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[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Rose gears up for solo gig

By Hwang You-mee

Published : Feb. 10, 2021 - 16:56

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(Credit: YG Entertainment) (Credit: YG Entertainment)

Rose of Blackpink’s solo debut is likely to happen very soon, according to a local media on Wednesday.

She has been signaling for a solo gig since last year and she unveiled “Gone,” thought to be the sub-title track from her upcoming own album, at the band’s first online streaming concert on Jan. 31. 

Her company YG Entertainment confirmed that the musician has already finished shooting the music video for the title song from the album. It has spent one of the biggest budgets on it and the final touches are being added, said the company but did not provide specific dates yet.

She was named as one of the K-pop solo artists who could break in America in 2021, in a Forbes articles published last week, along with Baekhyun (EXO and Super M), Wonho (formerly of Monsta X), J-Hope and RM (BTS). 

Jennie was the first to come out with a solo song, titled “Solo,” in November 2018, sweeping across major music charts at home and abroad. The music video also recorded 600 million views on YouTube.

IZ*ONE to hold online concert in March 

(Credit: Swing Entertainment) (Credit: Swing Entertainment)
 
IZ*ONE will meet their fans online via a standalone concert called “One, The Story” next month. 

It is the first show since “Oneiric Theater” held September last year that delighted its fans with never-seen-before unit performances and live band session incorporated with AR and XR technologies. 

During the two-day concert, scheduled for March 13th and 14th, the 12-piece act will unveil another new unit stages and first-time repertoires. As the name of the concert suggests, the show will weave through how the bandmates have come to realize their dreams with the support from WIZ*ONE, their official fandom. 

IZ*ONE will also host a fan meet on Feb. 28 via Universe, a fandom application launched last month in 134 countries. Participants will be selected through a lucky draw and will be able to enjoy a one-on-one video call with a member. 

The all-girl band sold the most albums in 2020 among K-pop female artists, according to a data released last month. Its third EP “Oneiric Diary” sold about 440,000 units, first studio album “Bloom*IZ” about 415,000 and fourth EP “One-reeler / Act IV” 378,000, totaling up to 1.29 million units.

Seventeen’s Jun to release single in Chinese

(Credit: Pledis Entertainment) (Credit: Pledis Entertainment)

Seventeen’s Jun will put out a digital single in China next week, said the company via the band’s official SNS channel.

The digital single album is named “Silent Boarding Gate,” and the same-titled focus track sings how we, confined in a certain time and space, are always in search for a way out for a fresh start and how it can lead us back to the past, forward to a future, or to where our dreams are. 

The Chinese native member of the boy band dropped “Crow” last week in advance to the release and the song landed at the top of iTunes song chart in five regions and among the top 10 in eight. This new solo project comes more than two years after his previous Chinese album.

Meanwhile, the 13-piece act will host a live broadcast on its YouTube channel on Wednesday picking the best episodes from its original content series “Going Seventeen 2020” that wrapped up last month.

Twice’s “Likey” music video tops 500m viewings

(Credit: JYP Entertainment) (Credit: JYP Entertainment)

The music video of Twice’s “Likey” amassed over 500 million views on YouTube. 

The upbeat electronic pop number is the title track from the group’s first studio album “Twicetagram” that came out in October 2017. The music video logged over 100 million viewings in four days at the time.

All the music videos of the nine-piece act topped over 100 million views since debut and this is the second to surpass 500 million along with that of “TT.” Music Video of “What is Love?” a 2018 hit may join the record soon with more than 466 million views as of Wednesday.

Twice held its first standalone online concert “Beyond Live – Twice: World in a Day” that was broadcast live in 126 countries last year. It will host an online concert, titled “Twice in Wonderland,” for its Japanese fans on March 6, as part of Japanese telecoms giant NTT Docomo’s New Experience Connect Special Live.

By Hwang You-mee (glamazon@heraldcorp.com)