ICYMI IN CASE YOU MISSED IT / OCTOBER 26 - NOVEMBER 1

[Beefy]

OCTOBER 26 - NOVEMBER 1


Hello again HallyuPlussers and welcome to another week's worth of news, releases, updates, and more. This week was comparatively more quiet compared to previous weeks, but expect that to change as the year comes to an end and we see the final burst of releases and awards season come into full swing with the impending MMA & MAMA awards ceremonies set to take palace in the coming months. With that said, let's jump into another week's worth of updates!

BY BEEFY & POLARIS_TAE


MONDAY:
#1- We have been blessed with many release announcements! First, former Berry Good member Yoo Taeha will be making her solo debut as a featured artist with the single Jumeirah on October 27th alongside Allroot. Next, we have Kim Junsu making his comeback on November 10th with a new album titled "Pit a Pat"! To finish off releases, Super Junior will be releasing their 10th full-length album in December. After a long wait, it's been announced that SM Entertainment will finally be debuting a new girl group, aespa, sometime in November! Company MAJOR9 will also be debuting their first girl group Bling Bling in the same month on November 17th. We can not wait to hear all these new releases!

#2- Sadly, EXO's Chen enlisted into the military on October 26th. The idol will be serving as an active-duty soldier. We will miss him greatly and wish him well!

#3- Jellyfish Entertainment announced that Verivery member Minchan will be taking a temporary hiatus to poor health and anxiety; they also shared that he will be focusing on treatment during this time. We wish him a safe and healthy recovery!

#4- Former Rainbow member Jisook and her fiance Lee Doo Hee shared that they will be getting married on October 31st! The couple will be keeping it limited only to their family and close friends due to COVID-19. We congratulate the lovely couple!

#5- Now time for some television news! To start it off Oh My Girl, NCT, and (G)I-DLE will be guests on the upcoming KBS and Seoul Tourism collaboration variety show "플레이 서울 (Play Seoul)"! It was announced that Oscar-winning actor Choi Woo Shik is considering joining TVN's "Youn's Kitchen" for its third season; if he accepts the offer he will be joining the show's season two cast. Finally, Lovelyz's Jisoo and former MYTEEN member Junseop will be making their return with season two of the web drama "One Fine Week"! We are looking forward to watching all of these shows!

#6- Company Dalcomsoft, responsible for the Superstar mobile rhythm game series, had announced that they will be releasing a Superstar YG! Will you be playing?



TUESDAY:
#1- Taemin will be making his comeback on November 9th with a full-length album titled "Never Gonna Dance Again: Part 2"! The album will contain 9 tracks, including the title track IDEA:理想. We, as always, are looking forward to his release!

#2- Now some more sad enlistment news, former B.A.P member Daehyun will be enlisting into the army on November 17th. We will appreciate the time we have left with the idol!

#3- The 2020 Asian Artists Awards has shared its second lineup; the list includes groups TWICE, THE BOYZ, GOT7, IZ*ONE, MAX, and many more! The award ceremony will be held on November 25th! Will you be tuning in?

#4- Rising boy group Victon has been appointed as goodwill ambassadors for COEX Food Week's "Desserts Show". The group was selected due to their dual image of being strong on stage and sweet off. We can't help but agree with COEX's description of the group!

#5- CL has launched her very own brand "Very Cherry"! In its statement, the brand states that this is a new fun and creative era for the artist. Check out the linked thread to go to the official website and more information on the brand!

#6- SKE48's Matsui Jurina has opened her own YouTube channel this Sunday, November 1st! The idol is looking for name suggestions for the channel on her Twitter and Instagram pages, so click the thread to get involved! We are excited about the content she'll be putting out!



WEDNESDAY:
#1- Soloist Rain has announced that he will be making a comeback with a new album; he will be joined by JYP for a dance collaboration! Secret Number has also revealed the tracklist for their new release which includes tracks Got That Boom and Privacy! Now for comebacks that have confirmed dates. Newly debuted soloist Natty will be making her first comeback with a single on November 12th. Later that month on November 30th, ENPYHEN will make their debut with mini-album "[BORDER: DAY ONE]". We are excited about these future releases!

#2- Let's see what's happening in the world of SM Entertainment! The four members of the company's new girl group Aespa have been revealed to be Winter, Karina, Aeri, and Ningning; but that's not all brought to light on the group. The concept for the group was revealed through a teaser released on October 27th titled 'MY, KARINA'. According to the video, the group will contain both the real and virtual versions of the members. Speaking of virtual, SM Entertainment announced their partnership with Hyundai through a virtual showcase titled 'Beyond Drive' on November 1st'; it was also shared that EXO's Kai will be performing at the event! How do you feel about SM's new and daring dive into virtual and AI technology?

