K-Pop
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BLACKPINK‘s Jennie took to social media on Friday (March 3) to share that she has suffered a minor injury to her face.
In a message to BLINKs on Weverse, the K-pop idol wrote, “It’s nothing, but I post[ed] it first in case you get surprised. I was taking care of my health during the break, eating well, and sleeping well, but I tripped a little while exercising and fell down, so I got a bit of a scar on my face.
“I wanted to get better soon so I don’t worry about BLINK, but it’s still healing, so I think I’m going to wear a bandage on my face for a while,” she continued. “Please understand if I sound silly. I need to show you a good performance, but I’m sorry for being like this, everyone. I’ll get better soon, so don’t worry and see you soon.”
In a reply, Jennie later added, “So… I don’t have time to take pictures these days, and I’ve been getting treatment every day” before apologizing again to the BLINKs, who naturally were more concerned about the star continuing to recuperate.
Indeed, according to her personal Instagram account, Jennie hasn’t posted a candid photo herself since Feb. 14 — instead posting behind the scenes content from her current Calvin Klein campaign in the intervening weeks for her nearly 75 million followers.
BLACKPINK, meanwhile, is currently wrapping up a month-long break in their Born Pink World Tour, which resumes Saturday (March 4) at Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After finishing out the Asian leg of the tour with back-to-back shows at Japan’s Tokyo Dome in early April, Jennie and her bandmates will head back to the U.S. to serve as headliners for the 2023 iteration of Coachella.
Read Jennie’s full statement about her injury on Weverse here.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Countdown to the TWICE tour! After rocking the 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards in Los Angeles on Wednesday (March 1), Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu will be hitting stages all over the globe for the Ready to Be world tour.
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The K-pop group’s largest tour to date launches with back-to-back shows in Seoul, South Korea, next month. The North American leg kicks off at Sofi Stadium (where the Women Music Awards was held) in June. The tour will also make stops in Chicago, Houston, New York and Atlanta.
If you’re a member of the ONCE fanbase, you’re going to need a light stick. While there’s plenty of time before the tour makes its way to North America (get tickets here), K-pop merch has been known to fly off the shelves, so it’s better to start shopping early.
For fans who didn’t get to buy an official Candybong Z light stick, we found an alternative at Amazon.
Amazon
Twice Light Stick
$79.00
The glowing stick pictured above includes a hand strap and photocards, but the batteries are sold separately. (Buy AAA batteries here.) There’s debate over whether or not the product is an “official” CB stick as listed, and while the stick appears to be from a third-party seller, the majority of customer reviews appear to be satisfied with the product.
For a cheaper option, try this $38 light stick at Amazon. You can also find a range of TWICE light sticks on eBay and accessories at Etsy, such as this $18 light stick stand and cute little light stick cover ($17.67).
Etsy
Light Stick Stand
$18
This handmade stand has wracked up dozens of positive reviews. According to the product description, the stand was “thoughtfully designed to hold the CBZ with the wrist strap attached.” It has a “guide path so that the strap hangs out the back” and a separate hole for the battery pack.
Where to Buy TWICE Merch Online
When it comes to official TWICE merch, fans can hit up the Twice Shop and JYP Shop, although most of the popular items — such as posters, custom light bands, glass sets and postcards — are sold out.
Luckily, ONCE can find tons of TWICE merch at Amazon and Etsy, from hoodies, sweatshirts and T-shirts to jewelry, books, photocards, keychains and more.
And if you haven’t purchased your copy, now’s the time to scoop up Billboard’s TWICE collector’s zine featuring exclusive photos of the group that you won’t find anywhere else.
Bizarrap and Shakira’s collaboration “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Jan. 28.
The track, recorded almost entirely in Spanish, earns Bizarrap his first top 10 hit on the Hot 100 and Shakira her fifth, and first since her Beyoncé team-up “Beautiful Liar” in 2007. It also earns the distinction as just the 30th non-English-language song to reach the Hot 100’s top 10 – out of over 5,000 top 10s in the chart’s 64-year history.
Shakira also makes history as the first solo woman to score a Hot 100 top 10 recorded in Spanish. (The group Mocedades’ “Eres Tu [Touch the Wind]” became the first such top 10 with lead female vocals in 1974; see below.)
“Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” drew 20.2 million U.S. streams, 7.9 million radio airplay audience impressions and 9,000 downloads sold its first full tracking week (Jan. 13-19), according to Luminate. Shakira’s previous four top 10s are sung primarily in English: “Whenever, Wherever” (No. 6 peak in 2001), “Underneath Your Clothes” (No. 9, 2002), “Hips Don’t Lie,” featuring Wyclef Jean (No. 1 for two weeks, 2006), and “Beautiful Liar,” with Beyoncé (No. 3, 2007).
Looking at the other 29 non-English-language top 10s, Bad Bunny tallies the most, with seven (four of which are from his 2022 smash album Un Verano Sin Ti), followed by BTS (five) and PSY (two).
Nine of the 30 songs have reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, including Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” (featuring Justin Bieber), which spent a then-record-tying 16 weeks at No. 1 in 2017, and Los Del Rio’s “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” which ruled for 14 weeks in 1996. The most recent No. 1 is Coldplay and BTS’ “My Universe,” which contains both Korean and English lyrics, from 2021.
Spanish is the most common non-English language listed below (15 of 30 top 10s), followed by Korean (seven), German (three), French and Italian (two each) and Japanese (one).
Meanwhile, 18 of the 30 top 10s have reached the tier since 2012, following a 16-year break between “Macarena” and PSY’s “Gangnam Style.” The influx coincides with music’s increased globalization, as highlighted by hits from Bad Bunny and BTS, among others.
In chronological order of their peak dates, here are all 30 primarily or all non-English-language songs to reach the Hot 100’s top 10 (with thanks to Paul Haney at Joel Whitburn’s Record Research for research assistance). (The list does not include songs with relatively minimal portions in other languages, such as Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailamos” or Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin’s “I Like It.”)
Domenico Modugno, “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)”
Peak date: Aug. 18, 1958Peak position: No. 1 (five weeks)Language: Italian
Listen here.
Lolita, “Sailor (Your Home Is the Sea)”
Peak date: Dec. 19, 1960Peak position: No. 5Language: German
Listen here.
Emilio Pericoli, “Al Di La'”
Peak date: July 7, 1962Peak position: No. 6Language: Italian
Listen here.
Kyu Sakamoto, “Sukiyaki”
Peak date: June 15, 1963Peak position: No. 1 (three weeks)Language: Japanese
Listen here.
The Singing Nun (Soeur Sourire), “Dominique”
Peak date: Dec. 7, 1963Peak position: No. 1 (four weeks)Language: French
Listen here.
The Sandpipers, “Guantanamera”
Peak date: Sept. 17, 1966Peak position: No. 9Language: Spanish
Listen here.
Mocedades, “Eres Tu (Touch the Wind)”
Peak date: March 23, 1974Peak position: No. 9Language: Spanish
Listen here.
Nena, “99 Luftballons”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: March 3, 1984Peak position: No. 2Language: German
Falco, “Rock Me Amadeus”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: March 29, 1986Peak position: No. 1 (three weeks)Language: German
Los Lobos, “La Bamba”
Peak date: Aug. 29, 1987Peak position: No. 1 (three weeks)Language: Spanish
Listen here.
Enigma, “Sadeness (Part 1)”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: April 6, 1991Peak position: No. 5Language: Latin/French
Los Del Rio, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: Aug. 3, 1996Peak position: No. 1 (14 weeks)Language: Spanish
PSY, “Gangnam Style”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: Oct. 6, 2012Peak position: No. 2Language: Korean
PSY, “Gentleman”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: May 4, 2013Peak position: No. 5Language: Korean
Listen here.
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, “Despacito”
Peak date: May 27, 2017Peak position: No. 1 (16 weeks)Language: Spanish
Listen here.
J Balvin & Willy William feat. Beyoncé, “Mi Gente”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: Oct. 21, 2017Peak position: No. 3Language: Spanish
BTS, “Fake Love”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: June 2, 2018Peak position: No. 10Language: Korean
Bad Bunny feat. Drake, “MIA”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: Oct. 27, 2018Peak position: No. 5Language: Spanish
BTS feat. Halsey, “Boy With Luv”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: April 27, 2019Peak position: No. 8Language: Korean
BTS, “On”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: March 7, 2020Peak position: No. 4Language: Korean
BTS, “Life Goes On”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: Dec. 5, 2020Peak position: No. 1 (one week)Language: Korean
Bad Bunny & Jhay Cortez, “Dakiti”
Peak date: Dec. 12, 2020Peak position: No. 5Language: Spanish
Jose Feliciano, “Feliz Navidad”
Peak date: Jan. 2, 2021Peak position: No. 6Language: Spanish
Listen here.
