HYBE: Last News

NewJeans swept the K-pop categories at this year’s Korean Music Awards, beating out popular contemporaries such as (G)I-DLE, LE SSERAFIM, IVE and more.The quintet took home the awards for both Best K-pop Album and Best K-pop Song, with their self-titled debut EP and the hit song ‘Attention’ respectively. In addition, the girl group also clinched the trophy for Rookie of the Year, besting fellow K-pop acts LE SSERAFIM and IVE, among others.Meanwhile, the biggest winner of the night was DJ and producer 250 – real name Lee Ho-hyung – who took home four awards: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Electronic Song, and Best Electronic Album.

Tomorrow X Together (TXT) have unveiled a special new version of their ‘The Name Chapter: Temptation’ B-side ‘Happy Fools’.On February 28, the K-pop quintet dropped the new version of ‘Happy Fools’ via their official YouTube channel alongside a special clip of the group performing the track.The new version of ‘Happy Fools’, which was first released as part of their January mini-album ‘The Name Chapter: Temptation’ and originally featured Coi Leray trades the American rapper’s verse for a new self-written rap by member Yeonjun.“Don’t wanna do my thing, I won’t regret it / I’ll be the laziest Superman so follow me / The pleasant taste of laziness / Is very sweet / A dream-like guilty pleasure is right in front of me,” they sing in the chorus.The new video is part of TXT’s ongoing ‘2023 Dream Week’ event, which will lead up to their upcoming fourth anniversary as a group on March 4. The boyband have already released a string of special content, including rehearsal videos from their 2022 ‘Act: Love Sick’ world tour.Last week, TXT released a re-make of the 1990s song ‘Goodbye Now’ by South Korean music duo 015B in collaboration with Naver Webtoons for the upcoming finale of Love Revolution, an original comic series on the platform.The new collaboration arrived just a month after the release of ‘The Name Chapter: Temptation’, which was led by the title track ‘Sugar Rush Ride’.

KOZ Entertainment will be debuting its first K-pop boyband in the coming months.On February 28, SpoTV News reported that a new boy band produced by Block B rapper, producer and KOZ Entertainment founder Zico would be making their debut this May. In response to reports, representatives the K-pop label shared that it is indeed “gearing up for [the boy group’s debut in] the first half of this year,” as translated by Soompi.However, KOZ did not confirm nor deny SpoTV News’ claims that the forthcoming act is scheduled to debut in May, instead saying: “The exact debut date will be revealed after it is confirmed.”Zico had previously teased the upcoming act during HYBE’s 2022 briefing.

SM Entertainment, HYBE has criticised a recent partnership the K-pop agency has forged with South Korean tech giant Kakao.Earlier this month, Kakao shared that it had acquired a 9.05 per cent stake in SM, which would have made it the second-largest shareholder of the company after founder Lee Soo-man. HYBE later announced that it had struck a deal to acquire a 14.8 per cent stake in SM from Lee, thus becoming its biggest shareholder.

NU’EST member Hwang Min-hyun has made his solo debut with his new mini-album ‘Truth or Lie’, led by the title track ‘Hidden Side’.On February 27 at 6PM KST, the 27-year-old singer released his debut mini-album ‘Truth or Lie’ and its lead single ‘Hidden Side’. In the sleek new visual, Hwang teleports between a drab office and a crowded club where approaching a woman, who becomes intrigued after he seems to disappear into thin air.“Can you see? Timing that will captivate you with no warning / Privacy reflected in your eyes / Fill the scene in your heart with me,” he sings in the groovy chorus.In addition to ‘Hidden Side’, Hwang’s new mini-album includes five B-sides, ‘Honest’, ‘Crossword’, ‘Perfect Type’, ‘Smile’ and ‘CUBE’.Hwang is the third NU’EST member to go solo, following Baekho with ‘Absolute Zero’ in October 2022 and Kim Jong-hyun (formerly JR) with ‘MERIDIEM’ in November 2022.

