Nowz “Changed the team name and was reborn… I want to become Cube Entertainment’s representative singer” [Photoshoot]
42-year-old Young-tak, ‘48-year-old single’ Jang Min-ho, hanging on “Ideal type = someone with a cool smile” (Jeon Hyun-moo’s Plan 2)
Jay Park, Chun Woo-hee and the death-and-death relationship ‘Remedy’…28-member group dance pleasure[DA : New song]
MUSICCL, sexy corset ‘The Leader’… G-Dragon concert daring appearance [DA★]Group 2NE1‘s CL showed off an unconventional dress code. On the 2nd, CL posted a behind-the-scenes cut of G-Dragon’s 2025 world tour [Übermancy] on her Instagram. She gave off an intellectual vibe by wearing a white suit with glasses, and in another photo, she showed off a sexy leader look by adding a black corset, garter belt, fishnet stockings, and a red coat as accents. CL attended the concerts on March 29 and 30 as a guest and performed the ‘The Leaders’ stage with G-Dragon. Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com Reporter jhj@donga.comApr 03, 2025
MUSIC‘Excellent’ EXO Kai, Concentrated Adult Beauty… More Sexy When Lazy‘Excellent’ EXO Kai, concentrated adult beauty… EXO Kai (under SM Entertainment) will pre-release the track “Adult Swim” from his new album. Kai‘s track “Adult Swim” from his fourth mini-album will be released at 6 p.m. today on various music sites such as Melon, Flo, Genie, iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, QQ Music, Kugou Music, and Kuwo Music, and its music video will be released through the SMTOWN YouTube channel. The new song “Adult Swim” is an upbeat pop song with an impressive simple yet energetic drum loop. The lyrics compare the emotions of falling deeply in love to the image of two people fearlessly swimming together under the water, and a languid yet cheerful atmosphere flows throughout the song. Kai said about the point of enjoying “Adult Swim”, “If the verse feels like leisurely swimming in clear water, the chorus feels like the mood reverses and you’re gradually sinking into a thick liquid. It‘s clearly one song, but it’s like they‘re diving from different places.Apr 03, 2025
MUSIC‘7-day solo debut’ NCT Mark, Apple Music exclusive radio show launch [Official]‘7-day solo debut’ NCT Mark, launching exclusive radio show on Apple Music [Official] NCT Mark will present a special collaboration with Apple Music to commemorate his solo debut. Mark will host a solo radio show, ‘on your MARK’, on Apple Music‘s global live streaming radio channel Apple Music 1. The content will be released every Tuesday for a total of 4 episodes, starting with the first episode on April 8 at 9 a.m. KST. This radio show in particular is an exclusive program organized by Apple Music to commemorate Mark’s solo debut. Mark is the first K-pop artist to be invited to a studio in LA, USA, to film on-site, and this is the first time he is releasing it in video format, making it even more special. Mark will tell honest and rich stories about the four chapters of his first solo album, ‘The Firstfruit’, including the making of the album, music and inspiration, and his journey to establishing himself as a global artist, themed around Toronto, New York, Vancouver, and Seoul. MarkApr 03, 2025
MUSICPentagon Jinho, Cast for ‘Bear the Musical’ 10th Anniversary PerformanceJinho of group Pentagon will be standing on the musical stage. Jinho will be performing as the main character, ‘Peter’ in ‘Bare the Musical’, which will be performed at the Yeongang Hall of Doosan Art Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul from June 3rd. ‘Bare the Musical’, which celebrates the 10th anniversary of its Korean premiere this year, is a work that honestly depicts the love and friendship of youths at a conservative Catholic high school, as well as the conflicts and wandering about the secrets hidden within. Jinho said through his agency Cube Entertainment, “I am honored to be able to appear in such a great work. I will work hard to make Peter, who has grown up with the love of fans for a long time, my own Peter, so I hope you will look upon him favorably.” He added, “I will portray Peter‘s conflicts and difficulties, as well as his deeper love than anyone else’s, so you can fully feel him. He expressed his feelings, saying, “Please take good care of me.” Jin-ho plans to increase the imApr 03, 2025
