HYBE Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

LE SSERAFIM leader Kim Chaewon will not be participating in the girl group’s activities for the foreseeable future.Today (October 16), Source Music announced that LE SSERAFIM’s Kim Chaewon would be stepping back from the girl group’s activities due to her health. The news comes a week and a half after the singer, as well as her bandmates Huh Yunjin and Kazuha, were diagnosed with Type A Influenza.“Kim Chaewon has been in the process of recovering from Type A Influenza.

HYBE founder Bang Si-hyuk has revealed that BTS will release an album marking the 10-year anniversary of their 2015 series ‘The Most Beautiful Moment In Life’.The album series – which is often called ‘HYYH’ in reference to its Korean name, ‘화양연화’ – was released in two parts, with the first arriving on April 29, 2015 and the second on November 30. A repackaged record, ‘The Most Beautiful Moment In Life: Young Forever’, was released on May 2, 2016.During an appearance on Bloomberg Screentime, Bang shared news of the upcoming anniversary album.

BTS’ Jimin will release a solo documentary film, Jimin’s Production Diary, later this month, HYBE has announced.The singer will be the third member of the band to release his own documentary, following J-hope’s J-hope In The Box and Suga’s Road To D-Day. Notably, however, Jimin’s film will only be released on Weverse, whereas his bandmates’ films were also available on Disney+.Jimin’s Production Diary will capture the making of Jimin’s debut solo album ‘FACE’, which was released in March.

League of Legends World Championship anthem featuring NewJeans.According to a press release, ‘Gods’ marks the first time a K-pop act has sung the League of Legends World Championship anthem. The song also marks the 10th anniversary of anthems for the annual esports tournament.“The 2023 Worlds music video follows the story of Korean pro player Kim ‘Deft’ Hyuk-kyu, from his discovery of League of Legends in high school, to his run at Worlds 2022 alongside his team that overcame all odds to become World Champions,” the press release reads.‘Gods’ performed by NewJeans, and was written by Riot Games’ principal composer Sebastien Najand along with Mako’s Alex Seaver.

BTS member Jungkook has spoken about having haters and why he feels grateful towards him in his own way.Over the weekend, BTS’ Jungkook held the first of three listening parties for his new single, ‘3D’ featuring Jack Harlow, on the platform Stationhead.During the livestream, as archived on YouTube by fans, listeners could send in questions and comments to the K-pop idol through a live chat feature. One such commenter said they were “looking into [supporting] other idol groups”, which was noticed by Jungkook.The singer then responded to the comment saying that the commenter was “free to do so”, but that he is “grateful for those who support me”, as translated by Koreaboo. He added that he is aware that “there are plenty of people who don’t like me” but that he “[doesn’t] really care too much about them”.Later, the singer spoke about how he is actually “grateful for even the malicious comments” in his own way.

K-pop singer and former NU’EST member Baekho has dropped a sultry cover of Brown Eyed Girls’ ‘Abracadabra’.The singer has released a cover of the 2009 Brown Eyed Girls hit through his official YouTube channel. Baekho’s rendition of the song swaps its electronic sound for a guitar-led R&B instrumental, with the singer also slowing down parts of ‘Abracadabra’.“Bring, bring, I want to hold you in my arms / I will do anything and even more / Bling bling, you are my fantasy / I’ll put everything / In stake to have you,” he sings in the chorus.The new cover comes two weeks after the singer dropped his remake of singer Park Jin-young’s 1995 hit ‘Elevator’, for which he has also released a performance video.Prior to this, Baekho’s last music release was his debut mini-album ‘Absolute Zero’ in October 2022, which was led by the single ‘No Rules’.

LE SSERAFIM member Huh Yunjin has shown for love for Icelandic-Chinese singer-songwriter Laufey.Over the weekend, LE SSERAFIM’s Huh Yunjin said on fan community platform Weverse that she would “love to” cover a song by Laufey. Her message was in response to a fan who said they “would die if you’d cover a Laufey song”.Yunjin’s interaction on Weverse soon made its rounds among fans on Twitter, before being picked up by Laufey herself today (September 26).

