SM Entertainment Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

NCT member Johnny Suh has revealed that K-pop boyband NCT 127 are working on new music.In a newly released video by the Associated Press, recorded on May 7, Johnny told the new agency that both NCT and its sub-group NCT 127 are in the midst of recording new albums.“We are starting to record our new album for NCT 127, also the whole NCT, so you guys can look forward to that,” he said. “I don’t know how fast it’s going to come out, but we’re working on it.”Elsewhere during the interview, Johnny also gave a shoutout to the new NCT sub-unit, NCT DOJAEJUNG: “Right now DOJAEJUNG is out so if you guys support us, hopefully you guys are supporting them.”Last week, SM Entertainment released a preview of its upcoming music releases, up until the third quarter of 2023.

SM Entertainment has released a preview of its upcoming music releases for the third quarter of 2023.Today (May 11), SM Entertainment released an earnings report for the first quarter of 2023. In it, the K-pop agency previewed plans for its line-up of upcoming releases in the next five months, up until the third quarter of the year.According to the report, NCT member Taeyong is set to release his first mini-album in the second quarter of 2023.

NCT member Doyoung as its newest ambassador.Dolce & Gabbana announced the appointment though its official Instagram account in a series of posts featuring the K-pop singer in outfits and accessories by the brand. In its announcement, Dolce & Gabbana noted that Doyoung would be the brand’s ambassador in Korea and Japan.“I’m truly excited to become part of the great Dolce & Gabbana family,” Doyoung said of the ambassadorship.

Lucas Wong has left K-pop boyband NCT and its Chinese sub-group WayV.Today (May 10), Lucas took to his personal Instagram account to announce that he is leaving both NCT and WayV. The news comes about a year and a half after the singer halted all activities following a cheating and gaslighting controversy.In his statement, Lucas said that his decision to leave NCT and WayV comes “after a long period of consideration”.

aespa have addressed the public management dispute within their agency SM Entertainment.Earlier this year, SM Entertainment found itself in a management dispute between its founder Lee So-man and SM’s top executives, including its CEO Chris Lee. At the time, HYBE had planned to acquire Lee So-man’s stake in the K-pop agency, while Chris Lee and his team described it as a ““hostile takeover”.During the saga, Chris Lee had claimed in a now-deleted video that new music from aespa had been delayed due to Lee Soo-man’s insistence on lyrics about sustainability.

Bitch X Rich, starring Red Velvet‘s Yeri, has released its first teaser. Watch it below.Bitch X Rich is set to follow Kim Hye-in (All of Us Are Dead‘s Lee Eun Saem), a student from a poor family who gets a chance to study at the prestigious Cheongdam International High School in exchange for her silence after she witnesses a murder.However, once at Cheongdam International High School, Hye-in comes face to face with Baek Je-na (Yeri), the heir to a chaebol and the most popular girl in school.The new teaser for Bitch X Rich opens with Hye-in opening her new school locker for the first time, only to find a sign reading “Welcome to Hell” with a mysterious pair of heels.

aespa have released a music video for ‘Spicy’, the title track of their new mini-album ‘MY WORLD’.The clip followed the members of aespa as a group of popular high school students, as they get ready to throw a wild party in their lavish mansion. But as the clock strikes midnight, time stops and the girl group take the opportunity to explore the city.“‘Cause I’m too spicy for your heart / Ring the fire alarm / You tiptoe into my heart / I’m too spicy / While the fire spreads / In that very moment / Finding another part of me / I’m too spicy, too, too, I’m too spicy,” they sing on the chorus.‘Spicy’ is the title track of aespa’s new mini-album ‘MY WORLD’.

EXO member Kai will be holding a free fan meeting event in Seoul next week, ahead of his military enlistment.On May 4, SM Entertainment announced that the EXO singer would be holding a free fan meeting at the Yes24 Live Hall in Seoul next week, following the news of his sudden military enlistment. The event will be held on May 9 at 7pm KST, just two days before Kai is set to enlist.“As the venue has limited space, the event will be free with pre-registration being accepted from members of [EXO’s] official paid fan club [EXO-L-ACE 3, ACE 2].

