K-Town

There’s a reason BTS‘ V looks super put-together in the new live performance video for the K-pop superstar’s emotional solo ballad “FRI(END)S.” The clip cut in collaboration with French luxury brand Cartier is dripping in swag, opening with a tight shot of the singer’s face as the song’s spare, R&B backing tracks oozes out and V sings, “You’re in my head/ I had plans for the weekend/ But wound up with you instead/ Back here again/ Got me deep in my feelings.”

As the camera pans back, we catch a glimpse of V standing in the opulent Cartier Maison Cheongdam “La Résidence” showroom in Seoul, dressed in wide-leg tan pants and a brown sweater vest over a cream-colored shirt and a burgundy tie, with a generous compliment of Cartier gold pieces on his wrists, fingers and ear. The soaring-ceiling, elegant interior of the high-fashion brand’s Seoul storefront rises around the singer as he laments the friend-zoning in the track.

“FRI(END)S” is V’s first new solo venture since the release of his debut solo album, Layover, in September. The English-language R&B song is a smoldering tribute to a longtime friend with love potential. “So wouldn’t it make sense if I was yours/ And you could call me your baby/ But we say we’re just, say we’re just,” V sings on the pre-chorus before dipping into the heartbreaking chorus: “Friends, just for now/ Yeah, but friends don’t say words that/ Make friends feel like more than just/ Friends, just for now.”

V was announced as a brand ambassador for the French luxury brand last July. The “FRI(END)s” single was released on Friday along with the original video, which finds the singer making his way through the world alone as couples all around him luxuriate in their endless love until a plot twist in the middle of the visual turns things around.

V began the military enlistment process for his mandatory 18 month South Korean military service — alongside bandmates Jimin, RM and Jung Kook — in November; the group is currently on hiatus until 2025, until all seven members complete their service.

Watch the new “FRI(END)S” video below.

V is giving fans a first look at “FRI(END)S.” The BTS member unveiled a preview of the official music video for his new solo single, plus a set of concept photos for the song, on Saturday (March 9).

The 35-second teaser shows a moment of grabbing leftover takeout from the fridge and eating it alone, before cutting to a chaotic scene at a movie theater and one where V sits by himself in a crowded diner. The clip features a brief preview of instrumentals and vocals.

V’s “FRI(END)S” concept photos — including the black-and-white image above — show the singer in solitude as well. Check out the full set of six concept photos for the single on BTS’ Instagram.

The K-pop star first announced the March 15 release date of “FRI(END)S” last weekend. BTS’ official Instagram account had also teased “FRI(END)S” with a brief clip featuring V.

“The track, rooted in the pop soul R&B genre, delivers relatable and witty romance through lyrics written entirely in English,” a press statement from Big Hit Music said. “The single artwork accompanying the announcement reveals the song title and release date against a vivid pink background that hints at the song’s sweet mood.”

Big Hit says that another set of concept photos and “flash video encapsulating the overall mood of the single” will be released on March 11, and a second music video teaser will come on March 12.

“FRI(END)S” follows V’s 2023 solo debut, Layover, which included songs like “Love Me Again,” “Rainy Days” and “Slow Dancing.”

Watch the “FRI(END)S” music video teaser below.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER is looking to the future. The K-pop quintet announced Sunday (March 3) that its sixth mini album, minisode 3: TOMORROW, is coming up fast on the horizon, marking the band’s first release of 2024.

Bandmates Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai broke the news to fans on the second day of their live TXT FANLIVE PRESENT X TOGETHER event in Seoul, which celebrated the fifth anniversary of their 2019 debut as a group. Premiering the EP’s animated logo for the crowd, TXT confirmed that the project will arrive April 1.

The “Sugar Rush Ride” singers went on to share three differently colored variants of TOMORROW‘s cover art on Instagram. Each one features the band’s signature “X” logo adorned with drawings of angel wings, stars and roses.

The boys also appear in individual concept videos teasing the new mini album on Instagram, with Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai each wearing color-changing crowns and posing for the camera as wind blows through their hair. All five of the clips feature a snippet of angelic-sounding music composed of harp and string instruments.

Minisode 3: TOMORROW will serve as TXT’s first release since October’s 10-track album The Name Chapter: FREEFALL, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Based on the title, TOMORROW will become the band’s third installment in its “minisode” series, following 2020’s minisode 1: Blue Hour and 2022’s minisode 2: Thursday’s Child — both of which included five songs.

See examples of the covers and concept videos for minisode 3: TOMORROW, arriving April 1, below.

As BTS member J-Hope rounds the corner on the final eight months of his mandatory 18-month South Korean military service, the K-pop superstar is giving Army a soundtrack to his final stint in uniform. The singer announced the details of a new mini-album on Tuesday morning (Feb. 27), Hope on the Street Vol. 1, which will debut on streaming services worldwide on March 29 at midnight ET.

The six-track EP was described in a press release as spanning a “diverse array of sounds and moods that showcase j-hope’s musical prowess and depth.” It also features a number of special guests, including band mate Jung Kook on “i wonder,” as well as Benny Blanco and Chic’s Nile Rodgers on “lock/ unlock,” a dance mix of “what if” with Jinbo the SuperFreak and “NEURON” featuring South Korean hip-hop vet Gaeko of Dynamic Duo and yoonmirae.

“NEURON” references the dance crew J-Hope was part of before his debut in BTS, as well as the word’s literal meaning: generating electricity and delivering information while stimulated. “[The song] is inspired by 2000s old-school hip hop, a genre that made a significant impact on j-hope as an artist… [and it] reflects the album’s theme of exploring j-hope’s artistic roots, ‘street dance,’ and delivers his motivation for life and a new start,” reads a statement about the project that features four new songs, as well as a solo version of “On the Street” (which first came out in 2023 featuring J. Cole) and a dance mix of Hope’s 2022 song “what if.”

The album will be accompanied by a deeper dive into J-Hope’s artistic roots and street dance background in an accompanying six-part docuseries, also named Hope on the Street, which will debut on March 27 at 11 a.m. ET on Prime Video.

The mini-album is the follow-up to Hope’s 2022 solo album, Jack in the Box, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. An expanded HOPE Edition of the album was released in August 2023, featuring the original album tracks, as well as three live recordings from the singer’s history-making performance at Lollapalooza in 2022 in Chicago and two instrumental tracks.

Check out the track list for J-Hope’s Hope on the Street Vol. 1 below.