Category: KPOP NEWS

PLEDIS Entertainment, the powerhouse behind the 13-member K-pop group SEVENTEEN, is set to debut a new boy group. A recent report by JTBC revealed that the group will join the K-pop scene early next year. They will reportedly have five to six members. This includes foreign trainees, adding a global flair to the group’s dynamic.

 The agency issued a statement. “It is true that we are gearing up for the debut of a new boy group in the first quarter of 2024. We will provide more information later and we ask for your continued interest.”

Hoshi fueled fans’ anticipation

SEVENTEEN‘s Hoshi fueled fans’ anticipation during their seventh Korean fan meeting. In a cheeky move that defied the company’s instructions, Hoshi introduced five trainees in the crowd and said they would be in PLEDIS Entertainment’s upcoming boy group. The trainees kept their face masks on but acknowledged the applauding crowd.

 This moment reminded fans of NU’EST‘s 2013 showcase, where they introduced their junior group SEVENTEEN, making the reveal at CARATLAND much more special. The new group is set to follow in the footsteps of their successful predecessors. They will be PLEDIS Entertainment’s first boy group since SEVENTEEN‘s debut in 2015 and the agency’s first K-pop act since the debut of the girl group PRISTIN in 2016.

 The playful reveal was not without a certain amount of comedic tension, as the other SEVENTEEN members quipped about the repercussions of the introduction. “Hoshi may have gotten himself into trouble just now…the CEO probably won’t like this,” they joked. Woozi added, “Whenever the CEO tells us not to do something, it’s always Choi Seungcheol and Kwon Soonyoung who go out and do those exact things.”

130822 NU’EST Showcase LIVE – SEVENTEEN FOCUS

About PLEDIS Entertainment

PLEDIS Entertainment, founded in 2007 by Han Sung-Soo, has been a significant player in the K-pop industry. After HYBE Corporation, formerly Big Hit Entertainment, acquired a majority stake in PLEDIS in 2020, the company has continued to operate independently, benefiting from HYBE’s expertise and financial support. PLEDIS Entertainment collectively refers to its artists, including fromis_9, soloists, and actors, as Happy Pledis.

The K-pop community is buzzing with anticipation. The question on everyone’s lips is, “Are you excited to meet PLEDIS Entertainment’s new boy group?” Yes, we are!

 Stay tuned for more as we await the next big name in K-pop. – K-Pop News Writer

 Featured Image: SEVENTEEN’s Hoshi introduced his dongsaengs to Carats ahead of schedule! Source: X/@hoshcns.

Korean-American singer Jessica Jung, best known for her time as a member of Girls’ Generation, is gearing up to delight fans with her fourth mini album, Beep Beep, slated for release on November 22. This news comes from recent listings on online shopping websites KTown4U and Yes24, sparking excitement among listeners for her latest project.

Diverse sounds

“Self-produced with inspirational and feel-good vibes, Jessica Jung creates diverse sounds as she matures and evolves throughout her illustrious career,” a description for the album reads. “In her fourth mini-album, catchy/upbeat melodies and lyrics resonate throughout the songs while applauding and encouraging the resilient self.”

Distributed by Warner Music and Coridel Entertainment, with whom Jessica has been signed since 2016, Beep Beep marks a new chapter in her musical journey. Despite the absence of an official announcement from Jessica or her management, the anticipation is palpable. The singer’s previous release was the 2017 mini-album, My Decade. It featured the single “Summer Storm.”

JESSICA (제시카) – SUMMER STORM Official Music Video

In September 2021, Jessica hinted at new music, promising “several singles” ahead of a new solo album. While those plans did not come to fruition, 2022 saw her compete in the Chinese reality TV show Sisters Who Make Waves. The show featured celebrities over 30 vying to form a girl group. Jessica, alongside Taiwanese singer Cyndi Wang, who finished first, debuted in the group X-Sister.

Last month, Jessica surprised fans with an appearance at Cyndi’s concert in Taipei, where they performed the latter’s 2004 hit “Love You.” Additionally, Jessica showcased her dance ability on season two of Great Dance Crew, covering Ariana Grande‘s “God Is A Woman” and performing a waacking-inspired routine to Calvin Harris and Rihanna’s “We Found Love.”

Jessica Jung on tour

In other exciting news, Jessica has announced an upcoming concert in Macau. Diamond Dreams will see her perform at the Studio City Event Center on November 25 at 8 pm local time. This concert follows her On Cloud Nine mini-concert tour in 2018. It included performances in Taipei, Bangkok, and several cities in Japan.

Jessica will also grace the stage in Singapore on December 16 at the Resorts World Ballroom. Tickets for the Singapore leg of Diamond Dreams are available from today. There are a range of pricing options to accommodate fans’ different preferences and budgets.

Fans are eagerly awaiting the release of Beep Beep, ready to embrace the new sounds and stories Jessica is set to unveil. Her track record of hits indicates this comeback will be another highlight in her already impressive career. – K-Pop News Writer

Featured Image: Jessica’s musical comeback has been a long time coming. Source: X/@hyori_sunie.

SEVENTEEN has just scored their fourth consecutive top 10 album on the Billboard 200! On November 5, Billboard announced that the 13-member boy group’s new mini album SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN  debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It’s a weekly ranking of the most popular albums in the United States. Luminate (formerly Nielsen Music) wrote, SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN earned a total of 100,000 equivalent album units during the week ending on November 2, consisting mainly of physical album sales (98,000).