#3- It's been announced that the 2020 Melon Music Awards (MMA) will be held online from December 2nd to December 5th. We are excited about the beginning of the awards season!

#4- Now for variety, Highlight's Gikwang and ACE's Chan will be the next hosts for KT-SEEZN's new idol variety show "Idol Wonderland! The show will broadcast and start on November 18th! Mnet has also announced that "High School Rapper 4" is coming soon. Will you be tuning in to either show?

#5- We have some exciting news for Melody, BTOB has announced a new subunit named 'BTOB 4U'. The new unit consists of members Seo Eunkwang, Lee Minhyuk, Lee Changsub, and Peniel! We look forward to seeing what the future holds for this new unit!

#6- Newkidd has shared that they will be holding their first online fan meeting titled 'Amigos' on November 8th. Unfortunately, based on the event's poster it looks as though only four members will be in attendance rather than seven. We are looking forward to it nonetheless!



THURSDAY:
#1- The 2nd OST line up for the tvN drama, "Start Up" has been announced! Ailee, Red Velvet's Wendy, and more are set to participate in the soundtrack. Will any of your biases be participating?

#2- Sayaka Yamamoto has some great news for you! To communicate with even more of her fans, the artist has just created a brand new Weibo account. Be sure to follow her today!

#3- On the 30th of October the Taiwanese boy group, F4 reunited for a performance at the Jiangsu TV1001 Night Festival. Did you catch their performance?

#4- The KBS variety, "Play Seoul" has announced its second line up, with Cho Seungyoun, Weeekly, Secret Number, and more confirmed to take part. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Mnet's "Kingdom" will begin production this upcoming January. We can't wait!

#5- MAMA has released its list of nominees for its 2020 awards and has now opened voting to the public. Have you voted yet? If you have, what are your predictions?

#6- It has been revealed that TXT's Taehyun has injured his pinky finger on set while filming for a variety show. But don't worry, the idol has revealed that he will still be promoting with the group despite his injury. Meanwhile, Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku's Yasumoto Ayaka has announced that she will be taking a break from the group after it was announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer, a malignant lymphoma to be specific. We wish her the best in her recovery.

#7- Dispatch has released a statement via their SNS pages that they would be pursuing legal action against individuals spreading fake images using their logo or watermark.

#8- LF Mall has announced that they have hired Park Jinyoung and Sunmi as the newest faces for their brand. We congratulate them on this exciting opportunity!



FRIDAY:
#1- November will be full of even more great releases yet again! It was announced that MOMOLAND will be releasing a new single on the 17th of November and Henry will be making his solo comeback later this month. GIRLKIND will also be coming back on the 4th of November & so will Dynamic Duo with an exciting collaboration with BewhY with their newest single on the 3rd of November. Meanwhile, Rain has announced that he will be coming back soon via a duo project with Park Jinyoung. Also, something to look forward to is TREASURE's first full album, which will be released in January 2021. We can't wait!

#2- The 2020 Fact Music Awards has announced its 3rd line-up this week with even more artists including TXT, Weeekly, Stray Kids, CRAVITY & more set to be in attendance! Additionally, it was announced that TREASURE will be attending this year's MAMA awards, which will be the first time a YG act has attended the ceremony following a company-wide boycott in 2015.

#3- It has been announced that former TREI members, Jaejun & Juntae have each signed an exclusive contract with MLD Entertainment. They will be promoting as the duo JT & Marcus! We look forward to seeing their future activities under brand new management!

#4- NMB48's Shibuya Nagisa has been given an exciting opportunity! It was revealed that she has been appointed as the ambassador for the Japan rugby team, NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes. Congrats!



SATURDAY:
#1- WJSN's Yoo Yeonjung released a brand new OST for the drama "More Than Friends". Meanwhile, Lim Youngwoong will release a new single titled "Hero" on the 4th of November.

#2- BTS announced that their performance at the American Music Awards will not just include "Dynamite" but also a performance of their upcoming title track "Life Goes On". We can't wait!

#3- Lee Minho has launched a personal YouTube account this week! Have you subscribed yet?



SUNDAY:
#1- There was no relevant news on Sunday.

