spirit stays strong in their first full-length album, the multidimensional I’ve IVE, which sees the K-pop stars to watch taking the next big step of their career alongside a new U.S. label partner in tow.
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Even before IVE’s official debut, anticipation was already high for the six-piece led by Yujin and Wonyoung, two of the most popular members from the sensational-but-temporary girl group IZ*ONE (who earned three entries on the World Albums chart and six on World Digital Song Sales during their two-and-a-half years together), as well as fresh faces in eldest member Gaeul, Japan-born Rei, power vocalist Liz, and youngest member Leeseo. From high kicks off the ground to simultaneously spinning and singing, the group developed under Korean super-label Starship Entertainment stood out for moving equally as one, even with varying degrees of original star power between members.
The same substantial stability comes through in I’ve IVE as the girls previewed their LP with the fun and rowdy chant-a-long buzz track “Kitsch” before dropping the power-pop bomb lead single “I Am.”
Within the LP, IVE is keen to present themselves as whatever kind of girl group the listener may enjoy but with their own added bite of self-assurance. The first listen of the sunny “Not Your Girl” recalls any flirty, feel-good ditty until the lyrics make it clear they’re not staying unless there’s a commitment and intention from the love interest. Plus, the opening track, “Blue Blood,” takes a common belief in South Korea that one’s blood type predicts their personality for IVE to declare themselves pure-hearted and exceptional over a dark, marching beat. Other standouts include the bossa nova influences through a plead for honesty on “Lips,” while “Heroine” is an invocation of self-assurance written by Yujin told through quirky electro-pop production, and “Mine” explains adorable infatuation through angelic harmonies and candy metaphors penned by Wonyoung.
Yujin, Wonyoung, Gaeul and Rei all boast writing credits through the LP that IVE says spotlights their belief in self and one another above any style or sound.
“Power and confidence are, outright, the most key concept,” Wonyoung says during an evening Zoom interview with Billboard. The member most comfortable with English, Wonyoung’s warmness is palpable through the screen as she’s eager to speak about the group’s dreams and her perspectives on fame. As untouchable as IVE appear on stage, there’s an undeniable relatability from sitting down to talk with them. Liz has a hilarious, no-bars-held candidness to her responses. At the same time, Gaeul uses her perspective as the oldest to fill in any missing details from her members and ensures everyone gets due credit, including shouting out their leader’s abilities when Yujin prearranged schedule didn’t allow her to join this chat.
“We are very excited to show such a variety of music styles in IVE’s first album,” Yujin says in a statement to Billboard after the interview. “This album is super meaningful to me as it’s our first full-length album and also because I participated in writing the lyrics for the first time. This album is like a package of different versions of IVE, and it has the unique color of IVE. I hope you look forward to our album and many other plans.”
Learn more about IVE’s colors, plans and more below.
Congratulations on this impressive full album, IVe. What’s everyone’s favorite song on the album?
Wonyoung: Mine is “Mine,” I wrote the lyrics too, so, I love it.
Liz: My favorite song is our title track [single], “I Am.”
Gaeul: I like the song “Hypnosis” because me and Rei wrote the lyrics to it, and it was the most fun to write the lyrics for that song.
Leeseo: “Shine With Me” is my favorite song because Wonyoung wrote the lyrics to it to link us to our fans, DIVE. It’s a message to their fans and the melody is especially very emotional to me.
Rei: “Cherish” because when we first listened to the demo, I could imagine how the members would be able to sing the song. And then once I listened to the completed song, I really loved the way it turned out.
We’re only with the five of you today. Does anyone know Yujin’s favorite song?
Wonyoung: “Heroine” or “Kitsch,” maybe?
As you mentioned, you were very involved in a lot of the songwriting on this album, some of you even the sole lyricist. What are your songwriting processes like?
Wonyoung: At first, I just listen to the song, just to get the feeling and set my mind right, usually at my home or in my room. If I get a certain feeling, I just write the whole song first and then just make little mixes, little changes. I love the process and I really love writing lyrics.
Rei: Once I receive the song, it’ll will have a blank portion without the rap, so I just kind of imagine a story and write lyrics according to that.
IVE has been successful with just three singles, but now it’s a full-length album with many more songs. Why was now the right time to make a studio album with “Kitsch” and “I Am” for singles?
Wonyoung: We’ve always had the desire to show a full album and our full power. For “Love Dive,” “After Like” and “Eleven,” I think we just made steps and strides with little-but-strong energy between us and DIVE. Now, we just thought this is the time to show our full-length and full energy to them. We really prepared a lot for this season and, now, we are ready.
