Category: KPOP NEWS

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.

The competition is heating up in The Debut: Dream Academy. On Sunday, November 5, the top 10 finalists were unveiled. The latest eliminations occurred after the third mission, which focused on showcasing the girls’ artistry through various concepts. One group did Demi Lovato’s “Confident,” another tackled The Pussycat Dolls’ “Buttons,” and a third took on the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe.”

Mission 3 Result Announcement: Reveal of the 10 Finalists

In the end, Celeste (Argentina), Nayoung (South Korea), and Ua (Japan), were eliminated. The 10 contestants who advanced to the live finale are Daniela (USA), Emily (USA), Ezrela (Australia), Lara (USA), Manon (Switzerland), Marquise (Thailand), Megan (USA), Samara (Brazil), Sophia (Philippines), and Yoonchae (South Korea).

Sophia from the Philippines secured the No. 1 spot, with Lara from the USA at No. 2. Sophia clinched first place for the second straight time. She was part of the “Buttons” group alongside Celeste, Daniela, Manon, and Nayoung. Meanwhile, Lara, who started off at No. 5 in the first mission, showed consistent improvement and secured second place in the third mission.

The Debut: Dream Academy – Mission 3 Epilogue

‘The Debut’ found tremendous talent

Lara and Sophia earned “tickets” to perform on the live finale, with their results determined entirely by fan votes. The live finale will take place in Los Angeles, California on Nov. 17. HYBE’s YouTube channel, Japan’s OTT platform ABEMA, and fan community platform Weverse will air it.

The Debut: Dream Academy is the agency’s first audition program produced in partnership with a U.S. company. HYBE and Geffen Records (HxG), a joint venture between the K-pop powerhouse and the Universal Music Group (UMG) subsidiary, are hosting the project. They will reveal the name of the group and its final members after the finale.

“I’ve wanted to form an international group based on K-pop methodology for a while,” HYBE Labels Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk said at a press conference for The Debut: Dream Academy. “To do this, I believed we needed a capable partner. When I met Interscope Geffen A&M Records Chairman and CEO John Janick, from the first moment, we instantly felt we had a connection. I’m proud of the rich history we’ve made and the tremendous talent we’ve found. I’m proud of the opportunities we have created within the K-pop universe.” – K-Pop News Writer

Featured Image: ‘The Debut: Dream Academy’ is heating up ahead of the live finale on November 17. Source: YouTube/@HYBELABELS.

ENHYPEN continues to build anticipation for its forthcoming album ORANGE BLOOD. The septet shared the album’s tracklist on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Sunday, November 5. 

The set will contain a total of five new tracks—“Mortal,” “Sweet Venom,” “Still Monster,” “Far,” and “Orange Flower (You Complete Me).” The release will also include an English version of “Sweet Venom” and a digital-only remix of “Sweet Venom” feat.  Bella Poarch, known for her single “Build a B***h.”

In addition to the tracklist’s release, track mood samplers with members Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki were shared to YouTube on Monday, November 6. The videos feature instrumental versions of the songs on ORANGE BLOOD and the guys posing amid hazy, bright lighting in matching white outfits.

ENHYPEN will present a new musical color

In ORANGE BLOOD, the basic narrative of ENHYPEN‘s albums is combined with the emotions the members felt during their activities, as well as elements from the webtoon DARK MOON: Altar of the Moon. According to the South Korean entertainment press, ENHYPEN is expected to lead the way to a new path in “next entertainment” with this album, which comes with different content, not just songs.

The title track “Sweet Venom” is a continuation of DARK BLOOD’s title track “Bite Me.” It tells the story of wanting to stay by our lover’s side even if poison spreads through your body. Jay, who plays guitar, co-wrote the lyrics. What’s more, the English version isn’t just a simple translation of the Korean lyrics. Its lyrics are entirely new.

Some talented producers also worked on ORANGE BLOOD. Hitmaker Slow Rabbit, who created representative songs for BTS and TOMORROW X TOGETHER, participated in “Sweet Venom.”  Pdogg, an award-winning musician, participated in ‘Still Monster.’ They are collaborating with ENHYPEN to help the group present a new musical color.

The Bella Poarch controversy

However, the Bella Poarch collab has been met with backlash from fans. Many are claiming that she is racist and Zionist. First, a couple of years ago, Bella received backlash for a tattoo of hers. She got a tattoo of Japan’s Rising Sun flag with a heart replacing the sun at the center. The Rising Sun is offensive to Koreans as it’s associated with Japanese imperialism. Bella apologized, writing, “At that time, I didn’t know the history. But when I found out, I immediately had it covered and scheduled for removal. I am ashamed of myself for not doing my research. I sincerely apologize.” She has also since professed her love for Korea on many occasions.

The most common criticism against Bella is that she is allegedly Zionist. Once, she was asked, “Do you love Israel?” on one of her videos on TikTok. The resurfaced screenshot shows that she replied, ‘Yes.’ However, Bella has been silent regarding the Israel-Palestine war, so many netizens are calling for a boycott of her version of “Sweet Venom.” But some fans also came to Bella’s defense, citing apologies and her history of traumas and abuse.

Backlash notwithstanding, ENGENEs will have more to look forward to leading up to ORANGE BLOOD’s arrival. The album preview and music video teasers will roll out between November 11-16, concluding with the video and album release on November 17 and a special showcase, EN-CONNECT Night, on November 18. – K-Pop News Writer

Featured Image: Not everyone is happy with ENHYPEN’s new collab. Source: X/@BELIFTLAB.

After a long hiatus, DEAN, one of South Korea’s most popular R&B artists, has the music scene buzzing with anticipation. The artist, who has been absent since his last single dropped in 2019, has fans eagerly speculating about his return to the spotlight.

DEAN‘s rise to fame was meteoric after his 2016 debut with the 130 Mood: TRBLE EP, thanks to his unique voice and well-crafted songs. His biggest hit, “Instagram,” released in 2018, dominated South Korean streaming platforms and remains a defining track in the local scene. He released a few more singles after that, including “Dayfly” and “Howlin’ 404.” The latter was his last solo release before his musical silence.

DEAN – instagram

The four-year gap since “Howlin’ 404” has had fans concerned, with some attributing the break to DEAN‘s perfectionist approach to music production. Others speculated that he had enlisted in the South Korean military or retired from music altogether. But over the years, he has hinted at a new album. In September 2021, he teased his Instagram followers with a series of posts suggesting the title 130 Mood: RVNG.

In a heartfelt statement on SNS, he addressed his fans’ patience: “My team and I have built, destroyed, built again, only to destroy again. We rode this out so many times and went through so much trial and error since 2019. Dear fans, please hang in there just a little longer. Love you all. Let me show you how I’m different. I’m just a workaholic,” he shared.

Could DEAN be coming back?

The wait for updates stretched on until October this year, when DEAN‘s personal stylist posted Instagram stories alluding to the singer’s new album. The buzz intensified this month when DEAN updated his profile picture on the Korean streaming site MelOn, a move that fans interpreted as a sign of his return. 

On November 4 KST, the anticipation reached new heights as fans in Seoul found ‘missing’ posters featuring DEAN‘s face. The posters, which encourage finders to contact @jaahlink or call a given number that plays a mysterious audio snippet when you do.

As fans hold their breath for more news, the hope is that an official comeback announcement is on the horizon, ending the long wait for DEAN‘s return. – K-Pop News Writer

Featured Image: DEAN’s comeback has been a long time coming. Source: HERO.