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BTS Officially Diplomats After Special Appointment of South Korean President Moon Jae-in

(From L-R) BTS’s V, Jungkook, RM, Jin, Suga, Jimin, and J-Hope are now officially diplomats of South Korea. Photo: BTS_official/Twitter

RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook have formally accepted their special documentations as special presidential envoy from South Korean President Moon Jae In, officially making BTS diplomats of South Korea just a week ahead of their attendance to the United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

On September 14, Moon presented BTS their certificates as South Korea’s “Special Presidential Envoy for Future Generations and Culture.” The seven members of BTS attended the awarding ceremony at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, along with Big Hit Music President Shin Young Jae and HYBE executive Lee Jin Hyung. With this official designation, the Bangtan Boys also received their Republic of Korea diplomatic passports.

BTS continues to prove that they are more than just another K-pop act. As with any country, diplomatic passports are only awarded to a few, qualified individuals. Along with their new status as diplomats comes expectations that the OT7 will be deployed for more official government businesses.

In July 2021, President Moon announced BTS’s appointment as Special Presidential Envoys for Future Generation and Culture. With this officially sealed, the septet will accompany him at the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly (September 21 to 30, 2021). For their first diplomatic duty, BTS will deliver a message during the Sustainable Development Goals Moment (SDG Moment) of the Decade of Action session.


Featured image: (From L-R) BTS’s V, Jungkook, RM, Jin, Suga, Jimin, and J-Hope are now officially diplomats of South Korea. Photo: BTS_official/Twitter
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BTS Yet Again Wins Group of the Year and Best K-pop at 2021 VMAs

BTS wins 2021 VMAs: Best Group award, Best Kpop award, and MTV's Song of the Summer 2021. Photo: MTV/YouTube

What can we not expect from BTS?

The Bangtan Boys took home two major awards and a previously unannounced award category at MTV’s 2021 Video Music Awards (VMAs) last September 12, 2021. For the third year straight, BTS nabbed both Group of the Year and Best Kpop awards.

RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook have consistently won Best Kpop at the VMAs since it was introduced in 2018. First for Boy With Luv in their historic (not to mention controversial) first VMA win in 2019, ON in 2020, and now, for Butter.

BTS was up against some major players for the 2021 VMAs Group of the Year award. The OT7, however, proved that they are unstoppable because they are “not seven, with you.” Beaming with love, they credited ARMY—the group’s equally phenomenal fandom—for their VMA win.

“And ARMYs, this is all possible thanks to you guys.”
-BTS in their acceptance speech for the 2021 VMAs Group of the Year award.

BTS was unable to attend MTV’s awarding ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. They accepted their 2021 VMA awards through a video message instead.

In addition to these two major awards, BTS also took home the Song of the Summer award for their hit single Butter.

BTS was nominated in six major categories including Best Pop, Best Editing (for Lumpens’ Yong Seok Choi), and Best Choreography (for Son Sung Deuk with BHM Performance Directing Team). The hit single Dynamite was nominated for the Song of The Year category instead of Best Kpop.

Congratulations to BTS and ARMY!

Featured image: BTS wins 2021 VMAs: Best Group award, Best Kpop award, and MTV’s Song of the Summer 2021. Photo: MTV/YouTube
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Kpop Idols on YouTube: 11 Boy Groups You Should Subscribe To

We’re always on the lookout for fresh content from our idols—anything from music show performances to variety show appearances. But in the last few years, we have seen idols open their own YouTube channels, giving us a new opportunity to see our idols living their lives away from the stage.

Some idols open their own channels to post song covers, and several grab the chance to better showcase other aspects of their personalities. But above all, K-pop idols use the platform to better connect with fans.

Take a look at the personal YouTube channels of these male K-pop idols and click that subscribe button so you can catch up with their daily lives!

EXO

Baekhyun

Baekhyun’s KyungTube contains vlogs, behind the scenes footage of album recordings and music video shoots, ASMR and mukbang videos, and more. Before he left for his military enlistment, he pre-filmed lots of content to be released regularly, and it looks like he’s keeping his promise!

For the EXO fan club’s anniversary, Baekhyun uploaded a video of him preparing a rainbow cake to greet EXO-Ls a happy birthday:

Chen

If you’re missing Chen’s soothing vocals, make sure to check out his YouTube channel. Aside from his solo songs and OSTs, he also covers songs from other artists.

