K-Town

10 May 2024

BTS’ RM Plays Multiple Roles (Including a Baby Man) in Cinematic Video For Solo Single ‘Come Back To Me’

BTS‘ RM is a big baby in the trippy video for his single “Come Back to Me.” The cinematic clip directed, produced and written by Beef creator Lee Sung Jin that dropped on Friday morning (May 10) features a scene where the singer plays an adult-sized infant, one of several roles he takes on in the twisty, nearly seven-minute mini-movie.

“Come back to me/ Like you used to/ Now, I could see/ What a life is about/ I told you I’m fine tonight/ Staying good/ Spring always been here/ I will sleep in her eyes,” the 29-year-old K-pop star sleepily croons over acoustic guitar and whistling. Elsewhere in the visual, RM is a devoted dad and a man at odds with his girlfriend.

The single from RM’s upcoming 11-track second solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person (May 24) was first performed last August during a surprise appearance at BTS bandmate Suga’s Seoul concert on his SUGA | Agust D Tour ‘D-DAY’ The Final outing. “Through ‘Come Back To Me,’ RM explores the central theme of the new album, ‘right and wrong,’ delving into the paradoxical desire to venture into new territories while longing to remain content in the present,” reads a statement announcing the video that co-stars actress Kim Minha (Pachinko).

Trending on Billboard

RM wrote the lyrics for the song, which also features guest musicians OHHYUK from South Korean band HYUKOH — who composed and arranged the track — as well as guitar and bass from Kuo of Taiwanese band Sunset Rollercoaster and contributions from singer/songwriter JNKYRD and San yawn of Balming Tiger.

“The music video captures the uncanny yet familiar sensation of feeling like a stranger in different surroundings, echoing the theme of the upcoming album,” adds the statement of the clip that ends with a surprise twist.

RM’s first solo LP, Indigo, was released in Dec. 2022, and peaked at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and featured guests including Anderson .Paak, Erykah Badu and others. The members of BTS are all in the midst of completing their mandatory military services in South Korea, which RM enlisted in in December alongside band mates V, Jimin and Jung Kook.

Watch the “Come Back to Me” video below.

08 May 2024

NCT DREAM Announce Dates For 2024 Dream World Tour in Europe, Latin America and U.S.

NCT DREAM rolled out the dates for their upcoming 2024 world tour on Wednesday (May 8), with dates in Latin American, the U.S and Europe as part of their 2024 NCT DREAM World Tour .

After kicking the outing off last weekend with three sold-out shows at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome, the new dates will bring the seven-member K-pop group to Latin American for four shows, followed by seven gigs in the U.S. and five stops in Europe. Currently on tour in Asia — with arena and stadium concerts scheduled in Indonesia, China, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines through August 11 –the new dates will kick off on August 31 at Movistar Arena in Bogota, Colombia.

The U.S. shows will launch on Sept. 12 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, and include stops in Oakland, Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. before winding down at the United Center in Chicago on Sept. 26.

Trending on Billboard

According to a release, the tour is the group’s biggest global run to date, with tickets for the U.S. gigs going on sale with a Weverse fan club presale beginning on May 16, followed by a general onsale kicking off on May 17 at 3 p.m. local time here. Tickets for the Latin America swing will also start with a Weverse fan club presale beginning on May 13 (check local listings for more information), while the European Weverse presale will launch on May 15, followed by a general onsale beginning on May 17 at 10 a.m. local time (check local listings).

NCT — comprised of members JAEMIN, JISUNG, JENO, RENJUN, HAECHAN, MARK and CHENLE — recently released the video for “Smoothie,” the lead single from their just-released DREAM( )SCAPE EP.

Check out the full list of dates for the 2024 NCT DREAM WORLD TOUR below:

