[Today’s K-pop] Red Velvet, aespa team up for Christmas carol

Red Velvet and aespa will jointly release a Christmas carol, according to label SM Entertainment on Monday.

The two girl groups will roll out “Beautiful Christmas” on Wednesday in advance of the full release of the label’s winter album “2022 Winter SM Town: SMCU Palace.” The carol will front the album that is due out on Dec. 26.

The upcoming single will be full of festivities, as the idols sing of how spending time together with a loved one makes for the best day ever.

Separately, Red Velvet’s EP “The ReVe Festival 2022 -- Birthday” from last month is staying strong on music charts at home. The EP was No. 1 on iTunes top albums chart in 44 regions. As for aespa, its first reality show “Synk Road” also starts airing Wednesday.

New Jeans to drop prerelease from single album

New Jeans announced Monday the group will put out a song from its upcoming single album in advance.

With a motion poster that showed a fluffy bunny hopping and a phrase from the song -- “Oh Say It Ditto” -- the rookie girl group piqued the interest of fans for the song “Ditto” as well as album “OMG.”

“OMG” rolls out early next year on Jan. 2, but the group will drop “Ditto” on Dec. 19.

In the meantime, New Jeans' debut song “Cookie” made the New York Times' best songs of 2022 list. It was the only K-pop number to make the cut. “Hype Boy” from its first EP was also selected for Rolling Stone magazine’s 2022 best songs list, capturing the No. 24 spot, the highest for a K-pop act.

(G)I-dle collaborates with DJ Steve Aoki

DJ Steve Aoki will add his own spin to (G)I-dle’s recent hit “Nxde,” Cube Entertainment announced Monday.

With a teaser video mixing takes from the group’s music video and scenes from a festival hosted by the DJ, the management firm raised expectations for the remix version of the song.

“Nxde” is the main track from the quintet’s fifth EP “I Love” that came out in October. The EP topped iTunes top albums chart in 40 regions and debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 71, its first entry on the chart. The lead track ranked No. 50 on Billboard’s Global 200.

The original official music video amassed 100 million views on YouTube in just 15 hours, the group’s eighth to reach the milestone.

The five bandmates will hold an event to meet fans in Seoul on Jan. 28.

Monsta X to return next month

Monsta X returns on Jan. 9 with 12th EP “Reason,” according to Starship Entertainment on Monday.

It has been about nine months since the previous EP “Shape of Love,” which topped the worldwide and European iTunes albums charts. In May and June, the band toured the US, performing in nine cities across the country. It held a concert in September and released seasonal greetings in two different versions last month.

Five of the six-member act renewed their contract with the agency in August, while I.M signed with Sony Music Korea last month. He will continue group activities, however, while further pursuing his individual career.

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