Kai of K-pop boyband EXO is set to enlist in the military next week.The news was shared by Kai’s label SM Entertainment on May 3, announcing that the K-pop idol will enlist in the South Korean military on May 11. In accordance with South Korean law, all able-bodied men over the age of 18 are required to serve in the military for up to two years.SM Entertainment said that Kai had been preparing new music with boyband EXO, but is set to enlist early “due to a recent change in regulations of the Military Manpower Administration”, per Soompi.

aespa have released a new music video for their new song ‘I’m Unhappy’.The music video, released on May 2, opens with a shot of member Winter running down a high school hallway, as the sound of a heartrate monitor plays in the background. As it flatlines, the word “contiune?” appears on screen, followed by a countdown, like an old-school arcade video game.The clip then cuts to the singer waking up in the middle of a party, with the members looking forlorn while singing about being unhappy.

K-pop girl group aespa have unveiled the music video for ‘Welcome To MY World’, the pre-release single to their upcoming mini-album ‘MY WORLD’.On May 2 at 6pm KST, the quartet dropped their pre-release track ‘Welcome To MY World’ along with a music video for the song. The new track arrives ahead of their third mini-album ‘My World’ and its lead single ‘Spicy’, which is due out on May 8 at 6pm KST.In the new visual, the members of aespa take a road trip to a forest and connect with nature.

Red Velvet member Joy will step back from all scheduled activities due to health concerns.Today (April 26), Joy’s label SM Entertainment announced in a statement that the K-pop idol would not be participating in any planned activities for the time being due to the “poor condition” of her health.“Joy recently visited a hospital due to her poor health condition, and after consultation and examination, the medical staff advised that she needs treatment and rest,” SM Entertainment said per Edaily, as translated by Soompi. However, the label did not give specific about Joy’s condition.“Joy will not participate in any schedules for the time being and will instead take a break to recover her health,” it added, adding that “this decision was made following thorough discussions with Joy, looking out for her health”.Red Velvet are currently on the Asia leg of their ‘R to V’ world tour, and are set to play the Pia Arena MM in Yokohama, Japan on May 3 next.

NCT member Doyoung has unveiled his cover of labelmate Seulgi‘s solo single ’28 Reasons’.Doyoung made an appearance on the April 18 episode of online talk show LeeMujin Service, hosted by singer Lee Mu-jin, where he performed a number of songs, including ’28 Reasons’ by his SM Entertainment labelmate Seulgi.For his performance, the NCT singer transformed the track into a sultry, jazzy number. “28 reasons that ruined you, you don’t have to know / I have no bad intentions / You know all 28 reasons to run away / So, why are you leaning into me again,” he sings. During the episode, Doyoung also performed a solo version of ‘Perfume’ by NCT DOJAEJUNG, the new NCT sub-unit which he is a part of, as well as a cover of HYNNs ‘The Lonely Bloom Stands Alone’.Later, Lee and Doyoung spoke about how the K-pop idol ended up joining SM Entertainment.

NCT members Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo have made their debut under a new sub-unit, NCT DOJAEJUNG, with their mini-album ‘Perfume’.On April 17 at 6pm KST, the NCT trio released their first mini-album ‘Perfume’ as well as the music video for its title track of the same name.In the new visual, Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo formulate scents in a flower-filled mansion, later bottling them in three perfume bottles. Placing them in a gift box, they leave it on the doorstep of a fan as a gift.“Leaving ‘em on your wrist / On your collar / Gonna let ‘em hover / So you can’t forget me / Mixed in with the smallest sigh,” NCT DOJAEJUNG sing on the chorus.

SM Entertainment has revealed that its slate of artists will join the HYPE-owned fan community platform Weverse.SM Entertainment confirmed today (April 17) in a press release that its artists – which include popular K-pop acts such as Girls’ Generation, EXO, Red Velvet, NCT and aespa – will be joining the Weverse platform sometime this year.“SM Entertainment will achieve ‘SM 3.0’ through the co-existence of private messenger Bubble and fandom platform Weverse,” SM Entertainment said, per Korea JoongAng Daily. “SM will open SM artists’ Weverse official communities by the end of this year.”SM Entertainment artists currently uses its self-owned fan community platform Kwangya Club.