MUSICBaby Monster‘s ‘DRIP’ Performance Video Surpasses 100 Million ViewsThe performance video for the double title track ‘DRIP’ of the group Baby Monster‘s first full-length album has surpassed 100 million views on YouTube. According to their agency YG Entertainment on the 3rd, the ‘DRIP’ performance video surpassed 100 million views on YouTube at 4:52 am that day. This is approximately 148 days since its release on November 5th of last year. It is a double whammy of popularity along with the music video, which has already surpassed 200 million views. It is receiving favorable reviews for its directing that fully captures the original charm of the performance, such as the point choreography that uses the arms and legs to powerfully move the entire body, gestures that express flowing style, and the members’ overflowing energy, which cannot be seen in the music video. With this, Baby Monster now has a total of 9 videos with over 100 million views. The official ‘SHEESH’ music video and performance video, which set a new record for the fastest debut song by aApr 03, 2025
MUSICThe Boyz Begins Follow-up Activities for ‘Rock and Roll’ on ‘M Countdown’The Boyz is continuing their comeback fever with follow-up song promotions. Their agency One Hundred announced today (the 3rd) that The Boyz will begin music broadcast promotions with the follow-up song ‘Rock and Roll’, following the title song ‘VVV’ of their third full-length album ‘Unexpected’. ‘Rock and Roll’ is a song that combines a groovy funk beat and a sensual R&B melody, and its lyrics contain the passion and unstoppable attraction of a hot moment of falling in love. It received a lot of love from fans immediately after its release, and on the 23rd of last month, the stage including the choreography was revealed for the first time through the ‘Special Stage’ held for free, and it became a hot topic by spreading through various SNS. Thanks to the support of fans, The Boyz confirmed ‘Rock and Roll’ as the follow-up song and is expected to capture the hearts of global K-pop fans with a different charm from the title song ‘VVV’. The Boyz released their new album ‘Unexpected’ on MaApr 03, 2025
MUSIC‘Comeback’ UNIS, this time in pure white ‘Swish Girl’The group UNIS has transformed into pure white ‘Swish Girls’ this time.On the 3rd at midnight, UNIS (Jin Hyun-joo, Nana, Jelly Danka, Kotoko, Bang Yoon-ha, Elisia, Oh Yoon-ah, Lim Seo-won) revealed group, unit, and individual concept photos of their 2nd mini album ‘SWICY’ Recipe version through their official SNS channel.Previously, UNIS had captured stories that happened at school through the Archive version of the concept photos. The Recipe version captured UNIS‘s bright and natural appearanceApr 03, 2025
MUSICYoungpa-ssi, Taipei promotion success… Local signboard entertainment show recording today (3rd)The global growth of the group YOUNG POSSE is accelerating. YOUNG POSSE (Jeong Sun-hye, Wei Yan-jeong, Jiana, Do Eun, Han Ji-eun) visited CLAPPER STUDIO on the 2nd (local time) for a Taipei promotion and held their first press conference there, receiving a hot response. This press conference was attended by many influential local media outlets, and boasted a heated coverage by filling all 400 seats. In particular, famous Taipei director Remy Huang, who directed the ‘COLD’ music video, and actor Chung Jing-hwa, who played the male lead, also attended and brightened the event. In a friendly atmosphere, YOUNG POSSE introduced their special album ‘COLD’ and shared various stories such as behind-the-scenes stories of the music video filming. Furthermore, YOUNG POSSE will also participate in the recording of Taipei‘s signature entertainment program, SET TV’s ‘Over the Top (綜藝大熱門)’ today (the 3rd). Expectations are high as they will cross borders and compete in song, dance, and laughter withApr 03, 2025
