K-Pop
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Harry Styles took his Love on Tour to Seoul’s KSPO Dome on Monday (March 20) as part of the trek’s Asia leg, which found several K-pop musicians in attendance.
Before the show kicked off, fans in the arena were treated to K-pop hits on Styles’ pre-show playlist that included NewJeans’ “OMG,” STAYC’s “Teddy Bear,” BLACKPINK’s “Pink Venom” and BTS’ “Dynamite.”
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After the show began, BLACKPINK‘s Rosé shared footage of her and fellow group mate Jennie enjoying Styles’ set and singing along to 2022’s official Song of the Summer, “As It Was.” When the show wrapped, the “On the Ground” singer took a pic with Styles backstage at the event. The pair shared a one-armed embrace as he gave the camera a thumbs up and a wide smile. “Yayyy thank you @harrystyles for coming to Korea,” she captioned the photo on her Instagram Story.
Rosé and Jennie were far from the only K-pop stars in the audience; several BTS members appeared amongst the crowd, with the duo Taekook — Taehyung (V) and Jung Kook — trending on Twitter for energetically dancing while Styles performed One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful.” RM and Suga also were spotted in the audience, but sat in separate locations from V and Jung Kook.
ENHYPEN‘s Jay, Jake, Sunghoon and Ni-Ki took their spots among the audience, wearing face masks to conceal their identities, while MONSTA X‘s Hyungwon and Ateez‘s Wooyoung went to the concert, too. TWICE, Aespa, Super Junior and more also showed their support for the English pop star.
See Rose’s Instagram Story featuring Styles before it disappears here.
Breaking out on your own from one of the most successful pop groups on the planet must surely come with untold trepidation and anxiety about whether your fanbase will follow you down a new path. But for BTS‘ Jimin, releasing his solo single “Set Me Free Pt. 2” amounts to a kind of liberation (or, as he puts it, a “new starting point”), as well as a chance to establish an identity apart from the global superstar septet.
“When this song was made, I felt really attached to it,” he told Consequence of Sound about his first solo project. “I went to the U.S. myself for the choir recording, and listening to it right next to them was truly amazing. I remember it as a really good memory.”
The song — which features majestic choir backing, a booming hip-hop beat and urgent Auto-Tuned vocals — is slated to appear on Jimin’s upcoming solo album, FACE, which is due out on March 24. And though it is tagged as a sequel, any ARMY member can tell you that there is, in fact, no original “Set Me Free” in Jimin’s discography. The singer explained to CoS that the title is a wink a song on bandmate Suga’s 2020 D-2 mixtape from alter ego Agust D.
“There isn’t a connection, and we weren’t trying to divide part one or part two,” he said. “But since it turns out my song talks about freedom and moving forward, and SUGA’s song talks about some of the stories that come before, I thought it would be good to come after that.”
Asked to break down the message of the track — which he described as having a light/dark, black/white energy — Jimin said he focused on the concepts of “determination, passion, and overcoming” and that the title is about him, well, setting himself free. “So I thought it was important that I be the one to set myself free — not someone else,” he said. “In the end, I’m the one who has to set myself free.”
As the latest member of the group to break out during the band’s yearslong pause to allow all seven to focus on their solo careers (as well as attend mandatory South Korean army service), Jimin said all his bandmates were nervous before dropping their albums and singles, but luckily, “their results were absolutely great.”
He’s nervous too, but mostly he just wants to make the other guys proud. “I don’t want to be an embarrassment to my members,” he said. “I want to be a proud member of BTS.” He doesn’t appear to have much to worry about, as “Set Me Free Pt. 2” was announced with a flashy, choreography-heavy video directed by Oui Kim.
As for what fans can expect from FACE, Jimin promised that the album talks about how he can look back on his past and, “how I overcame… If people understand the emotions I’m trying to express, I’ll consider the album a success.”
Watch “Set Me Free Pt. 2” below.
Nine years into MAMAMOO‘s career as a leading, chart-topping K-pop girl group, the quartet has announced their first-ever tour dates for the United States.
