[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s Baekhyun to return as solo

Baekhyun of EXO is preparing a new solo album that is slated to be released at the end of March, according to a local news report Thursday.

SM Entertainment confirmed that it will be unveiled on March 30 following the report. 

It has been 10 months since he put out second solo EP “Delight” but he has kept himself busy rolling out digital single “Amusement Park” in December 2020 and first Japanese solo EP “Baekhyun” in January.

His solo debut EP “City Light” sold the most for a solo musician in 2019. “Delight” sold over 1 million units in about one month, becoming the first million-selling album of a solo artist after that of Kim Gunmo in 2001. It also made him the second K-pop artist to have million-seller both as a solo and as a group after Seo Tai-ji who achieved the feat in 2000. 

All of his solo EPs topped global music charts as well. The veteran idol hosted an online concert, his first as a solo, in January attracting 110,000 fans from around the world.

Blackpink Rose reveals solo album title 

Rose of Blackpink floated a teaser poster for her upcoming solo single EP, revealing the name: “R.”

She gazes into the camera lying with her right cheek down against a dreamy purple background while the poster tells that the EP including the yet-to-be-titled focus track will be released on March 12. 

Expectations are high after she performed “Gone,” the sub-title track from the debut solo EP, at the band’s online concert “The Show” in January. The teaser trailer for “R” amassed over 45 million views on YouTube since it was uploaded late January.

She has finished shooting the video for the title track about two months ago according to her management company YG Entertainment adding that record amount of budget has been assigned to the visuals.

CL chosen for Google campaign video 

CL is selected as one of the prominent women featured in Google’s Women’s History Month campaign. 

In a 90-second video titled “First of Many – Women’s History Month 2021,” she appears along with trailblazers in a wide range of fields from around the world including: American astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space; Polish-French scientist Marie Curie, the first female Nobel Prize winner; German scientist Ozlem Tureci who developed the leading vaccine against COVID-19; and first female rapper Sha-Rock. 

CL, with a scene from her “+HWA+” music video, is one of the female rappers following the US pioneer, popping up with the likes of Missy Elliott and Cardi B. She is the first female K-pop artist to enter Billboard’s Hot 100. 

Google is celebrating March with a highlight on female pioneers. Some names included in the list are: British Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, American labor rights activist Dolores Huerta, Indian social/educational reformer Savitribai Phule, Kenyan educational activist Kakenya Ntaiya, Brazilian football player Marta Vieira da Silva, and Cambodian activist Mu Sochua.

BTS’ V sets new record with Facebook post

V of BTS set another record on social media becoming the first male artist in Korea to have a post with more than 1 million “likes” on Facebook. 

He uploaded a series of photographs –- 20 in total to be exact -- on Dec. 30 last year on the band’s Facebook account to mark his birthday under “2020 V day.” The photos gave fans a sneak peek at his activities and amassed over 1 million “likes.” This is the highest number for all male artists in Korea on the SNS channel.

Although V does not have his personal account, he was the first of BTS bandmates to receive 1 million “likes” on the band’s Twitter account when he posted a selfie in December 2017. Another selfie from August 2020 raked in over 3.2 million hearts, the highest record in Korea that year.

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