Today in K-Pop

Soompi

Get ready: TWS will be returning to the music scene next month! On January 19, News1 reported that TWS will make a comeback sometime in February with a new digital single. In response to the report, their agency PLEDIS Entertainment confirmed, “TWS is currently preparing for a digital single release scheduled for next month.” This…

Monday, January 19, 2026

(LEAD) BTS discussing performance in central Seoul to promote comeback: sources
Yonhap News

SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- K-pop juggernaut BTS is considering a major performan...

A first journey beyond borders
Korea Herald

Going on a world tour is a milestone for any artist. For Seok, a North Korean defector in rookie boy band 1Verse, it carries an added layer of meaning: It marks his first time traveling abroad. The world tour for 1Verse begins with 11 shows across the US and Canada in January and February, followed by more than 10 concerts in Europe in April. Seok said the top item on his traveling bucket list is a simple one: running along Virginia Beach. "I haven't been able to go to the US yet," Seok said in

Enhypen’s new EP instant million-seller, enjoys chart success
Korea Herald

Enhypen's seventh EP, “The Sin: Vanish,” topped the iTunes Top Albums chart in 10 regions upon release and sold over 1.65 million units that same day. Lead track “Knife” was No. 1 on the iTunes Top Songs chart in 11 regions, and the accompanying music video exceeded 10 million views on YouTube in just 19 hours. As of Monday, views have exceeded 26 million. Billboard wrote that “as a tightly staged concept album, “The Sin: Vanish” turns Enhypen’s long-running vampire mythos into a serialized list

Soompi

ALPHA DRIVE ONE’s debut was a smash success! Last week, the new project group formed on the Mnet survival show “BOYS II PLANET” made their highly-anticipated debut on January 12 with their first mini album “EUPHORIA.” By the end of the day, ALPHA DRIVE ONE had already sold over 1 million copies of the mini…

Soompi

The wait is nearly over: Billlie is finally gearing up for their long-awaited comeback! On January 19 at midnight KST, Billlie officially announced their plans to return with their pre-release single “cloud palace ~ false awakening” later this month. “cloud palace ~ false awakening,” which Billlie performed at their fourth-anniversary mini fan meeting “Homecoming Day…

BTS discussing performance in central Seoul to promote comeback: sources
Korea Times

K-pop juggernaut BTS is considering a major performance in central Seoul ahead of its comeback in March, industry sources said Monday. Hybe, the group's agency, has applied to the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) for permission to use Gyeongbok Palace, Gwanghwamun Square, the Woldae area and the Sungnyemun gate for a performance featuring the septet in late March, the sources said. The event, tentatively titled "K-heritage and K-pop fusion concert," aims to blend traditional Korean culture with contemporary pop music, according to them. The KHS is expected to review the application Tuesday. A Hybe official told Yonhap News Agency that "discussions are under way," adding that details regarding the venue and schedule will be announced once confirmed. BTS is set to return March 20 with its fifth studio album, "Arirang," marking its first full-group comeback in nearly four years. The record is described as an expression of the group's Korean identity, reflecting a deep sense of longing and affection rooted in its heritage. This would not be the first time the group has performed at the royal pala

BTS discussing performance in central Seoul to promote comeback: sources
Korea Herald

K-pop juggernaut BTS is considering a major performance in central Seoul ahead of its comeback in March, industry sources said Monday. Hybe, the group's agency, has applied to the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) for permission to use Gyeongbok Palace, Gwanghwamun Square, the Woldae area and the Sungnyemun gate for a performance featuring the septet in late March, the sources said. The event, tentatively titled "K-heritage and K-pop fusion concert," aims to blend traditional Korean culture with cont

BTS discussing performance in central Seoul to promote comeback: sources
Yonhap News

SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- K-pop juggernaut BTS is considering a major performan...

Soompi

BLACKPINK has gone gold in the United States with their latest hit! On January 15 local time, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded BLACKPINK’s 2025 single “JUMP” an official gold certification for selling over 500,000 units in the United States. “JUMP” is BLACKPINK’s third song to be certified gold by the RIAA, following…

Soompi

EXO’s Chanyeol and Block B’s P.O will dish on their childhood friendship on the next episode of “Amazing Saturday”! This weekend, the popular tvN variety show released a sneak peek of its upcoming episode, which will feature EXO’s Suho and Chanyeol as guests. The preview begins with Suho initially expressing confidence in his lyric-guessing skills,…

Soompi

Billboard has published its World Albums chart for the week ending on January 17! Stray Kids continued to dominate the World Albums chart this week, with their latest album “DO IT” defending its position at No. 1. “DO IT” also spent its seventh consecutive week on the Billboard 200 at No. 155. Including “DO IT,”…

Catch The Young wants to shed idol band label with first LP 'Evolve'
Korea Herald

Catch The Young is ready to shed the "idol band" label once and for all with its 14-track full LP that puts on display the group's sonic and personal growth since its debut in 2021. Built around the self-coined genre "youth pop rock," the five-member band's album is a dense, deliberate attempt to prove they have not only "found their sound, but matured into it." "Without a full-length album, it felt like we couldn't be properly evaluated as a band," explained leader and bassist Sani during a med