MUSICNew Beat, ‘Show Champion’ Dizzying Power EnergyOn the 2nd, the group NEWBEAT (Park Min-seok, Hong Min-seong, Jeon Yeo-yeo-jeong, Choi Seo-hyun, Kim Tae-yang, Jo Yoon-hoo, Kim Ri-woo) performed the pre-released song ‘HICCUPS’ and the title song ‘Flip the Coin’ from their first regular album ‘RAW AND RAD’ on MBC M‘s ‘Show! Champion’. On this day, NEWBEAT went on stage in casual outfits and showed off their unique charm. The members caught the audience’s attention from the beginning with the dreamy melody of ‘HICCUPS’ and made the audience sing along with the addictive chorus. NEWBEAT then performed the ‘Flip the Coin’ stage wearing hip outfits. The members proved their hexagonal idol image by showing off their solid live skills even in intense choreography. ‘RAW AND RAD’ is an album that contains the passion of boys who are not afraid of failure and constantly challenge themselves. New Beat tells the story of the boys who shine the most with their bold spirit and honest emotions. From Beat InteractiveApr 03, 2025
MUSICHeo Seong-hyeon, Upgraded Voice Usage… Comeback on the 24thRapper Huh Sung-hyun (Huh) will release his new EP ‘Voice tool tip.txt 2’ after 11 months on the 24th at 6 PM. ‘Voice tool tip.txt 2’ is Huh‘s second series album following the EP ‘Voice tool tip.txt’ released in 2023. As the album title, which means ‘How to use your voice’, suggests, Huh Sung-hyun has shown off his diverse voice colors and solid skills, flexibly moving between rap and vocals, in his previous works. Expectations are high for Huh Sung-hyun’s attractive voice and individuality, which will continue the ‘Voice tool tip’ series. Ahead of his comeback, Huh Sung-hyun is garnering the attention of music fans by sequentially releasing unique teasing content through his official SNS. First, on April Fool‘s Day, at midnight on the 1st, he released a fake album cover image of ‘Voice tool tip.txt 2’, which he drew himself, and aroused curiosity among fans, raising speculations as to whether it was real. In the spoiler teaser video that opened at 6 PM on the 2nd,Apr 03, 2025
MUSICOneus‘s Gunhee, honest love... Acoustic emotional MV teaser releasedGroup ONEUS member Keonhee has released a music video teaser for his solo single ‘I Just Want Love’. The video shows Keonhee staying up all night, unable to fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning. Keonhee, lost in deep thought, goes about his daily life, taking the time to have a cup of coffee or writing lyrics in a notebook. With the audio source and part of the lyrics of the solo song ‘I Just Want Love’ being revealed for the first time, Keonhee‘s emotional vocals harmoniously blending with the acoustic guitar riff have heightened curiosity about the full song. ‘I Just Want Love’ is a dreamy and soft R&B pop genre song. For the first time since his debut, Geonhee participated in writing lyrics and delivered a heartfelt message of ‘Don’t hesitate to love, express your love’. Geonhee‘s solo single ‘I Just Want Love’ will be released on various music sites at 6 p.m. on the 8th. Reporter Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com jhj@donga.comApr 03, 2025
MUSICSolar “‘WANT’ Spring song that shouts… I want to convey a pleasant message” [Q&A]MAMAMOO member Solar released her second single ‘WANT’ through various music sites today (the 2nd) at 6 PM. ‘WANT’ is a single that captures the moment when love begins with a heart-fluttering pink mood. Solar caught everyone‘s attention by going back and forth between ‘Nerd’ and ‘Secret Partner’ in a series of teasing contents. [The following is a Q&A with Solar ahead of her single release] Q. It’s been about a year since your second mini-album ‘COLOURS’ and you‘re releasing a solo single. How do you feel? A. I think it’s always exciting to present new music. I wanted to show you what I‘ve prepared as soon as possible. Q. Could you briefly introduce the single ‘WANT’ and tell us some of the points to appreciate? A. I think ‘WANT’ can be simply described as a ‘Spring song that roars’. It is a song that contains the mood of spring and is full of energy, so it can enhance the mood on a nice and pleasant day like today, and it is a song that is easy to listen to anytime, anywhere. Q. WhatApr 02, 2025
