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| yna@yna.co.kr 2021-07-24 19:13:53
SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- Starting from August, the Korean music industry is expected to heat up as major K-pop act are scheduled to release new albums one after another.
From idol groups with powerful fandoms to female solo singers who have proven their potential on the music charts, a mid-summer comeback battle is on its way.
◇ 'No.5 Billboard' singers TXT releses repackaged album while girl group Red Velvet returns as a whole
TXT, the leading group of the so-called "K-pop's fourth generation," will return with its second full-length repackage album "Fight or Escape" on Aug. 17.
"The Chaos Chapter: Freeze," which was released in May, will be newly composed to complete "The Chaos Chapter" series. Within the repackaged album, various new songs are expected to be released, including the title track "0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)."
TOMORROW X TOGETHER previously became global artists by landing No.5 on Billboard's main albums chart with their second album. Having further cemented their album on the Billboard 200 chart for six whole weeks, fans continue to raise expectations for the upcoming repackaged album.
Korea's beloved girl group Red Velvet will once again return as a full group from a year and eight month hiatus. Although the girl group's agency SM Entertainment did not specify the exact release date yet, it is said that Red Velvet is aiming to prepare for a comeback next month.
During Red Velvet's promotion activities for its lead single "Psycho" in 2019, the quintet halted various events following member Wendy's injuries. Since then, the members have been working in units or on solo albums.
Following the successive release of the group's past smash summer hits such as "Red Flavor," "Zimzalabim," and "Umpah Umpah," all eyes are on Red Velvet's upcoming release.
Two of the three boy groups, which were nicknamed as the "ZZZ" members through Mnet's competition program "Kingdom: Legendary War," will also release their new albums next month.
The runner-ups for Mnet's program, The Boyz, will release a new album on August 9. All the specific details regarding the album such as the title and track list will be revealed later.
The 11 member boy group recently finished filming its music video and started preparing for their promotional activities.
Stray Kids will follow next and release its second full-length album "NOEASY" on August 23.
This is the first album for Stray Kids to release after the group proved its production and performance skills by winning first place on "Kingdom: Legendary War." "NOEASY" is also the first album for member Hyunjin to participate in after he stopped working with the group due to controversy over school violence.
Kim Woo-jin, a former member of Stray Kids, will also release his first solo album "The moment: 未成年, a minor" on August 5. As the main vocalist of Stray Kids, he withdrew from the group in 2019 due to personal reasons.
In addition, boy band Astro will release its eighth mini-album "Switch On," which is fronted by title track "After Midnight," in competition with Golden Child's upcoming second regular album "Game Changer," as the two groups are scheduled to drop both albums on August 2.
◇ BLACKPINK's Lisa and singer CL to release solo albums soon, Sunmi and Jeon So-mi confirms comeback.
While new albums from female solo singers also scheduled to be released, attention is particularly drawn to the solo debut of girl group BLACKPINK's Lisa.
Last June, YG Entertainment, BLACKPINK's agency, notified fans that member Rosé and Lisa will release solo albums.
Rosé finished her promotional activities for "On the Ground" and was recently spotted filming the music video for Lisa's new song, allowing fans to speculate Lisa's album to be released within a month or two.
BLACKPINK boasted its global fandom after its first studio album "The Album," which was released last October, debuted at No.2 on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the highest rank to achieve by a South Korean girl group.
Lisa, BLACKPINK's Thai member, is popular not only in Southeast Asia but also in Korea and the United States.
CL, a former member of the group 2NE1, is also scheduling her summer comeback, although specific dates have not been disclosed.
It is expected that CL will drop her first full-length album "ALPHA," which has delayed its release.
The singer recently signed a management contract with Kang Daniel's agency, Konnect Entertainment, and announced that she will officially start her music adventures in Korea.
Sunmi, one of Korea's leading songstresses, will return with her mini-album "1/6" on August 2 in three years. Sunmi has currently only released singles since her second EP "Warning" in 2018.
The singer's previous album titled "Tail" showed off her sensual beauty, however, this time, Sunmi is expected to showcase a lively and bubbly charm.
Jeon So-mi, a former member of the project group I.O.I., will also release her first new song "Dumb Dumb" after a year. Earlier on, a teaser photo of Jeon So-mi reminiscent of a main character from a 90s high-teen movie was released, drawing attention from the public.
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