Chen hasn’t uploaded any videos recently, but you can still get your fill of his amazing covers such as his rendition of Breath by Park Hyo Shin:

Chanyeol

Chanyeol’s Studio NNG documents the idol’s life as he goes to recording sessions with his bandmates and collaborators, tries out baking, and builds a bar in his studio. There’s also behind-the-scenes footage from music video filming, and backstage videos from music show performances.

Like Baekhyun, Chanyeol also pre-filmed content to be released monthly throughout his military enlistment. Make sure to subscribe and click the notification bell so you don’t miss an update!

Lay

EXO’s only Chinese member, Lay, also has his own channel! Subscribe to Lay Zhang so you watch his amazing dance performances, cinematic music videos, and more!

iKON

Chanwoo

iKon’s Chanwoo posts a variety of content on his Chanwoo Sari channel for iKONICS to enjoy! From food reviews to gaming to car interviews, there’s a lot of stuff for fans to indulge in.

Chanwoo also gives fans a sneak peek of the new YG building. Check out his YG New Building Tour video below:

BIGBANG

Daesung

Bigbang’s Daesung tried to make his YouTube channel D’splay as anonymous as possible, but there’s no hiding from VIPs! In his channel, Daesung uploads drum covers of K-pop and western songs. He has also recently started uploading vlogs of his daily life and activities.

Watch his drum cover of Take My Breath by The Weeknd:

VIXX

N

Want to wind down and relax after a long day? Head over to VIXX N’s channel, Today’s Record, to watch soothing videos that give Starlights a glimpse of the idol-actor’s daily life.

Watch N as he drives around Korea for his drama Mine:

Ken

On the other hand, main vocal Ken’s YouTube channel, ! Ken Do !t, is rife with bright and cheerful energy! In his channel, the idol and musical actor posts song covers, mukbang videos, backstage footage from his musicals, and more.

Ken is still serving in the military, but his pre-filmed content is uploaded regularly on the channel. Watch his hilarious—and on point!—cover of Into the Unknown from Frozen 2:

Hyuk

VIXX’s maknae Hyuk only recently launched his YouTube channel H:Life. The idol posts vlogs about his daily life and work. In his first few videos, though, he never showed his face—but a lot of Starlights easily figured out his secret. On the 100-day anniversary of his channel, Hyuk finally revealed himself! Fingers crossed for English subtitles to be added soon for international fans!

Day6

Jae

Day6’s Jae also runs his own YouTube channel. Initially, the channel was called Jaesix, and he posted videos of him interviewing and playing games with fellow idols, as well as his a-day-in-the-life vlogs. More recently, renamed the channel to eaJ. The latest posts are now the singer-songwriter’s self-written tracks.

GOT7

Jay B

GOT7’s Jay B launched his channel in February 2021 as a way to communicate with his fans. His initial uploads were the songs from his mixtapes. But just last August, Jay B uploaded his first vlog—so make sure to hit that subscribe button so you don’t miss future updates!

Fans everywhere are delighted to see their idols show off their unique talents and fun personalities on YouTube! Who’s your favorite male idol YouTuber?

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Lalisa: BLACKPINK’s Lisa Reminds the World of Her Name in Record-Breaking Fashion

Blackpink's Lisa Manoban debuted her first solo album, LALISA, on September 10, 2021. Photo: BLACKPINK/YouTube

So, finally, Lisa of BLACKPINK drops her debut single, the third member of the group to do so. Only six months after main vocal Rosé released the all-English On the Ground, it’s the group’s Thai rapper-main dancer to go solo by introducing herself in her debut single, LALISA. Notice the power in that? She keeps on saying her name throughout the highly repetitive chorus while seemingly hypnotizing us listeners into saying “Lalisa love me Lalisa love me, Call me Lalisa love me Lalisa love me.” It’s definitely a trap, not that we mind at all.

And in now-typical YG fashion, the music video dropped at 1 in the afternoon, Korean time. This is not that usual considering most MVs and singles in Korea get released at 6 PM, so that they can compete with the other popular music that day in the charts, as 6 pm is a time when a lot of people are still awake, employees getting home from work or students waiting for their academy classes to start while listening to music.

