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[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen to return in October

By Hwang You-mee

Published : Aug. 5, 2024 - 17:06

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(Credit: Pledis Entertainment) (Credit: Pledis Entertainment)

Seventeen will release its 12th EP in October, agency Pledis Entertainment said Monday.

The band will also embark on a world tour to be held across North America and Asia where it will perform songs from the upcoming album.

The tour will be named “Right Here,” after the group's best-of album “17 Is Right Here,” which was released in April. Consisting of 33 tracks, the compilation album set a record on the Oricon chart, topping its weekly combined album ranking for the 12th time. This extended Seventeen's record as the longest-charting international artist. The album is also the only K-pop album this year to sell over 3 million units.

The 13-member act’s encore tour in Japan and Korea earlier this year drew 380,000 fans. Next month, the group will headline Lollapalooza Berlin.

Le Sserafim to return with 4th EP

(Credit: Source Music) (Credit: Source Music)

Le Sserafim will make a comeback on Aug. 30 with its fourth EP, agency Source Music announced Monday.

The group signaled its return with a motion logo showing a bolt of lighting that reveals the title of the mini-album “Crazy.” A sliver of music – lasting only two seconds -- piqued fans' interest.

The upcoming album comes out about six months after the group hit a career-high with the previous EP “Easy.” The five-track album claimed the No. 8 spot on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for four weeks. The title track ranked No. 99 on Billboard's Hot 100, becoming the first entry on the main songs chart for the group. The third EP was Le Sserafim's third consecutive million-seller as well.

Last week, the idols wrapped up their fan meeting tour in Japan held in four cities.

NCT’s Yuta to drop solo music in Japan

(Credit: SM Entertainment) (Credit: SM Entertainment)

Yuta of NCT will host a solo showcase in Japan in October and will release an album, label SM Entertainment said Monday.

He will visit five prefectures in his native country – Fukuoka, Hyogo, Aichi, Tokyo and Osaka – from Oct. 5-27 for nine live shows under the title “Hope.”

The performer, the first idol from Japan to be launched by the label, has also branched into acting in Japan, appearing in a drama in 2022 and a movie in 2023.

Meanwhile, as the lead dancer of subunit NCT 127, he greeted 21,000 fans over the weekend through the two-date fan meeting held in Seoul. The live event celebrated the group's eighth debut anniversary, and NCT 127 announced plans for a concert in Seoul in January next year.

Blackpink amassed 13b Spotify streams

(Credit: YG Entertainment) (Credit: YG Entertainment)

Blackpink has garnered 13 billion plays on Spotify as of Aug. 1, according to the platform.

Its most streamed song is “How You Like That” from its first studio album “The Album.” It was dropped in June 2020 ahead of the album's release. It hit the 1 billion stream milestone in March, a first for a K-pop girl group and the third for a female band.

The group holds the Guinness World Record as the most streamed female band on Spotify since dethroning Little Mix last year. The music platform announced last week that it has compiled a playlist to mark Blackpink’s eighth debut anniversary.

The group will celebrate the occasion Thursday with an autograph session in Seoul and will walk down a “pink” carpet for the premiere of their tour film the following day.