As the next step in the act’s “MY CON” world tour that traveled across Asia in late 2022 and early 2023, Whee In, Solar, Moon Byul and Hwa Sa will visit nine arenas for their inaugural Stateside tour. The U.S. leg begins in New York on May 16 before wrapping in Los Angeles on June 4. Venue information wasn’t immediately available at press time beyond shows in arenas.
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The tour dates will mark MAMAMOO’s live Stateside return as well. The group has not performed in the States since appearing at the 2019 KCON Los Angeles festival. The trek is presented by Mammoth Inc. and Sugar Monkey Live.
The new “MY CON” tour dates follow the group’s latest EP, Mic On, released in November of last year, which included the single “Illella” that peaked at No. 5 on Billboard‘s World Digital Song Sales chart. Beyond group activities, the members have remained active with their solo music and projects. Solar and Moon Byul even teamed up as a duo for MAMAMOO+ for 2022 single “Better” and have new music together coming out later this month.
Tickets go on sale on at 10 a.m. local time on March 29 via Ticketmaster. See the full U.S. tour dates below.
MAMAMOO 2023 MY CON U.S. Tour Dates
May 16 – New York, NYMay 18 – Baltimore, MDMay 20 – Atlanta, GAMay 22 – Nashville, TNMay 24 – Fort Worth, TXMay 27 – Chicago, ILMay 31 – Glendale, AZJune 2 – Oakland, CAJune 4 – Los Angeles, CA
Jisoo dropped the first visual teaser of her upcoming solo project ME on Wednesday (March 15) and the result is simply stunning.
The breathtaking clip shows the BLACKPINK singer wielding a giant poppy while draped in a feathery high-fashion ensemble of black-and-white striped fur. To complement the look, the idol also shows off a long, white manicure and keeps her makeup editorial yet sparse with a pale pink lip and small black lines drawn above her eyelids.
With its focus on fashion, the preview doesn’t give fans much of a hint at what Jisoo’s solo debut will sound like, with only a few spare, drawn-out notes playing before the scene fades to black to reveal the single album’s title in bold, red font.
Still, Jisoo’s more than 70 million followers couldn’t get enough of the gorgeous visual. “They need to change the name of the color red to jisoo,” one Blink raved in the comments. Another wrote, “I have no words. You are just killing me. I can’t wait for this,” while a fan page dedicated to the idol’s bandmate Lisa declared, “This giving me goosebumps.”
Several others utilized a new feature on Instagram to drop their favorite gifs of Jisoo from various BLACKPINK music videos in the comments section.
ME is set for release on March 31 via YG Entertainment and Interscope Records, and will follow the solo debuts of Jisoo’s bandmates in recent years, including both Lisa’s LALISA and Rosé’s -R- in 2021, and Jennie’s swaggering track “SOLO” in 2018.
In fact, Rosé marked the two-year anniversary of her mini album, which contained the record-breaking “On the Ground” and “Gone,” on her Instagram feed earlier this week, writing, “It’s been two years since the release of my first single album -R- ♡ thank you for all the love and support to all my fans. I love you all eternally.”
Watch Jisoo’s beautiful visual film teaser for ME above.
It’s a mutual admiration society in the behind-the-scenes video for “On The Street,” BTS member J-Hope‘s collaboration with his longtime idol J.Cole. “Being able to meet my muse, J. Cole is nerve-wracking,” Hope says in the video’s open, during which he’s getting final-touch make-up applied backstage before the shoot begins.
One way the K-pop superstar soothes his nerves is by writing Cole a letter, telling the MC, “working with you has been a meaningful moment,” while repeatedly stopping to comment on his poor handwriting and trying to put himself in ARMY’s shoes when his fans pen gushing odes to him.
“Look at this horrific handwriting,” he laments as he holds the note up to camera and says that it’s not only an honor to work with Cole, but actually the realization of a childhood dream. “You’re always an inspiration to me and always give me good energy,” he writes in the note. The BTS star then heads to the set, where he can’t hide his excitement upon finally meeting his hero.