Also read: All Rise for Lalisa’s First Solo Album

Up until around 2016, the most common practice was to release songs and music videos at midnight. However, many fans complained that some artists (obviously not them exactly, but their companies) are manipulating the chart systems, using bots to continue streaming music even during ungodly hours. With the rise of these accusations of forms of sajaegi (chart manipulation), most music charts implemented a chart freeze, particularly between 1 AM until 7 AM, so downloads and streams during that time will not be counted until when the charts reopen after 7.

Most companies, including YG have followed the practice for fear they might be accused of chart manipulation. Even Jennie’s Solo was released at 6 PM, but things started to change with Rosé, whose music video for On the Ground was released at 2 PM. The company took it a notch further (make that an hour earlier) now by releasing Lisa’s music video and single at 1 in the afternoon.

So far, the move has proven to be successful, as Lisa has immediately charted on Instiz, Korea’s music chart aggregator. As of 6:30 KST, Lalisa is already at #18 on Instiz, #41 in Melon, #27 in Genie, and #2 in Bugs (only topped by former YG artist Lee Hi and her Red Lipstick, which was only released September 10). Since Flo and Naver’s VIBE do not have real-time charts and only release daily charts, we can be sure that Lalisa shall chart higher in Instiz by tomorrow. An all-kill or even a PAK (perfect all-kill) shouldn’t be that impossible.

Another thing international fans obsess over is YouTube views of music videos. With BLACKPINK holding a number of YouTube view records, it is expected that Lisa will also break a number of records with this solo debut. After two hours, total views for the music video reached 25,228,666 views and as of 7 PM KST, the video has slid past the 30 million view mark.

After reaching 10 million YouTube views after only an hour and a half, the LALISA MV has already broken numerous records, although these are still unofficial.

LALISA is the fastest debut MV to hit 10 million views on YouTube in history, as well as the fastest music video by a K-pop solo artist to reach the 10 million mark and the fastest MV by a female soloist in the world to exceed 10 million YouTube views, breaking Taylor Swift’s record of two hours for her Me! music video. It is also the second-fastest MV by a female K-pop artist to accumulate 10 million views in history, only beaten by a video of her own group, Lovesick Girls, which achieved the figure in under 53 minutes.

It’s safe to say that Lisa’s record-breaking ways will continue in the coming days, and we’re here to witness it all.

Bonus: How well do you know your Blackpink?

Featured image: Blackpink’s Lisa Manoban debuted her first solo album, LALISA, on September 10, 2021. Photo: BLACKPINK/YouTube
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Lee Hi Thanks B.I. For “Savior” Collaboration

Lee Hi and B.I. collaborate for “Savior" track in Ha-yi’s fourth studio album, 4 Only. Photo: AOMGOFFICIAL/YouTube

“An extremely loyal friend.” That’s how Lee Hi calls former iKON member B.I.

The “No One” singer recently appeared as a guest on NAVER NOW, where she discussed her new album 4 Only. She also talked about her latest collaboration with former YG label-mate Kim Hanbin, expressing her gratitude for collaborating with her in the new song Savior.

“I want to relay my thanks toward B.I for featuring (in my album),” Lee Hi said. It’s a sweet shoutout considering that the two have collaborated numerous times in the past.

The former K-pop Star Season 1 contestant also spoke about her friendship with B.I., who had previously worked on her song “No One”.

“He called me a loyal friend in an interview that he did, but I think he is also an extremely loyal friend,” Lee Hi said. She then addressed a message to the former iKON rapper. “Hanbin, thanks to you I think a good music video was able to come out.”

It’s no secret that Lee Hi and B.I. make great music together. The two have worked together on several songs in the past. Their most recent collaboration before “Savior” was on the track “Daydream”, which was featured in Hanbin’s debut solo album Waterfall.

Their collab song “Savior” debuted days before the launch of Lee Hi’s latest album. In the music video, she and B.I. played childhood sweethearts who went through several hardships as her character was sick. The chemistry in the MV proves that Hayi and Kim Hanbin truly enjoy working together.

Lee Hi’s fourth studio album 4 Only was released on Thursday, September 9, 2021.

Featured image: Lee Hi and B.I. collaborate for “Savior” track in Ha-yi’s fourth studio album, 4 Only. Photo: AOMGOFFICIAL/YouTube
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VICTON’s Hanse Solo Debut Confirmed

VICTON Hanse ALICE Concept image. Photo: VICTON1109/Twitter

Just in time for his birthday, VICTON’s Hanse is finally dropping his first solo album this September.

