K-Pop
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2022 is over, but BLACKPINK is continuing to share the biggest and brightest highlights of the past year through the group’s “Born Pink Memories” video series, with the newest episode premiering on Friday (Jan. 6).
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This sixth installment sees members Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé kicking off a series of promotional events to support the release of Born Pink in the United States. The visual starts with the quartet touching down in Los Angeles for Spotify and BLACKPINK present Born Pink: The Pop-Up Experience, and concludes with the girls in the beginning stages of the Born Pink World Tour rehearsals, which, in this latest installment, are now in full swing.
Rosé is the the first up in solo practice, and plans out dance moves and vocals for her tracks “Hard to Love” and “On the Ground,” but perfection does not come easy. “I think you need to arrive earlier and you can take your time,” she directs her dancers. The notes pay off by the end, as Rosé later tells the group, “I think this looks better, I think we’re OK.”
Jennie and her dance for “You and Me” also goes fairly well, but she also has notes of her own. “It’s definitely better here,” she tells choreographers. “For the beginning, having three is better.”
After Lisa’s solo rehearsal, which sees her hopping on a pole for “Lalisa” — “It’s been a year since I grabbed these poles for the last time … we didn’t see each other for a while and now we’re reunited” — group rehearsal then take place, with the girls gathering as a group to practice. The main event — concert day — finally kicks off, and the K-pop group has everything polished for fans to witness and marvel at.
Watch the new installment of “Born Pink Memories” in the video above.
BigHit Music released a statement on Wednesday (Jan. 4) asking fans to not send gifts and letters to Jin via mail while he’s serving in the South Korean military.
Titled “Notice to fans during Jin’s mandatory military service period,” the open letter to ARMY explains, “Jin is stationed at a training center designated specifically for military training together with regular military personnel. If a large number of letters and gifts from the fans arrive at the center all at once, it would be difficult to store them and they could be easily lost. We ask that you please refrain from sending anything by mail.”
Instead, the label offered an alternative way for fans to show Jin their love: “BIGHIT MUSIC will assist in making sure Jin is able to personally see any kind and warm messages fans leave on Weverse using the hashtag #Dear_Jin_from_ARMY.”
In the note, BigHit goes on to ask ARMY not to send any gifts or mail to the BTS member after he moves on from the training location to the base where he will be stationed next, and also to refrain from attending his upcoming graduation ceremony.
“We ask for your continued love and support for Jin until he finishes his military service and comes back,” the letter concludes. “Our company will also strive to provide every support he needs during this time. Thank you.”
Just prior to beginning his government-mandated military service, Jin and his new buzz cut got a warm send-off from the six other members of BTS, which the band shared in an intimate video with fans. The Yeoncheon army base where Jin is stationed for training happens to be just 10 miles away from the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea.
Read the full statement from BigHit Music below.
Emma Myers made her late-night talk show debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday (Jan. 4). And before talking about anything else, she couldn’t help but rave over how much she loves SEVENTEEN.
“Emma, I wanted to ask you about this because I read this online, that you’re a big fan of a band,” said host Jimmy Fallon. “And when you’re talking to people, you like to introduce this band to people if they don’t know of this.”
The rising star quickly clarified that she only introduce people if asked, but when Fallon gave her the green light, she enthusiastically jumped in. “What is the name of the band?” Fallon asked, to which Myers replied, “SEVENTEEN.”
After sharing that she’s been part of CARAT for the past five years, since she was just 15 years old, the Wednesday actor went on to explain the dynamics of the K-pop boy band. “Yeah, that’s them,” she confirmed when Fallon brought out a picture of the idols, adding, “Only thirteen [members]…Thirteen in SEVENTEEN, yeah it’s a whole thing.”
“OK, I’ll explain the numbers,” Myers continued. “There’s thirteen of them, so that’s thirteen, right? And there are three different groups. You have hip-hop, performance and vocal. And then there’s one team. So thirteen plus three plus one is SEVENTEEN.”
As for which song Myers would recommend as an entry point for new fans discovering the band, she chose “To you” off their 2021 mini-album Attacca. “It’s really fun, it’s upbeat, it’s got a great story behind it, so…yeah, everybody listen to it!”
