by IVE
IVE returns with a regular album. The agency Starship Entertainment announced they were preparing for a full-length album in April. This comeback is about seven months since the third single, ‘After LIKE’ released in August, so fans can’t help but welcome it.
From the first release day, ‘After Like’ showed a new record, surpassing the previous one, and sold over 1 million copies, making Ive a ‘Million Seller.’ In addition, ‘Love Dive’ topped the annual chart on Melon, the largest music site in Korea, and was selected as the most used sound source in 2022 on ‘TikTok,’ the world’s largest short-form video platform. What kind of history will Ive renew with this regular album? Currently, Ive is on tour.
The first fan concert, ‘The Prom Queens,’ will be held in Yokohama, Japan, on the 18th and 19th and in Kobe, Japan, on the 23rd and 24th. Its comeback schedule will be updated later through the official SNS channel.
LE SSERAFIM
There was speculation that Le Serafim was also planning a comeback. Le Seraphim is ahead of their first solo fan meeting, ‘FEARNADA 2023 S/S,’ at the Olympic Hall on March 18 and 19.
There have been articles from the media saying that they will make a comeback in May, but there has yet to be a mention of the confirmed date, album size, or title announced by Source Music. What clues will be given at the upcoming fan meeting? On the other hand, Yoonjin Heo of Le Seraphim released his third self-composed song, ‘Let It Bloom’ on the 14th.
AESPA (AESPA)
Group Aespa finally announced the comeback in May. According to the agency SM Entertainment, Espa is preparing a reply with the goal of May.
This is good news for fans as it has been about ten months since the 2nd mini album was released in July 2022, last summer. Espa was initially scheduled for a comeback in February, but the schedule was disrupted in the aftermath of a dispute over the management rights of the agency. However, as the conflict entered a lull, Espa’s activities resumed.
CEO Lee Seong-soo said on YouTube, “At the unreasonable orders of Lee Soo-man, the staff in the production department received an almost impossible mission to connect lyrics that did not match the worldview and team color. I had to create content that no one could relate to. Our co-president insisted that this song be canceled for Espa’s sake, and the comeback was delayed.”
Even after facing the rock of comeback delay, Espa walked their path. On February 26, they completed their first solo concert ‘SYNK: HYPERLINE’ at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Seoul. At the show, they played 11 unreleased new songs without ‘Planting Trees and are continuing their world tour in Japan, starting with Osaka on March 15. The group plans to prepare for a full-length album while carrying out a world tour.
Billie Billy
will make a comeback on March 28 with his fourth mini-album. This is a mini album after a long time since the mini album was released in August last year. Armed with regular media activities, sincerity, and unique bright energy, Billy is a K-pop artist recognized globally. Not long ago, he took the stage as a representative of K-pop artists on the South by Southwest showcase stage (SXSW), the world’s largest content festival in Texas, USA.
Kep1er
Kepler will make a comeback on April 10. This comeback is about six months since the third mini-album, released in October last year. Kepler, organized through Mnet’s survival program, has a Japanese fandom as intense as a Korean fandom. After removing the album, they will hold their first arena tour in Japan. The time will start in Tokyo on May 20-21, followed by Nagoya on June 2-3 and Kobe on June 10-11.