VICTON’s label, Play M Entertainment, has announced that Do Hanse’s solo album will be released on September 25, 2021. Although details were not immediately available, ALICEs were immediately thrilled with the news. After all, the album is set to be released on Hanse’s birthday this year.

There is a good reason why ALICEs are hyped up over the news. In late 2020, Hanse confirmed that he is working on his first mixtape. The VICTON main rapper shared the news on his official Instagram account, adding that he doesn’t know when it will be released.

Hanse also admitted that he wanted to release the album before the end of 2020. However, the mixtape had to be put on hold in favor of VICTON’s comeback. (The comeback was also delayed to January 2021).

The delay of Hanse’s mixtape has been hard on the rapper, who was eager to share his music with his fans. There were hopes that it would be released earlier this year but Play M had been quiet with the updates. By then, ALICEs were concerned that the mixtape will never see the light of day. To be fair, fans also speculated that Hanse was still working on his music.


Luckily, ALICEs can finally get to hear Hanse’s new music. It’s been a long wait for the “HanSolo” and fans are already looking forward to its release. Everyone is eager to embrace the new music considering that it will be released on Hanse’s birthday.

Fans already know that Hanse’s self-produced songs vibe a distinct style. The VICTON main rapper is already known for writing his own songs and producing music. Back in 2019, Do Hanse dropped his self-produced track Hallelujah and it was well-received by ALICEs.

Hanse is the second VICTON member to release a solo album after Seungwoo, who has already released two solo efforts. This will be Do Hanse’s first solo endeavor since he debuted with the idol group in 2016.

Hanse’s still-untitled solo album will be released on Saturday, September 25, 2021.

Featured image: VICTON Hanse ALICE Concept image. Photo: VICTON1109/Twitter
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BTS’s “Butter” Races Back To No. 1 On Billboard Hot 100

BTS Butter photo concept. Photo: BigHit_Music/Twitter

Butter, BTS’s digital single of summer 2021, has officially returned to the top spot on Billboard Hot 100. The song has now spent 10 weeks at the summit, giving RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook another major achievement.

Butter has always been a mainstay on the Billboard Hot 100, comfortable in the Top 10 since its release. The single would then rise back up to Number 1 whenever BTS drops a new remix, such as the recent release of the BTS x Megan Thee Stallion Butter remix. The first time it left the top spot was when the Bangtan Boys’ own song, Permission to Dance, took over.

Also read: Conversations with BTS and Coldplay’s Chris Martin on YouTube’s Released

The BTS x Megan Thee Stallion “Butter” remix was released on August 27 after the American rapper appealed for its release. Megan had previously revealed that her label was against the version’s release, so she filed a petition asking for emergency relief. A judge ruled in favor of the Houston-born musician, allowing the song’s release.

The release of the Butter Megan Thee Stallion remix had encouraged ARMYs and Hotties to continue supporting the single. The effort ensured the song’s return to the top spot on Billboard Hot 100, and BTS was eager to reward their fans.

Behold, the amazing return of 3J.

On Wednesday, the BTS dance line dropped the “Butter” Megan Thee Stallion remix Special Performance Video. The sweet treat featured J-Hope, Jimin, and Jungkook showing off their swoon-worthy moves, to the tune of everyone hopint that 3J is here to stay.

Butter also drew 12.2 million radio airplay audience impressions this week, in addition to the 10.7 million U.S. streams and 143,000 downloads sold last week. The song is now expected to continue dominating the charts and sales, thanks to the relentless support of ARMYs and Hotties.

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All Rise for Lalisa’s First Solo Album

Blackpink Lisa's first solo album, Lalisa, drops on September 10, 2021 midnight EST. Photo: BLACKPINK/Facebook.

Anticipation is high for Blackpink’s main dancer, lead rapper and vocalist, and maknae Lalisa Manoban’s solo turn on the world stage. Her debut album will drop on September 10, 2021 at midnight EST  (1:00 P.M. KST) and will likely mark the beginning of her global dance and pop music domination.

Simply titled Lalisa, the single album features the A-side track Lalisa and the B-side Money—written and composed by a few of the most talented songwriters and music producers in the K-pop business: Teddy Park, 24, Bekuh Boom, Vince, and R.Tee.

