Baekhyun of EXO talked about his new EP, “Bambi,” at an online media conference Tuesday.

“Through ‘Bambi,’ you will be able to see that Baekhyun has grown from a boy into a young man,” said the artist, adding that fans would feel his maturity as a 30-year-old (Korean age). He agonized over how to be sexy without coming on too strong, he added.

The EP, his third as a soloist, consists of six R&B tracks. One, “Amusement Park,” was dropped as a single last year.

The album sold over 830,000 units in preorders, raising expectations for another million-seller like his previous EP.

“It would be a lie if I said there was no pressure,” he admitted. “I believe I was lucky last time and still feel the same.” He apologized for not being able to repay the support from his fans since he will soon be starting his military duty.

NiziU gains further momentum in Japan 


NiziU is building up its success in Japan with a prerelease from its second Japanese single. 

The group unveiled “Take a Picture” at midnight and it shot to the top of major music charts in Japan, including iTunes and Line Music.

“Take a Picture” was co-written by head producer Park Jinyoung and picked for a Coca-Cola Japan TV commercial well before the official release of the record, slated for April 7.

NiziU performed the song for the first time Monday on a TBS music program and will appear on a number of established television music shows next month.

The nine-piece female band successfully launched its career last year with the digital album “Make You Happy” and won three awards from Japan Gold Disc Award 2021 earlier this month, including a rookie award.

Winner’s Kang Seungyoon stands strong as soloist


Kang Seungyoon of Winner demonstrated his strength as a solo musician with his debut album.

His first solo studio album, “Page,” landed at the top of the iTunes albums chart in 18 regions, according to label YG Entertainment on Tuesday.

Kang, who has had a string of hit songs with the band, wrote the lyrics and melodies for all 12 tracks on the new album. In “IYAH,” he sings of the responsibilities and pressure that come with growing up, reflecting on his own life.

He burst onto the music scene through an audition program in 2010 and has been the leader of the four-piece act since 2014.

“I have been known to the public with music for about a decade and as it took me such a long time to come out with the first full-length album, I thought I should talk more about myself rather than sing of a theme such as love,” he said at a media conference Monday.

ITZY hits 300m views with “Wannabe” music video 


ITZY’s “Wannabe” music video surpassed 300 million views on YouTube, setting a record for the group, said management company JYP Entertainment on Tuesday.

“Wannabe” is from the band’s second EP, “IT’z ME,” which came out in March last year, and is about how the performers want to show their true colors and not be bound by what others think. Since its debut in 2019 with “Dalla Dalla,” all the band’s videos have logged more than 100 million views.

ITZY recently celebrated the second anniversary of its debut with a livestream and put out a song named after its official fandom community, “Midzy.” The song featured English lyrics, adding to speculation that ITZY is considering breaking into the US.

The quintet is releasing a new EP, “Guess Who,” April 30.

By Hwang You-mee (glamazon@heraldcorp.com)