ICYMI IN CASE YOU MISSED IT // FEBRUARY 19 - FEBRUARY 25

[Polaris_Tae]

FEBRUARY 19 - FEBRUARY 25


Hello Hallyuplussers and welcome to another edition of In Case You Missed It! This time we're back with various new comebacks and comeback updates! We also have some exciting news related to contract negotiations. Meanwhile, TWICE & EXO are back with more exciting achievements this week. Be sure to read on if any of these updates pique your interest!

BY POLARIS_TAE


MONDAY:
#1- We received a few new comeback announcements on Monday! BTS' main dancer — and occasional choreographer — J-Hope has shared that he will be returning with a special album on the 29th of March. It is expected that there will be limited promotions for the release — likely through pre-recorded content — as the idol is currently undertaking his mandatory military service and will be unable to promote the album in person. Then on Tuesday OH MY GIRL's YooA shared that she will also be making her return in March with a brand new solo release. Now moving on, the Japanese girl group @onefive has announced that they will be dropping their first major album, Classy Crush on the 17th of April. The four-member group consists of four former members of the Japanese girl group, Sakura Gakuin. Are you looking forward to any of these upcoming comebacks?

#2- KISS OF LIFE gained an exciting new opportunity this week after it was announced that the group would be signing on as ambassadors for the American cosmetics company, Maybelline New York. Congrats!

#3- It's been shared that the SBS Gayo Daejeon will be making some changes to their ceremony this year. The end-of-year performance program will reportedly be transitioning into a two-day program. What are your thoughts on this change? Do you think this will allow more unknown groups to perform, or are you expecting to see the massively flooded schedules of already popular idols increase to an even larger extent?



TUESDAY:
#1- On Tuesday, Korean soloist Eyedi took to KakaoTalk to share that she had officially terminated her contract with Bace Camp Studio following 4 years of litigation. The singer also shared that she would also now be promoting under her real name, Nam Yujin. Are you looking forward to seeing new content from Eyedi?



WEDNESDAY:
#1- Following BTOB's departure from CUBE earlier this year, it's been revealed that four of its group members — Seo Eunkwang, Lee Minhyuk, Im Hyunsik & Peniel — have established the BTOB Company. In addition, it's been shared that the group's trademark has been transferred to their newly established company. As for the remaining two members, Changsub has signed on with management agency, Fantiago, while Sungjae is yet to make a decision related to his future activities. Are you looking forward to seeing BTOB under new management?

#2- We had some more debut and comeback announcements this week! HYBE's newest girl group, I'LL-IT will be making their debut as a 5-member group on the 25th of March under the company's sub-label BE:LIFT LAB. It's been shared that Hitman Bang has participated in the production of the album. Now let's move on to comebacks! Both Super Junior D&E and NCT DREAM will be making their comebacks in March. Super Junior D&E will be making their first comeback following the groups' departure from SM Entertainment with new music on the 25th of March. Also making their return on the 25th of March will be NCT DREAM with a new EP. Meanwhile, it's been shared that TripleS will be making their comeback as a full 24-member team during May. The final four group members are yet to be revealed. Now moving on to Chungha, and the soloist has personally shared that she will be making her return very soon with a new Hip-Hop style comeback. This will be the soloist's first release since 2022's 'Sparkling'. Which of these releases are you looking forward to the most?



THURSDAY:
#1- We had a series of contract updates later in the week. BLACKPINK's Jisoo has launched a new solo label, BLISSOO for the management of her solo activities. She is the third BLACKPINK member — following Jennie & Lisa — to launch a solo label. That same day, it was announced that f(x)'s Krystal had officially signed on with a new label, Beasts & Natives as she prepares to release her first solo album this February. Are you looking forward to new music and upcoming activities from Jisoo or Krystal?



FRIDAY:
#1- Former WayV, NCT & SUPER M member Lucas opened a series of official social media accounts on Friday. The idol will now be undertaking promotions as a solo artist. The former WayV member was accused of cheating and financial abuse by several ex-girlfriends in 2021 which caused the idol to undertake an extended hiatus to reflect upon his actions. He officially left the group — as well as NCT & SUPER M — two years later in 2023.

#2- Sad news for the music production industry this week. Korean producer and long-time EXID collaborator Shinsadong Tiger passed away on the 23rd of February. According to official reports, the 40-year-old record producer was found by police in his studio by the Seoul Metropolitan Police. No official cause of death has been announced. We hope that his loved ones have the support around them as they mourn his recent passing.



SATURDAY:
#1- Hollywood production studio Lionsgate has shared that they have greenlit a live-action film remake of the Naruto series directed by Shang-Chi's Deston Daniel Cretton. Past Lionsgate productions include Twilight & The Hunger Games film series. What are your expectations for Naruto in live-action?



