This Week in K-Pop [Nov 16]

NEWJEANS Threatens HYBE With Contract Termination

On November 13, it was reported that NEWJEANS’ members sent a letter to their agency, ADOR (a HYBE subsidiary), demanding the company to address significant breaches of their exclusive contract within 14 days. If ADOR fails to rectify these issues, the group plans to terminate their contract.

In response, ADOR issued a statement:

“Regarding the certification of contents, we received it this morning and are currently reviewing it to understand the specific requests. We will do our best to resolve the matter wisely so that we can continue to work with the artists.“

Read the full original statement here.

RIIZE’s SEUNGHAN Is Scheduled To Debut As A Soloist in 2025

Seunghan returns as a soloist. After a year-long hiatus and departure from his group due to excessive bullying, Seunghan is back.

On November 15, his label, SM Entertainment, announced his future activities, confirming he is preparing for a solo debut with an official comeback planned for the second half of 2025.

This Week’s Notable Achievements

The MTV EMA 2024 winners have been announced, with three K-pop acts securing notable awards:

LESSERAFIM for Best PUSH, Lisa for Best Collaboration with Rosalia on “Woman,“ and BTS’ Jimin for Best K-Pop.

Upcoming Tours, Events, & Performances

• IVE is about to make history as the first-ever K-Pop girl group to perform at Lollapalooza Paris 2025.

• SM Entertainment has added six North American stops for NCT 127’s “NEO CITY - The Monument” world tour.

• KARD has announced five Latin America stops for their 2025 tour “Where To Now?” Check out more details on KARD’s official Instagram.

• Kang Daniel has confirmed Japan dates and stops for his 2025 “ACT” concert.

ICYMI:

• NCT’s Doyoung is set to star as Gwynplaine in the musical “The Man Who Laughs”. The musical will run at the Seoul Arts Center Opera Theater from January 9 to March 9, 2025.

• SEVENTEEN's Jun has begun filming for his upcoming historical Chinese drama, “The Whimsical Return”, which is set to premiere in 2025.

• The Toronto stop of KISS OF LIFE's “Kiss Road” tour and the U.S. stop of OMEGA X's “Island Beyond the Horizon” tour have been canceled. Both labels have assured full ticket refunds.

Our Favorite Music From This Week

KAVE once again amazed us with an album that somehow surpassed the artistry of their previous one. “Say My Name“ featured seven tracks, each outshining the last. Standouts included “Stone,” “Umm Umm Umm,” with its wild piano riff, and “Blue,” which sounds R&B if you squint… your ear.

ENHYPEN’s “Daydream” was an unexpected release from a group known for their melodic vocals. The almost entirely whispered track turned out to be more addictive than we had initially anticipated.

Big Ocean, the first-ever K-pop group composed entirely of deaf members, delivered a groundbreaking debut album, “Follow.” Across four tracks, the trio pushed the boundaries of music production.

Yves’ “I Did“ EP was a masterfully cohesive work, with “Hashtag“ standing out for its catchy beat, soaring pre-chorus, and Yves’ signature husky vocals.

BIBI’s “Burn It (feat. DEAN)“ was an R&B gem, blending ultra-sensual vocals that had everyone’s “body rolling, body burning.” ~dramatically wipes sweat off the forehead.~

ATEEZ's "GOLDEN HOUR: Part.2" turned out to be an album that is quintessentially ATEEZ while also showcasing a slightly different, more refined sound with its title track “Ice On My Teeth.”

Finally, Jin’s “HAPPY“ exceeded our already high expectations. Despite its name, the album’s nostalgic tones tugged at our “heart (on the window).”

Next Week’s Comeback Schedule

Sunday, November 17, 2024

N/A

Monday, November 18, 2024

• TAEYEON (Girls’ Generation): 6th Mini Album “Letter To Myself“

• MEOVV: 2nd Single “TOXIC“

• NEXZ: 1st Mini Album “NALLINA“

• EPEX: 2nd Album “Youth Chapter 2: YOUTH DEFICIENCY“

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

• WayV: Pre-Release “HIGH FIVE“

• BADVILLAIN: Digital Single “Zoom“

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

• A.C.E: 3rd Single “PINATA“

• tripleS: Japan Single “アンタイトル“

• HAON: Track “Skrr (feat. GISELLE of aespa)”

Thursday, November 21, 2024

• NOWADAYS: Digital Single “Let’s get it“

• Jung Ill Hoon: Track “Lullaby“

Friday, November 22, 2024

• LOVEONE: 1st Single Album “Funny Honey“

• ICHILLIN’: 7th Digital Single Album “Prequel”

• ROA: 4th Digital Single Album “WRAP UP“

• WONHO: English Single “What Would You Do“

• JAY CHANG: 2nd Mini Album “NEIGHBORHOOD“

Saturday, November 23, 2024

• KELT9b: 1st Mini Album “UNCRUSHABLE”

— Javeria Yousuf

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