Tag: RIIZE

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RIIZE’s Seunghan Apologizes For Hotel Photo Controversy

Seunghan from RIIZE has taken it upon himself to issue a personal apology for the recent controversy surrounding a hotel photo. The young idol took it upon himself to reach out to fans and explain what had happened. In addition to that, his agency might be getting ready to track down the source of the images.

On August 30, Seunghan took to RIIZE’s official Instagram account to post his apology.

“I’m writing this because I feel I need to tell you this in advance before standing in front of fans. Firstly, I sincerely apologize to fans who support RIIZE,” he wrote. “Because of my personal issues, I caused harm to the team at a very important and critical moment before our debut and disappointed the members and staff.”

“I am also feeling regretful for not being able to apologize quickly because I was scared and anxious,” Seunghan added. “I’m unable to blame anyone else, and all of this happened because of my imprudence. I reflected a lot on my past time and actions.”

Seunghan concluded by promising to do his best as a member of RIIZE.

The hotel photo controversy captured Seunghan sharing an intimate moment with his purported girlfriend from his trainee days. Not surprisingly, it ignited a considerable online buzz. Although SM Entertainment disclosed that Seunghan’s health concerns would lead to his temporary absence from the group’s ‘NPOP’ recording, many believe it was due to the recent uproar.

Seunghan’s decision to apologize directly suggests his understanding of the situation’s gravity and his commitment to addressing it sincerely. The hotel photo incident has not only generated public interest but has also impacted his professional commitments within RIIZE. It serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by K-pop idols in navigating personal matters while in the spotlight, often requiring them to balance their personal lives with their public image and career responsibilities.

RIIZE will release their first single album “Get A Guitar” on September 4, 2023.

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RIIZE’s Seunghan Cancels Activities For Health Reasons

Seunghan will not be participating in an upcoming recording for a music show broadcast. The RIIZE member has reportedly cited health reasons for not joining the rest of the idol group in their latest activity. Interestingly, Seunghan’s absence coincides with the recent release of pre-debut photos involving the idol and his suspected girlfriend.

Seunghan Bows Out of RIIZE’s Scheduled Activities Due to Health Reasons

On August 29, SM Entertainment announced that Seunghan will not be attending RIIZE’s pre-recording for Naver’s new music show “NPOP” later in the day. Although a reason was not immediately revealed, fans believed that it had to do with health reasons. Nevertheless, the rest of RIIZE were expected to participate. They will be promoting with the remaining six members.

A source from the agency has since provided some explanation. “Seunghan will be absent due to his poor health condition caused by a cold,” they elaborated.

Although SM Entertainment already shared the reason, people believe it has something to do with a recent post. An anonymous SNS user had shared a series of photos with no known source. They then accused RIIZE member Seunghan of visiting a hotel with an underaged girlfriend during his trainee days.

Both the agency and Seunghan have not addressed the allegations. In the meantime, the RIIZE member is taking his time to recover from his recent health issues.

RIIZE, a seven-member ensemble comprising Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Seunghan, Sohee, and Anton, recently pre-released the track “Memories” on August 21, achieving the impressive feat of topping the iTunes Top Songs charts in eight regions. The group is now fervently preparing for their eagerly awaited debut, set to occur with the release of their first single album, “Get A Guitar,” scheduled for release on September 4, 2023.

We extend our warm wishes to Seunghan for a swift and complete recovery.

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Riize to Hold Photo Exhibition to Mark Debut

RIIZE in a teaser for 'Get A Guitar.' Credit: Twitter/RIIZE

From web novel to photo exhibition: the highly-anticipated debut of SM Entertainment’s newest boy group RIIZE is looking like a huge celebration of its own! 

SM Entertainment announced on Tuesday, August 22 that RIIZE will be holding a photo exhibition to celebrate the group’s upcoming debut album. 

The exhibition is set for August 26 to September 10 at D Museum in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. 