BY BEEFY & POLARIS_TAE


#1- TWICE - I CAN'T STOP ME
Top girl group Twice released I Can't Stop Me their second Korean full-album "Eyes Wide Open" following June's More & More. The group continues to develop their new and maturing sound while taking a dip into the retro trend, which just so happens to be JYP's signature sound. I Can't Stop Me is an 80's synth inspired pop song that focuses on creating melodious verses that build into bombastic choruses. The group decides to return to vocally lead choruses rather than an empty chorus, which adds to the addictiveness of the track. Unlike their previous title track, the members' vocals tones are utilized well and create distinctive sections. This is seen in the rap section during the bridge. The hints of the retro funkiness similar to that found in I Can't Stop Me can be found in b-side Up No More which provides a fuller and somehow even poppier sound. Twice has released an amazing song with a lot of replay value because of its catchy nature, one could say you'll want to play it more and more.





#2- TXT - BLUE HOUR
TXT has made their return following the release of May's Can You See Me? with Blue Hour from their new mini-album "Minisode 1: Blue Hour"! With the change of the seasons comes the change of sounds, as their new release Blue Hour takes on a completely sound. We are met with an abundance of retro funk and groove that creates a light and fun atmosphere rather than one of moodiness. Throughout the song, our ears are blessed with a funky bassline and beat. The chorus of the song is undeniably catchy as it puts both of these elements into center stage and adds a dreamy melody. Even with the song's vocal production becoming robotic in parts, it does not hinder the enjoyment of the song. The album also follows the theme of carefree summertime fun aided by the constant motif of utilizing funky instrumentation. Despite the song's up-tempo nature, it embodies the autumn season well; which is most likely helped by the music videos orange and seasonal aesthetic. One of the standout songs from the album is Ghosting. It takes a more subdued dreamy sound, making it a comforting listen.





#3- CL - HWA
The icon herself CL released a music video for her new single titled +HWA+ which is one of her two singles (including +5 Stars+). These two new singles are the build-up to the artist's highly anticipated debut album "Alpha", confirmed to release on November 30th! CL previously released a mini-album "In the Name of Love" with the promotion of multiple singles. In +HWA+ we are instantly hit with carefree and light-hearted chanting, but soon a dark and heavy bass is layered in. The song makes an abrupt change in sound as it drops both elements in favor of 'in your face' hip-hop oriented sound. This continues through its verses but it is hollowed out. However, when we get to the chorus and the repetition of the lyrics "The rose of Sharon flowers bloomed / Hide tightly and show your hair" the bass comes back just as loud as it had once been. As for the lyrics, CL chooses to blend both English and her native tongue Korean. The artist does this by switching the references between the US and South Korea. For example, the "rose of Sharon" she references in the chorus is the national flower of South Korea, the Hibiscus syriacus. This release is an amazing start to her new era!





#4- MINO - RUN AWAY
Run Away is a slow and moody rap song, that focuses on capturing the feeling of a short burst of powerful emotion. Mino continues with his unique sound for this release, with verses filled with drunken-like raps and a chorus that sounds powerful yet delirious. That works for this particular releases as the lyrics and dynamic rap styles are the star. The sound and tone of the song encapsulate the lyrics perfectly, as Mino raps about wanting to forget someone through drunken endeavors. Run Away's slower slightly ballad sound is pretty similar to the rest of the album, but each song is distinctive and takes on a unique sound of its own. The standouts are Ok Man in which Mino makes a highly anticipated reunion with IKON's Bobby to create one of the more energetic hip-hop songs on the album. On the other side of the spectrum, there is Wa, featuring soloist Zion.T; this song has a laidback and almost ambient sound thanks to its usage of background vocals.





#5- SNH48 - LIGHT
SNH48 has returned this week for a song featuring the top 32 members of SNH48 (17 – 32, as determined by their most recent general election) with a music video that continues the overarching theme that began with the release of Future last week. Light expresses the group's success (or failure) regarding their attempt at an exam, possibly even the Chinese national exam — or Gaokao — which is the exam that all students take to gain admission to the college of their choice. The music video opens with the members receiving positive results following the successful completion of the exam. However, we see our center for this music video, Chen Ke (of GNZ48) sadly does not achieve her desired results. Following this, we see the other members comforting Chen Ke, as the moral of this music video can be seen: that it is only in the shadow of failure that success will shine through & that it's always brighter on the other side of the rainbow. As for the song itself, the instrumental in particular was stunning because it blended interesting elements, such as traditional Chinese instruments & chimes into the background to create something that adds dimension to a song that would feel somewhat incomplete without these additions. In essence, Light is a beautiful song that you should listen to when you feel like your down on your luck to hopefully inspire you to fight as hard as you can for that future of your dreams.