Watch Myers dish on SEVENTEEN and her role on Netflix’s Wednesday above.
For the BTS ARMY members who didn’t get a chance to watch J-Hope‘s performance on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve — or just want to see it again — you’re in luck. BTS’ YouTube page shared a video of the rapper’s performance — which took place leading up to midnight on New Year’s Eve — on Wednesday (Jan. 4) for fans to enjoy.
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J-Hope appeared on stage live from New York City’s Time Square to perform a trio of hit songs from his solo discography, as well as BTS’. The rapper eased into the performance with “= (Equal Sign),” which served as a touching and hopeful wish for the year ahead. “Hate’ll paralyze your mind/ Gotta see the other side/ It costs ya nothin’ to be kind/ Not so different you and I,” he sang, later joined by a series of backup dancers for a transition into the next song.
Next up was a high-energy showcase of “Chicken Noodle Soup,” his 2019 collaboration with Becky G. Though the Spanish singer was absent for the performance, Hope entertained the crowd with the help of backup dancers and enthusiastic delivery of the lyrics, as well as the track’s signature dance moves.
Shortly after, things became festive. J-Hope and the dancers launched into choreography for a holiday-themed remix of BTS’ “Butter” with hints of jingle bells. The other BTS members were not present, but their backing vocals filled up the space before closing out the track with its signature “Hotter? Sweeter! Cooler? Butter!” and a “Happy New Year” wish for the audience.
Watch J-Hope’s performance for New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in the video above.
Hit you with that ddu-du ddu-du du! BLACKPINK has reached yet another milestone as the music video for their smash single “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” blasted past two billion views on YouTube.
The bombastic visual is the girl group’s first to accomplish the viewership feat, followed closely by the music videos for “Kill This Love” (1.7 billion), “Boombayah” (1.5 billion) and “How You Like That (1.1 billion.) Meanwhile, Jennie, Rosé, Lisa and Jisoo’s videos for their latest singles — Born Pink’s “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down” — have garnered hundreds of millions of views in just the few short months since they premiered on the platform.
Originally released in June 2018 in tandem with the K-pop quartet’s debut EP Square Up, “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” expertly combines bubblegum pop and a trap beat, and the idols’ finger gun-waving choreography on the fierce chorus instantly turned the accompanying video into a viral sensation. It ultimately became the the group’s very first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 55 and also earning them their fourth No. 1 atop the World Digital Song Sales chart.
BLACKPINK’s latest high-water mark comes just months after the release of their sophomore studio album, Born Pink, the kickoff of their a long-awaited world tour, making their U.S. awards show debut by performing “Pink Venom” at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, taking home the worldwide fans’ choice award at the 2022 MAMA Awards and earning the honor of becoming TIME‘s 2022 Entertainer of the Year.
Throughout the tail end of 2022, BLACKPINK also looked back on their successful year with their “Born Pink Memories” YouTube series.
Rewatch BLACKPINK’s “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” video above.
Two K-pop legends are teaming up for a new single due out next week. The Black Label announced that Big Bang‘s Taeyang will release his collab with BTS‘ Jimin, “Vibe,” on Jan. 13. The news was revealed in a tweet from Taeyang on Tuesday (Jan. 3), which featured a snap of the two on what appeared to be the video set for the song, in which they are seen posing in a cavernous room lit by a ring of yellow light.
“Vibe” marks Taeyang’s first new solo music since his third solo album, 2017’s White Night. But more importantly, the song will be Jimin’s first official solo release since BTS announced that they were going on hiatus to allow the septet’s singers to focus on their solo ventures. Jimin will be the final member of BTS to release a solo project since the band announced that they were taking a break last year.
At press time no additional information was available on the single, which comes on the heels of solo projects from RM, whose official solo debut album, Indigo, dropped last month and Jung Kook, who has already racked up more than 100 million Spotify streams for his single “Dreamers,” which also appeared on the official soundtrack to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Jimin, 27, has previously released the solo singles “Lie,” “Filter,” “Promise,” “With You,” his festive “Christmas Love” and more. Last year, the singer dropped some moody shots from his behind-the-scenes “photo-folio” Me, Myself, and Jimin ‘ID: Chaos‘, featuring 8 images of him portraying his different musical personas.