SUNDAY:
#1- There were no relevant updates on Sunday

BY DRAGON OF THE WEST & POLARIS_TAE


#1. IU - SHOPPER
After putting out a few pre-releases, IU has finally made her long-awaited comeback with her 6th mini album The Winning led by the main title track 'Shopper'. With 'Shopper', IU appears to make it abundantly clear that she saved the best for last, which isn’t always the case when artists decide to go down the route of pre-releases. The uplifting pop energy presented here is quintessential IU as it ticks several of the boxes that we’ve come to expect from her, while also providing elements that are less common in her music like the electronic groove that subtly sticks around even when the instrumental fades out in certain instances. The soaring chorus is of course the standout on the track as it shows her immense vocal range. Overall, this is yet another song that IU can add to her extravagant track record of addictive tracks and it will certainly prove to be a hit among the general public.





#2. TWICE - ONE SPARK
Having put out their pre-release single 'I Got You' earlier this month, TWICE has now released their 13th mini album With YOU-th which is led by the title track 'One Spark', which shares a similar uplifting vibe to 'I Got You'. While 'One Spark' may not be the best of the best when it comes to TWICE’s title tracks — and it would take a lot for any of their songs to be that given the vast size of their discography — it still manages to be yet another perfectly solid song that ticks off current trends while also staying true to the identity that TWICE have built for themselves over the years. The song manages to stay engaging throughout with the strong pre-choruses being particular standouts thanks to the backing vocals adding an extra swirl to them. The mini album from start to finish proves to be yet another strong showing from TWICE, which has almost become expected from them, and you could make the case of this being one of their most cohesive albums yet. In particular, 'Bloom' and 'Rush' appear to be among the favourites for a lot of fans.




#3. LE SSERAFIM - EASY
Following through on an eventful 2023, LE SSERAFIM has now made their first comeback of the year with their 3rd mini album EASY and its eponymous title track. With the groovy vibe they’ve gone with here, it appears to be that 'Easy' is an attempt to replicate the success of 'Perfect Night' which received a lot of attention for something that was essentially a promotional song for popular FPS game Overwatch. The subdued nature of 'Easy' makes it obvious from the get-go that it will have a divided opinion depending on the demographic listening to it, and is much more likely to resonate with a younger audience. It is a heavy departure from their more bombastic sounds of 'Antifragile' and 'Unforgiven', and fails to capture the member’s individual vocal charms as a result of the heavy filters. It has almost become an inside joke about how often there’s at least one b-side of theirs that massively outshines the title track, but now more than ever with how 'Smart' has gone viral thanks to its choreography, it seems like Source Music/HYBE dropped the ball by not picking it as the title track for this album.





#4. BALLISTIK BOYZ FROM EXILE TRIBE - IN MY HEAD
BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE is an EXILE TRIBE-associated Japanese boy group from LDH. A company known for groups such as Happiness, iScream & their main boy group, EXILE. EXILE TRIBE is a supergroup that almost acts as the direct counter to AkiP's 48G groups. Unlike AKB48, whose groups are split into several related sister groups. EXILE TRIBE's boy groups are interconnected. The group currently consists of fourteen separate boy groups of varying sizes — including EXILE, BALLISTIK BOYZ & GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE — under the management of LDH that come together as a unit to form the supergroup EXILE TRIBE. BALLISTIK BOYZ officially made their debut in 2019 and has been active in the years since. The group made their first comeback of 2024 this week with their 3rd studio album, Back & Forth and its accompanying promotional track, 'In My Head'. 'In My Head' is a moody soft pop song that is almost bodering on a ballad. Through this release the group members are able to showcase their stunning vocals and rappers paired with the stunning hook that can be witnessed throughout the chorus. Overall, it's a great release that shows us that EXILE TRIBE's groups are capable of delivering quality content no matter the circumstance, and we're looking forward to even more great content from the group in the future as well!





#5. MOONBYUL - TOUCHIN&MOVIN
Moonbyul's pre-release single 'Think About' for her 1st full-length album Starlit of Muse was a welcoming surprise as a strong single from an otherwise under-the-radar solo career, and she has stepped it up a level higher with her title track 'Touchin&Movin' which is an absolute gem of a song. Moonbyul has further developed her take on the funky pop sounds and it has resulted in an absolutely sublime track that becomes an immediate standout in her solo discography. It has a thrilling sense of spontaneity thanks to the energy portrayed, and the instrumental provides quirks that embody the song’s verses. Flourishes of guitar and brass add unexpected exclamation marks to the song without messing with its momentum, and her confidence enhances the track even further in a way that makes it obvious just how much she enjoyed putting it all together. I know for certain that come the end of 2024, I’ll look back at things and this will be one of those K-pop songs that’s a standout from this year. B-sides to look out for from the album are 'Memories', 'Like A Fool' and 'Attention Seeker'.