Gaeul: We chose “Kitsch” as the pre-release single because we want to show a side of IVE that we haven’t shown before and kind of break free from the image that we’ve always had as a group. We wanted to challenge ourselves. And I feel like “I Am” is the lead single because our album title is I’ve IVE, and we thought that “I Am,” as a track on its own, would fit the most to the concept of the album.
I’ve heard debates about this but, in your own words, what is IVE’s concept or main message?
Wonyoung: I think the most important concept of us is of self-loving and self-love. But not just for us, we always want to say, “Please love yourself” to all of the listeners too. The power and confidence is, outright, the most key concept for us.
There are great messages in the “Kitsch” video too: The “You’re so weird, don’t change” neon sign. Or your jackets with “Books, not gun. Culture, not violence” patches. Can you talk about other messages you’re embracing?
Wonyoung: Mainly, we wanted to say, not just for us, but that you can change like us and can do everything and anything like us. The main [point] was, it’s not just about us—join us, join our culture and join in on everything. We just wanted to give listeners the power of believing in themselves. If we’re honest, the sentence and mottos were a little in cooperation with our director and the director’s ideas too but we worked on it all together.
I want to also congratulate you because IVE just signed with Columbia Records. What can we look forward to with this partnership?
Wonyoung: We’re really honored for that. First, we are really excited to work with another label and with other places like Columbia. We are, right now, really excited, and we’re really looking forward to that right now. For the start with Columbia, we really want to reach out to global fans all over the world. We are, right now, preparing a lot for our global fans.
Are there any plans you can share right now? Any planned visits to the U.S.?
Wonyoung: First, our “Prom Queens” fan-meeting tour will start with the Asia tour, and, hopefully, in the future, we really want to reach out In America, and everywhere else overseas. And not just for fan concerts, but we really want to visit the world to perform our own concerts. So, just keep cheering for us and hopefully you all can join us soon.
I’ve IVE is your first record eligible for the album charts on Billboard. Do you have any chart dreams?
Wonyoung: Even from our first song, we are really honored to have our name on the Billboard chart and really thankful for that. Hopefully, one day, we really want to visit Billboard in America with the six of us. We will prepare a lot in preparation for that day.
You are all very strong and charismatic personalities on your own but also very cohesive as a team—your choreography is seamless even when you spin and kick. What’s your teamwork secret?
Wonyoung: I think it’s the power of believing in each other; we just have a strong sense of belief between us. I let them do everything they want and they let me do everything I want. I think that makes the best cooperation between us; the belief.
Rei: During dance practices, we’ll use counting to match each other. For a really important part, we’ll stop and repeat that part and keep repeating it so that during the actual performances, we’ll think of the practice in our minds. That’s also how we stay so in sync with each other.
Wonyoung: Dance practices are pretty intense. For a long time, we would make and work on the choreographies every day for six hours or something. I think it’s pretty intense, but we’re always enthusiastic to show our fans and DIVEs the performances so I think that is the motivation for us.
Gaeul: Also, Yujin really helps with the details during dance practices and is willing to teach individual members different parts. She really does her part as the leader of the group.
Similarly, how do you stay well? Fans can see you so busy but may also worry about your physical, emotional, and mental health. How do you stay strong?
Wonyoung: If there’s nothing scheduled for the day, I spend time all by myself, just recovering on the outside and, of course, on the inside. Actually, I love to work out and do a lot of different exercises. On an off day, I’ll concentrate on my inside by listening to music; just hanging out by myself and working out helps me too. It feels like I’m healing myself.
Leeseo: I make sure I’m sleeping a lot, making sure I’m taking my vitamins, and taking care of my body physically.
Liz: I believe that you have to be mentally strong, or internally strong, in order for you to be physically or outwardly strong. For me, I really focus on believing in myself and believing in my decisions.
You do show such strength and confidence in yourselves. Wonyoung, you’ve spoken about this in the past, but what would IVE’s advice be for people needing that extra confidence?
Wonyoung: I want to say, you have more of the good times than tough times. Tough times and bad comments do not take away everything that is good: just believe the good, know you’re a good person, and just concentrate on yourself, your positive relationships and the good times. I think that is the important thing—just don’t mind them.
Liz: I like to just focus on the nice people who are saying good things rather than giving attention to the haters or negativity. I think that you have to be certain in yourself so that you don’t get sidetracked by any hate.
Do you have any other messages? Maybe to the international fans hoping to see you soon?
