by Ra Hwak Jin / Kim Sun Min
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Highup Entertainment, shows STAYC. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇STAYC·Billlie·NMIXX…Leading ‘4th generation’ girl groups make comeback·debut
K-pop girl groups, which dream of becoming a leading “4th generation” idol group, have made their comeback or debut, heating up the music industry this week.
STAYC marked the start of the comeback.
The group dropped their second mini album on Monday, after five months since the release of the first mini album in September, 2021.
"YOUNG-LUV.COM" consists of 6 songs of different genres, including the title song "RUN2U," "SAME SAME," "247," and "BUTTERFLY."
STAYC said during the online showcase, "We tried to show off our individuality through this album."
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| ▲ This photo, provided by JYP, shows NMIXX. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
NMIXX, a rookie girl group newly introduced by K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment, made their debut in the music industry on Tuesday.
A 7-member girl group, which consists of Lily·Hae-won·Sull-yoon·Jinni·Bae·Ji-woo·Kyu-jin, released the debut single “AD MARE” on Feb. 22 at 6 p.m.
However, the group postponed the media showcase, which was scheduled to be held for the release of the album, until Mar. 1 as Bae tested positive for COVID-19 on Feb. 18.
On Wednesday, a rookie girl group Billlie, which has drawn attention as “Yoon Jong-shin’s girl group,” dropped the second mini album “the collective soul and unconscious: chapter one.”
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Mystic Story, shows Billlie. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
It was a speedy comeback in two months since the single “Snowy Night,” which was released in December, 2021.
The new album contains a total of 5 songs, including the title song “GingaMingaYo,” “overlap,” and “believe.” Particularly, all 7 members participated in writing the lyrics of the fan song “Believe.”
Girl group CRAXY, which is in its third year of debut, released the new mini album “Dance with God” on Thursday.
The agency SAI Entertainment said, “It is an album that will strengthen the development of the five members and the exotic worldview,” adding, “It improved the completeness by adding a solid music style, such as vocals, rap, and performances in diverse colors.”
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Cube Entertainment, shows BTOB. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇ BTOB drops third full album 'Be Together'
K-pop boy group BTOB dropped its third full album titled "Be Together" on Monday, which is the first release as a full group of six members since the EP album "This is Us” in 2018.
The group had been in hiatus for nearly four years due to the members' mandatory military service, with Im Hyun-sik and Yook Sung-jae being the last members to have been discharged in November, 2021.
"I'm really, really happy," team leader Seo said when asked how he feels about the comeback during an online press conference Monday. "Working as a full group, I thought, 'This is BTOB!' and felt complete, as well as a strong energy. I was really happy and pleasant while working on this album."
"We still have a long way to go, but I think we now can call ourselves 'professionals' after 10 years on the job," Im humbly said.
Im and Lee Min-hyuk participated in the creation of all 13 songs, including the lead single "The Song."
The band said the main message behind the album is its love and appreciation toward its fans, as the title "Be Together" suggests.
"Be Together" ranked No. 1 on the iTunes Top Album chart in 21 countries, including the UK, New Zealand, Brazil, Turkey, and UAE, according to agency Cube Entertainment, Wednesday.
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| ▲ This photo, provided by HYBE, shows "Stay Alive." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇ BTS Jung-kook's 'Stay Alive' enters various Billboard charts
The soundtrack "Stay Alive" for the webtoon "7FATES: CHAKHO," which is sung by K-pop superband BTS' Jung-kook, has succeeded in entering various Billboard charts as well as Billboard main singles chart "HOT 100."
According to Billboard's latest chart released on Feb. 23(U.S. Time), the song ranked No. 6 on "Digital Song Sales," No. 8 on "Billboard Global"(Excl. U.S.) chart, No. 13 on "Billboard Global 200," No. 1 on "World Digital Song Sales," and No. 74 on "Billboard Canadian Hot 100."
"Stay Alive" was first known to have ranked No. 95 on the "HOT 100" through Billboard's official Twitter account the previous day. This is the fifth time that BTS' solo song has entered the "HOT 100," following J-Hope's "Chicken Noodle Soup," Suga's "Daechwita"·"Girls of My Dreams," and V's "Christmas Tree."
"Stay Alive," which displays both dreamy and magnificent mood, drew attention as it was produced by Suga and performed by Jung-kook.
"7FATES: CHAKHO" is a collaborated work of BTS that is reinterpreted into the webtoon and web novel from the idea of "Chakhogapsa(捉虎甲士)," which is known as an army that hunts tigers, and the BTS members transform into the tiger hunters.
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