[Today’s K-pop] Itzy to drop 2nd single in Japan in October

Itzy will put out its second single in Japan on Oct. 5, label JYP Entertainment announced Wednesday.

Single “Blah Blah Blah” will consist of four tracks, including the titular track and “Can’t Tie Me Down” as well as instrumental version of the two songs.

The quintet officially debuted in Japan in December last year with best-of album “It’z Itzy.” In March, it was named one of the best three new artists in Asia in the Japan Gold Disc Awards, and the first single “Voltage” swept a series of charts in April.

In the meantime, its fifth EP, “Checkmate,” came out in July and hit Billboard 200 at No. 8. The band is one of the four K-pop girl groups whose album ranked among the top 10 on the chart, along with Blackpink, Twice and aespa.

Earlier this month, the group held two concerts in Seoul and will begin the US tour in late October.

Seventeen collaborates with UK singer Anne-Marie

Seventeen will put out a collaboration with British singer and songwriter Anne-Marie on Friday, agency Pledis Entertainment said Wednesday.

It will be a rearrangement of “_World,” the main track from “Sector 17,” and a reissue of its fourth full album “Face The Sun.” The repackaged album debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 4, a career high for the band, and has stayed on the chart for the fourth week. It is the first repackaged K-pop album to sell over a million.

The vocalist, whose song “2002” -- co-written with Ed Sheeran -- was the first international song to top a major Korean music chart in 2019, has teamed up with a score of musicians from Sean Paul and David Guetta to Nick Jonas and Lauv.

Meanwhile, the band is in the middle of the North American leg of its international tour, set to perform in Chicago, Washington D.C., and Atlanta before hopping over to Canada.

Antenna denies signing with Jessi

Agency Antenna on Wednesday denied claims that it is considering bringing Jessi into the company.

The agency called the claims in the media report “baseless,” and said the two parties have not even been in contact.

Antenna is headed by singer and songwriter Yoo Hee-yeol and is the agency of comedian Yoo Jae-suk. Yoo Jae-seok, host of Sixth Sense, a variety show in which Jessi appears, played a role, the report said.  

Last month, Jessi’s then-agency P Nation announced that her contract had expired. She debuted as a solo musician in 2005 but gained recognition only in 2015 when she appeared in the reality contest show Unpretty Rap Star. She joined P Nation in 2019 when Psy founded the company and dropped a series of hits including “Nunu Nana” and “What Type of X.”

AB6IX surprises fans with special single

AB6IX put out a special single on Wednesday after wrapping up its fan meet tour on the previous day.

Single “Chance” is the band’s first English-language song.

It also is a surprise gift to fans and contains the bandmates’ emotions from meeting them in person for the first time in a long while due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The four members toured six cities in the US and two cities in Japan and returned to Seoul on Tuesday. Next week, they will head to Bangkok.

Separately, the four-piece act released their second EP in Japan, “Savior,” last week. The four-track EP included the Japanese version of “Savior,” the focus track from its fifth EP in Korea “A to B.” The band promoted the second EP with a series of events in Tokyo and Osaka for three days.

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