[Today’s K-pop] Kep1er extends life as septet: report
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Kep1er will begin a new chapter as a seven-member group, according to a local media report Thursday.
The group debuted in January 2022 with survivors of the audition show “Girls Planet 999: Girls Saga” and was supposed to disband in July. Seven members, however, decided to renew their contracts to continue as Kep1er, a first for an idol group launched through such a program in Korea.
Kang Yeseo and Mashiro will return to their original agency and join another girl group Limelight, added the report. Their management firm 143 Entertainment, though, said it is still in talks about whether to stay as Kep1er following the report.
Meanwhile, the group will release its first full album “Kep1going On” on June 3. It will consist of 10 tracks including the main track “Shooting Star.” Kep1er's first LP in Japan “Kep1going” came out last week and topped Billboard Japan’s album sales chart.
Astro’s Cha Eunwoo to hold encore concert
Cha Eunwoo of Astro will hold concerts in Yokohama, Japan, on June 29-30 and in Seoul on July 6, his agency Fantagio announced Thursday.
The concerts are an encore gig for his solo fan concert tour “Just One 10 Minute [Mystery Elevator]” that began in February in Seoul. The tour brought the musician to seven more cities in Asia through last month and will resume in Brazil on June 1. He expanded the Latin American leg to three stops and will perform twice in Mexico the following week.
He returned from Japan last week after co-emceeing KCON Japan 2024. The singer and actor played the male lead in the drama “Wonderful World” which wrapped up in mid-April.
Kiss of Life to return in July
Girl group Kiss of Life will bring out a new album in July, agency S2 Entertainment said Thursday.
The album comes only three months after its first single “Midas Touch” which debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 165. It is the first entry on the main albums chart for the foursome that debuted in July last year. The titular track also made the Top 100 chart on Melon, the largest music chart in Korea, another first for the group.
The four members will greet fans at their fan concert in Seoul on May 18.
Separately, leader Julie collaborated with Nayeon of Twice who will drop her second solo EP “Na” which is due out next month.
EXO’s trio joins MC Mong’s company
INB100, the agency of EXO’s Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen, was acquired by One Hundred, co-founded by MC Mong, the company said Thursday.
Baekhyun established INB100 in January, after his contract with SM Entertainment expired, and the two bandmates followed him to the new label. The trio was in a widely publicized conflict with SM Entertainment last June when the label claimed that MC Mong attempted to “tamper” via his company Big Planet Made Entertainment, persuading the three to leave SM and sign with his label. One Hundred is the parent company of Big Planet Made as well.
In the meantime, Baekhyun is in the middle of his first solo Asia tour “Lonsdaleite,” spanning 13 cities since mid-March. Chen will drop his fourth solo EP “Door” on May 28 while Xiumin is cast as the host for the global idol audition show “MA1.”
By Hwang You-mee(glamazon@heraldcorp.com)
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