ICYMI IN CASE YOU MISSED IT / AUGUST 31 - SEPTEMBER 06

[Polaris_Tae]

DATE 31 AUGUST - 06 SEPTEMBER


Hello once again and welcome to another great ICYMI, where we give you another weekly wrap-up of all things related to Asian Entertainment. Sit back and let's go through another week of news, events and more!

BY POLARIS_TAE


MONDAY:
#1- A slew of comebacks were announced this week! VAV announced they were coming back on the 15th of September. FNC announced their newest boy group, P1Harmony will be making their debut on October and opened their official channels in anticipation for the debut. SEVENTEEN's Seungkwan will be releasing a new OST on the 7th of September for tvN's "Record of Youth" titled, "Go". Laboum will be blessing us again when they return this October with a new mini-album. Finally, AleXa and DJ TheFatRat released a collaboration titled, "Rule The World" on the 4th of September. Which release are you most excited for?

#2- It has been announced that rapper Paloalto has left his position as the CEO of HI-LITE Records after 10 years in the position. Meanwhile, Yoon Bora, formerly of SISTAR recently signed an exclusive contract with Keyeast. We look forward to their future endeavours!

#3- VAV's Jacob was recently caught up in a controversy when it was found that he had said the n-word on a live broadcast. The artist has since penned a handwritten apology apologising for his actions.

#4- It was announced that Hwang Jung-eum will be getting a divorce after four years of marriage. Meanwhile, SES' Bada has announced that she has a baby due next month. We congratulate her on the new addition to her family!

#5- HIGHLIGHT's Yang Yoseb has announced that he will be returning to the entertainment industry following his recent military discharge with "COME BACK SHOW MU:TALK LIVE". Meanwhile, TXT, BTS, GFRIEND, Lee Hyun & Hwang Chiyeul will be joining the line-up for the LOTTE Duty-Free family concert on the 27th of September.

#6- It was reported that Ahn Jaehyun will not be joining the cast for season 8 of New Journey to the West.

#7- It has been revealed that IU has donated 100 million KRW worth of cooling vests to the Korean Nurses Association. Later in the week, it was announced that Suzy donated 50 million KRW to the Taekwondo Federation in honour of Taekwondo Day. We thank them for their generosity!

#8- It has been announced that The Rose's request for contract termination has been denied.



TUESDAY:
#1- Maroo Entertainment has announced that they will be debuting a new boy group "GHOST9" later this September. We can't wait!

#2- It has been revealed that Jukjae has signed a contract with Antenna Music. We look forward to their future endeavours!

#3- Following the revelation that BTS gained the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 with their latest single, "Dynamite", the president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in has congratulated the group on their latest achievement!

#4- It has been announced that Lim Young-woon, Kim Sung-joo & Jo Bo-ah will be the new MC's for the TV Chosun 2020 Trot Awards. Will you be checking it out?

#5- Sadly it has been revealed that two Nogizaka46 members, Yoda Yuki & Sato Kaede have been infected with COVID19. We wish them a speedy recovery. It was also announced that Matsui Jurina of SKE48 will be postponing her graduation from the group following the COVID19 pandemic.

#6- It has been announced that 22/7's Kuraoka Mizuha will be returning to the group following a 7-moth hiatus. We look forward to her return to group activities!



WEDNESDAY:
#1- It has been announced that Union Wave Entertainment is set to debut a new 5-member girl group PRISMA next month, and that there will be two members will are non-Asian. IZ*ONE have announced that they will be releasing their first Japanese full-length album "Twelve" on the 21st of October. We can't wait!

#2- BTS are set to continue global promotions for their latest single "Dynamite". Meanwhile the groups' upcoming movie, "BREAK THE SILENCE: THE MOVIE", has been delayed in South Korea due to the resurgence of the COVID19 crisis. KCON has announced that their online convention KCON:TACT 2020 FALL will be taking place between October 16th to 25th. We can't wait!

#3- It has been announced that BonBon Girls303's Liu Xiening will be joining the L'Oreal Paris family as their newest brand ambassador. We congratulate her on the new and exciting opportunity!

