KPOP ‘meet the girls who rule the world’ TREASURE’s full comeback album in August 2023 and that it will only have new songs like a REBOOT. STRAY KIDS: 5-Star will be the boy band’s third full length album, which was released on June 2, 2023. july 2023 Check out these 6 trainee groups set to debut in 2023 When Is ITZY Releasing Their Album? 2023 Comeback Details
CONTENTS 3 5 7 3 | Blackpink: meet the girls who rule the world 5| REBOOT:Treasure’s full comeback in August 2023. 7 | Stray Kids: 5-Star will be the boy band’s third full length al bum, which was released on June 2, 2023. 8 | Check out these 6 trainee groups set to debut in 2023 11| When Is ITZY Releasing Their Album? 2023 Comeback Details 8 11
Blackpink meet the girls who rule the world Blackpink is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The group debuted on August 8, 2016, with four members: Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. They quickly gained international popularity and became one of the most successful K-pop groups. The group’s name was conceived to contrast with the perception of femininity commonly associated with the color pink. When Blackpink debuted, their label YG Entertainment said the name intends to convey that the group embodies more than beauty. “I may look sweet, but I don’t act like it,” Jennie sings in the opening lines of “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du,” echoing this message. 3
Music: Blackpink is known for their catchy pop and hiphop influenced songs. They have released several hit singles, including “Whistle,” “Boombayah,” “Playing with Fire,” “Kill This Love,” and “How You Like That.” Their music videos often achieve record-breaking views on YouTube. International Success : Blackpink has gained a sig - nificant international fol - lowing and has collaborated with artists like Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez. They have also performed at major events and festivals world - wide, including Coachella. Achievements: The group has achieved numerous records and ac - colades. They are the high - est-charting female K-pop group on the Billboard Hot 100, with their single “Ice Cream” reaching number 13. They have also broken re - cords on YouTube, including being the first K-pop group to reach 1 billion views with their music video for “DduDu Ddu-Du.” Fashion and Endorse - ments: Blackpink members are known for their fashion sense and have been involved in various endorsement deals with major brands like Chanel, Dior, and Adidas. Solo Activities: Each member of Blackpink has also pursued solo activities within the entertain - ment industry. Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa have released solo music and received positive responses from fans and critics. Overall, Blackpink has made a significant impact on the glob - al music scene, and their music, fashion, and performances continue to captivate audiences around the world. 4
T r e a s u r e ’ s full comeback in August 2023 YG Entertainment’s CEO Yang Hyun-suk shared a video on June 11, 2023, explaining the formation of a new subunit under TREASURE, T5, and the group’s full comeback in August. Given that the group’s musical releases have been minimal despite being in the industry for three years, fans were thrilled to hear about the two exciting announcements. In the video titled, “The Next Plan for TREASURE,” Yang Hyun-suk explained the plans of the budding K-pop band that his agency YG Entertainment managed. In the short video, he expressed regret for being unable to pay attention to the group for the past three years. He then told fans that he has some interesting and exciting news to share. He said that he wanted to apologize to the TREASURE fans for not being able to dedicate himself fully to his work after the debut of the band. He added that since a number of changes had taken place with regard to TREASURE’s new song, he wanted to be the one to personally deliver the news. After a small introduction to the video, he continues to reveal further details about the ten-member boy group’s second album release. He said that he is considering releasing TREASURE’s full comeback album in August 2023 and that it will only have new songs like a REBOOT. The company’s CEO noted: “I feel like the group will be reborn. You know like how we turn on and off out computers we call it REBOOTING? I think you can look forward to it.” He concluded his message by directly addressing the group’s fans. He said that since it was the first time he met them, he wanted to promise them all that he would do his best to make sure that the group can release more music. 5
In the later part of his statement, the CEO moves on to discuss the formation of a fresh sub-unit, T5, under the ten-member group. Yang Hyun-suk describes it as a five-member group all of whom are confident of their looks. He noted that he had asked members to raise their hands if they believed they were the most handsome and that was how he formed the team of five members. The CEO said that they plan to present T5 in July just before the release of TREASURE’s full album release. He then spoke about the promotional methods chosen to announce the reveal of T5. He said: “The new promotion method for T5 will involve unveiling the choreography video as a pre-release. Unveiling the choreography ahead of the release of the M/V is a very special and exceptional promotion method, a first for us at YG.” Since the debut of the ten-member group, fans have been pretty disappointed with their promotions and felt that YG Entertainment wasn’t doing them justice. Fans were also unhappy with how the agency wasn’t utilizing the group’s skills. The group debuted three years ago but its discography is still quite small and fans have consistently expressed their frustration with how the group’s managed. The new announcement did lift fans’ spirits a little but they were unhappy that the news was announced by Yang Hyun-suk. While some fans felt that it was news for the CEO himself to speak about the group’s comeback, others expressed that they would’ve liked the members to have made the announcement. Another issue they addressed was how the members of the sub-unit, T5, were chosen. Since it only had the members raising their hands based on the confidence they were about their visuals, fans said that the unit had nothing to do with using the members’ other skills. Netizens criticized Yang Hyun-suk for the same and called out his focus on looks and visuals over other rather important qualities. Regardless, fans are happy to hear that the band has an active year ahead of them and are looking forward to the band’s releases. 6