 

Additionally, the theme of the event will revolve around the memories made by the members while they were preparing for their debut.

Fans will also see never-before-seen photos from the group’s album jacket shoot and music video filming. 

 

Interestingly, those who will visit the photo exhibition will also get one random selfie photocard of a RIIZE member. Fun, right? 

 

Moreover, this isn’t the only special event prepared by SM Entertainment for RIIZE’s upcoming debut. The agency also partnered with Kakao Entertainment for a web novel called Rise and Realize. 

Said web novel will see the members of RIIZE try to overcome growing pains. It will have a total of eight episodes, with one episode being released on Kakao Page every Saturday starting August 19. 

Countdown to RIIZE

Even before the group’s official debut on September 4, RIIZE is already gaining worldwide popularity. 

Just days after all seven members were introduced on Instagram, RIIZE’s account became fastest K-pop group to reach 1 million followers on the said platform. 

The interest might come from members Shotaro and Sungchan, who were former NCT members. Meanwhile, Eunseok and Seung Han were first introduced as SMROOKIES. Still, even the newly introduced members Won Bin, So Hee, and Anton have also garnered huge followings. 

Besides, the group also makes sure to spotlight the members’ talents in their pre-releases. They were already praised by fans in the “Siren” performance video and pre-debut song “Memories.”

 

What’s even more amazing is that RIIZE also already took the KCON LA 2023 stage! Yes, right even they made their official debut!

Like how SM Entertainment plans for the group to “write a new chapter of music history,” RIIZE seems to be already off to a good start! Which is nice given that RIIZE will serve as the agency’s first boy group in seven years following NCT.

Featured image: RIIZE in a teaser for ‘Get A Guitar.’ Credit: Twitter/RIIZE

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Watch: Riize Releases Pre-debut Song ‘Memories’

RIIZE poses for 'Get A Guitar' teaser. Credit: Twitter/RIIZE

Anticipation is already high for SM Entertainment’s upcoming boy group RIIZE even before their much-anticipated debut! 

On Monday, August 21, the septet further teased their fans who are eagerly waiting for their formal launch with the release of the pre-debut song “Memories” 

 

In “Memories”  the seven members sing about holding tight on making their dreams come true. 

But even before the song’s official release, RIIZE already performed the track for the first time during the 2023 KCON LA. 

 

On social media, the group’s growing following expressed their excitement over the song using the hashtags “RIIZE_Memories” and “Memories with RIIZE.”

 

Meanwhile, the group will be releasing its debut single album Get A Guitar on September 4. 

Ready for RIIZE! 

However, “Memories” isn’t the first time for the group to highlight their idol skills. In early August, the group released their first performance video for the song “Siren.” 

 

SM Entertainment first introduced the group’s official lineup on August 1 by unveiling the profiles for all seven members on Instagram. The group broke the record for the fastest K-pop group to reach 1 million followers on the said platform. 

Shotaro and Sungchan were former members of NCT, while Eunseok and Seung Han were first introduced as SMROOKIES. Meanwhile, other members include Won Bin, So Hee, and Anton. 

A combination from the words “rise” and “realize,” SM Entertainment explained that the group name RIIZE symbolizes the act’s dreams. They added that the group will “write a new chapter of music history.”

RIIZE will serve as the agency’s first boy group in seven years following NCT. SM Entertainment’s latest group was aespa, which made their debut in 2020. 

Featured image: RIIZE poses for ‘Get A Guitar’ teaser. Credit: Twitter/RIIZE

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SM Entertainment, Kakao to Release Nct Webtoon & Riize Web Novel

SM Entertainment's boy groups NCT and RIIZE will be having their webtoon and web novels. Credit: Twitter/SPOTV

SM Entertainment has partnered up with Kakao Entertainment to launch a webtoon and web novel for their K-pop boy groups NCT and RIIZE, respectively. 