SEVENTEEN previously entered the top 10 with their 2022 album Face the Sun (which peaked at No. 7), their repackaged album SECTOR 17 (No. 4), and their previous mini album FML (No. 2). The mini album SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN sold over 5 million copies in the first week, rewriting K-pop album sales records. In Japan, it claimed the top spot on Oricon’s weekly and weekly combined album rankings. That cemented SEVENTEEN’s status as the international artist that topped both charts with the most albums at 11.

세븐틴 ‘음악의 신’ 인기가요 1위 앵콜 직캠 (SEVENTEEN Encore Fancam)

SEVENTEEN achieved a triple crown

But that’s not all. Circle Chart (formerly known as Gaon Chart) revealed its chart rankings for the week of October 22 to 28. SEVENTEEN achieved a triple crown that week, topping three separate charts with SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN and its title track “God of Music.” SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN also swept all of the top three spots on that week’s physical album chart. Its regular version debuted at No. 1, the Weverse version at No. 2, and the KiT version at No. 3.

The title track from the album is also doing well. SEVENTEEN just wrapped up a perfect week of music show wins with a fifth trophy for “God of Music.” On the November 5 episode of SBS’s Inkigayo, the first place candidates were AKMU’s “Fry’s Dream,” SEVENTEEN’s “God of Music,” and BLACKPINK’s Jennie’s “You & Me.” SEVENTEEN ultimately took the win with a total of 8,290 points—meaning that the song won every single music show the group performed it on, starting from Wednesday’s Show Champion all the way to Sunday’s Inkigayo (with M Countdown, Music Bank, and Music Core in between).

Meanwhile, the 13-member act will resume its Japan tour in Saitama on Nov. 23 and will hop over to Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka until Dec. 17. – K-Pop News Writer

Featured Image: SEVENTEEN continues their U.S. winning streak with this album. Source: X/@pledis_17.

Soobin, the beloved leader of TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) recently took the concept of fan service to a new level. He personally baked cookies for the group’s fans. This act of kindness is part of the growing yeok jo gong trend, where idols give “reverse tributes” to their fans.

Each cookie came with a sticker that read, “It’s not much, but it’s a gift filled with my love. I’m always grateful! – Made by Kong MC.” Soobin‘s thoughtfulness prompted him to make different cookies to cater to fans with nut allergies.

The baking session took place at a cafe after Soobin‘s schedule had ended, with his older sister assisting in the five to six-hour endeavor. Soobin‘s dedication to creating these gifts, despite the pressures of his idol schedule, did not go unnoticed by the fans or the cafe staff.

Soobin, master of icing

Days after the fan meeting, Soobin went live on Weverse. He admitted that baking made him very nervous because he didn’t know if MOAs would like the cookies. He said, “I got back to our dorm at 5:00 AM, showered, and laid down to sleep, but I was like, ‘What if it doesn’t taste good?’ ‘What if the shape turned out bad?’ But I was also excited, and I was like, ‘I’m not someone that works at a cafe so MOAs will understand and think it’s cute.’ To the people who tried it, was it good? Hehe, I did try a little bit during the process and I think it was really yummy!”

The cafe owner, a friend of Soobin‘s sister, generously offered their space and ingredients for the project. But he worried the cafe owner would find it hard to help prepare everything they needed. “I felt bad, so I told my sister, ‘Should we just bake things that we can give MOAs that come to the live show?’ And she was like, ‘Why? Let’s make it for everyone.’ And I was like, ‘I want to, but I feel bad asking the owner to prepare so many ingredients.’ And she was like, ‘I’ll ask!’ And the owner was like, ‘There’s nothing to worry about, we’ll do all of them!’ I felt grateful because they didn’t hesitate at all.”

The owner of Celona, the cafe where Soobin baked, took to Instagram to share their experience. They noted that aside from baking, he dried off all the grapes himself. “Soobin was an angel and a master of icing! I don’t know if you still want to open a cafe, but please come back here to bake and make coffee at any time.”

An extremely special relationship

Reflecting on his own experiences as a fan, Soobin acknowledged the unique love between a singer and their fans. He now understands the importance of accepting and appreciating all the efforts fans make, recognizing the special bond they share.  “I think there’s a kind of love that can only exist between a singer and their fans—one that doesn’t happen between friends or people dating. They exist for each other and want each other to be happy and hope for better things for the other than for themselves. It seems like it really only exists between fans and singers,” he says.

“Actually, as a singer, whenever fans came to a fan signing event with a fan letter in hand and said, ‘I’m going to hold a birthday cafe event for you,’ I would say, ‘I think your hand will be tired from writing letters every time you come. I’m thankful you make time for me but I hope you don’t spend your money.’ But now I think I should be grateful and accepting of everything they do. I think I understand them better now, too. I’m the kind of person who puts the happiness of my fans ahead of my own unconditionally, but the fans also put my happiness first and feeling that again, I realized it’s an extremely special relationship.”

Soobin‘s gesture not only brought smiles to the faces of MOAs but also set a beautiful example of the mutual love and respect that exists within the K-pop community. – K-Pop News Writer

Featured Image: Soobin put his heart and soul into preparing his gift for MOAs. Source: Instagram/@__celona.