MONSTA X and Jessi have been announced as the final K-pop acts to join the line-up for We Bridge, a music festival set to take place in Las Vegas.We Bridge announced yesterday (February 23) that both acts would be joining the performing line-up for day one (April 21), with MONSTA X set to headline the first night of the festival. Both acts will be sharing the bill with Dreamcatcher, CIX and soloist Kang Daniel.‼️ FINAL LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENTWe are excited to announce that @OfficialMonstaX will also be joining the final lineup of the #WeBridge concert as the headliner on day 1 ✨Get your tickets: https://t.co/9xhUMDB6HC pic.twitter.com/fT0bXdWddi— WE BRIDGE Expo (@WeBridgeExpo) February 23, 2023‼️ FINAL LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENTWe can’t wait to see Jessi on stage in Las Vegas! Don’t miss her performance as she joins day 1 of the #WeBridge Expo ✨Get your tickets: https://t.co/9xhUMDB6HC pic.twitter.com/8mikPCLBZX— WE BRIDGE Expo (@WeBridgeExpo) February 23, 2023Earlier this month, ENHYPEN was announced as the headliner for the festival’s second night (April 22), sharing the stage with boy group ONEUS and soloist Be’O, as well as girl groups VIVIZ and fromis_9.

Tomorrow X Together (TXT) have shared their rendition of ‘Goodbye Now’ as part of the soundtrack for ongoing webtoon series Love Revolution.The song was officially released today (February 22) at 6pm KST in collaboration with Naver Webtoons, a South Korean platform hosting original webcomics. ‘Goodbye Now’ was originally released in the 1990s by South Korean music duo 015B, and has since become a staple in South Korea for graduations.TXT remade the song for Love Revolution as a tie-in to the comic series’ impending finale this April, which will see its main characters graduate from high school. “Goodbye doesn’t mean that we’re parting forever / It’s a promise that we’ll meet again / The times that we spent together are all left as memories now / We have to leave to find the path that we’ll embark on,” the five-piece croon on the chorus.TXT recently released the EP ‘The Name Chapter: Temptation’, led by title track ‘Sugar Rush Ride’.

HYBE Labels CEO Park Ji-won has issued a new open letter addressing the K-pop company’s recent acquisition of the majority stake in competing label SM Entertainment.The statement was published in Korean, English and Japanese earlier today (February 22) via HYBE’s official Twitter. It announced the completion of HYBE’s acquisition of a 14.8 per cent stake in SM, a deal which the company struck with SM founder and former chief producer Lee Soo-man earlier this month.This officially makes HYBE, home to the likes of BTS, SEVENTEEN, NewJeans and more K-pop acts, the single largest shareholder in SM.

BTS leader RM has dropped a video for the song ‘Closer’ that features scenes from Park Chan-wook’s acclaimed mystery-romance film Decision To Leave. The music video was officially released yesterday (February 21) via BTS’ BANGTANTV YouTube channel and a clip from the video was also simultaneously shared on RM’s personal Instagram page. “I added some lo-fi arrangement to go with the video! It’s an honour to be part of a movie I love,” the K-pop idol’s caption read.The ‘Closer’ video features snippets lifted from Decision To Leave, starring Tang Wei as Song Seo-rae and Park Hae-il as Detective Jang Hae-jun.

SM Entertainment has released a video of its CFO Jang Cheol-hyuk explaining company leadership’s opposition to HYBE’s recent acquisition of a controlling stake in the K-pop agency.On February 20, a video titled “The reason why SM is against HYBE’s hostile takeover” was published on the agency’s official SMTOWN YouTube account, which usually only releases content for its artists. In the clip, Jang directly addressed fans of SM’s artists and its shareholders, outlining the agency’s view on HYBE’s recent acquisition and what it sees as potential consequences of the merger.In the video, Jang claimed that HYBE did not request due diligence material from SM Entertainment during the merger and acquisition disclosure process despite the large scale of the deal – a 1trillion won investment on HYBE’s part, which would require the agency to take a short-term loan in order to finance it, according to HYBE’s regulatory filing on February 10.Jang then raised this as an indication that HYBE’s corporate governance is “far from sound or rational”, claiming that SM Entertainment would “inevitably” be subject to this “weak governance” should HYBE take over the company, to the detriment of SM’s shareholders and artists.Jang also claimed that the values and interests of SM’s shareholders would likely not be prioritised in the event that HYBE successfully dominates its board of directors, and alleged that a takeover by HYBE would lead to the de-prioritisation of SM artists and their music releases due to HYBE’s roster already being “saturated” with artists from its existing subsidiaries.

