[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen confirms Japan tour plan

Seventeen will tour three cities in Japan from Nov. 19, Pledis Entertainment announced Thursday.

It will perform six times, in Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya, until Dec. 4. It will be the band’s first dome tour in the country.

The Japan leg is likely to be the final part of its upcoming international tour. The first show is in Seoul on Saturday. In August, the band will start the North American leg bringing it to 12 cities, including Vancouver, Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington. The 13 bandmates will also take to the stage in four Asian cities after that.

Meanwhile, Seventeen’s fourth full album, “Face the Sun,” stayed on the Billboard 200 for a second week at No. 23. The LP debuted at No. 7, a record for the band.

Stray Kids’ 2nd Japanese EP tops Oricon chart

Stray Kids claimed the No. 1 spot on Oricon’s daily album chart with their second EP, “Circus.”

The EP was released Wednesday and headed straight to the top of the chart. It consists of six tracks: the title track, new songs “Fairytale” and “Your Eyes” as well as Japanese versions of “Maniac,” “Venom” and “Silent Cry.”

The band dropped the Japanese version of “Maniac” in advance, and it swept charts upon its release.

In the meantime, the eight-member act is in the US preparing for the American leg of their international tour, which starts Tuesday. They will visit fans in eight cities through July 20, then return to Tokyo for two more concerts. 

Heize collaborates with Monsta X’s I.M

Heize gave fans a taste of the upcoming single “Distance” on Thursday.

The singer teamed up with I.M of Monsta X, rapper and producer of the band, and they wrote the song together. It will be one of the 10 tracks on her second studio album, “Undo,” which will be fully unveiled on June 30.

Other featured artists range from Minnie of (G)I-dle to rapper Giriboy.

It has been about three years since her first LP, “She’s Fine.” Last year, she signed with P Nation and dropped third EP “Happen.” She has been releasing a series of works, such as digital single “Mother” and the original soundtrack for drama series “Our Blues.”

Separately, Monsta X wrapped up its US tour earlier this month.

Billlie to start new project next month

Billlie will put out new music through a new project whipped up by Yoon Jongshin, head producer of agency Mystic Story, in mid-July.

The seven bandmates of the girl group have finished shooting a music video and are in the final stages of preparing to officially return, the company said Thursday. Yoon participated in producing the group’s song, offering a new perspective on its unique narrative, the company added.

It has been five months since the rookie group released its second EP, “The Collective Soul and Unconscious: Chapter One.”

Billlie debuted in November last year with six members. Sheon, a runner-up on TV competition “Girls Planet 999: The Girls Saga,” joined right before the release of the debut EP, “The Billage of Perception: Chapter One.” 

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