With the exception of Bekuh Boom, who is signed with American music publishing company Warner Chappell Music, Inc., Lalisa’s record team hails from YG Entertainment’s subsidiary record company The Black Label. Most of them have also worked on previous Blackpink songs, such as Boombayah and Ddu-Du Ddu-Du, so expect the trademark Blackpink flavor with more than a little twist of Lalisa thrown in.

That happens to be the current recipe for K-pop music success.

Tracklist poster for Lisa Maboban’s first solo album, Lalisa. Photo: BLACKPINK/Facebook

Get ready, world. Lalisa’s coming to your area—pretty soon!

Featured image: Blackpink Lisa’s first solo album, Lalisa, drops on September 10, 2021 midnight EST. Photo: BLACKPINK/Facebook
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TXT Drops Teaser For “0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)” MOD SUN Remix

TOMORROW X TOGETHER Preview Cuts. Photo: TXT_bighit/Twitter

After several tweets teasing a possible collaboration, TOMORROW X TOGETHER has dropped the first teaser for 0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) feat. MOD SUN!

TXT has been teasing the collaboration with American singer/rapper MOD SUN for almost a week. The two artists have been interacting on Twitter, prompting MOAs and MOD SUN fans to wonder about an upcoming project. Luckily, it has been confirmed that the alt-rapper will be featured in a new version of TXT’s hit single.

The official BIGHIT MUSIC Twitter account has shared the official teaser for 0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) feat. MOD SUN. It teaser features Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huening Kai playing around and dancing in a pool.

Interestingly, there was no audio in the video. This led to speculations that the new version of 0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) would be very different. Will it maintain the original song’s energy or will it feature more of MOD SUN’s style? MOAs can’t wait for Friday to find out!

https://twitter.com/forestyunn/status/1435816485155328003

TXT first teased on the collaboration by sharing the video for MOD SUN’s Down which featured drummer Travis Barker. The rapper then retweeted the post along with a cryptic caption.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER had previously released a version of 0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) feat Seori that was remixed by pH-1 and Woodie Gochild. It would be interesting to see how the second remix will compare to the first one.

0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) feat. MOD SUN drops on Friday, September 10, 2021.

Featured image: TOMORROW X TOGETHER Preview Cuts. Photo: TXT_bighit/Twitter
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Conversations With BTS and Coldplay’s Chris Martin on YouTube’s “Released”

Special BTS interview with Coldplay's Chris Martin on YouTube's Released. Photo: BANGTANTV/YouTube

This week, ARMYs and Coldplay fans can look forward to a special episode of YouTube’s “Released.”

BTS confirmed that they will appear in a special episode of “Released,” YouTube’s weekly music series, right before the premiere of  their “Permission to Dance (Shorts Challenge Ver.)” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin will interview the septet, with the video airing on September 9, 11:45 p.m. ET (September 10, 12:45 p.m. KST).

The trailer for BTS “Released” starts with RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook greeting their fans. BTS leader Kim Namjoon then confirms that they will chat with Chris Martin. ARMYs can look forward to hearing straight from the boys about the “Permission to Dance” challenge, featuring people worldwide dancing to the group’s second English-language song. The original song debuted in July, replacing their own song “Butter” as the No.1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Watch the “Released featuring BTS with Chris Martin” teaser here:

https://youtu.be/xTgI9-cjunE

It’s an interaction that ARMYs and Coldplay fans have been waiting for since early 2021. In February, BTS covered Coldplay’s “Fix You” on MTV Unplugged. Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion were impressed with the rendition, calling BTS’s performance “beautiful.”

Bookmark the official “Permission to Dance” (Shorts Challenge Ver.) premiere party and video drop here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hgWG5gtZJg

Will your “Permission to Dance” short submission make it to the official video? Catch YouTube’s Released featuring BTS with Chris Martin on September 9, 11:45 p.m. ET (September 10, 12:45 p.m. KST), followed by the “Permission to Dance” (Shorts Challenge Ver.) worldwide premiere.

In the meantime, rewatch BTS’s “Permission to Dance” music video while waiting for the challenge premiere here:

Bonus: Here’s BTS’s chilling performance of Coldplay’s Fix You at MTV Unplugged.

Featured image: Special BTS interview with Coldplay’s Chris Martin on YouTube’s Released. Photo: BANGTANTV/YouTube
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