Gaeul: We’re working really hard to reach our global fans, so I wish they’ll just wait a little bit longer for us.
SEVENTEEN charts five songs on Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart dated May 6, paced by “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U” at No. 1.
Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running April 21-27.
“Luv” is the fourth song on the tracklist of FML, the K-pop group’s six-song EP that was released April 24.
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It’s SEVENTEEN’s first Hot Trending Songs weekly No. 1, surpassing the No. 2 peak of “Rock With You” in 2021.
“Luv” is one of four songs from FML in the top 10, with “Luv” followed by “Dust” at No. 5 and “April Shower” and “Super” at Nos. 9 and 10, respectively.
The top non-SEVENTEEN appearance is from The National, whose “The Alcott” featuring Taylor Swift, debuts at No. 2. “The Alcott” is from the band’s newly released (April 28) album First Two Pages of Frankenstein, and is the album’s lone song to feature contributions from Swift; the LP also features Phoebe Bridgers on two songs and Sufjan Stevens on one.
“The Alcott” is the second collaboration between The National and Swift; Swift returns the favor after the band was a featured act on her song “Coney Island” from 2020’s Evermore.
New music from Jackson Wang (“Cheetah”) and iKON (“Tantara”) also reach the top five at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.
Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.
Jennie of BLACKPINK strutted the carpet at the 2023 Met Gala on Monday night (May 1) and dished in an interview all about being there for the first time.
“I am everywhere, this is my first Met,” the K-pop idol told Vogue correspondent Emma Chamberlain upon arrival at the star-studded soiree. “I was really excited until I got off my car, like, two minutes ago.”
To fit with the evening’s theme — Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty — Jennie wore a vintage Chanel minidress from the late Lagerfeld’s fall/winter runway collection for the iconic fashion house in 1990. She accessorized the white number perfectly with black opera gloves and matching tights, and as a longtime Chanel ambassador, the rapper had insider access to the look for her big moment.
“I’m so lucky to have the Chanel team recreate this look from the ’90s — the one that Karl did, so I’m just, like, so happy!” she gushed.
Being her first time at the exclusive event, Jennie admitted she was looking forward to “literally everything” and had no idea what to expect, but also revealed the advice her BLACKPINK bandmate Rosé gave her after attending the gala in 2022 for In America: An Anthology of Fashion. “Rosie, she was here last year. She told me just have fun, so that’s the plan for today,” the “SOLO” rapper said.
Jennie also took to social media in the hours after the Met Gala to show off her dress from every angle, writing, “Merci mon chancel family for this dream look.”
Check out Jennie on the carpet for the Met Gala below.
Taylor Swift returns to No. 1 (up from No. 3) on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated May 6), reigning as the top musical act in the United States for a record-extending 65th week. She boasts 10 albums on the latest Billboard 200, including her new Record Store Day-exclusive vinyl release, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions.
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The live acoustic album, which was issued on vinyl (its first physical release of any kind) for Record Store Day (April 22) at participating independent record stores, debuts at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 75,000 equivalent album units earned, all from vinyl sales, in the April 21-27 tracking week, according to Luminate.
Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions is the companion album to the Disney+ documentary film of the same name, released in 2020.
Swift charts 10 total albums on the Billboard 200, including three in the top 10. The last act to land at least three albums in the top 10 at the same time was Prince in 2016, following his death. Here’s a look at all of Swift’s albums on the latest list:
Rank, TitleNo. 3, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio SessionsNo. 4, MidnightsNo. 10, LoverNo. 12, FolkloreNo. 21, 1989No. 22, reputationNo. 27, Red (Taylor’s Version)No. 29, EvermoreNo. 41, Fearless (Taylor’s Version)No. 66, Speak Now
Since the Billboard 200 combined separate stereo and mono rankings in August 1963, Prince is the only other artist to chart at least 10 albums in the top 100 in a single week, as he posthumously totaled 15 in the region on the May 14, 2016, survey.
Among other Artist 100 chart moves, Agust D, aka Suga of BTS, re-enters at No. 3, a new high (following a week at No. 4 in 2020), as his new solo LP D-Day arrives at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 (140,000 units). It becomes his first solo top 10 album; BTS has notched seven.
Five BTS members have hit the Artist 100’s top 10: Jimin (No. 1, one week), Agust D (No. 3), RM (No. 6), j-hope (No. 9) and JIN (No. 10). BTS has ruled for 21 weeks, the most among groups since the chart began in 2014.
The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.