MUSICJisoo, volume + elasticity, a groundbreaking silhouette [DA★]Jisoo, who is active as a singer and actress, has revealed a pictorial full of healthy beauty. On the 2nd, Jisoo posted photos from a pictorial with a clothing brand on her SNS. In the photos, Jisoo shows off her sporty charm by matching leggings that accentuate her body line with a tank top and training pants. Jisoo‘s shining visuals and voluminous, elastic body line attract attention. Meanwhile, Jisoo recently showed her acting growth in Coupang Play’s ‘Newtopia’, and the movie ‘Omniscient Reader‘s Viewpoint’ will be released in July. She is also scheduled to appear in the Netflix series ‘Monthly Boyfriend’. In addition, Jisoo successfully held the 2025 Fan Edition: Jisoo Asia Tour ‘LIGHTS, LOVE, ACTION!’ in seven Asian cities including Manila, Bangkok, Tokyo, Macau, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Hanoi from March 14 to 30. Photo = Jisoo’s SNSApr 02, 2025
MUSICKangta-TVXQ ‘Infinite Love’ SM ‘Respect’ K-Pop AnecdoteThis is how a K-pop ‘permanently retired number’ is born. It is the sum of the synergy of the ‘infinite love’ of the living legends towards ‘Team SM’ and the sincere ‘respect’ of the agency that has made it possible for decades. Kangta and TVXQ, the ‘signboard stars’ of SM Entertainment (SM), announced the news of their contract renewals on the 2nd. All three, who are also the ‘start and peak’ of global K-pop, have been with SM since their debut. Their tenures, which can be called the living history of SM, are 29 years for Kangta and 22 years for TVXQ. Some are jokingly saying, “Many of the pillars that made today’s SM must have been laid by them,” referring to the three-person performance that has maintained the so-called “Kakaha” (career high) for decades. In line with this, some are also talking about Kangta’s management career, who has been active as an SM non-registered director since 2014, and are picking TVXQ members Yunho and Changmin as the “next director candidates.” SM heldApr 02, 2025
MUSICMONSTA X Kihyun, first fixed variety show after military service… ‘International student Eo Nam-seon’ First broadcast in MayMONSTA X Kihyun, first fixed variety show after military service… ‘Foreign Student Eo Nam-seon’ Premieres in May ‘Sexy guys’ have gathered together. MONSTA X Kihyun met Ryu Soo-young through his first fixed variety show after his military service. Kihyun will be a regular on E Channel‘s food world tour variety show ‘Foreign Student Eo Nam-seon (Ryu Nam-saeng)’, which will first air on May 17th. ‘Foreign Student Eo Nam-seon’ is a new variety program that explores ‘World’s Baekban’. Led by actor Ryu Soo-young, actor Yoon Kyung-ho and MONSTA X Kihyun travel to different places to learn about unfamiliar cuisines from around the world, and complete the show with an ‘overseas kick’. Kihyun was discharged from his military service on February 21st after 1 year and 6 months. He joined ‘Ryu Nam Saeng’ as his first regular entertainment show after his discharge. Kihyun said through his agency Starship Entertainment, “I‘ve always been interested in cooking, so I wanted to appear on a cooking showApr 02, 2025
MUSICTeen Top Niel, Solo Album ‘SHE’ Pre-Orders Begin… Comeback on the 22ndTeen Top‘s Niel, solo album ‘SHE’ pre-orders begin... comeback on the 22nd Teen Top’s Niel has started the countdown to his solo comeback. On the 2nd at 2 PM, Niel began pre-orders for his 4th mini album ‘SHE’ through various music sales sites. This album, which contains Niel‘s unique charm, will be released in a photobook format and includes a CD, photobook, posters, photo cards, stickers, and other various components. ‘SHE’ is the first album to be released by Niel’s recently established EL&D Entertainment. Niel, who is making a comeback as a solo artist after 1 year and 3 months, plans to showcase his more mature musicality with this album. Niel plans to continue active promotions along with the release of this album. Starting with the musical ‘6 O‘Clock Finish’, he will meet fans in Korea and abroad through various performances and online and offline content. The album will be released at 6 p.m. on the 22nd. Reporter Jeong Hee-yeon, Donga.com shine2562@donga.comApr 02, 2025
