[Today’s K-pop] Shinee’s Key to hold online solo concert

Key of Shinee will be hosting an online concert on his own on Sept. 26 that will be livestreamed around the world via Naver’s V Live.

The concert, titled “Key: Groks in the Keyland,” will be his first standalone concert in about 2 1/2 years. Tickets to the show will be available for purchase from Sept. 1.

In the meantime, his prerelease single “Hate That ...” that came out on Monday hit No. 1 on iTunes’ top songs chart in 10 regions as well as several music charts in Korea. The R&B number featuring Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation was released prior to his solo album, which is slated to be dropped next month.

Stray Kids’ 2nd LP becomes 1st million-seller

Stray Kids’ second studio album sold over 1.1 million copies as of Tuesday, becoming the first million-selling album for the band as well as its label JYP Entertainment, the company announced.

The eight-member band’s second LP “Noeasy” came out on Aug. 23 and logged more than 930,000 units in preorders. The LP topped iTunes’ albums chart in 40 regions and its worldwide albums chart.

The title track “Thunderous” landed atop iTunes’ songs chart in 52 regions as well as the worldwide song chart. The song also hit No. 86 on Spotify’s global top 200 last week.

The music video for the main song gathered 50 million views on YouTube as of Monday, and is expected to become its fifth video to surpass 100 million views, following “God’s Menu,” “Miroh,” “Back Door,” and “My Pace.”

Rookie group MCND begins new chapter 

Boy band MCND introduced its third EP “The Earth: Secret Mission Chapter 1” in an online showcase Tuesday.

“We’ve started a new series after wrapping up the first series that spanned from the debut album until earlier this year. We hope many would keep an eye on us with interest in how our perspective evolves,” said Castle J.

The new series follows a theme of missions that need to be completed before they are revealed to fans, a concept befitting the group since the members have not been able to meet fans in person since it debuted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The missions can be found in different places in the world,” explained Bic, inviting fans to join them in a scavenger hunt so they reach the final destination together: a concert.

The band wants to deliver music that can help listeners dream and hope, as is evident with its name, which stands for Music Creates New Dream.

“(Our dreams) may be a little too big but I hope our music could enter music charts at home and abroad, including Billboard,” said Win.

Mamamoo’s Wheein signs with TheL1ve

Wheein of Mamamoo has found a new home at management company TheL1ve, a label established by singer Ravi, the firm announced Tuesday.

She debuted as a member of female band Mamamoo in 2014 and was the only one of the quartet that did not renew the contract with RBW Entertainment when the seven-year term expired in June. She did sign an agreement, though, to continue activities under the band’s name until December 2023.

On her Instagram, the singer thanked her fans for their patience. She promised to try to put out better music in the future.

“I will work hard to manage activities both as a member of Mamamoo and as a solo artist,” she went on, asking for continued support. Addressing her fans as “my lovely Moomoos,” Wheein confidently added, “Just trust me!”

TheL1ve was set up by Ravi seeking to support and work together with artists from a diverse range of genres. Ailee was the first to join the company.

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