Bad Bunny, “Yonaguni”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: June 19, 2021Peak position: No. 10Language: Spanish
Coldplay x BTS, “My Universe”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: Oct. 9, 2021Peak position: No. 1 (one week)Language: Korean
Bad Bunny, “Moscow Mule”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: May 21, 2022Peak position: No. 4Language: Spanish
Bad Bunny, “Tití Me Preguntó”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: May 21, 2022Peak position: No. 5Language: Spanish
Bad Bunny, “Despues de La Playa”
Peak date: May 21, 2022Peak position: No. 6Language: Spanish
Listen here.
Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone, “Me Porto Bonito”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: July 23, 2022Peak position: No. 6Language: Spanish
Bizarrap & Shakira, “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
Peak date: Jan. 28, 2023Peak position: No. 9Language: Spanish
J-Hope is ready to enter the South Korean military for his mandatory service stint, BigHit Music announced on Sunday (Feb. 26). On the same day, it was also announced that the BTS member will soon release a new single, “On the Street.”
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“We would like to inform our fans that j-hope has initiated the military enlistment process by applying for the termination of his enlistment postponement,” BigHit said in a statement released to the BTS ARMY on Weverse. “We will inform you of further updates in due course. We ask you for your continued love and support for j-hope until he completes his military service and safely returns. Our company will spare no effort in providing support for our artist.”
J-Hope will be the second BTS member, following Jin, to enlist for the nation’s mandatory 18-month military service.
In another post on the same day, BigHit shared an update about J-Hope’s new music release: “We are happy to inform you that BTS member j-hope will be releasing a solo single ‘on the street,’” they wrote.
“On the Street” will be released on March 3 at 2PM KST.
“j-hope wrote the track to share his candid feelings toward his fans,” the message said. “The title ‘on the street’ refers to j-hope’s roots — street dance — from which his dream to become an artist began, and the path the artist and fans will continue to walk together. We hope that j-hope’s ‘on the street’ serves as a meaningful gift to everyone who supports the artist. Please look forward to j-hope’s new song!”
J-Hope’s Disney+ documentary, J-Hope in the Box, is now streaming, and it was just announced that he is the luxury brand Louis Vuitton’s newest ambassador.
See the updates from BigHit Music below.
In the latest episode of the battle of K-pop giants, HYBE, the home of BTS, took some swings at SM Entertainment’s business partnership with tech company Kakao, owner of a popular messaging app, Kakao M, and music streaming service Melon.
On Feb. 6, Kakao announced it would purchase a 9.05% stake in SM Entertainment, whose roster includes NCT 127 and Red Velvet. Three days later, HYBE announced it would acquire a 14.8% stake in SM Entertainment by purchasing the majority of shares of the company’s founder and legendary K-pop producer, Lee Soo Man. Following a campaign by an activist investor for SM Entertainment to reduce Lee’s role, the company canceled his producer contract on Dec. 31, 2022.
SM Entertainment called HYBE’s investment “hostile M&A” and said its partnership with Kakao is “the first step” in its long-term transformation plan. HYBE sees SM Entertainment’s relationship with Kakao as one-sided and bad for shareholders.
“The contract between SM and Kakao, which grants acquisition of convertible bonds, undermines shareholder interest,” HYBE said in a statement Friday (Feb. 24). A clause grants Kakao or Kakao Entertainment the ability to “continuously increase its stake in SM” by allocating stocks issued through a paid-in capital increase to a third party, HYBE stated. “This will dilute the value of stocks owned by all shareholders other than Kakao or Kakao Entertainment.”
HYBE further argued the contract would hurt SM Entertainment’s chance of attracting “new strategic investors” and make it easier for Kakao “to seize control of SM’s management rights.”
HYBE also took issue with the Kakao’s role in managing SM Entertainment artists and distributing their music, arguing the contract gives Kakao an “unexpiring, exclusive” right to distribute SM Entertainment’s recorded music and allow Kakao Entertainment to manage SM Entertainment artists in North and South America.
In turn, SM Entertainment subsidiary SM Life Design will produce the recordings of Kakao Entertainment artists and provide a music video shooting set. “Compared with the important business rights that SM is handing over,” HYBE stated, “the return seems unreasonably small.”
After reviewing the contract’s legal issues, HYBE “will take all necessary legal measures, both civil and criminal,” it stated.