On Thursday, August 17, Kakao Entertainment announced the news, saying that the projects will be in commemoration of NCT’s upcoming album and RIIZE’s anticipated debut. 

 

As for NCT, the full group will be releasing their fourth studio album Golden Age on August 28. All 20 members of NCT’s different subgroups; NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV, will take part in the album.

 

Additionally, the album will have two title tracks, including the full unit song “Golden Age.” Prior to the album release, NCT will also hold their first-ever offline concert as a full group on August 26. 

As for RIIZE, the seven-piece act will debut on September 4 with the single album Get A Guitar. Interestingly, RIIZE will serve as the agency’s first boy group in seven years following NCT.

 

What we know about NCT’s webtoon and RIIZE’s web novel 

According to a press release, the webtoon about NCT will be titled NCT: Dream Contact, while RIIZE’s web novel is called Rise & Realize. 

For NCT: Dream Contact, it’s going to be an omnibus-style webtoon that has a total of five episodes. It will follow NCT’s concept of people empathizing through dreams and becoming one through music. 

Writers ZQ, Seogeul, and Kim Ho Ae are in charge of the production. NCT: Dream Contact will be released simultaneously in Japan and North America via  via Kakao Webtoon and Kakao Page at August 18, 10 pm. 

On the other hand, Rise and Realize will be a web novel that have a total of eight episodes. It will be released on Kakao Page every Saturday starting August 19. 

Moreover, Rise and Realize will see the members of RIIZE as characters in the novel as they try to overcome growing pains. Writer No Gon and illustrator Nak Di created the novel. 

Furthermore, Kakao Entertainment expressed that it’s a “meaningful” collaboration with SM Entertainment. 

“We plan to continue to carry out various projects on storytelling IP targeting the global market in the future,” they said. 

Featured image: SM Entertainment’s boy groups NCT and RIIZE will be having their webtoon and web novels. Credit: Twitter/SPOTV

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Watch: Riize Drops ‘Siren’ Performance Video, ‘Get a Guitar’ Teaser

RIIZE releases pre-debut performance video of 'Siren.' Credit: YouTube/RIIZE

Save the date as we’re weeks away from the highly-anticipated debut of SM Entertainment’s newest boy group: RIIZE! 

The agency released on Sunday, August 6, the first teaser for RIIZE’s upcoming debut single album! Titled Get A Guitar, it will be out on September 4. 

In a press release sent to Korean media, SM Entertainment also shared that Get A Guitar will have two songs. 

The title track has the same name as the album: “Get A Guitar.” Meanwhile, the second song, “Memories,” will be a pre-release track, and will be available on August 21. 

Aside from the teaser, the label also released RIIZE’s pre-debut performance video for “Siren.”

 

SM Entertainment first introduced the official lineup of RIIZE on August 1 by unveiling the profiles for all seven members on Instagram. 

Shotaro and Sungchan were former members of NCT, while Eunseok and Seung Han were first introduced as SMROOKIES. 

Additionally, RIIZE has broken the record for the fastest K-pop group to reach 1 million followers on the said platform. They achieved the feat within just four days since they opened the account. 

Aside from Instagram, the group also launched their official accounts on other social media platforms. 

A combination from the words “rise” and “realize,” SM Entertainment explained that the group name RIIZE symbolizes the act’s dreams. They added that the group will “write a new chapter of music history.”

RIIZE will serve as the agency’s first boy group in seven years following NCT. SM Entertainment’s latest group was aespa, which made their debut in 2020. 

Despite having not made their debut yet, RIIZE is already confirmed to be performing in KCON LA 2023 and SMTOWN LIVE 2023: SMCU PALACE in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

Featured image: RIIZE releases pre-debut performance video of ‘Siren.’ Credit: YouTube/RIIZE

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These Are the Planned Albums, Concerts for SM Entertainment Acts for the Rest of 2023

SHINee releases album 'HARD' in June. Credit: Facebook/SHINee

2023 is looking to be an interesting year for SM Entertainment as they unveiled their plans for the coming months. 