Prior to the album’s release, the boys broke K-pop records! The album achieved 4.93 million stock preorders just three days before the album’s release — the largest amount any K-pop act has achieved so far. Stray Kids most recent album was 2022’s MAXIDENT, a mini-EP which included 8 tracks — one being “CASE 143,” serving as the group’s first “love” song. “We do have love songs in other tracks from our previous albums, but they were a bit more subtle,” Changbin said during a press conference following the album’s release. “So this time we wanted to create a largescale love song that has choreography and comes with a performance. People say that Stray Kids reminds them of a powerful energy, and this was a challenge for us — how we were going to mix that energy with the concept of love. I think Stray Kids’ love songs stand out in the fact that they 5-Star will be the boy band’s third full-length album, which was released on June 2, 2023. ‘STRAY KIDS’ tend to be direct.” Stray Kids debuted in 2018 with their song “District 9” under the South Korean music agency, JYP Entertainment. Originally, a nine-member group, Stray Kids includes members Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, I.N., and former member Woojin. One thing about Stray Kids is that they’re going to write their own music! A rarity in K-pop, the boys produce nearly all of their songs. What’s even more, members Bang Chan, Han and Changbin have created their own music production group called 3RACHA, which is where they write their own music without outside collaborators. “We connect through our lyrics,” Han told Teen Vogue in September 2022. “It’s a personal connection that allows me to mature and also be comforted. Music is the only way I can show myself.” It’s similar for Changbin, who referred to his lyrics as a diary. “I’m not a very expressive person,” the rapper told the outlet. “I don’t share a lot about myself, but music is like a channel that unravels these stories within me.” He thinks of these stories as intangible threads that tie his inner thoughts to whomever is listening. On stage, that feeling is magnified.” “This is the reason why Stay [their fans] like us,” Han added, “and the reason why Stray Kids and Stay can become closer.” 7
Check out these 6 trainee groups set to debut in 2023 I n this article, we will explore upcoming pre-debut and trainee groups currently engaging in pre-debut promotions or are slated to make their grand entrance onto the K-Pop scene in 2023. We’ll delve into their social media presence, fan following, anticipated concepts, and any other exciting tidbits about these rising stars. 1. CMDM Boys. (Pre-Debut). CMDM Boys are a trainee group set to debut around the end of April 2023 with the following 6 members: Choi Byunghoon, Kim Hyunhah, Oh Junhyoung, Chae Heeju, Lee Nohyul, and Kim Seungho. SNS Stats (As of April 7th, 2023). Twitter: CMDM_official. Current Follower Count. 374. 8
2. RareHouse. (Trainee Group). RareHouse, is a trainee male group picking up steam and is definitely a group to keep your eyes on. Since the original posting of their first special performance video ‘Illegal’ which hit 49K views within 4 days, has seen achieved 331K views after only 2 weeks. Fellow member Seongbin has also seen an increase in following since his Show Me The Money Season 11 appearance, and since opening his SoundCloud, which you can find here. The group consists of: Seongbin, Seongil, Sungmo, Seokjun, Donggun and Dogyun. Current SNS Stats: Instagram. 12.7K Followers. TIK TOK. 425.6K Followers. YouTube. 7.2K Subscribers. 3. East Shine. East Shine is an upcoming boy group underneath TM Entertainment that currently consists of (as of April 7th): Sunwook, Dongjae, Hyunjin, Hwangjun, Kyuhyun, Youngkwang and Kunhee. Their debut is set to be sometime in 2023. Twitter. 432 Followers. TikTok. 24.7K Followers. 9
5. B-OURS. B-OURS is a South Korean 5 member hip-hop girl group. Although their exact debut date is currently unknown, the current member line up consists of: Subin, Seyeon, Haein, Yuju and Ahyun. Current SNS Stats: Instagram. 362 Followers. YouTube. 51 Subscribers. 6. ADYA. You might recognize ADYA, as they were formerly known as StartingGirls (pre debut trainees underneath Starting House Entertainment). The 5 member girl group is set to debut sometime in 2023 with the following member line up: Yeonsu, Seowon, Sena, Seungchae and Chaeeun. Instagram. 3.7K Followers. Twitters. 3.7K Followers. (Starting House Official) YouTube. 10K Subscribers. 10
I TZY is preparing to release their album Kill My Doubt on July 31, 2023, with the lead single and music video “Cake” dropping on the same day. The girl group also dropped the pre-release video for “Bet on Me” on July 3, with the second pre-release track “None of My Business” coming to us on July 24. ITZY admitted that the group still gets nervous about their upcoming comeback, but they are positive fans will like the new songs. “We’re still a little bit nervous because we had lots of songs before,” When Is ITZY Releasing Their Album? 2023 Comeback Details Yuna told UpRoxx in June 2023. “When we release the new music, I think our fans will love these new songs on the album but that thinking makes me nervous.” Members in K-pop groups often change up their appearance every comeback, and specifically, their hair. For ITZY’s upcoming comeback, it was Lia‘s turn to take on the hair-changing task. Being the only member who hasn’t bleached her hair since debut, the vocalist went blonde! “I was actually worried before dyeing it,” Lia told UpRoxx. “It’s not like I wanted to do it, but it was a suggestion because I never tried dying my hair after debut. It was always dark so somehow I thought ‘Okay. I guess it’s my turn.’” 11
Known for their impressive choreography and catchy lyrics fueled with girl power, ITZY debuted as a girl group under JYP Entertainment on February 12, 2019. The members include leader Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna. ITZY’s name is a play on the Korean word “to have it all,” and the group is one of the most groundbreaking K-pop acts in the fourth generation. “Our members were meant to perform,” Lia told Teen Vogue in August 2022. “Individually, their dance skills are awesome. Even when they were trainees, their dancing skills were great.” “All the members are really capable in many ways,” Ryujin added. “We can be a performance group, but we can try anything and have a great result.” Who Are ITZY? 12