Louis Vuitton announced Friday (Feb. 24) that BTS’ J-Hope is the luxury brand’s newest ambassador.
“He is beloved by fans across the world for his upbeat energy, precise choreography and creative musical direction,” the fashion house said in a statement to share the news. “With a positive on-and-off-stage presence, J-Hope continues to push artistic boundaries and inspire international audiences.”
Along with the rest of his BTS bandmates, the Korean rapper previously served as an ambassador for Louis Vuitton back in 2021. The K-pop boy band even wore custom suits by the label to the 2022 Grammy Awards. More recently, J-Hope was seated front row next to Louis Vuitton women’s creative director Nicolas Ghesquière for the fashion house’s menswear presentation during last month’s Paris Fashion Week.
To celebrate the renewed partnership, Louis Vuitton Worldwide shared a series of editorial photos on their official social channels of the “Chicken Noodle Soup” star modeling ensembles from their Fall/Winter 2023 collection, including an iridescent jacket in the brand’s signature monogrammed print, a chic cloud gray varsity jacket emblazoned with “Vuitton” in maroon lettering across the chest and a streetwear-inspired denim hoodie with radioactive yellow stitching.
Earlier this month, J-Hope unveiled his new documentary J-Hope in the Box on Weverse and Disney+. The film documents the 200 days leading up to the release of his debut solo album Jack in the Box as well as the K-pop idol’s history-making headlining set at Lollapalooza 2022.
Check out J-Hope repping the latest fashion-forward Louis Vuitton looks as house ambassador below.
Despite an ongoing battle with her former record label since splitting from her girl group, former LOONA member Chuu continues her career with a new duet alongside a trusted collaborator.
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Delivering a breezy, bossa nova-tinged duet suited for spring weather, Chuu brings her signature sweet vocals to “Let’s Love” alongside Kim Yo Han, a singer-rapper in boy band WEi and former member of X1.
The delightful duet lets the two K-pop stars effortlessly harmonize and synchronize their voices throughout the verses and chorus, with Yo Han also spitting a rap in the second verse.
This K-pop duo previously teamed up in 2021 with R&B star Eric Bellinger on “World Is One,” which acted as a campaign theme song in Korea to aid children marginalized by COVID-19.
“Let’s Love” marks Chuu’s latest musical move after exiting her girl group amid her ongoing battle with former record label BlockBerryCreative, which has extended to more LOONA members.
Since Chuu was expelled and withdrawn from the Billboard 200–charting act after BlockBerryCreative cited “violent language and misuse of power” in November 2022, which Chuu denied, the remaining 11 members of LOONA have all filed lawsuits attempting to cut ties with BlockBerryCreative. After reports of BlockBerryCreative attempting to prohibit Chuu from working in Korea’s entertainment scene, citing contract violations, the 23-year-old made a short statement on Feb. 1 via Instagram regarding “slanderous” claims and expressed her distress over the label’s actions towards her and the LOONA members.
At press time, a representative for the label did not have a statement for Billboard other than official word from BlockBerryCreative will be shared in the future.
With the release of “Let’s Love,” it appears Chuu is still moving forward with her career.
Meanwhile, the other 11 LOONA members have not been very active in K-pop, but several have hopped onto social media. While the last personalized communication on LOONA’s official Twitter and Instagram accounts came from member ViVi on Dec. 9, 2022, members JinSoul, Kim Lip, Hyunjin, Choerry and ViVi have all since opened personal Instagram accounts.
On Dec. 22, 2022, BlockBerryCreative announced it had decided to indefinitely postpone a new EP from LOONA scheduled for Jan. 3, 2023.
Stream “Let’s Love” here and watch Chuu and Kim Yo Han perform the track live below:
BigHit Music unfurled the artwork and complete tracklist for Jimin‘s upcoming debut album, FACE, on Thursday (Feb. 23).
The post on the label’s official Twitter account reveals the project will contain six tracks, including main track “Like Crazy” and pre-release single “Set Me Free Pt. 2,” which will drop March 17. A release promises that the song will find the BTS member exploring “his resolution to free himself from various emotions hidden deep inside him.”
Meanwhile, the studio effort’s metallic cover art features the title depicted beneath ripples on the surface of a body of water. The stark graphic may come across as cryptic upon first glance, but a message on the tracklist poster provides more clues about the reflective themes of Jimin’s solo set: “Circle of Resonance. Reflection of vulnerable minds and unexposed wounds. Face, the reflection of myself in an unfamiliar appearance … Face of facing the deepest part of inner-self.”