#4- It has sadly been revealed that Sakura Gakuin will be disbanding at the end of August next year. We wish them luck in their respective individual careers!



THURSDAY:
#1- Even more comebacks were announced! It has been shared that HA:TFELT will be dropping a new single on the 10th of September. H&D will be making their comeback on the 23rd of September with a special album. Hello! WM - consisting of B1A4, Oh My Girl & ONF - released a new song titled, "Ours" on the 4th of September. Finally, the 1st OST lineup for the tvN drama, "Record of Youth" has been released with SEVENTEEN's Seungkwan, Exo's Baekhyun, Chungha & more set to participate. Which release are you looking forward to the most?

#2- It has been reported that BigHit Entertainment is in the process of acquiring Zico's agency, KOZ Entertainment. Meanwhile, the debut plans of BigHit labels have been reported with both Source Music & Pledis preparing to debut new groups in 2021, the resulting I-LAND group set to debut that same year along with BigHit's initial plans to debut a group the following year. The company has also revealed that BTS' Jin has until the end of 2021 to enlist for mandatory military service and that leading up to it they will be releasing various contents.

#3- The MBN girl group reboot show, "Miss Back" has announced its full line-up with Dalsoobin, AFTERSCHOOL's Raina, Ryu Sera, Nada formerly of WA$$UP and more set to participate! Sunmi and Oh My Girl's Hyojung will be joining the cast of the beauty show, "Studio Get It Beauty". We can't wait!

#4- The upcoming KBS drama "Dear M", which is a spin-off of the 2020 drama, "Love Playlist" has announced its main cast and a 2021 premiere date. NCT's Jung Jaehyun along with Park Hyesoo, Kim Saeron & Bae Hyunsung are set to star in the drama. Will you be watching this?

#5- It has been announced that VICTON's Han Seungwoo will be holding a solo "Ontact" stage "Wooya's World" on the 20th of September. We can't wait!

#6- It has been announced that KISSBEE will be restarting promotions on the 18th of September beginning with an online performance. Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Riho Sayashi, formerly of Morning Musume, has signed a contract with Japan Music Entertainment.

#7- Cai Xukun, AYunga, NEXT, Zhou Shen and more attended the finale of "Sister Who Make Waves". Did you catch them at the finale? Meanwhile, it has been announced that Wu Xuanyi will be the new brand spokesperson for The Face Shop makeup range. We congratulate her on this new and exciting opportunity!



FRIDAY:
#1- AOMG revealed their newest artist, GooseBumps through the track "Somewhere" featuring Gray, HOODY, ELO & DeVita. Meanwhile, Woolim Entertainment has announced that they will be debuting a new boy group named DRIPPIN' during the latter half of October. The group will contain former X1 member Cha Junho. We can't wait!

#2- It's the announcement we've all been waiting for! AKMU's Suhyun will be making her long-awaited solo debut soon! Meanwhile, it has been reported that KNK will be making their next comeback this September. We can't wait!

#3- It recently came to light that Keeho, a member of the upcoming FNC Entertainment boy group P1Harmony, was accused of harassing people on twitter and problematic behaviour. The next day the artist issued a statement explaining that his account was shared with many of his friends at the time and it was possible that they had used the artists' account to harass people. What do you think of this statement? Do you think that it's genuine?

#4- TREASURE will be teaming up with LINE FRIENDS to create their own characters for release later this year. We'll be looking forward to seeing what kind of characters they create!

#5- In a shocking turn of events, it has been announced that SoRi will be retiring from the music industry following the release of her final single, "Initial S". We wish her the best in all of her future endeavours.

#6- AYUNI.D has opened a brand new Instagram to share even more of their lives with you. Have you followed them yet?