K-pop boyband SEVENTEEN have taken down a teaser clip for their upcoming mini-album after receiving backlash from Chinese fans.Over the past few days, the 13-member group have released a series of teaser clips featuring famous landmarks in different cities around the world to promote their upcoming mini-album ‘Seventeenth Heaven’, which arrives in October.These included shots of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Times Square in New York, Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo and the Great Wall of China in Beijing, with smiling chamomile flowers – also featured in the record’s album art – floating around them.SEVENTEEN (세븐틴) 11th Mini Album 'SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN'

BTS singer Jungkook will be dropping a new single featuring American rapper Jack Harlow titled ‘3D’ later this week.On September 23, the K-pop singer performed as a headliner at the 2023 Global Citizen Festival in New York, where he screened a mysterious teaser video.According to Big Hit Music, Jungkook’s ‘3D’ will be a “pop R&B track with clever expressions of feelings toward an unattainable person from the perspectives of first, second and third dimensions.” The agency also teased a “more mature side of Jungkook” in the upcoming release.Shortly after his performance Big Hit Music announced that Jungkook’s second solo single ‘3D’ featuring Jack Harlow will be released on September 29 at 1pm KST.The BTS singer has since released two ‘Hero’ films teasing the upcoming single, which feature him posing in a simple spaceship-inspired set.The K-pop agency later took to its official social media accounts to share the first set of concept photos accompanying the upcoming single.#정국 #JungKook 3D Concept Photo – 2D#JungKook_3D pic.twitter.com/EwihqihfL1— BIGHIT MUSIC (@BIGHIT_MUSIC) September 24, 2023 ‘3D’ comes two months after the release of the BTS singer’s debut solo single ‘Seven’ featuring rapper Latto, which arrived in July. Its accompanying visual also starred South Korean actress Han So-hee, best known for leading Netflix’s My Name.In a four-star review of the track, NME’s Rhian Daly called it “a summer-ready bop that also adds new facets to the singer’s artistry”.Shortly after the release of ‘Seven’ Jungkook shared on bandmate Suga’s talk show that he plans to drop a “small mini-album” by November 2023 after releasing his second single.

NewJeans’ Hyein has unveiled a cover of BTS member V’s recent solo single ‘Slow Dancing’.Hyein has become the third member of NewJeans contribute to the girl group’s recently launched ‘By Jeans’ series of covers on YouTube. For her turn, the K-pop idol decided to share her rendition of ‘Slow Dancing’ by BTS’ V.“Today, I have the honour of covering V’s song ‘Slow Dancing’.

Suga, a member of K-pop boyband BTS, has enlisted in the military today (September 22).Ahead of his enlistment today, Suga took to fan community platform Weverse to share a message to his fans. “I was able to come this far thanks to you. And the time has come.

Big Hit Music trainees have opened up about the members of BTS and whether the septet have changed since their debut.In a new interview with Korea Now, the English-language YouTube channel of South Korean news outlet Yonhap News Agency, former Big Hit Music trainees Kim Ji-hoon and Hwang Ji-hwan opened up about their experiences at the K-pop agency and training alongside the now-BTS members.Kim spoke about how he sometimes watches clips of BTS on YouTube, nothing that the septet are “the same as they used to be” when they were all trainees together. He added that, even then, he thought BTS leader RM “had leadership qualities”.

SEVENTEEN have announced their 11th mini-album, titled ‘Seventeenth Heaven’.Today (September 20), SEVENTEEN dropped a teaser video for their upcoming mini-album, ‘Seventeenth Heaven’. The project, which is their second mini-album of 2023 after April’s ‘FML’, will be released on October 23 at 6pm KST.Meanwhile, information about the mini-album’s design and inclusions have been revealed on SEVENTEEN’s Weverse page.

DK of K-pop boyband SEVENTEEN has been named Bally’s newest global brand ambassador.Bally and DK announced the new ambassadorship on Instagram through a collaboration post, featuring images of the K-pop idol modelling pieces from the Swiss luxury fashion house.In a statement to South Korean news site FashionN, Bally CEO Nicolas Girotto said: “We are excited to welcome DK, the versatile artist from the iconic group SEVENTEEN as our new global ambassador. His trendy style and warm personality match Bally’s values perfectly.”A post shared by Bally (@bally)At the same time, Equire Korea also released a new video featuring DK from the same photoshoot.

BTS singer Jungkook has opened up about how he misses working with the boyband.In a recent interview with 103.5 KISS FM, Jungkook discussed his solo debut earlier this year with ‘Seven’ and missing his BTS bandmates. During the interview, Jungkook shared that he wanted to perform with the group again soon.“Of course, each member has his own trait, so I could say what I miss about each of them. But more than that, as I worked on my solo project, I got to really miss all the moments we shared together rather than feeling empty,” he said.“For example, staying in the waiting room even though each of us were doing our own thing.