The six-song tracklist also shows off the inner circle of producers and songwriters Jimin enlisted for FACE — from Pdogg, GHSTLOOP and BLVSH to Chris James, EVAN and Supreme Boi. His BTS bandmate RM also helped co-write three tracks on the album, including album opener “Face-off,” “Like Crazy” and its English version.
To go along with the tracklist and cover art, Jimin also released a short video giving ARMY a brief, behind-the-scenes look at the making of FACE. Check out the short clip, complete tracklist and chrome cover art below.
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Next month, TWICE will make history as the first K-pop group to be honored at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards, and fans can celebrate by purchasing a collectible zine to mark the historic achievement.
Ready for a photo fix? This gorgeous, 36-page printed magazine shines with a special cover and 11 other exclusive photos — including stunning solo shots of Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu — that you won’t find anywhere else!
The special publication will also feature an additional 11 photos of each of the nine group members as featured in Billboard’s Women in Music issue and be available exclusively at the Billboard Shop.
Inside the zine, ONCE can follow the definitive story of TWICE’s success. From the group’s debut in 2015 to its sold-out North American arena tour to the launch of each member’s individual Instagram accounts and everything fans need to know about TWICE’s music making waves on the Billboard charts. Plus, zine-only quotes from TWICE gushing over its beloved fandom.
Billboard
Billboard Collector’s Zine featuring TWICE $35
Order your exclusive zine today and toast to the first K-pop stars to be honored at Billboard’s Women in Music. Fans can watch live as TWICE receives the Breakthrough Award during this year’s event at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles on March 1 (click here for tickets).
Earlier this week, TWICE treated fans to a snippet of “Set Me Free,” the new single off the K-pop collective’s upcoming Ready to Be mini album. The song will be released in English and Korean and follows the single “Moonlight Sunrise,” which dropped last month.
In April, TWICE will hit the road for the Ready to Be tour, which kicks off with back-to-back shows at the KSPO Dome in Seoul before heading to Australia and Japan.
The North American leg of the tour launches at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in June. From there, the tour will head north to Oakland and hit cities such as Chicago, Toronto, Houston and New York.
The tour is scheduled to wrap in Atlanta in early July, but more show dates are expected to be announced soon. In the meantime, fans can commemorate TWICE’s success with Billboard’s collectible zine.
It’s 9:15 a.m. in Seoul, and most of the nine members of TWICE have just woken up. They’re barefaced, dressed casually and cozily in warm knits and sweatshirts; Chaeyoung still wears her parka hood, her blonde hair peeking out of the bottom. Nayeon, seated next to her, cleans her glasses with her shirt sleeve. Tzuyu, however, is alert and attentive. When I ask (through a translator) who’s the early riser of the group, everyone points to her.
This morning, the women of TWICE look more like students who’ve arrived at an early-morning class than the wildly popular K-pop girl group they are. But for their globe-spanning cohort of fans (known as ONCE), this is a familiar sight. The group’s long-running YouTube reality and vlog show, TWICE TV, along with other online vlog content, have gone behind the scenes with the act since its 2015 debut. Over the past seven-plus years, fans have followed along as Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu (who range in age from 23 to 27) have recorded music; toured across South Korea and Asia; attended award ceremonies; debuted their first-ever English-language single, “The Feels”; and, last year, played and sold out U.S. arenas, a still-rare feat for K-pop artists.
“That was our first time having a concert of that scale, so it was really shocking for us to see so many fans in the U.S.,” says Jihyo, recalling TWICE’s two nights in May 2022 at Los Angeles’ Banc of California Stadium.
Nayeon
Sunhye Shin
Jeongyeon
Sunhye Shin
“At that time in Korea, we couldn’t perform in the same way as in the U.S.,” adds Chaeyoung, referring to South Korea’s stringent COVID-19 restrictions. “So it was really refreshing to see the fans face to face in the U.S.”
Only a few of TWICE’s members speak English, but their fans’ raging devotion has long dispelled any questions about the group’s ability to successfully cross over. TWICE crafted a strong foundational identity early on with technicolor, rush-inducing pop exemplified by hits like 2018’s “What Is Love?” and 2019’s “Fancy.” More recently, it has expanded its sonic palette. Last year, “The Feels,” a groovy, disco-inflected song about a budding crush, became the group’s first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at No. 83). Its subsequent album, Formula of Love: O+T =