NCT member Mark in the new song ‘Golden Hour’.On April 7, Mark released his new solo song ‘Golden Hour’, as part of the group’s ongoing ‘NCT Lab’ project. The song makes a reference to Ramsay in its lyrics: “Excuse mе waiter / That golden yolk in the middle / Make it right / I’m callin’ Gordon Ramsay“.According to Mark, the namedrop was inspired by a 2018 post by an NCT fan, who tweeted a picture of their “boyfriend” making eggs to Ramsay.

NCT Dream member Mark has opened up about the group’s now-scrapped graduation system.NCT Dream had originally launched with a rotational graduation system, where members would leave after turning 20 years old. Mark had been the first to “graduate” from group, in December of 2018, following the release of the holiday single ‘Candle Light’.However, their label SM Entertainment later removed the system in April of 2020 in favour of a fixed group, consisting of the boyband’s seven original members.

Kakao has been raided by South Korean authorities over allegations that it was involved in stock manipulation over its purchase of SM Entertainment shares.According to a report by English South Korean publication Korea JoongAng Daily, about 40 prosecutors and investigators from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) – the East Asian country’s financial regulator – had confiscated data from Kakao’s office in the city of Pangyo in relation to its stock trading activity from February 2023.“The special judicial police at the FSS is presently in the process of investigating if the sale of SM shares is in violation of the Capital Markets Act under guidance from the prosecution,” an FSS spokesperson said in a statement to South Korean press, per Korea JoongAng Daily.“The team is looking into whether there was artificial engagement to sway share prices in a certain direction,” they added.Per The Korea Herald, Kakao are reportedly under investigation for allegedly artificially inflating the stock price of SM Entertainment in an attempt to block HYBE from taking control of the K-pop agency.Back in February, HYBE had launched a tender offer to buy up to 25 per cent of SM Entertainment for ₩150,000 per share. However, HYBE had only been able to acquire 0.98 per cent through that offer, per The Korea Herald.Around the same time, HYBE had submitted a petition to the FSS over an “abnormal” 2.9 per cent purchase of SM Entertainment stocks that had been transacted through a IBK Securities’ branch in Pangyo, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.Kakao has yet to comment on the situation. NME has reached out for comment.Meanwhile, HYBE has since dropped its bid to acquire SM Entertainment following a discussion with Kakao.

SHINee member Taemin has officially been discharged from military service, and he’s set to celebrate it with fans during an upcoming fanmeeting event.The K-pop idol was officially discharged from his two-year military service on April 4, nearly two years since he enlisted for active duty on April 19, 2021. The occasion was marked by his SM Entertainment, which released a video titled ‘Taemin is Back’, featuring archival footage of the singer in a practice room.Soon after, Taemin also released a handwritten letter, touching on his time in the military and feeling about being discharged.

aespa have released a new song called ‘Hold On Tight’ for the soundtrack of the Apple TV+ original film Tetris.The synthpop songs finds the girl group singing entirely in English. The track is their first solo release since their July 2022 mini-album ‘Girls’.

EXO member Sehun has broken his silence on rumours that his alleged girlfriend is pregnant.The rumours surfaced following two anonymous online posts, both of which have been deleted, according to Sports Chosun. The first was reportedly posted by an anonymous individual who claimed to be Sehun’s girlfriend, and was an image of a man with his face covered.

Red Velvet have announced their upcoming ‘R to V’ world tour.Today (March 27), the quintet revealed that they will be bringing their upcoming ‘R to V’ concert tour to major cities in Asia and Europe. The girl group had initially announced two shows in Seoul, South Korea for their concert tour.The Asia leg of Red Velvet’s ‘R to V’ world tour will kick off an April 21 in Singapore.

NCT Dream members Mark Lee and Chenle have revealed which UK artist they would like to work with.The boyband recently sat down to speak with the Official Charts Company ahead of the upcoming London show of their ongoing ‘The Dream Show 2: In a Dream’ world tour.During the interview the interview, the boyband were asked if there were any UK artists they would like to collaborate with at the moment. Mark Lee showed his love for London-born Central Cee, saying: “[He] is a rapper I recently got to listen to, and I imagine that it’d be interesting if we got to be on a song together.”Meanwhile, member Chenle said they he would like to work with English singer and television personality HRVY again.