#6- GARNiDELiA - KISHIKAISEI
Duo GARNiDELiA is back one month after the single release Secret Party in late September, with 起死回生(Kishikaisei) from their upcoming album of the same name. For this release the pair did not stray far from the poppy electric sound of Secret Party, they instead took most of these elements such as voice effects and the usage of synthesizers to create a power pop-rock ballad. Kishikaisei is a genre blender, taking traditional rock elements and mixing it with electronic synthesizers. It starts with a simple piano melody with the subtle addition of said synthesizers, this creates a build-up with a darker sound; until it leads into a pre-chorus mostly driven by vocals and subtle instrumental. The chorus itself is far more subdued than one would expect from the verses and pre-chorus, but we can still feel so much emotion thanks to lead singer MARiA's expressive vocals. Her vocals suit the lyrics which encourage perseverance; and not letting anything or anyone stand in the way of your goals! This song is perfect for today's times and can serve as a beautiful little pick me up.





#7- CIX - JUNGLE
CIX has returned with Jungle which may be one of my favourite boy group releases of October. After having a slight delay due to Bae Jinyoung's ankle injury they have finally returned to us in the final week of October with another top-tier release! The jungle gives us the image of being trapped in someone's embrace (or Jungle) despite wanting to run as far away from them as possible to escape their domineering presence. This song happens to include one of K-pop's most common composition themes lately, which is the instrumentally focused interlude to connect the chorus to the rest of the song. However, despite this addition, Jungle is still a fantastic song. This is largely due to the fantastically arranged chorus (and pre-chorus) that employs a distorted organ to highlight the vocal abilities of each of their vocalists and gives the song a unique feel. At the same time, the song also includes the use of one of my favourite transition effects, a distorted voice to signal an incoming beat drop. It works perfectly and adds just the right amount of tension to an already tense release about escaping those holding you against your will so that you can live again to fight another day.

BY POLARIS_TAE


#1- Meng Meiqi has proven that her time spent in Rocket Girls was anything but a failure but was instead a complete and utter success! The sales for the artist's 2nd EP, "Love/Not Love" surpassed 1.43 million copies and made over 10 million Yuan within eight minutes of release on Netease music. Even though, at the time of release, the EP only contained a single song, "Mute". We wish her continued success in her solo career!


#2- BLACKPINK has officially become the first girl group to be million-sellers! The girl group's first regular album, "THE ALBUM" has surpassed 1.2 million copies and has become the first album released by a girl group to achieve such a feat. Congrats!


#3- BTS achieved two incredible achievements this week! "Dynamite" took home another win from Show! Music Core thus marking the groups' 20th music show win with the single. Meanwhile, the groups' music video for "Fake Love" crossed the 800 million mark on Youtube. We congratulate them on these achievements!


#4 - LOONA beat their record this week when their latest album "12:00" became the groups' highest first-week sales ever with 46,913 copies sold. Congrats!

BY POLARIS_TAE

Nominations opened once again for the HallyuPlus' User of the Month. Who are you nominating this November?

Our 'Dead By Hallyuween' Event continued this week with more great games and events for you to enjoy!

Stannie held the ongoing event "Trick or Treating in Hallyutown", a game of "would you rather" where users had to line up their preferences with members of the Events Team.

Our Events Trainee Chiharu hosted a game of mafia in the form of "Twisted Wonderland Mafia". Ultimately, the evil team prevailed and scored the top prize for their comrades.

hosted a game of "Tag" where users had to race against the clock to complete tasks to survive. In the end, it was yongfilms that took the top prize. Congrats!

Shop+ fans, Our Shop+ Team delivered us more great updates for another week. Be sure to purchase them when you can!

The Social Media Team published one article this week!

Polaris_Tae gave us their thoughts in an editorial titled, "Survival Shows As A Reboot System".


+

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, Public Relations - Video & Outreach Divisions, Translations and SM Team - Press Division.




We once again thank you for reading the article and keeping up to date with everything that may have passed by your radar this week. As always we also appreciate the comments you are soon going to drop about this week's ICYMI. See you again at the same time next week!





GFX BY @Mina
PROOFREAD BY @heidzee! ​

 

[UMJI MOODS]

A nice week in general.
Thank you.​

 

[Qoptyi]

Thanks as always!

 

[Lilac]

Thanks for the excellent recap

 

[fleur de lune]

thank you for the updates!

 

[demasta]

Thanks for the updates!

 

[kimsguardian]

as always great recap from an amazing team, thank you for your hard work!

 

[anh]

oop i missed this for some reason

thanks for the updates!