Jimin of BTS assured fans that he will soon be able to leave the hospital in a post on the band’s online fan community platform on Thursday.

Apologizing for making fans worry, the artist said he is recovering quickly and has been eating well.

“Please wait for a short while. I will be back on my feet soon and be there,” he added.

He suffered from a sore throat and stomach pains on Jan. 30 and was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. He also tested positive for the coronavirus. The next day he had his appendix removed.

Separately, his solo song “Filter” surpassed 250 million streams on Spotify as of Wednesday. It is the most-streamed solo work from the band on the platform. 

Astro’s MJ suspends activities

MJ of Astro will take a break due to health issues, agency Fantagio Entertainment said Thursday.

He was found to have a health condition and took an in-depth checkup after which doctors prescribed rest and treatment. The agency did not give further details.

The performer released his solo digital single “Happy Virus” in November last year, trying out the trot genre on his own. Last month the six members of the band took new profile pictures, hinting at group activities for this year.

The firm asked fans for their understanding and that it will take some time before he can pursue a more active career in the near future.

Seventeen to air new season of reality show

Seventeen’s original show “Going Seventeen” will start a new season, agency Pledis Entertainment announced with a preview trailer Wednesday.

The previous two seasons amassed over 270 million views on YouTube as of January. The new season starts airing on Feb. 9 via the band’s YouTube channel.

Last month, the bandmates uploaded a video in which they picked their favorite episodes and shared tidbits from during shooting. They thanked the producers, staffers, fans and viewers, and promised to try and create a more entertaining show.

The 13-piece act became the only group that sold 1 million copies each of two consecutive albums -- the eighth EP “Your Choice” and ninth EP “Attacca” -- in the first week of sales last year. With the success of its ninth EP, which hit Billboard 300 at No. 12, it also had five consecutive million-selling albums.

Beenzino to collaborate with Japanese band Chai

Rapper Beenzino was featured in Japanese female band Chai’s remix album, agency Beasts & Natives announced Thursday.

The Nagoya-based Japanese quartet was formed in 2012. Its debut EP, “Hottaraka Series,” from 2015 ranked No. 36 on Spotify’s UK top 50 chart. Its second studio album “Punk” from 2019 was picked as “Best New Music” by Pitchfork, an online American music publication.

The rock band has been collaborating with several international artists such as English virtual band Gorillaz, American rapper JPEGMafia as well as veteran British band Duran Duran.

Beenzino teamed up with Chai for “Donuts Mind If I Do” for the album titled “Wink Together,” which is a rearrangement of the band’s third album “Wink.” The song is the first track of the LP. 

Meanwhile, the rapper has been working on his second LP, “Nowitzki,” in a camp in Sweden. He surprised fans with the demo version of a new song titled “Monet” in November.

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