BTS’ RM, NewJeans, Aespa and Treasure to go head to head in the K-pop charts with a clutch of new releases

BTS leader RM’s album Right Place, Wrong Person and NewJeans’ album How Sweet will be released on May 24, followed by Aespa’s album Armageddon on May 27
Boy group Treasure will release a new single, King Kong, on May 28, before another NewJeans album, Supernatural, drops in June. Who will come out on top?

K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop

The Korea Times

Published: 11:15am, 21 May 2024

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By Dong Sun-hwa

The chart competition among K-pop stars will intensify in the next few weeks, as several acts release new music. Among them are girl groups NewJeans and Aespa, boy band Treasure and RM from BTS.

NewJeans’ new album, How Sweet, is set to arrive on May 24. It will feature two tracks, titled “How Sweet” and “Bubble Gum”, along with instrumental versions of both songs, as announced by the quintet’s management company, Ador.

The details about the lead track, “How Sweet”, have been kept under wraps, but NewJeans unveiled the music video of “Bubble Gum” on April 27, which by last week had surpassed 34 million views.

It garnered more than five million views within 13 hours of being released, showing the group’s popularity despite the ongoing management rights dispute involving Ador and its parent company, Hybe.

Following the release of How Sweet, NewJeans will release an album, Supernatural, on June 21. It will be their first Japanese release.

NewJeans will release two new projects in the coming weeks. Photo: Ador

The album’s title track samples “Back of My Mind” (2009), a collaboration between Pharrell Williams and Japanese singer Manami.

The producer of NewJeans’ 2022 mega-hits “Attention” and “Hype Boy”, 250, has reinterpreted the tune by infusing it with a new jack swing style.

BTS’ leader RM, who is currently fulfilling his mandatory military service in South Korea, will drop his second solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person, on May 24.

RM of BTS in Seoul in 2023. Photo: Getty Images

RM’s new album will feature 11 tracks, mostly about moments when people feel like they are “a stranger who cannot fit in”. RM participated in writing the lyrics of all the songs.

On May 10, the 29-year-old unveiled the music video of “Come back to me”, one of the songs on his upcoming album. It was directed by Lee Sung-jin, who won an Emmy for best director for his 2023 Netflix series Beef. The music video has so far garnered more than 11 million views on YouTube.

“Come back to me” is an indie pop song that explores the contradictory emotions that people experience as they try to make a choice between challenge and complacency.

“The upcoming album, which is RM’s first solo release in about 17 months, will also present a collaboration that breaks down the boundaries of art,” says Big Hit Music, the subsidiary label of Hybe that represents BTS.

RM’s first solo album, Indigo, hit shelves in December, 2022.

On May 27, girl group Aespa will release their first full-length album, Armageddon. The 10-track album will be fronted by two lead singles: “Armageddon” and “Supernova”, according to their label, SM Entertainment.

The quartet heightened anticipation among fans by unveiling “Supernova” on May 13, two weeks before the album’s release. The catchy dance track quickly climbed multiple streaming charts in South Korea and abroad, reaching the No. 6 spot on the real-time chart of Melon, a major streaming service in Korea, within three days.

“The ‘Supernova’ music video is in line with the upcoming album’s slogan – ‘Only I can define myself’,” SM says. “It paints a picture of the members who attempt to depict their authentic selves.”

Boy band Treasure will put out a digital single, “King Kong”, on May 28. The group’s record label, YG Entertainment, says the tune will be reminiscent of the movie of the same name, about a character that takes a risk for love.

“Our members’ energy and charisma have been raised to the maximum,” YG says.

Read the full story at The Korea Times.

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