[Today’s K-pop] Super Junior’s Yesung to release solo record in May

Yesung of Super Junior will come out with a fourth solo EP in May, said label S.M. Entertainment on Wednesday.

Three images of the veteran idol hailing the new album, titled “Phantom Pain,” were uploaded on the band’s social media channel, showing him sitting on a sofa. The EP will roll out May 3, but the video will be unveiled Friday.

Super Junior’s main vocalist put out his first solo EP, “Here I Am,” in April 2016. It has been almost two years since his latest EP, “Pink Magic.”

In the meantime, Donghae and Eunhyuk will host the first episode of their show on Naver’s mobile live platform on Friday. Since 2011 the duo has been working as a subunit called “D&E,” and plans for a studio album are in the works.

Oh My Girl celebrates 6th anniversary 

The bandmates of Oh My Girl will meet fans online to mark the sixth anniversary of their debut on Wednesday.

They will livestream a fan meet event via Naver’s V Live to celebrate, said agency WM Entertainment, adding that they would also present a special performance.

The septet debuted in 2015 with the EP “Oh My Girl” and earned platinum certificates last year with “Nonstop” and “Dolphin,” each of which amassed more than 100 million streams. The two hits won a total of eight awards from television music shows as well.

The girl group will come out with its eighth EP, “Dear OHMYGIRL,” May 10. On Monday it shared a teaser snippet announcing the title of the lead track -- “Dun Dun Dance” -- along with a cute brown bear character standing on what looks like Earth with an alien peeking out from behind.

Mamamoo’s Hwasa a “trailblazer”: Forbes

Hwasa of Mamamoo was named by Forbes as one of the 30 most influential people under 30 in Asia.

She was included on the magazine’s annual “30 Under 30” list along with the likes of New Zealand singer-songwriter Stella Bennett, Chinese plant-based food company founder Chichi Hong and an all-female robotics team from Afghanistan, which developed a low-cost ventilator for COVID-19 patients. The magazine praised them as “trailblazers” and “unparalleled examples of determination, hard work and innovation.” Singers/actors IU and Suzy and actor Nam Joohyuk also made the list.

The group’s nomination for Artist of the Year at the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards was mentioned, but Hwasa was also recognized for her solo efforts: garnering over 80 million views on YouTube with debut single “Twit” in 2019; and landing at No. 7 on the Billboard World Albums chart and topping the iTunes albums chart in the US with last year’s solo EP “Maria,” a first for a female K-pop artist.

BTS members may serve in military simultaneously: analyst

Reports from stock analysts forecast that the BTS bandmates may start serving their military duty next year.

An analyst report on Hybe, the parent company of the band’s label, Big Hit Music, predicted that the artists would enlist concurrently and create music in advance so that their activities would be interrupted for no more than a year. Given their popularity, they could continue generating profits, it said.

After the report came out Wednesday, the company said it had nothing more to add regarding the military service issue. A revision to the law was announced at the end of 2020 enabling pop culture artists who have contributed greatly to enhancing the country’s image to postpone service until the age of 30. Jin, the oldest member of BTS, could defer his enlistment until 2022.

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