#6. A.C.E - MY GIRL
As a result of mandatory military services, we haven't had a proper title track from A.C.E since 2021 but that has finally changed as the group has released their 6th mini album My Girl: My Choice, with the title track 'My Girl'. 'My Girl' is the typical easy-listening pop song, which isn’t a bad thing by any means, but it’s certainly not among their best tracks as it sometimes plays it too safe as opposed to some of their other music that has been all about ambitious mixes and traversing a diverse range of genres. It is still a pleasant listening experience but it does more in leaving questions over where their music goes from here, and I can only hope that this is simply just a song to get them going after their military service and that it is only a matter of time until they get back to their best.





#7. YUGEYOM - 1 MINUTE
GOT7's Yugyeom has released his first full-length album titled Trust Me with the lead single '1 Minute'. The song sticks true to his charms with the bright aesthetic seen in the music video coupled with the fun and easy-going choreography. However, the strengths of this comeback come from the album itself, as the b-sides are some of the strongest we’ve heard from Yugeyom. It’s difficult to pick a definitive favourite when it comes to the b-sides as they all offer their own vibes ranging from R&B to bright pop. The album already consists of some already released strong tracks such as 'Ponytail' while a few of the standouts from the new inclusions are 'Summer Blues', 'Take It Slow' and 'WUH'.

BY DRAGON OF THE WEST


#1. TWICE sold 758,876 copies of their 13th mini-abum With YOU-th on Hanteo on its first day of release, which immediately went atop the list of their highest first week sales surpassing 'Ready To Be' which sold 651,205 in its first week.


#2. It has also been reported that TWICE's 5th World Tour "Ready to Be" has grossed over $108 million in revenue with 837,316 tickets sold from just 36 of the 49 shows having reported earnings and attendance numbers being officially reported so far. Their February 2nd and 3rd shows at the Foro Sol Stadium in Mexico were also the most attended concerts of all time by an Asian artist in Latin America with 57,025 tickets sold for each day.


#3. EXO's 'Love Shot' has become the group's first music video to surpass the 600 million views milestone on YouTube.

BY POLARIS_TAE

We have two forum updates to share this week!

The forum is holding its first official amnesty event where users can have up to two Warning Points removed from their accounts. Please keep in mind that removal Warning Point removal is up to the discretion of the moderators and admins, so WP removal is not guaranteed, but feel free to take advantage of this function while the event is ongoing.

The team has also shared some updated guidelines related to artist updates and content removal on the forum. In addition, we are also looking for feedback related to the overall running of the forum, so please feel free to fill out the survey in your own time.

Here are all the awards that were added to the system this week! You can request them here (don't forget to follow the instructions in the OP)!

For this week's H+ Station Chart update! soloist Gyubin & RIIZE made their official debuts on the chart this week, while WJSN member Seola took the #1 position with her single 'Without U'! Be sure to check out our chart to see where all of your favourite songs ranked!

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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 Blog Team & Social Media Team - Press Division. As always, our full list of recruitments can be found in the General Staff Recruitment thread.



This brings us to the end of In Case You Missed It for another week! We'll see you again next week with more fantastic updates! As always, we're still on the lookout for new members for either our Social Media Team or the official Blog Team. So if you would like to contribute to our social media team, or want to help get the blog up and running with content such as blog posts, dedicated artist profiles, OP GFX contributions, or just with the overall running and design of the site, then feel free to apply via the linked application forms above! With all that said, we'll see you again next week with even more amazing updates!





GFX BY @yerm
FEATURED ARTISTS Minhyuk (BTOB), Dahyun, Yugyeom, IU, Miku (Ballistik Boyz from EXILE TRIBE)​

 

[Polaris_Tae]

if any of the gfx images are broken, be sure to let us know. discord cutting off their image-hosting this week is really making me suffer

 

[Seriously]

Eyedi I really hope to see her again in some form, it'd be such a waste if she exits the industry for good.

Thanks as always, for the write up! Dubu blessed banner

 

[Bellamy]

2- Sad news for the music production industry this week. Korean producer and long-time EXID collaborator Shinsadong Tiger passed away on the 23rd of February. According to official reports, the 40-year-old record producer was found by police in his studio by the Seoul Metropolitan Police. No official cause of death has been announced. We hope that his loved ones have the support around them as they mourn his recent passing.

Rest in peace.



Good for KOF and BTOB.

Thanks for the updates