#7- SNH48 have finally revealed their team reshuffle results, which was conducted due to the upcoming graduation of all 1st & 2nd generation members of the group. Some major announcements that resulted from the reshuffle is that half of BEJ48 have been integrated into SNH48 effectively halving BEJ48's numbers. Along with this, all BEJ48 teams have been disbanded and the group will now solely promote under BEJ48 with no teams. Some 1st Generation members of SNH48 have been given the opportunity to prolong their contract with STAR48 and promote alongside SNH48. They will be given the chance to participate in events such as elections but will no longer be a part of a team. In 2021 this opportunity will be extended to all graduating members over 29 years old.



SATURDAY:
#1- Jung Haein has been chosen as the first model for Kodak Apparel. Meanwhile, GOT7's Mark has been chosen as the new spokesperson for the telecommunication brand"China Unicorn", which is one of the largest telecommunication providers across the China-Taiwan-Hong Kong region. Congratulations on these exciting new opportunities!

#2- Shiroma Miru knows just how boring life under lockdown is, which is why she has decided to entertain us all with her brand new YouTube channel. Make sure to subscribe ASAP!

#3- The C-pop over-30's Jie Jie competition show, "Sisters Who Make Waves" has announced it's top 7 members that will debut in the resulting girl group, "Priceless Sisters" consisting of Ning Jing, Wan Qian, former Miss A member Meng Jia, Lisi Danni, Zhang Yuqi, Yisa Yu, and Huang Ling! Will you be keeping an eye on this group?



SUNDAY:
#1- VERIVERY has announced that they will be holding their very first fanmeet since the groups' debut. We can't wait!

BY DRAGON OF THE WEST & POLARIS_TAE


#1. CLC - HELICOPTER
CLC is finally back with a release in 2020 following what was a pretty jampacked 2019 for the group. Their new single "Helicopter" is a completely different direction from the more poppy sound that their last single "Devil" featured. As this track leans more into a harder-edged hip-hop sound. From the very start of the song, there was this suspenseful and thrilling feeling from the opening dramatic synths and opening lines, which turned out to be the chorus. Yeeun then opens the first verse up with her powerful rapping voice followed by more raps from Elkie and Eunbin, before entering into an epic but steep incline to the chorus. The quality of this music video is almost flawless as the post-production and editing helped intensify the video to match the tone of the song. The sets were very modern and the outfits were glamorous and top things off, CLC made sure to make a statement with the performance aspects.





#2. SUPER M - TIGER INSIDE
SuperM have dropped their second pre-release single "Tiger Inside" in anticipation of their full-length album "Super One" that is set to be released later this month. "Tiger Inside" thrives on many of SM’s post-2011 musical tropes and while the production is clearly influenced by current trends, the instrumental still manages a few experimental jolts to make the track feel fresh. A greater sense of melodic diversity might have led to a more dynamic product, but the track still manages to have some great vocal flourishes sprinkled throughout. This culminates in a satisfying moment of interplay during the bridge, which segues into a rap-driven breakdown before climaxing in a Baekhyun-focused power note. This is essentially an EXO-meets-NCT track, and that’s a good thing.





#3. DAY6 (EVEN OF DAY) - WHERE THE SEA SLEEPS
DAY6’s first sub-unit Even of Day - consisting of members Young K, Wonpil and Dowoon - have made their debut with the mini-album "The Book of Us: Gluon – Nothing Can Tear Us Apart" and title track "Where the Sea Sleeps". Park Jinyoung, head of JYP Entertainment, created Even of Day when thinking of the word “Evening”, as he explained that “may the dark night pass and greet a bright day” with this unit. The opening notes of “Where the sea sleeps” hooks listeners with the sharp and steady drumbeats announcing the unit’s arrival. The standout aspect of this track is by far the experimentation that happens during the bridge and the chilling parallel motion that occurs towards the end of it. The brightly coloured animated MV is refreshing to watch in a crowded K-pop landscape of releases that feel the same. The Deminalz (DAY6's mascots) add a cuteness factor to the story as Pil, Kke, and Don explore space — a vast, unknown wonder. In one of the opening scenes of the music video, there is a photograph of the five Deminalz’s hands together which essentially shows that through this track and music video, DAY6 is indeed a band of five and that they will be five together with My Day, no matter what life decides to throw at them.