BTS singer V has released a visual for his song ‘For Us’, a cut from his debut solo album ‘Layover’.On September 16, the K-pop singer unveiled the music video for ‘For Us’, the final track from his debut album ‘Layover’ to get a visual treatment.The new visual largely comprises outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage from the record’s previous music videos. “You went from my home to / It was nice to know you / And it breaks my heart / That we gave it our best shot,” BTS’ V sings in the chorus.Ahead of the ‘Layover’’s release, V dropped music videos for the pre-release tracks ‘Rainy Days’ and ‘Love Me Again’.

V of K-pop boyband BTS has become the first K-pop artist to appear on ‘Tiny Desk Korea’, the first “international TV format version” of NPR’s iconic ‘Tiny Desk’ series.BTS’ V kicked off his three-song set with a mellow performance of ‘Love Me Again’, accompanied up by a full band and three back-up singers. Following that, the singer introduced his band members, who all played a short solo.“Hello, this is V From BTS.

BTS‘ Jungkook and Tomorrow X Together (TXT) recently gathered to celebrate their wins at the 2023 MTV VMAs.Over the weekend, K-pop boyband Tomorrow X Together took home the trophy for Push Performance of the Year for ‘Sugar Rush Ride’. The group also premiered their as-yet-unreleased single ‘Back for More’, featuring Anitta.Meanwhile, BTS’ Jungkook won Song of the Summer for his hit single ‘Seven’, featuring Latto.

NewJeans member Haerin has released her charming cover of South Korean duo AKMU‘s latest single, ‘Love Lee’.Haerin’s perform of ‘Love Lee’ is part of NewJeans’ new ‘By Jeans’ series of YouTube covers, which launched earlier this month with Danielle’s version of ‘Rainy Days’ by BTS‘ V.Haerin prefaced her cover of ‘Love Lee’ by explaining why she chose the song. “When I first heard this song, I thought it was so refreshing and the lyrics were very bubbly too,” she said.

BTS vocalist V has performed his new single ‘Love Me Again’ live for the first time.Last week, the K-pop singer accompanied the release of his debut solo album ‘Layover’ with a special episode on Naver’s NPOP show. Naver has since uploaded V’s performances of his songs ‘Rainy Days’, ‘Love Me Again’ and ‘Slow Dancing’ on YouTube.The performance opens with V singing his pre-release single ‘Rainy Days’ from a music studio set, before transitioning to an art studio-inspired stage filled with drawings and paintings as he performs ‘Love Me Again’, flanked by four backup singers.Finally, V performs ‘Slow Dancing’ from a foggy stage, with dancers joining in for the song’s instrumental break.

BTS vocalist V has released his debut album ‘Layover’ and a music video for ‘Slow Dancing’.In the ‘Slow Dancing’ visual, the K-pop singer escapes to the ocean with a group of friends, swimming among jellyfish and dancing together on the beach. Later, he plays a video of a sailing ship on a projector, imagining them as pirates.“Maybe we could be / Slow dancing, until the morning / We could be romancing / The night away,” V sings on the chorus of the new single.BTS’ V also released his solo record ‘Layover’ at the same time, which contains pre-release singles ‘Rainy Days’ and ‘Love Me Again’, along with new tracks ‘Blue’, ‘For Us’ and a piano version of ‘Slow Dancing’.The new record’s music, creative direction and music video production were headed by Min Hee-jin, the CEO of Ador and creative director for girl group NewJeans.

Tomorrow X Together (TXT) and Brazilian singer Anitta have teased their new song ‘Back for More’.Yesterday (September 4), TXT released a teaser for their upcoming song ‘Back for More’, featuring Anitta. It features the musicians performing choreography to the song on a soundstage with a black backdrop.“Ya estoy a empezar / All I know if, if you walk away / Give me something (Give me something) / Baby, it’s okay,” they sing in the snippet of ‘Back for More’.‘Back for More’ will be released on September 15 at midnight ET/1pm KST, alongside a ‘Performance Ver.’ of the song.

Tomorrow X Together (TXT), ITZY and more will perform at KPOP LUX x SBS Super Concert London this September.KPOP LUX x SBS Super Concert London will take place on September 22 and 23 at the O2 Arena. It is the event’s second stop of the year, following a July 22 Madrid show that featured SHINee, ENHYPEN, STAYC, IVE and more.The September 22 date of the upcoming K-pop festival will feature performances from two girl groups (ITZY and an as-yet-unannounced second act) and four boybands (THE BOYZ, WEi, ZEROBASEONE and xikers).Meanwhile the September 23 show will also feature performance by ITZY and xikers.