May 18 – Jakarta, Indonesia @ GBK Stadium 

June 15 – Hong Kong, China @ AsiaWorld-Arena 

June 16 – Hong Kong, China @ AsiaWorld-Arena 

June 22 – Bangkok, Thailand @ Rajamangala National Stadium 

June 23 – Bangkok, Thailand @ Rajamangala National Stadium 

Sat Jun 29 – Kallang, Singapore – Singapore Indoor Stadium 

June 30 – Kallang, Singapore @ Singapore Indoor Stadium 

August 10 – Manila, Philippines @ SM Mall of Asia Arena 

August 11 – Manila, Philippines @ SM Mall of Asia Arena 

August 31 – Bogota, Colombia @ Movistar Arena 

Sept. 2 – São Paulo, Brazil @ Espaço Unimed 

Sept. 5 – Santiago, Chile @ Movistar Arena 

Sept. 9 – Mexico City, Mexico @ Palacio de los Deportes 

Sept. 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Intuit Dome 

Sept. 14 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena 

Sept. 17 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena 

Sept. 19 – Duluth, GA @ Gas South Arena 

Sept. 21 – Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena 

Sept. 24 – Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena 

Sept. 26 – Chicago, IL @ United Center

Oct. 30 – Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Rotterdam Ahoy*

Nov. 3 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena*

Nov. 6 – Berlin, Germany @ Uber Arena*

Nov. 9 – Paris, France @ Adidas Arena*

Nov. 12 – London, UK @ OVO Arena Wembley*

*Non Live Nation date

07 May 2024

BLACKPINK’s Lisa Waves the Checkered Flag & Meets the Racers at F1 Miami Grand Prix

BLACKPINK‘s Lisa brought some pink venom to the Miami International Autodrome on Sunday when the K-pop star served as the Formula 1 Grand Prix flag-bearer and met the Oracle Red Bull Racing team.

On Tuesday (May 7), Lisa posted photos from the event on Instagram, writing that she felt “Honored to wave the flag at my first @f1.”

In one snap, the “Money” singer poses with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, who finished in second place behind McLaren’s Lando Norris on race day. In another photo, Lisa — who sported a tailored beige jacket and miniskirt set — holds her checkered flag out the window of the pit wall. According to F1’s website, the symbol “marks the end of any practice session, qualifying session or race, and is waved until all competing cars have reached it.”

Other pictures from the day show Lisa meeting mechanics from the Oracle team and checking out sleek race cars on display at the track.

Trending on Billboard

The outing comes a couple of weeks after RCA Records’ announcement that Lisa had inked a deal with the label in partnership with her LLOUD Co. management and creative company. The contract will allow her to retain ownership of her master recordings as a soloist, meanwhile she’ll continue releasing music under Interscope Records as part of BLACKPINK.

Outside of her work with the band, Lisa has dropped two singles so far — “Lalisa” and “Money,” both of which charted on the Billboard Hot 100. The latter track also became the first solo K-pop track to cross the 1 billion streams threshold on Spotify in September.

“I’m super excited to be joining the RCA family, and I am confident they are the best team to create a bigger movement in my solo career,” Lisa said in a statement at the time. “Looking forward to showing the world everything we have been preparing.”

02 May 2024

BTS’ RM Unveils Concept Photos for Upcoming Solo Album ‘Right Place, Wrong Person’

RM‘s second solo album Right Place, Wrong Person is still a few weeks away, but the BTS star is giving fans a visual sneak peek at the project ahead of time.

The K-pop star shared a batch of concept photos Thursday (May 2) teasing the aesthetics of his upcoming 11-track LP, which drops May 24. In the snaps, which have an aesthetic that resembles images taken on a disposable camera, RM poses in simple locations in Tokyo — a parking lot, in front of a tree, a swing set on a play ground — and staring into the camera, occasionally smiling.

In one snap, he leans back in a desk chair in a messy, colorful office space. In another picture, he holds his shoes while standing in the ocean at night, the bottoms of his jeans soaked by the water.

Trending on Billboard

According to a release, the artwork is meant to capture RM, born Kim Namjoon, as an “ordinary individual in relatable, everyday settings, enjoying moments of freedom — a departure from the glamorous persona he embodies on stage.” The concept holds true to the material on Right Place, Wrong Person, which captures the singer-dancer’s feelings of “being an outsider who doesn’t fit in,” as noted in Weverse’s album announcement last month.

The new photos were taken by Takahiro Mizushima and follow two days after RM premiered the album’s first set of concept images, taken by Wing Shya. Fans can expect a third batch of pictures teasing Right Place, Wrong Person on May 17.

See RM’s new concept photos below.

29 Apr 2024

SEVENTEEN’S Jam-Packed ’17 Is Right Here’ Greatest Hits Album Is Here: Stream It Now

K-pop group SEVENTEEN dropped their anticipated greatest hits album, 17 Is Right Here, on Monday morning (April 29), along with the futuristic video for the lead single, “Maestro.” The two-CD, 33-track compilation pulls together the Korean versions of eight previously released Japanese singles, 20 singles from the 13-man band’s Korean releases, as well as four new tracks and a digital-only instrumental version of the boy band’s 2015 debut single, “Adore U.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Fresh single “MAESTRO” will be followed by the hip-hop team’s “LALALI,” the performance team’s “Spell” and the vocal team’s “Cheers to youth.” The edgy “MAESTRO” visual, directed by Han Sungsoo, drops group members Woozi, S. Coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, Vernon, Jeonghan, Jun, DK, Joshua, Hoshi, Dino, The8 and Seungkwan into a sleek future scape filled with dancing robots and mechanical dogs in which they bust out high-energy choreo with their machine companions and conduct a gothic symphony orchestra through the hip-hop-influenced track’s dance attack.