#4. A.C.E - FAVORITE BOYS
A.C.E is back with their latest release, "Favourite Boys" and a concept that takes all the best things from traditional Korean culture creating a fusion between modern and traditional that will level you wanting even more of them. The song blends a rock-heavy backtrack with a traditional Korean concept which manages to bring something fresh to their sound through the display of the overall package of "Favorite Boys". The lyrics talk about being the best and only ones in your eyes and that when comparing them with everyone else, no one else compares. "Favorite Boys" is one of the most captivating songs in regards to overall song and conceptual production while continuing the groups' trend of creating hard-hitting tracks that will sear themselves in your memory, even long after you've closed Spotify for the night!





#5. SUPER JUNIOR-D&E - B.A.D
Super Junior-D&E are back with their first release in over 16 months as they’ve dropped their 4th mini-album "Bad Blood" and title track "B.A.D". Composed by Donghae and writing partner J-Dub, "B.A.D" fuses retro influences with trendier trap flourishes. The track opens with a satisfying synth texture reminiscent of a talk box. This returns later to underpin much of the chorus. From here, the first verse unveils a vaguely melodic sing-talk structure, helped along by punchy synth and a sense of freewheeling energy. The second hook is quite shouty, but the instrumental frames it in such a way to ensure it never feels jarring. Even as the structure changes for verse two, the song retains much of its energy. The duo's strong personalities help drive some of the track's weaker moments, while a few great instrumental touches give it the character it needs to stand out.





#6. WONHO - OPEN MIND
Former Monsta X member Wonho released his first solo track last month, the pre-release single "Losing You" and while it was a perfectly pleasant ballad, it did feel like more of a message to his loyal fans rather than a peek at the sound he hoped to develop on his own. "Open Mind" serves as the title track of his debut mini-album "Love Synonym #1: Right For Me" and does a convincingly good job at establishing Wonho as an artist in his own right. The song is all about groove and is a nice hybrid of the retro synth influences and the modern take on K-pop influences. The synth textures that drive the instrumental are excellent, especially when the track pulses into the chorus. Here’s hoping he sticks to a similar sound for his future releases because it really does suit him.





#7. LOVELYZ - OBLIVIATE
Not only is this Lovelyz’ first group comeback since May 2019, but it is also their first release since their participation on Mnet’s popular show, Queendom. While members Kei and Sujeong have both had solo releases in the last year or so, the group is back with their 7th mini-album "Unforgettable" and the title track "Obliviate". As the group’s first real "dark" title track, "Obliviate" opens with plucked guitar over a driving beat that quickly dissipates into a more minimalist, trap-infused verse. The song’s chorus, however, is almost too tightly structured. The catchy deep house beat works well, but unfortunately, the hooks are slightly too repetitive which lets the song down a tad bit. This is a decent start to their transition phase, but improvements will need to be made to future releases if they’re to make any noticeable impacts.




#8. JACKSON WANG & GALANTIS - PRETTY PLEASE
Jackson Wang is back with his latest solo release, "Pretty Please" - a collaboration track with Swedish duo Galantis - which is an upbeat EDM-Heavy beat-dominated dance track. The music video is an entirely self-directed release, showing the singers artistry, not just in music, but in all aspect of the creation of this release. The song tells a story of love and infatuation while also taking inspiration from old classic Hong Kong 90s movies and cinema as he journeys throughout the street trying to win over the girl of his dreams, who happens to be the same actress that starred opposite to him in his previous release, "100 Ways". "Pretty Please" is essentially a song that is accentuated by its music video and performance while Jackson Wang continues to prove his artistry by being involved in almost all aspects of the release production-wise.

BY DRAGON OF THE WEST


#1. BTS debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with their latest single "Dynamite" making it the first single ever by a South Korean artist to top the chart. The song debuted with 33.9 million U.S. streams and 300,000 sold in its first week. "Dynamite" has also surpassed 100 million total streams on Spotify in just 15 days, making it the fastest song by a group and fastest track yet in 2020 to achieve this milestone. Finally, the group claimed 4 awards at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards namely: Best Group, Best Pop, Best K-pop & Best Choreography.


