J-hope of BTS surprised fans with a new solo song called “Blue Side” on Tuesday. 

The artist worked on what was originally an outro track from his 2018 solo mixtape “Hope World” into a full song adding lyrics and elongating the melody with the help of songwriters Hiss Noise and Adora. 

“It’s been three years since ‘Hope World’ came out today,” he said in a posting on the blog. 

“There are times when I miss those innocent days when I wrote down a music diary, all raw as I wanted,” he went on saying that those feelings are what pushed him to complete the track into a song. He was in need of a “blue resting place” that would offer solace and also calm him down even though it is not possible to turn back the clock. 

“Hope World” rose up to No. 38 on Billboard 200, the US magazine’s main albums chart, the highest record for a solo K-pop artist at the time.

Ateez sweeps across global charts


Ateez proved itself strong landing at the top of international music charts upon release of its sixth EP “Zero: Fever Part 2.”

The EP sold over 350,000 in pre-order before the official release on Monday and ranked high in all major charts in Korea as soon as the music was unveiled. The mini album landed at No. 1 on iTunes Top Albums charts in 36 regions including the US and the UK and topped Worldwide iTunes Album Chart. 

The title track “I’m The One” capped iTunes Top Songs charts in 20 regions and Worldwide iTunes Top Songs chart. The music video for the song also came in first at YouTube’s music video trending worldwide and video trending worldwide. 

The band will host an online showcase Tuesday night and perform “I’m The One” for the first time.

Ateez will also put out its first fully Japanese album “Into the A to Z” on March 24. The band recorded over 500 million streams in total on Spotify as of Feb. 28.

Super Junior 10th full length album


Super Junior is gearing up for its return with tenth studio album “The Renaissance.”

The band floated posters Tuesday via its SNS channels and the two contrasting concepts -- brightly colored party version and dark and enigmatic trap version -- of the poster intrigued fans. 

The new LP consists of ten tracks in total, including title track “House Party” as well as a remake of “Raining Spell for Love” that was unveiled in the promotion video. 

“The Renaissance” is available in 13 different takes that range from individual and group versions to units called “Passionate,” “Versatile,” and “Beautiful.” Each representing members, units and the group as a whole not only has different jackets but also different inside covers. 

The album will go on sale on March 16. It was originally scheduled to be released in December last year but the date was pushed back three times, as the management company apologized and said that it was due to trials and errors to put out better results.

Pentagon’s new album filled with self-made songs 


Pentagon unveiled the tracklist for its upcoming 11th EP “Love or Take” on Tuesday. 

The list shows that there are seven songs in total from title track “Do or Not” to bonus track made by leader Hui.

Hui and Wooseok teamed up again with composer Nathan for the title track that is full of cool “I don’t care” vibe against the band’s signature addictive melody. The trio wrote “Daisy,” focus track from the previous EP “WE:TH,” that was a big hit. 

Hui also wrote the bonus track that translates into “A Boy’s Sentiment” that would make a parting gift for his fans as he takes time off to serve his military duty. 

All the members of the eight-piece act participated in creating the EP showcasing their musical capabilities. 

The EP will be released on March 15.

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