K-Town

If you’ve already been “Slow Dancing” to the latest solo single from BTS‘ V, get ready to switch up your style. The K-pop superstar group singer dropped two new remixes of “Slow Dancing” on Monday (Oct. 23) that put a new spin on the single from his Layover solo EP.

The first, “Slow Dancing (FRNK Remix), cranks up the BPMs and turns the ballad into a slinky dance track with lively percussion and sped-up vocals. The remake is accompanied by a new music video, compiled from unreleased outtakes from the song’s official video, which finds the singer practicing his dance moves on set and chilling in a hotel room amid edits of classic cartoons.

“The animation inserted in between the footage highlights the uplifting, joyous mood of the remix, while the video captures a variety of V’s charms including scenes of him being serious and focused on set to being playful with his facial expressions,” reads a statement about the clip.

The second makeover, “Slow Dancing (Cautious Clay Remix),” strips V’s voice out entirely and really leans into the flute of it all. The woodwind-forward arrangement focuses on the song’s funky instrumental bad with a jazzy mix that retains the yearning chorus over a between-the-sheets vibe courtesy of Cleveland-bred singer/songwriter Joshua Karpeh (who records as Cautious Clay).

V’s six-track Layover album was released on Sept. 8, with the original “Slow Dancing” single debuting at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. The collection also features the songs “Rainy Days,” “Blue,” “Love Me Again,” “For Us” and a piano version of “Slow Dancing.”

BIGHIT has suggested playing tracks in order from Nos. 1-5 — saying that “Slow Dancing” should be the focus songs on the collection — describing it in a press release as a “1970s romantic soul style track [that] exudes a laid-back and free-spirited feeling.”

Watch the new “Slow Dancing (FRNK Remix) video and listen to the Cautious Clay remix below.

Jung Kook has unveiled the full tracklist to his upcoming solo album, Golden, and it features some pretty famous names.

The announcement comes in the form of a Sunday (Oct. 15) social media post from Big Hit Music, the BTS star’s label. In a photo shared by the company, Golden‘s 11 tracks are listed in aptly gold lettering.

The first three tracks on the K-pop star’s debut are back-to-back collaborations, starting with his previously released song “3D” with Jack Harlow. Next comes “Closer to You,” a team-up with Major Lazer, followed by two versions of his duet with Latto, “Seven,” which was originally released in July.

Also featured on the set is French EDM producer DJ Snake, who’s billed as a featured artist on a song called “Please Don’t Change.” The other six tracks will find Jung Kook flying solo: “Standing Next to You,” which is labeled as the album’s “main track” in Big Hit’s announcement, “Yes or No,” “Hate You,” “Somebody,” “Too Sad to Dance” and “Shot Glass of Tears.”

The album is set to arrive Nov. 3, although fans won’t have to wait until then to hear new music from the 26-year-old star. Last week, it was announced that Jung Kook will team up with The Kid Laroi and Central Cee for “Too Much,” a single arriving Oct. 20 that will have a home on Laroi’s November album The First Time.

Last week, BTS’ official Instagram account shared a batch of concept photos for Golden, featuring Jung Kook posing against a graffiti backdrop with graffiti art renderings of special numbers and letters, including 0613 — BTS’ anniversary date — ’97 (his birth year) and the logo for BTS ARMY.

See Big Hit’s tracklist announcement for Jung Kook’s Golden below:

Blackpink‘s Jennie is prepping a solo track for release this week. The singer announced that the “special single” titled “You & Me” will drop on Friday (Oct. 6). The reveal came on the K-pop group’s official Instagram, accompanied by a shot of Jennie in a red ruffled shirt and matching top standing in the ocean in front of a full moon.

According to NME, the song debuted during the opening date of Blackpink’s Born Pink world tour at the KSPO Dome in Seoul last October, with a remixed version spotlighted during the band’s set at Coachella earlier this year.

The song will be Jennie’s first solo venture since the release of her 2018 debut solo single, “Solo,” which hit No. 1 on Bilboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart in Nov. 2018. Though critics savaged the one-season show, Jennie’s role on The Weeknd’s ill-fated HBO drama The Idol was one of the few highlights of the music industry soap opera.

Among the handful of memorable take-aways from the show was the down-tempo single “One of the Girls,” an emotionally turgid song about fame, control, desire and choking during sex featuring Jennie, show star Lily-Rose Depp and the Weeknd (who now goes by his birth name, Abel Tesfaye).

Blackpink wound down their Born Pink Encore Tour at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles with a final show on Aug. 26, following stadium gigs in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Rutherford, New Jersey and two shows at Foro Sol in Mexico City.

