By Dong Sun-hwa
July is going to be the biggest month of the year for K-pop fans, with a legion of high-profile stars gearing up to release albums. Among them are NewJeans, Exo and NCT Dream.NewJeans (July 7, July 21)
Girl group NewJeans will roll out second mini-album Get Up on July 21, according to their management company, Ador. The album will showcase three captivating lead singles: “Super Shy”, “ETA” and “Cool With You”, as well as three additional tracks: “New Jeans”, “Get Up” and “Asap”.
Ador said the album will provide a glimpse into NewJeans’ diverse and distinctive musical prowess, further solidifying their unique identity in the industry.
This is not the first time the quintet have introduced three lead tracks, as their self-titled debut EP also boasted the dynamic trio of “Attention”, “Hype Boy” and “Cookie”, all of which gained chart success in Korea and abroad.
How K-pop group NewJeans ditched convention and shot up the global charts
NewJeans will unveil “Super Shy” and “New Jeans” on July 7, two weeks before the official release of the EP. Details have been kept under wraps, but Ador hinted these releases provide “sensory experiences” to listeners.
“We will have music videos for all six tracks included in Get Up,” Ador added. “Each of them will have different gems. We had an unusual collaboration with global brands and invited an unexpected guest.”
Among the collaborations is one with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Cartoon Network, which produced the beloved animated series The Powerpuff Girls. The two have made a music video for the song “New Jeans”, promising an exciting fusion of music and animation, said Ador.
Exo (July 10)
Exo will return with their seventh studio album, Exist, on July 10 – almost four years after the release of Obsession.To whet appetites, the boy group unveiled one of the songs – “Let Me In” – on June 12. The dreamy ballad reigned atop iTunes’ top songs chart in 33 regions, including Indonesia and Portugal, upon its release.
Although three members – Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin – were recently involved in a legal dispute with record label SM Entertainment over their contracts, they revealed recently that they would maintain their contractual relationships with the company.
“We are glad to announce that SM and the three artists have resolved our differences and reached a mutually amicable settlement,” SM and the three members said in a joint statement.
ZeroBaseOne (July 10)
ZB1 is made up of Kim Ji-woong, Zhang Hao, Sung Han-bin, Seok Matthew, Kim Tae-rae, Ricky, Kim Gyu-vin, Park Gun-wook and Han Yu-jin. The group will be active for two-and-a-half years.
According to management company WakeOne Entertainment, the coming album centres on the theme of youth – but it has not disclosed many details, such as the title of the lead single.
NCT Dream (July 17)
ISTJ, the third full-length album by boy group NCT Dream, is set to arrive on July 17. It will be fronted by the lead track of the same name, SM Entertainment said.“Broken Melodies”, a song in the album, hit music streaming charts on June 19. The track, which highlights the septet’s refreshing vibe, ranked first on major streaming platforms such as Bugs upon its release.
“It will offer 10 tracks of different vibes,” SM said in a statement.
Itzy (July 31)
K-pop girl group Itzy are preparing to release their highly anticipated album Kill My Doubt on July 31, according to record label JYP Entertainment.Fronted by lead single “Cake”, the album will carry five other tracks – “Bet on Me”, “None of My Business”, “Bratty”, “Psychic Lover” and “Kill Shot”.
“[Music duo] Black Eyed Pilseung, who are behind the success of numerous hits by girl group Twice, and JYP’s founder-producer Park Jin-young, among others, have participated in the album’s creative process,” JYP said in a statement.