SEVENTEEN vocalist DK has unveiled a cover of EXO member Baekhyun’s solo song ‘Amusement Park’ to celebrate his birthday.On February 18, the idol uploaded his rendition of Baekhyun’s ‘Amusement Park’ to SEVENTEEN’s official YouTube channel in celebration of his 26th birthday. The track was originally released by the EXO singer in December 2020 as an end-of-year gift to his fans.“Full of dreams and love / Let’s go to a mysterious world / Colourful fireworks / A wonderful parade for two / I am your amusement park,” croons DK on the mellow mid-tempo number.The new cover arrives shortly after SEVENTEEN’s BSS subunit – which comprises DK and bandmates Seungkwan and Hoshi – released their debut single album ‘Second Wind’ earlier this month.

SM Entertainment and its founder Lee Soo-man has widened further with the release of a video by the K-pop label’s CEO Chris Lee, in which he accuses Lee Soo-man of greed and airs suspicions that he attempted offshore tax avoidance, among several allegations.Chris Lee, who is also known as Lee Sung-soo and one of two current CEOs at the South Korean label, took to his personal YouTube channel to upload a 30-minute-long announcement regarding the current status of the company on February 16. The video was labelled the first part of a series of videos explaining why SM decided to sever ties with its founder Lee Soo-man (also Chris Lee’s uncle).In the video, Chris Lee accused Lee Soo-man of pushing SM to make unusual contract arrangements with a company he established overseas in a bid to avoid South Korean taxes.According to Chris Lee, Lee Soo-man had launched a new business in Hong Kong called CT Planning Limited, which Chris Lee claims is an offshore version of Lee Soo-man’s separate Korea-based consulting business, Like Planning.

SM Entertainment CEO Chris Lee (also known as Lee Sung-soo) has claimed the label’s founder Lee Soo-man is the reason why aespa’s new music has been delayed.On February 16, Lee, who is one of the K-pop agency’s two current CEOs, released a 30-minute statement regarding the company. In the video, which is the first part of a series, Lee made several allegations about SM’s former chief producer Lee Soo-man.According to Chris Lee’s video, Lee Soo-man was the reason why aespa’s music has been delayed.

K-pop girl group fromis_9 are working on their first-ever studio album, their agency has confirmed.A YTN Star report published earlier today (February 14) cited music industry officials who claimed that fromis_9 would release their first studio album in mid-March, and that the group had recently filmed a music video for the upcoming release.Later that day, Pledis Entertainment confirmed via KoreaJoongAngDaily that the girl group were indeed preparing to release their first studio album. However, the agency did not comment on the extent of fromis_9’s preparations, nor share details such as the record’s release date and title.The upcoming record will be fromis_9’s first release as an eight-member group, following the departure of founding member Jang Gyu-ri in July 2022.

HYBE, which is moving to become the largest shareholder in SM Entertainment, has reportedly said the latter label will be able to retain its independence.Last week, HYBE announced that it had struck a deal to buy 3.5million shares in SM Entertainment from its founder Lee Soo-man and therefore acquire a 14.8 per cent stake in the agency, which is one of K-pop’s longtime “Big Three” labels alongside JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment. The deal, once finalised on March 6, will make HYBE the largest shareholder in rival label SM.HYBE has also offered to purchase another 25 per cent of SM from minority shareholders.

Source Music has announced the cancellation of several upcoming promotions for LE SSERAFIM, after Yunjin and Chaewon were involved in a “minor” car accident.The announcement was made on October 19 via the girl group’s official Weverse page. “On Wednesday, October 19, the vehicle carrying LE SSERAFIM members Kim Chae-won and Huh Yun-jin was involved in a minor car accident,” the label’s English statement revealed.