HYBE, home to K-pop superstars BTS, is set to sell off its entire stake in SM Entertainment.Today (March 24), HYBE announced that it would accept a tender offer by South Korean internet giant Kakao and sell its 15.8 per cent stake in K-pop agency SM Entertainment, as reported by Reuters.HYBE’s share of SM Entertainment is worth about ₩564billion (roughly US$437million), based on Kakao’s March 7 tender offer to buy up to 35 per cent of SM Entertainment for ₩150,000 per share.According to Reuters, the planned sale of SM Entertainment shares by HYBE would net the K-pop giant a profit of around US$87 million, which is roughly 25 per cent higher than the price the company originally paid for the shares.Following the announcement, shares of both Kakao and SM Entertainment companies went up about half a per cent, as of 1:30pm KST.

NCT Dream have unveiled an English-language version of their hit 2022 single, ‘Beatbox’.The English version of ‘Beatbox’ was released alongside a lyric video, which features behind-the-scenes footage of the boyband at the photoshoot for song.“Yeah, hands up to the top, bring ’em up / Make a beatbox-box and it bump / Everywhere I go make the room hop / Everywhere I go, bring the beatbox,” the boyband sing on the chorus.The English remake of ‘Beatbox’ arrives just weeks ahead of the upcoming North American leg of NCT Dream’s ‘The Dream Show 2: In a Dream’ world tour.The boyband are set to play seven shows across the US, including the states of California, New Jersey and Texas. Tickets for the show are available now via Ticketmaster.NCT Dream are currently set to wrap up the first Asian leg of their tour with a show in Hong Kong this Saturday (March 25).

Kai, also a member of the boyband EXO, has performed his new single ‘Rover’ live for the first time.The K-pop idol recently made an appearance on the South Korean music chart show M Countdown on the network Mnet. The performance was his first live performance of ‘Rover’, following the song and its accompanying mini-album’s release on March 13.For his M Countdown appearances, Kai performed on a stage that emulated the hair salon set from the song’s music video.

Girls’ Generation leader Taeyeon has stirred up rumours about her relationship with label SM Entertainment following a series of cryptic Instagram posts.Earlier this week on March 13, just a day after BTS label HYBE ended its bid to acquire shares of SM Entertainment against competitor Kakao, Taeyeon took to Instagram Stories with a post that referenced the popular Netflix K-drama series The Glory.In the scene from The Glory, character Park Yeon-jin (Lim Ji-yeon) hand writes a resignation letter on the spot after being confronted at work.

aespa are set to release new music this spring, their label SM Entertainment has confirmed.Earlier today (March 16), South Korean news outlet StarNews reported that the girl group would be releasing new music this May. The news outlet also noted that aespa were initially scheduled to release an album in February, but it was delayed due to management disputes within SM Entertainment.Since that report, SM Entertainment has confirmed that aespa’s comeback date of May.

Kai has confirmed that boyband EXO are currently working on new music.In a recent interview with GQ Magazine UK, the South Korean musician opened up about a comeback for his K-pop boyband EXO. Notably, following Baekhyun‘s discharge from the military on February 5 this year, it will be the first time since 2019 that none of the members are serving their mandatory military service.“All the members are gathering after a really long time, so we are really looking forward to the fact that we can put out another album too,” Kai told the magazine, which added that the K-pop idol also confirmed that preparation work on new music has started.Kai said that the boyband are “not worried about what the results of this comeback would bring”.

NCT 127‘s ‘Limitless’.NCT 127 and its labels SM Entertainment and Universal Music Group have teamed up with Z2 Comics – which has worked with other musicians including Weird Al Yankovic and Gorillaz – on the new original graphic novel ‘NCT 127: Limitless’.The graphic novel shares its title with the boyband’s 2017 single ‘Limitless’ and will be “presented in the manhwa format”, according to the Z2 Comics website. The novel is set to follow in the boyband in a “reality-crossing mystery” that will take place in both the real world and “new, surreal dreamscape” as they prepare for a sold-out concert in New York.‘NCT 127: Limitless’ will be available in 10 different hardcovers – one for each active member of the boyband, alongside a general cover with the full group – starting from US$21.99.