[Today’s K-pop] Shinee tops iTunes chart in 45 regions

Shinee demonstrated their star power sweeping across the world with their new album “Don’t Call Me.”
 
The band’s seventh studio album that came out Monday -- its first in 2 1/2 years -- landed at the top of iTunes’ top albums chart in 45 regions, including the US, UK, Germany and Canada, according to management company SM Entertainment on Tuesday. It also topped multiple charts in Korea as well as those in China and Japan.
 
The four-piece act will perform the title track for the first time, to be broadcast live via its channels on YouTube and Naver’s V Live. 
 
The veteran idol group returned as a whole unit after Onew, Minho and Key completed their compulsory military duties.

Sunmi goes feline for new single

Sunmi went through another transformation for her new digital single “Tail.”
 
As the song title suggests, she was inspired by cats, said the solo artist at an online showcase Tuesday. The addictive guitar riff is quite attractive, she said, of the titular song that compares a passionate, instinctive and self-confident woman in love to the sophisticated and agile characteristics of felines.
 
She came across the word “tail” randomly, and was fascinated by how the body part can be a means of expression that is simple and straightforward. The choreography is bold yet full of details created by Janel Guinestra, a dancer and choreographer who has worked with Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez.
 
The sensitive and sharp sounds and behaviors that sometimes get on your nerves were blended into the song, explained the performer who wrote the lyrics.
 
“This is completely different from the music I’ve been doing. The performance also is surely new and my heart is full of worries and aflutter at the same time,” she said.

NCT 127 tops Oricon weekly chart for 1st time 

NCT 127 rose to the top of Japan’s Oricon chart with its EP “Loveholic” on Tuesday.
 
It is the boy band’s second Japanese EP and this is the first time it topped Oricon’s weekly albums chart, according to SM Entertainment.
 
The EP was released last week and landed at No. 1 on Oricon’s daily albums chart. It also topped a series of charts, including Billboard Japan’s top album sales weekly chart.
 
The album consists of five new songs in Japanese, including lead track “Gimme Gimme,” themed under love, as well as “Kick It,” the focus track from its second studio album in Korean. 

WayV to put out 3rd EP 

WayV will release its third EP “Kick Back” on March 10, according to SM Entertainment on Tuesday.
 
It will comprise six songs that encompass a range of genres.
 
The band’s first studio album “Awaken the World” topped iTunes’ top albums chart in 21 regions as well as charts of China’s largest music site QQ Music and Japan’s AWA when it was released in June last year.
 
Meanwhile, the first episode of the second season of reality program “WayVision” aired Monday. Under the theme of winter sports, the seven bandmates compete against each other carrying a torch through snow and racing on sleds equipped with boosters.

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