RM of K-pop boyband BTS has addressed the controversy surrounding a post he made about Frank Ocean‘s 2012 song ‘Bad Religion’.Earlier this month, BTS’ RM received backlash after he shared Frank Ocean’s ‘Bad Religion’ on an Instagram Story post. According to Koreaboo, the K-pop idol was called out by some for sharing what they allege to be an “Islamophobic song”, due to a line which uses the Arabic expression “Allahu Akbar“.During a August 30 live stream on the fan community platform Weverse, RM spoke out about the backlash he has received. “I know what you’re talking about, you keep telling me that I insulted a religion, but I didn’t,” he said, as translated by Koreaboo.“There was no intention to insult a religion.

K-pop boyband Tomorrow X Together (TXT) have announced their third studio album, ‘The Name Chapter: Freefall’.On August 30 at midnight KST, the five-member act unveiled a new teaser clip for ‘The Name Chapter: Freefall’. The full-length album will be released on October 13 at 1pm KST/Midnight EST.The new visual features TXT’s logo for their last mini-album, ‘The Name Chapter: Temptation’ transforming into an edgy new blue and white logo for the upcoming era.At the time of publishing, the group have yet to share details like the project’s tracklist and format.

Immortal Songs is headed to New York, featuring NewJeans, ATEEZ and more.Today (August 30), concert organiser Studio PAV announced the upcoming Immortal Songs live concert in New York. The upcoming show will take place at the Metlife Stadium (which is actually in the nearby state of New Jersey) on October 26.The show will feature performances by K-pop groups NewJeans and ATEEZ, g.o.d member Kim Tae-woo and P Nation founder Psy.

HYBE and Geffen Records have revealed the contestants of its upcoming audition programme, The Debut: Dream Academy.At a press event in Los Angeles today (August 28 PT), HYBE chairman Bang Si-Hyuk and Interscope Geffen A&M Records CEO John Janick revealed the 20 idol hopefuls who will be competing for a place in an upcoming global girl group.The group of contestants hail from 12 different countries – including Korea, Brazil, the US, Sweden and more – and were picked from a global audition that started in November 2021.The 20 young women will participate in The Debut: Dream Academy, premiering September 1 at 8am PT on YouTube, which will run for 12 weeks and decide the upcoming girl group’s final line-up. In addition, the group’s development process will also be documented in an upcoming as-yet-untitled Netflix series, set to debut in 2024.“I have wanted to form an international group based on K-pop methodology for a while,” Bang Si-Hyuk said at the press event.

BTS singer V has released three of his previous solo tracks on streaming platforms for the first time.On August 28, Big Hit Music shared that the idol’s solo tracks ‘Scenery’, ‘Winter Bear’ and ‘Snow Flower’ were now available via streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. Prior to this, the three songs had only been available on SoundCloud and YouTube.BTS’ V first released ‘Scenery, his first self-composed track in January 2019, followed by ‘Winter Bear’ later that year.

K-pop agency HYBE and Geffen Records will be hosting an audition programme to launch their new girl group.Back in November 2021, HYBE announced its plans to debut a new girl group that will “transcend national, cultural, and artistic boundaries” in collaboration with Universal Music Group’s Geffen Records, and held auditions across South Korea, the US, Japan, the UK and Australia in 2022.The agency has now shared that it will be hosting a new audition programme titled The Debut: Dream Academy, through which the upcoming girl group’s line-up will be decided. The show will be unveiling its contestants next Tuesday (August 29), and premiere on YouTube from September 1.HYBE has also released a clip of some of its artists, including Tomorrow X Together, fromis_9, LE SSERAFIM and ENHYPEN sharing video messages to the show’s contestants.“I’m sure they’re excited but nervous at the same time with a big challenge.

BTS vocalist V has voiced his love for the recent Barbie movie.During his cover shoot for W Korea’s September issue, the K-pop idol opened up about his upcoming solo debut record ‘Layover’, due out on September 8. The singer also discussed recent happenings in his daily life, sharing that the Barbie movie had left a strong impact on him.When asked if he had watched any movies recently, V answered that he had seen Barbie, adding: “Truly, out of all the films I’ve watched recently, it had the strongest impact on me.”The singer went on to share how his love for jazz music has influenced his upcoming record.