[Today’s K-pop] Baekhyun tops iTunes charts in 60 regions

Baekhyun of EXO swept across charts at home and abroad with his third EP “Bambi.”

The EP was unveiled Friday and landed at the top of all weekly and monthly charts in Korea. It also topped iTunes top albums chart in 60 regions, and the musician became the first K-pop male act to record double platinum, with sales over 2 million Chinese yuan, on China’s largest music site QQ Music.

His second solo EP “Delight” was a million seller and “Bambi” sold over 760,000 units on the first day. During a livestream before the release of the EP, however, he told fans that he would not be able to promote it as he will start his military service soon.

The date, he confirmed last week, is May 6, and he will receive three weeks of basic training and serve as a social service agent as he has hypothyroidism.

BTS may come back with new music in May 

BTS is putting out new music in May, according to local media reports Monday. Its label Big Hit Entertainment said that it would announce the timeline after it is confirmed, following the reports.

The bandmates have been saying on few occasions that they are working on new music and will come back soon, adding that some are preparing solo projects as well, in an interview with ET Canada last month. V, for one, mentioned that he would be releasing a mixtape soon admitting that he is getting ambitious and feeling the pressure at the same time, making his first solo album.

The septet is rolling out its best-of album in Japan in June and “Film Out,” a pre-release from the album co-written by Jungkook, topped iTunes top songs chart in 97 regions. It recently performed at the Grammy Award which also nominated the band for best duo/group performance, and became the first Korean nominee for the 2021 Brit Awards that will be held next month.

Blackpink Rose’s video logs 10 million views 

Rose of Blackpink attracted more than 10 million views in about 14 hours with the video of her solo song “Gone.”

It was unveiled at midnight and went past the milestone in the afternoon Monday, becoming the most-viewed video in 24 hours on YouTube.

“Gone” is the sub-title track from her solo debut album “R” and sings of the state of mind as she tries to keep herself together after letting go her loved one. The singer performed the song for the first time during the band’s digital concert in January and the teaser trailer recorded over 51 million views on YouTube.

“On The Ground,” title track from the album debuted atop iTunes top songs chart in 51 regions as well Billboard’s Global 200 and Global Excluding US.

Red Velvet’s Wendy stands tall on her own 

Wendy of Red Velvet hosted an online media conference on Monday and talked about her first solo EP “Like Water.”

“I couldn’t believe it when I first heard that I’ll be making a debut as a solo (musician),” she confided. As she started preparing the album, however, it dawned on her. She felt more responsible and wanted to make songs that solely focused on her voice and her sentiments.

The double title tracks -- “Like Water” and “When This Rain Stops” -- are very close to her own story, said the songstress, and will offer solace, empathy and gratitude alternately.

It has taken her seven years since debut to strike out on her own, including the two years she stayed off stage due to injury, and now she wants to show the real her.

“I want to continue the journey to finding my own color as a singer with my fans,” she said.

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