Check out the “Vibe” tease below.
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New year, new TWICE! Just three days into 2023, the K-pop group is already gearing up to release its first single of the year in the upcoming weeks.
On Tuesday (Jan. 3), the girl group — which consists of members Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu — tweeted to share the release details and title for a brand new song recorded in English. “TWICE Pre-Release English Single ‘MOONLIGHT SUNRISE,’” the idols revealed. “Worldwide Release on 2023.01.20 FRI 2PM KST/0AM (12 a.m.) EST.”
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“Moonlight Sunrise” will be the first single to arrive from TWICE’s forthcoming 12th mini album, Our Youth. The K-pop stars shared the news in an announcement on Dec. 20, stating that the single release and mini album — which is slated to arrive some time in March — are “first, 1/4 of 2023.” No further details regarding the album’s release or additional contents were provided at the time.
“Moonlight Sunrise” will serve as the follow-up to TWICE’s first-ever English single, “The Feels.” Released in October of 2021, the track gave the girl group its debut on the Billboard Hot 100; the song landed at No. 83 and spending a week on the chart. Elsewhere, the track peaked at Nos. 10 and 12 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and Billboard Global 200 charts, respectively. “The Feels” additionally earned chart placements on the Billboard K-Pop 100, Digital Song Sales and more.
See TWICE’s tweet for “Moonlight Sunrise” and the formal announcement for Our Youth below.
There’s been no shortage of excellent K-pop albums in 2022 and Billboard wants to know which full-length has helped define your year.
Though BTS remained on hiatus as the seven members prepare to start their mandatory service in the South Korean military, both RM and J-Hope delivered solo albums to keep ARMY happy. J-Hope’s Jack in the Box came first with its vintage hip-hop sound, colorful cover art by KAWS and concept inspired by Pandora’s Box.
Five months later, RM dropped Indigo, complete with a star-studded guest roster that included Erykah Badu (“Yun”), Anderson .Paak (“Still Life”), Tablo (“All Day”) and more.
BLACKPINK also came raring back with their full-length sophomore effort Born Pink while TOMORROW X TOGETHER dropped Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child and SEVENTEEN repackaged their fourth album, 2022’s Face the Sun, as Sector 17 with new tracks like “Cheers (SVT Leaders)” and “_World.”
As far as solo albums go, Lee Chanhyuk dreamed up Error, a concept album telling the story of someone who’s fallen into a coma and Heize enlisted the likes of Monsta X’s I.M, (G)I-DLE’s Minnie and Giriboy for Undo, her first album in more than three years.
HIGHLIGHT reintroduced themselves with Daydream — their first full-length since changing their name from Beast back in 2017. Lim Young Woong delivered on his potential after winning the 2020 Korean singing competition Mr. Trot with his genre-hopping debut Im Hero. And NewJeans established themselves as one of the genre’s most exciting new girl groups with their self-titled debut.
Vote for your favorite K-pop album of the year below!
While 2022 was undoubtedly the year BTS shocked the world with their announcements of moving onto a “Chapter Two” and planning their individual military enlistments, there’s still a massive amount of records, achievements and moments that demonstrate why BTS are superstars without precedent in the global music industry.
While the K-pop superstars have been breaking chart and attendance records for years, 2022 saw new triumphs from the septet. From never-before-achieved feats with the Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry to breaking box-office and concert-gross records (not to mention hanging out in the Oval Office), 2022 was literally one for the history books.
Even as the group announced plans to look forward to a new chapter in their career and embark on solo releases, BTS continued to achieve greatness as a septet and as individuals. RM, Jin, J-Hope, Suga, Jimin, V and Jung Kook all had major moments to celebrate. From four members making their debuts on the Hot 100 to internationally recognized festival and collaboration moments, the guys were thriving on a global scale.
While 2023 will certainly look different in terms of how BTS operates—and dominates—within the music industry, there’s no denying that this past year was huge for the guys. We already know that solo music, collaborations, documentaries, TV specials, commemorative stamps and more are on the way for next year. But before we look forward to all that, let’s reminiscence and celebrate the band’s 22 most significant achievements from 2022 below.