Exo returns after 2 years with ‘Reverxe’
Korea Herald

EXO is set to make its highly anticipated return Monday with the release of its eighth album, prompting some fans to hail the project as the “return of the kings.” “Reverxe” is Exo’s first full group activity in 2 1/2 years, following “Exist” from July 2023, which became the group’s seventh million-seller. The new album will be released across all major music platforms Monday evening. The music video for the lead track “Crown” will be released simultaneously via SM Entertainment’s official YouTu

BTS to hold comeback show at Gwanghwamun Square in March
Korea Herald

BTS is preparing to stage a large-scale comeback performance at Seoul’s symbolic Gwanghwamun Square in March, according to a local report on Monday. It would mark the group’s first full-member appearance in more than three years following the completion of mandatory military service, ahead of its world tour “Arirang,” set to kick off in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in April. Hybe has identified Gwanghwamun Square as the primary candidate venue to present the group’s return in a culturally and hist

Billlie to drop prerelease next week
Korea Herald

Billlie will be returning as a full group next week, beginning with a prerelease on Jan. 27, agency Mystic Story announced Monday. A teaser video dubbed “Grant of Admittance” piqued fans' interest with a snippet of the single, “cloud palace - false awakening.” Billlie also gave fans a first listen in November, when it performed “cloud palace - false awakening” at a fan meetup held in celebration of its fourth anniversary. The prerelease, together with the soon-to-follow album, will also mark the

Alpha Drive One logs record sales with debut album
Korea Herald

Alpha Drive One’s first album sold over 1.44 million copies in a week, the second-most for a debut album from a K-pop group, said agency WakeOne Entertainment on Monday, citing a local tally. “Euphoria” became a million-seller on the day of its release, and all six tracks from the EP made Melon’s Top 100 chart. Lead single “Freak Alarm” hit the chart at No. 31 and debuted atop a series of real-time music charts. The album logged over 1 million streams on Melon while the music video for the focus

TWS to celebrate 2nd anniversary
Korea Herald

TWS will mark its two-year anniversary with a birthday party-themed event, Pledis Entertainment said Monday. Under the title of “Sparkling Days,” the boy band will invite fans and recount memories together. The six-member act is planning to drop a digital single in February, according to a local media report Monday. It will come only four months after fourth EP “Play Hard,” which sold 640,000 copies in its first week, a record for TWS. The focus track from the mini album, “Overdrive,” earned the

EXO to return with 8th studio album 'REVERXE'
Korea Times

K-pop boy band EXO will make a much-anticipated return Monday with its first studio album in more than two years. The group's agency, SM Entertainment, said the eighth full-length album, titled "REVERXE," would be released at 6 p.m. It marks the group's first studio album since the release of "EXIST" in July 2023. The upcoming album consists of nine tracks, fronted by the lead single "Crown." Other tracks include the winter song "I'm Home" and "Suffocate," which depicts the pain of a breakup. The release features six members of the group — Suho, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun and Lay. Three other members — Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin — will not take part in the album due to an ongoing contract dispute with the company. "Crown" is described as a hard dance track that blends Atlanta-style trap drums, heavy metal guitar riffs and EDM synthesizers. Its lyrics express a desperate vow to protect a precious person, using the metaphor of a crown. EXO will also unveil a music video for the lead single on its official YouTube channel on the same day. The video features choreography in which the mem

EXO to return with 8th studio album 'REVERXE'
Yonhap News

SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- K-pop boy band EXO will make a much-anticipated retur...

Soompi

“IDOL I” has unveiled new stills ahead of tonight’s episode! “IDOL I” is a mystery courtroom romance drama starring Girls’ Generation’s Sooyoung as Maeng Se Na, a star lawyer and devoted fan who takes on the case of her favorite idol Do Ra Ik (Kim Jae Yeong) after he is accused of murder. Spoilers In…

Soompi

Upcoming film “The King’s Warden” has teased the relationship between Park Ji Hoon and Yoo Hae Jin! “The King’s Warden” is the first Korean film to center on the hidden story of King Danjong (Park Ji Hoon). The sixth king of Joseon, Danjong ascended the throne at age 12 but was dethroned by his uncle…

Soompi

ILLIT’s “NOT CUTE ANYMORE” is the No. 1 song for the third consecutive week. Congratulations to ILLIT! Moving back up three spots to No. 2 is LE SSERAFIM’s “SPAGHETTI.” Hwasa’s “Good Goodbye” rises up one spot to round up the top three. There are no new songs in the top 10 this week. About the…

Soompi

KISS OF LIFE has kicked off the countdown to their next era! On January 19 at midnight KST, KISS OF LIFE unveiled a “GUESS THE NEXT ERA” teaser video announcing their plans to release something new on January 26. Meanwhile, KISS OF LIFE previously revealed that they were planning to make a comeback in April.…

Soompi

MAMAMOO’s Hwasa has snagged a fifth music show trophy for her hit song “Good Goodbye”! On the January 18 episode of SBS’s “Inkigayo,” the candidates for first place were Apink’s “Love Me More,” Hwasa’s “Good Goodbye,” and LE SSERAFIM’s “SPAGHETTI” (featuring BTS’s j-hope). Hwasa ultimately took the win with a total of 6,045 points. This…