[Today’s K-pop] Kep1er vows to keep going with 1st LP

Kep1er held a media conference Monday in Seoul to introduce its first full-length album “Kep1going On.”

The 10-track album comes nine months after the group's fifth EP “Magic Hour.”

“Since we are coming back after a long while, we wanted to show a more mature side of us,” said Hikaru. Every song counts and “the album celebrates the time we have been together with fans,” added Choi Yujin.

The album will be a “turning point” for the group as Seo Young-eun said, as it is not only its first LP but also the last album to feature all nine members. The project group renewed its contract recently but Kang Yeseo and Mashiro will leave after promoting the album and performing at the group's concert next month.

“We have come so far based on our trust in each other,” said Kang tearing up before asking fans to know that they will always be a sister of nine.

BTS’ RM hits Billboard 200 at No. 5 with 2nd solo album

RM of BTS' second solo album came in at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, according to the chart preview published online Sunday.

The EP “Right Place, Wrong Person” was released May 24 and entered the main albums chart to become his third solo entry there. His first entry was the mixtape “Mono.” from 2018 which claimed the No. 26 spot. His first solo album “Indigo” from 2022 peaked at No. 3 after debuting at No. 15. He is the first K-pop solo artist to have two consecutive albums among the top five on the chart.

The album also hit the UK’s Official Albums Chart Top 100 at No. 37, eight rungs higher than the previous solo album, while the lead single “Lost!” claimed the No. 93 spot on its Official Singles Chart Top 100.

aespa to drop Japan debut single in July

Aespa is poised to tackle Japan next month with its debut single “Hot Mess,” according to label SM Entertainment on Monday.

The single album is titled “Hot Mess” and will consist of three songs. The titular track will be a dance number that declares “I will live like me” through punchy rapping combined with saxophone sounds while the B-side track “Sun and Moon” will be an R&B tune that gently sings of hope. Also included will be “Zoom Zoom” which was used as an ending theme song for the Japanese animation “Beyblade X” last year. The album will drop on July 3.

The group will also visit fans in the country for its second international tour which will take it to five cities in July and August.

Meanwhile, the group’s first full album “Armageddon,” out last week, is sweeping charts at home and abroad.

Stray Kids log 200m views with ‘S-Class’ music video

Stray Kids garnered 200 million views on YouTube with the music video for “S-Class” as of Sunday, label JYP Entertainment said Monday.

It is the band’s fifth video to reach the milestone after those of “God’s Menu,” “Back Door,” “Thunderous” and “Maniac.”

“S-Class” is the focus track from their third studio album “Five-Star," released in June last year. The single topped the iTunes Top Songs chart in 43 regions and ranked No. 42 on Spotify’s daily Top 50 Global chart.

The LP debuted atop the iTunes Top Albums chart in 33 regions before landing atop the Billboard 200, becoming the eight-member act’s third consecutive chart-topper, before staying on the chart for 12 consecutive weeks. The album sold over 5.13 million copies in two days and broke the first-week album sales record in K-pop history at the time.