[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s Kai to return as solo musician next month: report

Kai of EXO will make a comeback as a solo performer in mid-March, according to a local media report Tuesday.

SM Entertainment confirmed the news following the report.

His last solo release was his second EP, “Peaches,” which came out in November 2011. The EP reached first place on the iTunes top albums chart in 68 regions.

During the last week of January, Kai held his first solo live event in Japan, greeting fans in Nagoya, Osaka and Yokohama.

He is also preparing for the group’s all-out return. With Baekhyun back from serving his military duty, EXO will host a fan meet event in Seoul in April to celebrate the 11th anniversary of their debut. An album is also on the way.

Kep1er confirms Japan tour for May

Kep1er will tour Japan for the first time starting in late May, announced agency WakeOne/Swing Entertainment on Tuesday.

The group will go live in Tokyo on May 20-21, then head over to Nagoya and Kobe the following month for two concerts each.

The nine-member multinational act officially debuted in Japan in September last year with a sold-out showcase. Its Japanese debut single, “Fly-Up,” recorded more than 100,000 shipments and earned gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan.

The group will release their second single, “Fly-By,” in Japan on March 15, raising expectations for the tour. It will consist of five tracks including the main track “I Do! Do You?” and a new song “tOgetherfOrever,” as well as Japanese-language versions of "Wa Da Da," “MVSK” and “We Fresh,” which fronted its third EP “Troubleshooter.”

NCT127’s 4th LP, repack sells over 3m copies

NCT127 sold more than three million copies of its fourth full-length album and repack, according to label SM Entertainment on Tuesday.

The combined sales record of the LP “2 Baddies” and the reissue “Ay-Yo” surpassed 3.2 million, making them the band’s second to achieve the feat. Its third LP “Sticker” and reissue “Favorite” sold over 3.5 million copies.

The album “Ay-Yo” was rolled out in January, adding three new tracks to 12 songs from the fourth LP that hit Billboard 200 at No. 3. ABC News touted the band as “the inventors of a new genre” in an article published last month.

Separately, the seven-member group wrapped up its second international tour, "Neo City – The Link," last month. It toured 17 cities across the world for 28 concerts and welcomed approximately 700,000 fans in person.

SHINee’s Key tops iTunes chart in 20 regions with 2nd repack

Key of SHINee landed on top of the iTunes top albums chart in 20 regions with “Killer,” a reissue of his second solo studio album, “Gasoline.”

The second LP came out six months ago and was No. 1 on the chart in 24 regions.

The repack consists of 14 songs in total, including three new songs -- the main track of the same title, “Heartless” and “Easy.”

The musician will perform in front of his fans in Osaka next month, continuing his solo Japan tour "G.O.A.T. In The Keyland Japan," for which he held two concerts in Yokohama last year. Before flying over to Japan, Key held a standalone concert on his own in Seoul, for the first time in more than 3 1/2 years.