Big Hit Music have confirmed that all seven members of BTS will be serving their mandatory military terms without special exemptions.On October 17, Big Hit Music released a statement announcing that all members of BTS are planning to fulfil their mandatory military service terms as required of all able-bodied male South Korean citizens. The boyband recently performed for the first time in sixth months at their ‘Yet To Come’ concert in Busan on October 15, which was also live-streamed worldwide for free.“After the phenomenal concert to support Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030, and as each member embarks on solo endeavours, it’s the perfect time and the members of BTS are honoured to serve,” wrote the agency.Big Hit added that eldest member Jin will “initiate the process” as soon as he wraps up promotions for his upcoming solo release in late October.

BTS have unveiled the official performance of ‘Proof’ B-side ‘Run BTS’ from their recent Busan concert.On October 15, the boyband held their ‘Yet To Come’ concert in Busan as part of the city’s World Expo 2030 bid, marking their first show in six months. At the concert, BTS also debuted the performance of ‘Run BTS’ from their June 2022 compilation album ‘Proof’.

Big Hit Music has issued a new statement addressing the “unauthorised use” of BTS‘ trademark ahead of the band’s forthcoming ‘Yet To Come’ concert in Busan, where the label says it will crack down on “counterfeit” merchandise.The statement, written in both Korean and English, was shared on Big Hit Music’s official social media channels yesterday (October 11). The label revealed that it has been taking “strict measures against companies that have been repeatedly producing, selling and distributing products that infringe on BTS’ portrait and trademark rights (‘rights violating products’)”.The label also announced plans to “conduct on-site inspection[s] and investigation[s] of counterfeit products” at and around the venue of BTS’ forthcoming ‘Yet To Come’ concert in Busan, slated to take place this weekend on October 15 at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium.

HYBE’s request to trademark V from BTS‘ popular ‘Borahae’ phrase.The phrase, now synonymous with BTS, was first coined by V during a BTS fanmeet event in 2016. The term, a portmanteau of the Korean words saranghae (I love you) and borasaek (purple), was created with the following message in mind to be used between BTS and their fanbase, per Soompi: “Just as purple is the last colour of the rainbow, I will trust and love you until the very end.”A report from Sports Kyunghangclaims that the South Korean entertainment giant’s request to trademark the ‘Borahae’ phrase was rejected as it went against the “principles of good faith”, as translated by Soompi.KIPO noted in their statement that the term was first coined by V – referred to in the report by his birth name, Kim Tae-hyung – during a BTS fanmeet on November 13, 2016, and that the entity entitled to the trademark is V himself.

LE SSERAFIM vocalists Huh Yun-jin and Kim Chae-won recently performed one of the act’s upcoming B-sides ‘Good Parts (when the quality is bad but I am)’ with singer-songwriter Salem Ilese.On the October 8 episodes of South Korean music show Music Universe K-909, the two LE SSERAFIM members appeared alongside American singer-songwriter Salem Ilese to perform a new track from the girl group’s second mini-album ‘ANTIFRAGILE’, due out on October 17 at 6PM KST.Titled ‘Good Parts (when the quality is bad but I am)’, the laid-back pop track is the final song on the five-track record, and features lyrics penned by Ilese, Huh and LE SSERAFIM’s Sakura, who was not present for the performance.“I just wanna love myself / When I’m feeling good or bad / I love my weakness / I may not always be glamorous, I may seem a bit plain / But find the good parts the good parts,” they croon on the chorus.Elsewhere in the episode, Kim and Ilese also teamed up to perform the latter’s 2020 hit single ‘Mad At Disney’. “So call me a pessimist / But I don’t believe in it / Finding a true love’s kiss is bullshit,” sings the LE SSERAFIM leader in her lines, which remain true to the original track.In addition to ‘Good Parts’, Huh also wrote lyrics for two other tracks on ‘ANTIFRAGILE’, namely ‘Impurities’ and ‘No Celestial’.