On Wednesday, August 2, the agency unveiled its earnings release report for the second quarter of 2023.

The said report includes updates of their consolidated business results for the past quarter, as well as event line-up previews for the coming months. 

According to the report, SM Entertainment logged 35.7 billion won in operating profit for the second quarter of 2023. Their net income also increased by 11.6%, reporting 28.3% billion won. 

Meanwhile, their quarterly revenue improved by 30% to 239.8 billion won. 

The increase in revenue is attributed to the resumption of offline concerts globally and more merchandise sold through pop-up stores related to album releases. 

Relative to the increase, SM Entertainment specifically mentioned aespa’s EP My World, which sold over two million copies. 

Additionally, groups NCT DREAM, TVXQ!, and Red Velvet held the most offline concerts worldwide, with 17, 12 and 11, respectively. 

What to expect for the rest of 2023 in terms of albums 

As for their upcoming music releases, eight SM Entertainment acts are slated to make a comeback in the third quarter. Meanwhile, 11 acts are scheduled the fourth quarter. 

Although the agency clarified that the lineup might change, here’s a rundown of what fans can possibly expect: 

3rd quarter:

For August, U-Know Yunho of TVXQ is confirmed to be releasing his third solo mini-album Reality Show on the 7th.

Meanwhile, Hyo, or Hyoyeon from Girls’ Generation, will be releasing a single.  Also for August, NCT might release an album and aespa with an English single.

Details for said releases have yet to be disclosed, but NCT will be having their first full-group concert NCT NATION: To the World on August 26, while aespa teased a release titled “Better Things.”

For September, Super Junior’s Yesung, SHINee’s Key, and EXO’s D.O. will be releasing their solo mini-albums. 

RIIZE, SM Entertainment’s first boy group in seven years, is also expected to make their official debut in September with a single. 

4th quarter:

Although there are no specific months yet, SHINee’s Minho and Super Junior’s Ryeowook will be releasing a single in the fourth quarter.

Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon and SHINee’s Taemin will also be making their solo comebacks with mini-albums. 

Moreover, TVXQ! and Red Velvet might release full albums, while it’s undecided whether NCT127 will release a full-length album or a single. RIIZE is also expected to make a comeback in the fourth quarter with a single. 

As for international releases, WayV will have a full-length album in Chinese, while aespa might release an English single or mini-album. 

NCT Tokyo is also planned to make their debut in the fourth quarter with a Japanese single. Although the preview noted that the artist’s name is still tentative.

NCT Tokyo will reportedly have six members, with four being chosen from the reality survival show NCT Universe: The Lastart. It is also said to be the final sub-unit of NCT. 

What to expect for the rest of 2023 in terms of concerts 

 

Meanwhile, six acts will be having concert shows for the next months.

Taeyeon is currently embarking on the Asia leg of her The ODD Of Love show, which will run until late August. Additionally, aespa is doing the America and Europe stops of their Syk: Hyper Line shows until September. 

From August to September, Chen will have his Polaris tour in Japan. After their Seoul shows, NCT will bring their NCT NATION: To the World concert to Japan in September. 

SHINee will stage their World VI [Perfect Illumination] shows in Japan between September to October, while Yesung will kick off his solo concert tour in Seoul in October.

On top of that, the agency will also bring their SMTOWN LIVE concert to Jakarta in September. TVXQ!, Super Junior, Red Velvet, NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV, aespa, and RIIZE will be performing. 

Stay tuned here for more updates about these upcoming releases and concerts. Which of these are you most looking forward to?  

Featured image: SHINee releases album ‘HARD’ in June. Credit: Facebook/SHINee

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Here Are the Members of SM Entertainment’s New Boy Group Riiize

SM Entertainment introduces the members for their new boy group RIIZE. Credits: Instagram/RIIZE

This is not a drill: SM Entertainment has finally introduced the members of their highly-anticipated new boy group RIIZE! 