Hope beams as Cole starts filming his bits, watching the performance in a monitor and marveling at how he went from watching the rapper as a child on TV to filming a video with him on a bridge in Manhattan. “Is this real life? Is this a dream or is this real life?” J-Hope asks as the two share a series of handshakes and Hope hands over a gift bag featuring the note and some other goodies.
The rest of the 13-minute chronicles the process of shooting the video on the streets of New York, including a freestyle dance scene in a subway station.
“On the Street” is particularly meaningful to J-Hope. While BTS has long shared their admiration for the North Carolina-raised rapper — revealing in 2013 their reinterpreted take on J. Cole’s “Born Sinner” with “Born Singer,” which was only officially released last year on Proof — J-Hope has always shared how Cole is one of his ultimate favorite singers.
“On the Street” is J-Hope’s first new solo song since hopping on “Rush Hour” with Korean R&B singer “Crush,” while Cole dropped a surprise song in mid-January, “Procrastination (Broke).”
Check out the “On the Street” behind-the-scenes video below.
March 14 marks Asia’s holiday called White Day, which acts like a response to Valentine’s Day for lovers to reciprocate a present to those who showed them love a month earlier. For this year’s White Day, (G)I-DLE member Yuqi gifted fans with a cover of the current global No. 1 song and a reminder to love oneself.
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The K-pop star shared a music video she filmed for a cover of Miley Cyrus‘ smash single “Flowers,” which returned to No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart for its seventh week on top. Like Yuqi’s previously shared in her rock-leaning solo singles like “Bonnie & Clyde” and “Giant,” the Chinese-born star’s raspy delivery is not only a perfect fit for the breezy pop-rock stomp of “Flowers” but specifically for taking on Cyrus’ vocals, making this a pitch-perfect cover.
Yuqi filmed a casually fun music video for “Flowers” that opens with the star looking out wistfully to sea on the beach before snapping out of it and going shopping, painting in a garden, and hopping around the city while embracing the song’s famous message of finding happiness in loving ones’ self.
The video ends with a message for viewers, with text across the screen saying: “Always be proud of yourself.” Upon sharing the cover, Yuqi included a short letter to (G)I-DLE fans, known affectionately as Neverlands. “Love you guys so much,” she wrote on Instagram to her five-million-plus followers. “At the same time, I love myself hard as well…just like the lyrics said, ‘I can love me better than you can.’ Not only about love; we should love ourselves first. Happy White Day to all of my Neverlands.”
Yuqi also included a message to Miley, sharing that she’s a “big fan” and how “it’s my honor to have this opportunity to cover this amazing song.”
Watch Yuqi’s cover of “Flowers” below:
Jimin unveiled the first teaser for his “Set Me Free Pt.2” music video on Tuesday (March 14) via HYBE LABELS.
In the 30-second clip, the BTS member eyes the camera before wandering slowly through a troupe of backup dancers. The squad bursts into explosive choreography in a circular room ringed in giant squares of flashing light as the song’s chords come booming through the speakers. As the screen cuts to black, it reveals the song’s title and Friday release date at midnight ET/1 p.m. KST as Jimin can be heard crowing, “Set me free.”
“Set Me Free” will mark the first song from Jimin’s forthcoming debut solo album FACE, which is slated for release March 24. The same day the full-length drops, the K-pop idol will also share the music video for second single “Like Crazy,” which was co-written by Jimin’s BTS bandmate RM. Last week, Jimin also shared the first set of concept photos for the studio effort, showing off his titular face with sleek silver studs running down each side of his neck.
Most recently, Jimin scored his first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 by joining Taeyang for the BIGBANG member’s new single “Vibe.” Earlier this month, the singer also gave ARMY an early gift by uploading his solo tracks “Promise” and “Christmas Love” to streaming services for the very first time. (The pair of songs had previously only been available to listen to on the official BTS Soundcloud or YouTube accounts.)
Watch Jimin’s “Set Me Free Pt.2” music video teaser below.
The ladies of TWICE are making their debut on The Kelly Clarkson Show, and in the Tuesday (March 14) interview, talked about their second English-language single, “Moonlight Sunrise.”
