[Today’s K-pop] Astro’s Moonbin, Sanha return with second EP

Moonbin and Sanha of Astro held an online showcase Tuesday to introduce their second EP as a unit.

The EP comes out about 1 1/2 years since the previous EP “In-Out” and the title “Refuge” signifies how they want to offer shelter for listeners, taking a step further from the message of healing from the first EP.

They had high expectations for each other and were pleased that they managed to release the EP on the originally planned date. They tested positive for COVID-19 last week but have fully recovered.

“There were many challenges making this album, recording and learning the choreography,” Sanha said. The dance, in particular, was quite demanding but he was satisfied with his improvement afterward.

“It is sinking in how time flies fast,” said Moonbin when asked how he feels about his seven-year career. Over the years, they have been trying to find the right balance and are ready to show fans that there is nothing they cannot do, he said.

Monsta X’s Kihyun puts out solo single

Kihyun of Monsta X released his first solo single “Voyager” on Tuesday.

This is the first solo album since he debuted as a member of the band.

“It was a vague dream and it feels strange to realize that dream today,” said the performer. Striking out on his own had made him nervous and he was anxious about how fans would react, he said.

As the title suggests, he becomes a traveler and the first world he reaches is “utopia.”

He hopes the song would allow listeners to ”take a break from the reality where everything seems to run really fast.”

Kihyun co-wrote the lyrics for a track named “Comma.” It was his first time participating in the process and he wanted to the words to be a source of consolation for others. It also made him look up to his bandmates who have been making music.

“From now on, I will continue to challenge myself to (widen) my spectrum,” he said.

Twice’s ‘Fancy’ music video tops 500m views 

The music video of Twice’s “Fancy” reached 500 million views on YouTube, label JYP Entertainment said Tuesday.

The song is the main track from its seventh EP “Fancy You” that came out in April 2019. The EP sold over 150,000 copies in the first week of sales, a first for a K-pop girl group.

This is the group’s fourth video to reach the milestone, following those of “TT,” “Likey” and “What Is Love?”

The nine-member act has the most music videos with over 100 million views – 20 of them -- among all-girl bands in the world. Of the 20, 13 videos have more than 300 million views as that of “Knock Knock,” the focus track from the 2017 special album “TWICEcoaster: Lane2,” surpassed the number on Monday.

The band will perform in Tokyo next month.

TVXQ! to drop EP in Japan

TVXQ! is releasing an EP in Japan titled “Epitaph” on Wednesday, label SM Entertainment announced Tuesday.

Lead track “Epitaph - for the future -” is a dance number that demonstrates the duo’s powerful performance.

The six-track EP will also include “Light My Moon Like THIS,” which combines the solo songs of the two -- Changmin’s “You Light My Moon” and U-know’s “Shake It Like THIS.”

U-know’s solo Japanese EP “Kimiwa Sakie Yuku,” which translates roughly as “you go first,” from last month topped Oricon’s daily and weekly album charts. Changmin’s solo EP “Devil” came out in January and was No. 1 on the iTunes top albums chart in 14 regions.

TVXQ! started as a quintet in 2003 and was reorganized as a duo in 2011.

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