MUSICKangta Renews Contract with SM Entertainment… 30 Years of History Together [Official]Singer Kangta has renewed his contract with SM Entertainment (hereafter referred to as SM). Kangta is a member of the group H.O.T., which debuted in 1996 and established the first generation of K-pop idols, and a singer-songwriter who has been loved for consecutive hits with solo songs he has written since 2001. He has renewed his contract based on trust with SM, which has supported and accompanied him on this journey. In particular, Kangta has served as an in-house creative director since 2014 as an unregistered director at SM, sharing his know-how with junior artists and contributing to the development of SM’s content and new businesses. Furthermore, as he has recently expanded his role as the general producer of SMASHHIT, a producing label that works with various writers to develop K-pop, expectations are high for his future activities. Kangta said, “I am happy to be able to continue my relationship with SM, which has watched over me since my pre-debut trainee days and has supportedApr 02, 2025
MUSICHive donates 1 billion won to restore national heritage damaged by wildfiresHive will donate 1 billion won to the restoration of national heritage sites damaged by the recent large-scale forest fires in the Gyeongnam and Gyeongbuk regions. Hive announced on the 2nd that it will donate 1 billion won to the National Heritage Administration and the Cultural Heritage National Trust. The Cultural Heritage National Trust is a special corporation under the National Heritage Administration established in 2007 to preserve, manage, and operate cultural heritage sites. The donations will be used to repair and restore national heritage sites that were completely burned down or destroyed by the recent forest fires and to restore the surrounding environment. According to the National Heritage Administration, a total of 33 national heritage sites, including the Uiseong Gounsa Temple, a nationally designated cultural heritage site, have been damaged. Hive said, “We express our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to all those affected by the forest fires,” and “As a conApr 02, 2025
MUSICTREASURE, Fan Concert Japan Tour Sold Out, Sold Out AgainThe boy group TREASURE has solidified their global presence by expanding their concert schedule while recording sold-out performances in Japan. According to YG Entertainment on the 2nd, the ‘2025 TREASURE FAN CONCERT [SPECIAL MOMENT] IN JAPAN’ recorded sold-out performances for all shows. Not only the originally planned 8 shows, but also the Hyogo daytime show and Saitama evening show, which were urgently added due to explosive demand, quickly sold out. YG decided to increase the available seats in all concert halls after receiving a flood of inquiries from fans who were unable to get tickets. As a result, TREASURE will meet more fans in a total of 10 concerts in 4 cities: Hyogo Jiraion Arena Kobe on April 23rd and 24th (3rd time), Aichi Sky Expo on May 2nd and 3rd (2nd time), Fukuoka West Japan Convention Center on May 5th and 6th (2nd time), and Saitama Super Arena on May 17th and 18th (3rd time). TREASURE, which celebrates its 4th anniversary since its debut in Japan this year, is sApr 02, 2025
MUSIC‘K-Band Jeongsu’ N.Flying‘s full group comeback, N.Pia responded with a sold-out showAll it took for N.Flying to sell out all three concerts was ‘just one day.’ N.Flying, the ‘ess of K-Band’, who declared a comeback with a full group, recorded a sold-out case for their comeback stage that was scheduled for May. N.Flying will be holding the ‘NCON4: FULL CIRCLE’ for three days from May 9th to 11th at the Olympic Hall in Olympic Park, Seoul. According to their agency FNC Entertainment, the concert sold out all tickets in just one day after ticket sales opened on the 1st. N.Flying‘s upcoming stage has garnered great expectations from their fandom ‘N-Pia’ as it will mark their first ‘full group’ debut in two years since members Cha Hoon, Kim Jae Hyun, and Seo Dong Sung completed their military service. Among these three members, the leader Lee Seung-hyeop and the main vocalist Yoo Hoe-seung, who are the so-called ‘Gunbaekgi’, have continued N.Flying’s activities as a duo, but have also expanded their scope as actors and musical actors, achieving great success. This year, whApr 02, 2025