“Aligning with the group’s core message around solidarity, this captivating dance R&B track illustrates how together, we can orchestrate our own universe like a ‘maestro,’” read a statement announcing the clip. To further the message, it aded that the video is set in a dystopian future where “anything, including music and art, can be easily created with technology.”

Trending on Billboard

According to the band’s label, 17 Is Right Here got more than three million pre-orders as of April 19. During a press conference announcing the album on Monday, SEVENTEEN also announced plans for a world tour int he fall, with the full roster — including U.S. dates — to be announced later.

Listen to the album and watch the “MAESTRO” video below:

31 Mar 2024

Fans Choose J-Hope’s ‘Hope on the Street Vol. 1’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music

J-Hope‘s Hope on the Street Vol. 1 tops this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (March 29) on Billboard, choosing the BTS member’s solo mini-album as their favorite new music release of the past week.

Fans showed major support for J-Hope’s latest project, which won the poll by a landslide, bringing in more than 96% of the vote. Poll voters selected Hope on the Street Vol. 1 over new music releases by Beyoncé, MGK and Trippie Redd, Camila Cabello and Playboi Carti and more.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The six-track solo album, described in a press release as spanning a “diverse array of sounds and moods that showcase J-Hope’s musical prowess and depth,” features special guests including Jung Kook on “i Wonder,” and Benny Blanco and Chic’s Nile Rodgers on “Lock/Unlock.” Plus there’s a dance mix of “What If” with Jinbo the SuperFreak, and “NEURON” featuring Gaeko of Dynamic Duo and yoonmirae.

Hope on the Street Vol. 1‘s release was accompanied by a six-part docuseries (also called Hope on the Street) about J-Hope’s artistic roots and street dance background. The docuseries debuted earlier in the week on Prime Video.

Trending on Billboard

Trailing behind J-Hope’s mini-album on this week’s poll is Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album, MGK x Trippie Redd’s Genre:Sadboy EP, and Camila Cabello feat. Playboi Carti’s single “I Luv It.”

See the final results of this week’s poll below. Check out Billboard‘s Friday Music Guide here to catch up with the must-hear releases of the week.

26 Mar 2024

NewJeans Tease Release of Two 2024 Mini Albums ‘How Sweet’ and ‘Supernatural’

NewJeans will double-up this summer with a pair of single album releases as the follow-up to their Jan. 2023 single album OMG. The single albums (which are akin to EPs), will drop on May 24 and June 21, with the first, How Sweet, slated to feature the title track, as well as “Bubble Gum” and instrumental versions of both songs.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The second, the Japanese single album Supernatural, will mark the band’s official debut in Japan and feature the title track along with “Right Now” and two instrumental tracks. “Bubble Gum” will debut in Japan ahead of the mini-album’s release when it is featured in a commercial and in a TV program next month. Similarly, “Right Now” will be pre-released as a commercial song in Japan and South Korea in May according to a press release announcing the projects.

To celebrate their Japanese debut, the group comprised of members MINJI, HANNI, DANIELLE, HAERIN and HYEIN will host a two-day fanmeet concert, on June 26-27.

Trending on Billboard

Earlier this month NewJeans received the Group of the Year Award at the 2024 Billboard Women in Music event celebrating their impressive chart feats in 2023. Last year the group scored entries on 10 Billboard charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, Billboard 200 and Billboard Global 200. Most impressively, they scored five entries on the Billboard Hot 100, led by “Super Shy” (No. 48), along with other entries including “OMG” (No. 74), “ETA” (No. 81), “Ditto” (No. 82) and “Cool With You” (No. 93).

Check out the Bunnies Camp promo posters below.

25 Mar 2024

NCT Dream Drop ‘DREAM()SCAPE’ Mini Album, Action-Packed Video For ‘Smoothie’

K-pop septet NCT Dream dropped a new mini album on Monday morning (March 25), DREAM()SCAPE [pronounced “Dream Escape”], the follow-up to their 2022 EP, Candy. According to a release announcing the six-song project — featuring writing and production from several of the members — it “highlights more mature and intensified musical color from the K-pop phenoms… organically empathiz[ing] with the universal concerns and struggles of young people, while simultaneously presenting the hopeful message of overcoming adversities and growing together.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The project is fronted by the hip-hip-flavored single “Smoothie,” whose action-packed video finds members Jaemin, Park Ji-sung, Jeno, Renjun, Haechan, Mark Lee and Chenle playing an IRL game of “Fruit Ninja.” Wielding swords, long guns their fists and feet, the men smash fruit and battle baddies as they sing the hooky chorus, “Smoothie Smoothie Smoothie, shake it all out and blend it / Smoothie Smoothie Smoothie, Smoothie Smoothie Smoothie / Dirty taste, drink it.”