The host asks lead dancer Tzuyu about the meaning behind the K-pop nontet’s latest single — but only after making sure she knows how to pronounce Tzuyu’s name correctly. (“So Tzuyu, I think I said it right. I’m trying!” the American Idol quipped candidly.)
“So ‘Moonlight Sunrise’ is a song about wanting to know the other person’s heart,” Tzuyu told Clarkson through an interpreter. “And they use the metaphor of moonlight and sunrise to parallel that fluttering-heart feeling when you’re in love.”
The sparkling single is featured on the idols’ new mini-album, Ready to Be, which also contains fan favorite tracks such as “Set Me Free,” “Got the Thrills” and “Blame It on Me.” The full-length’s release marks the first time TWICE has been in the U.S. for a comeback, and they’ve spent the week promoting the project with a performance of “Set Me Free” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and a trip to the Empire State Building, where they lit up the landmark in apricot and magenta lights to celebrate Musicians on Call’s “Healing Power of Music” mission.
On March 2, TWICE was also honored with the Breakthrough Artist Award at Billboard’s Women in Music event. After receiving the award from Sabrina Carpenter and giving a sweet acceptance speech, the girl group hit the stage to perform “Moonlight Sunrise.”
Watch Tzuyu explain the meaning of the song to Clarkson above.
“Smoke Sprite” has finally arrived. On Tuesday (March 14), So!YoON! — Hwang So-yoon of South Korean indie rock band SE SO NEON — released the video for her newest single featuring RM of BTS, in which the pair straddles the fine line between dreams and reality.
In the visual, the singer finds herself in a series of distorted scenarios: She lies in a pool full of water surrounded by strangers, runs through a snow-covered mountain plain while sporting a sunburn and even shoots herself with a bow an arrow. “Take on my knees/ Stuck with you in your dreams/ Tell me more I could die/ Take on like a beast/ Fire to the low, low/ Don’t run away, run away yeah,” she sings on the chorus.
RM chimes in on the latter half of the song, first sitting in front of an upside-down car and rapping about a lover he wishes to devour. “Honey, what you doing in my bed? Yeah/ Uh baby welcome to my favorite place/ The rules of space and time, the ethics of humans/ It doesn’t matter even if I close my eyes now,” he sensually raps. “Show your dance tonight so I could kill you alright/ I swear to god you don’t need to be mine just hit you right/ Take you next level, next level/ Just give me your best level, that space level.”
The new release comes following the release of RM’s solo album, Indigo. The project arrived in December, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and allowed RM to become the highest-charting K-pop soloist, as well as the only K-pop soloist ever to reach the top five of the all-genre albums chart.
Watch the “Smoke Sprite” music video above.
CARATs, are you ready? SEVENTEEN is gearing up to release new music sometime next month, the K-pop group’s label, Pledis Entertainment, confirmed in a statement Monday (March 13).
“K-pop stage-breakers SEVENTEEN hinted at yet another grand year ahead as they wrapped up their three-day fan meet ‘2023 SVT 7TH FAN MEETING,’” the statement read. “In celebration of the close bond between SEVENTEEN and their fans — CARATs — the band delivered for-hour shows dedicated to the fans and revealed plans for their next album set to drop in April.”
The confirmation from Pledis about SEVENTEEN’s forthcoming music comes after group member S.Coups revealed the news during the first of three nights in the 2023 SEVENTEEN in Carat Land fan meeting in Seoul. “Some day in April, we will be back with a great album. We will be back to make your April great,” he said during a break in the set in a fan-captured video.
According to a press release, the band also confirmed by telling fans, “We are releasing our next album in April. We’re proud of our work, and we promise it will be a month to remember.”
SEVENTEEN has not released music as a group since July, with the re-released version Face the Sun, the K-pop stars’ repackaged album SECTOR 17. Face the Sun peaked at No. 7 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, and peaked three spots higher at No. 4.
While fans will have to wait for details regarding SEVENTEEN’s next album release, there are a few events in the works for the group later in spring. The SEVENTEEN 2023 JAPAN FAN MEETING ‘LOVE’ will hit Japan in May, taking over Kyocera Dome Osaka and Tokyo Dome across four dates.