#2. BLACKPINK's "Kill This Love" has surpassed 1 Billion Views on YouTube, making it the group's 2nd music video to achieve this milestone after "DDU-DU DDU-DU". They have also surpassed 3 billion total streams on Spotify, becoming the first Korean girl group to reach this milestone. Finally, BLACKPINK's 1st Full-Album "The Album" has exceeded 800,000 stock pre-orders. This would make it the highest-selling album by a girl group on the Gaon Chart. They also won Song of Summer with "How You Like That" at the 2020 MTV VMAs.


#3. Chen Linong's music video for "Unbelonging" has surpassed a cumulative score of 10 million on QQ Music's Top MV Chart. Rocket Girls' music video for "Light" has also surpassed 10 million cumulative score on QQ Music's Top MV Chart.


#4. NiziU's pre-debut music video for "Make You Happy" has surpassed 100 million views on YouTube.


#5. JO1's 2nd single "Stargazer" debuts atop Oricon Weekly chart with 283,000 copies sold. The single has also shipped 313,504 copies according to Billboard Japan in its first week.


#6. Super Junior-D&E's "BAD BLOOD" has sold 146,358 copies on its 1st day. This not only made it the unit's highest first-week sales, but also makes the album their highest selling yet as it surpasses the 114k copies sold by their previous top seller, "Bout You".


#7. ITZY's music video for their latest title track "Not Shy" has surpassed 50 million views on YouTube.

BY POLARIS_TAE

The Events Team hosted three games this week as a part of the wrapping up of their Camplus Event. Our Events lead AKID❀KI gave us the chance to stretch our creative muscles by tasking us to help them create "The Story Around The Campfire" where users are given the chance to collaborate together to create a fun story in exchange for merit badges.

The team also took feedback from Camplus participants regarding their thought on the event. Did you enjoy the Camplus Event?

Riri Hosted "Shout It Out", where users had to link a set of random words. The top prize was ultimately taken by Baymax & Chiharu.

Bchip hosted "Hallyu+ Against Humanity", a fun game of fill in the blanks! It was abra that gained the winnings for this game!

The team took a community vote regarding the size of Shop+ items. What are your thoughts on the current size of items?

Nominations for the September 2020 user of the month opened earlier this week! Nominations have since closed. Who do you think deserves User of the Month?

Shop+ fans, Our dedicated Shop+ Team was busy again this week stocking our shop with even more great items. Make sure to purchase them ASAP!

There was one article published this week!

Polaris_Tae gave us their thoughts on Rocket Girls' final album "Hello·Goodbye".

The translations team was busy yet again this week! With 3 total translations published.

Lurkette helped us to understand Faky's "Darlin" and Elephant Kashimashi's "Yume no Kakera" & "Ore no Michi".


+

Hallyu+ is actively recruiting for staff. If you want to contribute to the forum's growth and join our amazing team, don't hesitate and apply now!
We are searching for new members for the following teams GFX, Translations and SM Team - Press Division.



This brings us to the end of another In Case You Missed It. We'll see you at the same time next week for more great updates!





GFX BY @mocha
PROOFREAD BY @Dragon of the West ​

 

[minimoo]

AMAZING AS ALWAYS!

 

[UMJI MOODS]

Another week of highs and lows and some fabulous music.​

 

[Jibang]

Many thanks.

 

[kimsguardian]

as always great recap from amazing team. thank you guys!

 

[Happy]

Great works as always! Thank you so much for the update!

 

[Baymax]

Thank you for keeping us updated as always!

 

[mocha]

GFX BY @Dragon of the West
PROOFREAD BY @mocha

oh how the tables have turned!

 

[demasta]

Thanks for the updates

 

[Qoptyi]

Many thanks for the update as always.

 

[Polaris_Tae]

oh how the tables have turned!

skdkskkdsjk
flop. Fixed it

 

[anh]

thanks for the updates!

 

[Bchip]

Stream Pretty Please Thank you for the article!