Taeyang of Big Bang will leave label YG Entertainment and join The Black Label, said YG Entertainment on Monday.

“We are sincerely pleased to deliver the news that Taeyang is making a fresh start,” said the company. It remains unchanged that Taeyang still is a family of YG Entertainment and a member of Big Bang, it added hinting that he will continue as a part of the veteran idol group.

The Black Label is headed by Teddy, a creative director and songwriter best known for his works for Blackpink. The agency is associated with YG Entertainment.

“We will fully support Taeyang so that he can engage more in wider spectrum of music,” said the agency.

In the meantime, YG Entertainment said that it is in talks with G-Dragon over his contract as a solo musician. T.O.P left the label in February but participated in the single “Still Life” in April.

NCT 127 to roll out repacked 4th LP

NCT 127 will make a comeback on Jan. 30, 2023 with a reissue of its fourth studio album, announced label SM Entertainment on Monday.

The repackage “Ay-Yo” will consist of 15 tracks, adding three songs to the 12-track LP “2 Baddies.” The LP came out in September and hit the Billboard 200 at No. 3. The album stayed on the chart for five weeks in a row and returned to the chart after five weeks, extending its stay to seven weeks in total. Titular track made Best Songs of 2022 listed by Rolling Stone magazine earlier this week.

The fourth LP set records in sales as well, selling more than 1.5 million copies in the first week.

Meanwhile, the band will kick off its US tour on Dec. 9. The seven-member act will hold concerts in Chicago, Houston, Atlanta before going live in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.

Pentagon’s Hongseok to be discharged

Hongseok of Pentagon has been discharged from the military for a disability, said agency Cube Entertainment on Monday.

He has been serving his military duty even while undergoing treatments and therapy for anxiety disorder and depression associated with agoraphobia, which he has had for a while. The symptoms, however, have worsened to the extent that it became impossible to continue serving and receiving treatments, the company explained.

The performer joined the Army in May. He was the third member of the band to enlist after Jinho and Hui.

Hongseok debuted as a member of the nine-piece team in 2016. In 2019, he branched into acting, appearing in a series of dramas and a movie.

NiziU to enter Korea in earnest: report

Girl group NiziU will bring out its first album in Korea in the first half of this year, according to a local media report on Monday.

The all-Japanese group’s upcoming album will be in Korean language and the nine members, trained by JYP Entertainment, will actively promote it here.

The label only said that it is “discussing releasing a Korean album” following the report.

The nonet debuted in December 2020 in Japan and wrapped up its first Japan tour last week. It toured seven cities for 16 shows that drew a 330,000-member audience. The music video for its pre-debut single “Make You Happy” surpassed 300 million views on YouTube last month, becoming the first Japanese female band to achieve the feat.

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