[Today’s K-pop] Twice to return next month with 12th EP ‘Ready To Be’

Twice is making a comeback on March 10 with its 12th EP “Ready To Be,” said label JYP Entertainment on Friday.

The EP comes about seven months since its previous album “Between 1＆2” that notched third place on Billboard 200, its third entry among top ten on the chart. The 11th EP was the fifth most-sold album in US last year, according to music sales data provider Luminate.

The group dropped the English-language single “Moonlight Sunrise” last month as a pre-release for the upcoming EP. The single debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 84, its second entry on the chart, following first English-language single “The Feels” that came out in 2021.

The nonet also was named winner of the Breakthrough Award from the 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards. It is the first K-pop act to receive the award.

Itzy adds concert to world tour

Itzy will perform one more time in Hong Kong on March 12, according to label JYP Entertainment on Friday.

The quintet is touring Asia since mid-January as part of its first international tour that started in Seoul in August last year. It visited eight cities in the US last year and from Saturday, will continue the Asian leg of the tour with seven concerts in five cities across Asia.

It was set to go live in Hong Kong on March 11 but decided to do so once more on the following day after tickets sold out upon release.

Meanwhile, the bandmates will greet their fans in Seoul next week at its second fan meeting “To Wonder World.” The event will be broadcast online as well.

TXT sets record with 5th EP album sales

Tomorrow X Together’s 5th EP is the fourth-best selling in terms of first week sales, according to a local sales data chart.

EP “The Name Chapter: Temptation” sold over 2.18 million copies in the first week, placing fourth behind BTS releases which took the first three spots. It bumped down Stray Kids’ seventh EP “Maxident” to fifth place.

Tomorrow X Together’s fifth EP sold over 2 million in six days, making the band the youngest K-pop act, at three years and 11 months, to achieve the feat.

The album headed straight to the top of Oricon’s weekly combined album ranking for the week. It was No. 1 on its weekly album chart, becoming the first international artist to put seven consecutive albums atop the chart.

Victon’s Kang Seungsik to host solo fan meet

Kang Seungsik of Victon will greet his fans on his own at a fan meet event scheduled for March 4, said agency IST Entertainment on Friday.

It is likely to be the last time he meets his fans in person before he starts serving his military duty on March 20. He is to serve as a member of the Korean military band like his bandmate Hang Seungwoo, who was discharged last month.

Victon hosted a concert in Japan in December last year after releasing its eighth EP “Choice” in November. The EP featured only five members, however, as Han was enlisted and Heo Chan left the band after being caught for driving under influence.

Kang also has appeared in musicals including “Equal,” in which he was double cast with bandmate Im Sejoon.

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