The agency launched the group’s official Instagram account on Tuesday, August 1, wherein they introduced the official seven members of RIIZE. 

 

RIIZE is composed of Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Won Bin, Seung Han, So Hee, and Anton. 

Based on the member profiles posted, Shotaro and Eunseok are both 22 years old, Sunchan and Won Bin are 21, while Seung Han, So Hee and Anton are all 19.

Shotaro and Sungchan were former NCT members who were removed from the group in May.

SM Entertainment’s CEO Jang Cheol-hyuk explained that the two, together with SMROOKIES Eunseok and Seunghan will be part of a new boy group instead. 

RIIZE will be SM Entertainment’s first boy group in seven years following NCT. The agency’s latest group to debut was the female act aespa. 

What we know about RIIZE so far

According to SM Entertainment, RIIZE is a combination of the words “rise” and “realize.” 

The group is aiming for a September debut, but there’s no final details yet. The agency also said that RIIZE is currently wrapping up the filming of their music video. 

Additionally, SM Entertainment earlier revealed that the group’s musical genre will be “emotional pop.” They also teased that RIIZE will write “a new chapter of music history.” 

Meanwhile, other photos and information for RIIZE and its members will be unveiled on August 4. 

Known as one of the leading K-pop agencies, SM Entertainment is also home to acts such as TVXQ, Super Junior, SNSD, SHINee, EXO, and Red Velvet. 

Currently, the label will also form the last unit of NCT through the talent competition series NCT Universe: LASTART. 

Featured image: SM Entertainment introduces the members for their new boy group RIIZE. Credits: Instagram/RIIZE

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SM Entertainment Confirms New Boy Group Riize to Debut in September

Former NCT members Shotaro and Sungchan and SMRookies Eunseok and Seunghan are confirmed to be part of RIIZE. Credit: Facebook/NCT and SM Rookies' page

It’s official: SM Entertainment is entering a new era! The agency confirmed that their new boy group RIIZE is making its debut in September. 

In a press release on Monday, July 31, the agency announced that RIIZE will have “seven-top notch members who have both skills and visuals.” 

SM Entertainment continued that these members will each have their own unique characteristics and strengths. The group will also “embark on a new ‘realtime odyssey’ together as one team.” 

The agency added that RIIZE will “write a new chapter of music history.” 

What we know about RIIZE

Combined from the words “rise” and “realize,” SM Entertainment explained that the group name RIIZE is meant to symbolize how the team will grow and achieve their dreams. 

As of writing, there’s no details yet about the group’s debut album. But the agency confirmed that RIIZE’s musical genre will be “emotional pop.” 

For weeks, eagle-eyed fans have been speculating that RIIZE would be the group’s name after they discovered that SM Entertainment has applied new trademark over the phrases “Rise&Realize” and “RIIZE.” 

Some have also discovered social media accounts that use the said name. 

SM Entertainment said that the RIIZE’s official Instagram account will be launched on August 1, alongside the introduction of the members. 

In May, SM Entertainment’s CEO Jang Cheol Hyuk first confirmed that the new boy group will have former NCT members Sungchan and Shotaro and SM Rookies Eunseok and Seunghan as part of its lineup. The seven-piece act will also feature other members of Korean and American nationalities. 

RIIZE will serve as the agency’s first boy group in seven years following NCT. SM Entertainment’s latest group was aespa, which made their debut in 2020. 

Meanwhile, aside from the RIIZE, SM Entertainment is also currently forming the last unit of NCT. Through the reality series, NCT Universe: LASTART, they will be looking for members of NCT Tokyo.

Featured image Former NCT members Shotaro and Sungchan and SMRookies Eunseok and Seunghan are confirmed to be part of RIIZE. Credit: Facebook/NCT and SM Rookies’ page

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