Trending on Billboard

The album opens with the dreamy, bubbling “icantfeelanything,” and includes the hip-hop-inflected Mark co-write “Box,” the low-key flexfest “Carat Cake,” mid-tempo burner “UNKNOWN” and the EP-ending ballad “Breathing,” with lyrics co-written by Mark, Jeno, Jaemin and Jisung. The group will also hit the road for their The Dream Show 3 world tour later this year, which will kick off in Seoul in May, with U.S., Latin American and European dates to be announced on May 8.

DREAM()SCAPE’s release comes eight months after the group dropped their third full-length studio album, ISTJ.

Listen to DREAM()SCAPE and watch the “Smoothie” video below.

20 Mar 2024

NewJeans’ Hanni Nails Elaborate ‘The Boy Is Mine’ Choreography in Ariana Grande Dance Video: Watch

From Christina Aguilera and Megan Thee Stallion to Olivia Rodrigo, everyone seems to be enamored with Ariana Grande‘s “The Boy Is Mine.” And now, NewJeans‘ Hanni is the latest star to show the track some love following its March 8 release on Eternal Sunshine.

The K-pop star filmed a video of herself nailing a dance routine set to the track, complete with sassy body rolls and an impressive bend and snap. “The boy is mine, I can’t wait to try him,” Grande sings in the snippet used by Hanni. “Let’s get intertwined/ The stars, they aligned.”

Posted to NewJeans’ TikTok on Wednesday (March 20), the group wrote in its caption: “the boy is #NewJeans.”

Trending on Billboard

In the days since Eternal Sunshine arrived — and subsequently debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — Grande has been reposting a number of clips from famous fans enjoying “The Boy Is Mine.” That includes videos from Rodrigo, who danced to the song backstage at her Guts World Tour, and Meg, who jammed out to the track while showing off a cute outfit.

To Xtina, who modeled a sparkly dress and glam makeup in a reel using “The Boy Is Mine,” Grande wrote on Instagram Stories “love you” alongside four teary-eyed emojis.

Described by Grande as a “bad girl anthem,” “The Boy Is Mine” is quickly becoming a favorite among fans on social media. At press time, it ranks No. 3 on Billboard‘s fan-voted poll for best song on Eternal Sunshine (after the Billboard Hot 100-topping “We Can’t Be Friends” and “Supernatural”).

Earlier this month, Hanni and her bandmates — Minji, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein — were crowned group of the year at Billboard’s 2024 Women in Music event. After accepting the award from presenter Lainey Wilson, Hanni told the crowd at YouTube Theater, “To be part of the music industry today is something we don’t take for granted, and it wouldn’t have been possible without a lot of help from people and all the support we received.”

Watch NewJeans’ Hanni tear up the floor while dancing to “The Boy Is Mine” below.

19 Mar 2024

TOMORROW X TOGETHER Announce 2024 U.S. Tour

K-pop boy band TOMORROW X TOGETHER announced the dates for their upcoming 2024 U.S. tour, which will hit eight cities across 11 shows. The outing is slated to kick off in Tacoma, WA at the Tacoma Dome on May 15, followed by gigs in Oakland, two nights at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and shows in Atlanta, two gigs at Madison Square Garden in New York and a double-down at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL before a final gig at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. on June 8

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The tour will be in support of the band’s upcoming mini-album, minsode 3: TOMORROW, which is due out on April 1.

The band — Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Choi Soo-bin, Huening Kai and Taehyun — has been priming fans for their next era this week with a series of concept photos to tease the upcoming sixth mini album. The soft-lit series of “Light” photos feature each member in glowing orange light in a field of wheat, as well as a short video of Soo-bin sitting contemplatively in the field, lounging and staring longingly over a soothing bed of sound; the other members also get their own solo video teases featuring a series of random props. The photo carousel also features a fun behind-the-scenes clip in which the men pop up out of the wheat and wave to the camera.

Trending on Billboard

Tickets for the tour will go on sale to the general public beginning Thursday (March 21) via Ticketmaster.

Check out the full list of dates on the tour poster below.