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| yna@yna.co.kr 2023-04-02 07:00:42
By Joonha Yoo
◇ BLACKPINK’s Jisoo discovers new side of herself preparing for solo debut
K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's Jisoo said Thursday she has discovered a new side of herself while trying to find the best music for her solo debut single.
In a statement released through her agency on the eve of the release of "Me," the vocalist also expressed her excitement to finally show what she has been preparing for a long time.
She will be the fourth and final member of the quartet to debut as a soloist. Three other members made successful debuts as soloists -- Jennie with "Solo" in 2018 and both Rose and Lisa in 2021 with "R" and "Lalisa," respectively.
◇ BTS Jimin breaks record for K-pop soloist with face selling over 1.45 ml copies in 1st week
Moreover, BTS’ JungKook has been appointed as the brand ambassador of the American fashion brand Calvin Klein and will participate in advertisements of brand’s underwear and jeans.
Calvin Klein addressed through their official twitter account on March 29 (US Time) “Introducing JungKook the global icon in iconic denim.” showcasing photos of Jung Kook with Calvin Klein’s products.
According to the local media Hollywood Report addressed “Another BTS superstar has landed a fashion campaign” putting emphasis on their release.
Calvin Klein’s global chief marketing officer Jonathan Bottomley addressed remarked “Jungkook is one of the world’s most popular artists; he possesses a rare ability to connect with international audiences through both his music and his style. We’re fortunate and excited to have him join the Calvin Klein team.”
Continuing on with the individual members success BTS’ “Permission to Dance” has been certified as the Recording Industry Association of Japan “Triple Platinum,” addressed Bighit Music on Wednesday.
According to the cumulative streaming of the song, the Recording Industry Association of Japan certifies it every month by dividing it into silver (more than 30 million streaming), gold (more than 50 million streaming), platinum (more than 100 million streaming), and diamonds (more than 500 million streaming) and announces it on its official website.
“Permission to Dance,” which was included in the group’s single “Butter” released by BTS in July 2021, has been played more than 300 million times cumulatively as of February this year, obtaining “Triple Platinum” certification.
As a result, BTS will have its third "Triple Platinum" song after "Dynamite" and "Butter." Dynamite was also certified as Diamond.
◇ BAMBAM rolls out first solo lp sour & sweet to show off “sour” side of him
The singer BamBam is set to roll out his first-ever LP titled “Sour & Sweet” in about a year and two months since his second EP “B.” His brand-new album will be led by the title track of the same name as the album along with seven other tracks including “Feather,” “Take It Easy,” “GHOST,” and “Tippy Toe.”
As the title “Sour & Sweet,” made up of two antonyms, implies, the singer melted down many of his personal stories that have never been shared before in his upcoming album. While giving an overall introduction to his album, BamBam said, “I have been used to extravagant album concepts with showy colors, so I have toned down for this one and added more maturity to the overall concept.”
His title track was produced solely on the double-sidedness of every human being. The artist, who participated in writing and composing the track, expressed his conscious yet revealed side as “sweet” and his unconscious and concealed side as “sour.”
The first track of his album “Feather” is a song by which the singer sends a cheerful message to his young self back when he first came to Korea, and another track “GHOST” tells the story of his father who passed away when he was young.
BamBam addressed, “I originally did not think of writing a song about my family, but I ended up writing this song as I was both resentful of my dad who passed away too early and too soon, and also because I missed him so much.”
The multi-faceted singer made his debut as a rapper for the South Korean boy band GOT7 in January 2014. He was loved by worldwide fans for his splendid dancing skills which are both disciplined and powerful. Later, in June 2021, he dropped his very first solo album “riBBOn” and kicked off his activity as a soloist in earnest.
The singer then appeared on several variety shows, including TVING’s web reality show “Transit Love Season 2” and SBS’ “All the Butlers 2,” showing off his witty sense of humor. Yet, he still is a singer and wishes to continue his career as a singer.
◇ TXT “Thankful to stand on our dream stage…” Our Next goal is to enter billboard hot 100.”
The group TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) has started its world tour "ACT: SWEET MIRAGE" at the Olympic Park KSPO Dome in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 26th, and throughout the performance group addressed, "We are happy to perform at the concert hall we’ve been dreaming of."
Following the previous day, the second day of the Seoul performance, the stage began with the title track of TXT’s third mini album, “Blue Hour.”
TXT captivated the audience with its strong choreography and sweet scent. The scent spread with the first song is the so-called "553" scent that connects to the title of the song, expressing the sunset sky at 5:53.
In addition, TXT presented fans with scents that match the stage perfectly, such as “Neverland,” which contains the scent of the beach at dawn. Even if audience wore a mask, they could enjoy the scent without difficulty.
Fans responded to the TXT performance by waving their cheering sticks throughout the performance. Whenever the light of the cheering stick sparkled, the Milky Way seemed to embroider in the concert hall.
TXT performed its unreleased song "Blue Spring" as an encore stage.
Beomgyu participated in the composition of the song, and all five members, including him, contributed to the lyrics. "Blue Spring" is a tribute song for "MOA" (fandom name), which unravels the overwhelming encounter with fans that TXT members have been looking forward to since they were trainees.
TXT performed 24 songs in total throughout their which that lasted about three hours.
A total of 21,000 fans have visited the two-day concert in Seoul.
This performance is part of TXT's second world tour following the world tour “ACT: LOVE SICK” in July last year.
TXT has established itself as a top boy group in less than a year since last year’s world tour.
They have been on the chart for seven consecutive weeks since it topped the Billboard main album chart "Billboard 200" with its fifth mini album. They have also been selected as a "headliner" on the stage of the famous rock festival "2023 Lollapalooza" in Chicago in August.
In a meeting with reporters before the performance, TXT expressed its ambition by answering, “We think it would be a great honor to be named on the Hot 100 (Billboard Main Single Chart),” when asked about their next goal.
The support of TXT, which is taking a step forward from the release of the new album to the world tour, is the members and fans next to them.
After finishing the concert in Seoul, TXT will travel U.S., Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan to meet their local fans.
◇ Girl Group NewJeans says “Honesty” was key to its success
NewJeans, one of the hottest K-pop girl groups, said Wednesday its secret to success was "honesty" during a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday.
When asked what it thinks is behind its success, member Minji said she and her bandmates had not expected the band would receive this much love.
The press conference was held at Apple Gangnam in southern Seoul to promote its collaboration project with the company launched in celebration of the store's opening Friday. It marked the group's first formal appearance before reporters since its debut in July.
The quintet rose to stardom in the K-pop scene after releasing its debut EP, "New Jeans," led by three tracks, "Attention," "Hype Boy" and "Cookie."
As its follow-up singles "Ditto" and "OMG" also became big hits, it first entered the Hot 100 main songs chart on the U.S. Billboard just six months after its debut, a remarkable feat for a Korean rookie, proving that its popularity is not just a passing trend.
Asked if the members feel burdened by the band's quick rise to fame, Haerin said: "There is some pressure, but I'm more grateful. I'm also excited to show various sides of us in the future."
Danielle said: "It's great to see so many people receiving strength from listening to our music and giving us so much love. I feel like I need to work even harder in the future."
On Saturday, Apple Gangnam will open a pop-up studio where visitors can enjoy NewJeans' music through Apple's spatial audio for a limited period. There will be special listening sessions of the band's hit song "OMG" every Friday and Saturday at every hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., according to the store.
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