Rookie boy group Riize is set to return with its first LP "Odyssey" on May 19, according to its agency SM Entertainment on Monday. The new album marks the group’s first major release in about 11 months after its first EP "Riizing" in June. "Odyssey" will feature 10 tracks and is available for preorder from Monday through various online and offline music retailers. Known for distinctive promotional strategies, Riize is preparing what the agency describes as its "first, best, and biggest" promotio

Bain, a member of K-pop boy band Just B who came out as part of the LGBTQ+ community last week, has expressed gratitude to Hong Seok-cheon, Korea’s first openly-gay celebrity who came out in 2000, for paving the way for the LGBTQ+ community in the Korean entertainment industry. On Sunday, Hong shared a thank-you message he received from Bain on his Instagram account. In the message, Bain expressed his deep appreciation, writing, “I read about your warm encouragement and advice in a news article

Taeyeon hosted her first solo standalone show in Macao over the weekend which drew about 20,000 in the audience, said label SM Entertainment on Monday. Under the title, “The Tense in Asia,” she welcomed her fans with a medley of hit songs that spanned across genres. Before closing the show, the songstress thanked the audience for letting her come to the city and filling up the venue, vowing to cherish the memory. She will carry on with the tour in Singapore this coming weekend. The tour is her s

Girl group Katseye will return to Korea with the new single “Gnarly,” according to Hybe Labels and Geffen Records on Sunday. The multinational group of six will drop the song and music video Wednesday and take to the stage on television music chart shows in Korea from May 1. It will be returning about seven months after it promoted two main tracks from the debut EP, “Soft Is Strong” — “Debut” and “Touch.” The latter generated 100 million streams on Spotify. As hinted through the teaser video for

Boy band NexZ is bringing out the second EP “O-rly?” on Monday, discussing the album in a statement released through JYP Entertainment. The seven-piece act returns with new music about five months since the previous mini album, “Nallina.” The new album consists of five tracks. The physical album will have an additional track, titled “Z Side_250226.” The titular track “best shows our unique energy, blending old-school hip-hop rhythm and dazzling performance,” said Seita. “There are many points th

Performances for the Japan leg of Taeyeon’s solo tour were abruptly canceled last week after essential equipment failed to arrive in time. A resurfaced online post by an anonymous SM Entertainment employee criticizing the Girls' Generation member for making excessive demands when preparing for shows is fueling debates over who is to blame. Prior to SM Entertainment’s 30th-anniversary concert “SMTown Live 2025 in Seoul” held Jan. 11-12, Taeyeon expressed frustration on fandom platform, Bubble, ov

For Choi Minho, stepping onto the theater stage was not about hiding behind a character — it was a deliberate choice to reveal himself more fully. "I wanted to show more of myself without hiding," said singer-actor Choi, who recently returned to the theater for his second play. After making his theatrical debut last year in "Waiting for Waiting for Godot," the SHINee member is back in the spotlight, this time starring in the romantic comedy "Rendezvous." Like his first project, "Rendezvous" is a

Jennie of Blackpink is rewriting the rules of K-pop promotion with her debut solo LP “Ruby,” unveiling an unprecedented seven music videos for tracks from the album. The singer, Sunday, released a new music video for her B-side track “Seoul City” through her official YouTube channel and social media platforms. With this release, Jennie has now released music videos for nearly half of the album’s 15 tracks — a first among K-pop artists. Typically, K-pop artists release two or three music videos,

BTS and Epik High's leaders are teaming up once again. Tablo of Epik High, one of the most influential hip-hop groups in South Korea, will release the new collaborative single “Stop The Rain” with BTS’s RM on May 2. On Thursday, Tablo posted a teaser for the track via his official social media accounts. The video features the sound of rainfall accompanied by the voices of both artists, alongside symbolic visuals of two playing cards — one depicting a falling angel and the other a crying characte

Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon has shared a public statement released by her global fan alliance on Instagram, addressing the cancellation of her "The Tense" concert in Tokyo. Taeyeon had originally been scheduled to perform "The Tense" concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. However, the shows were abruptly canceled after essential equipment failed to arrive in time, and local alternatives proved difficult to secure. Fans were shocked and dismayed by the sudden announcement on Ap

Jeon Somi is planning fan meet-and-greets in Japan and Korea this summer, according to agency The Black Label on Thursday. She will host her "Chaos" fan meetups in Seoul, Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. The Seoul event will be held on July 19 before she heads over to Tokyo on Aug. 1 and Osaka on August 3. Somi has been gearing up to resume musical activities by announcing the release of her first official light stick and the name of her fandom community, Sommunchi, on Thursday. Her latest musical endeav

Day6 surprised fans with news that it will release the digital single “Maybe Tomorrow” on May 7. In the first teaser image for the spring single, the four members walk in line under a starlit sky. The group is in the midst of its "Forever Young" international tour, held in 23 cities across the world for 45 shows. The band wrapped up the American leg of the tour in New York last week and will hit the stage in Yokohama, Japan, April 26-27. After visiting Jakarta, Indonesia, May 3 and dropping the

Enhypen uploaded teasers for its sixth EP “Desire: Unleash” on Friday via agency Belift Lab. A poster for the mini album showed blood red letters spelling out “Make You Mine” wiggling and jerking while an animated graphic of pitch black oozed over the album title, hinting at a darker and untamed ambience. The EP, due out on June 5, will be the beginning of a new narrative for the band, whose second LP “Romance: Untold” from last year hit the Billboard 200 at No. 2 and sold over 3 million copies.

Wendy of Red Velvet signed with ASND, according to a local media report Friday. The management company hinted at the move with a post on its social media saying: “We’re announcing a new artist today.” Wendy officially announced her decision to part ways with SM Entertainment earlier in April, telling fans that she is readying herself for a challenge in a new environment. She thanked her former label for making her who she is now over the last decade. “I worked up the courage to challenge myself

Bain, a member of boy band Just B, came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community during an overseas performance. He publicly declared his identity Tuesday during Just B’s stop in Los Angeles for its "Just Odd" world tour. He is now the third K-pop idol in a group to do so, following Jiae — formerly of Wassup — and Lara from Katseye. Bain is also the first member of a K-pop boy band to come out. During the performance Bain declared that he had something he wanted to share before saying, "I’m f---i