Check out the Jennie “You & Me” single announcement below.

BTS member Jung Kook announced the release date for debut full-length solo album on Tuesday (Oct. 3), revealing that Golden will drop on Nov. 3. The 11-track album will feature the singer/dancer’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit single with Latto, “Seven,” as well as his new song with Jack Harlow, “3D.”

According to a release announcing the project, Golden takes its theme from “the golden moments of Jung Kook as a solo artist. Known as the ‘Golden Maknae’ (‘golden youngest’ in Korean) of BTS, Jung Kook is set to unveil a new release with his unique timbre that will captivate listeners worldwide.” Pre-orders for Golden will begin at 10 p.m. ET tonight.

The solo LP follows a string of previous solo singles from Jung Kook, including “Euphoria,” “My Time,” “Still With You” and “My You,” as well as collab singles with Lauv (“Who”) and Charlie Puth on the latter’s 2022 single “Left and Right.”

The Harlow song is on track to debut at No. 2 on the UK singles chart this week, marking the week’s highest debut. Jung Kook made U.K. chart history earlier this year with “Seven,” when the track landed at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart (July 21), for the highest-charting debut by a solo Korean act.

The 26-year-old singer is stepping out on his own in the midst of BTS’ pause to allow its members to report for South Korea’s mandatory military service. To date, Suga, Jin and J-Hope have all enlisted, with Suga reporting for duty on Sept. 22 and telling fans to hang tight for the group’s planned 2025 return.

BTS‘ Suga is in the army. The K-pop superstar recently became the latest member of the group to begin mandatory South Korean military service and before taking off he shared a touching note with ARMY.

“I was able to come this far thanks to you. And the time has come. I will faithfully complete my duty and come back,” Suga wrote in a message to fans on Weverse, according to the Yonhap News Agency. “Be careful of the chilly autumn weather. Stay healthy and see you all in 2025.”

The news agency also noted that unlike bandmates Jin and J-Hope, Suga has reportedly been ruled unfit for combat duty for undisclosed reasons and will instead serve as a social service agent; BIGHIT Music previously announced that Suga was slated to report for duty on Sept. 22.

In a note to fans before Suga’s report for duty, BIGHIT explained, “There will not be any official events taking place on the day he starts his service or on the day he enters the training camp. We kindly ask fans to refrain from visiting SUGA at his workplace during the period of his service. Please convey your warm regards and encouragement in your hearts only… We ask for your continued love and support for SUGA until he completes his service and returns. Our company will also strive to provide all the support he needs during this time.”

BIGHIT first revealed in October 2022 that BTS — Suga, RM, V, Jin, Jung Kook, J-Hope and Jimin — would not be able to perform together as a group until 2025 due to their mandated military service. Jin was first to enlist, followed by J-Hope and now Suga.

BIGHIT recently announced that it had renewed contracts with all seven members. “The members who are currently serving in the military will have completed their military duty by the start of the renewed exclusive contract period in 2025,” the company said in a statement.

Jung Kook‘s “3D” promotion at Global Citizen Festival didn’t remain cryptic for long. BIGHIT Music confirmed Saturday night (Sept. 23) that “3D” is Jung Kook’s second solo single — and it features Jack Harlow.

“We are excited to announce the release of BTS member Jung Kook’s digital single ‘3D (feat. Jack Harlow),’” BIGHIT revealed.

The details, as written in an official note on the fan community platform Weverse: “Jung Kook’s second solo single, ‘3D (feat. Jack Harlow),’ is a Pop R&B track with clever expressions of feelings toward an unattainable person from the perspectives of first, second, and third dimensions. Get ready to meet an even more mature side of Jung Kook following ‘Seven (feat. Latto).’ Jack Harlow has featured in this track, bringing his unique rap style and adding zest to the song.”

Jung Kook and Harlow’s “3D” will be released on Friday, Sept. 29 at 1 p.m. KST/12 a.m. EST. The song follows his July release of his single “Seven” feat. Latto, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“I’ll fly u from Korea to Kentucky,” Harlow tweeted earlier on Saturday, hours before the news of “3D” hit. Is this a lyric from the new collab? Fans will find out on Friday.

As Jung Kook’s performance ended at Global Citizen Fest in New York City Saturday evening, a then-cryptic clip played on a large screen on the stage, showing “Jung Kook” and “3D.”

When BIGHIT unveiled what exactly “3D” is after the show, the reveal also came with “hero film” teasers. See parts one and two below.