SM Entertainment Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Bitch X Rich, starring Red Velvet‘s Yeri, has released its first teaser. Watch it below.Bitch X Rich is set to follow Kim Hye-in (All of Us Are Dead‘s Lee Eun Saem), a student from a poor family who gets a chance to study at the prestigious Cheongdam International High School in exchange for her silence after she witnesses a murder.However, once at Cheongdam International High School, Hye-in comes face to face with Baek Je-na (Yeri), the heir to a chaebol and the most popular girl in school.The new teaser for Bitch X Rich opens with Hye-in opening her new school locker for the first time, only to find a sign reading “Welcome to Hell” with a mysterious pair of heels.

aespa have released a music video for ‘Spicy’, the title track of their new mini-album ‘MY WORLD’.The clip followed the members of aespa as a group of popular high school students, as they get ready to throw a wild party in their lavish mansion. But as the clock strikes midnight, time stops and the girl group take the opportunity to explore the city.“‘Cause I’m too spicy for your heart / Ring the fire alarm / You tiptoe into my heart / I’m too spicy / While the fire spreads / In that very moment / Finding another part of me / I’m too spicy, too, too, I’m too spicy,” they sing on the chorus.‘Spicy’ is the title track of aespa’s new mini-album ‘MY WORLD’.

EXO member Kai will be holding a free fan meeting event in Seoul next week, ahead of his military enlistment.On May 4, SM Entertainment announced that the EXO singer would be holding a free fan meeting at the Yes24 Live Hall in Seoul next week, following the news of his sudden military enlistment. The event will be held on May 9 at 7pm KST, just two days before Kai is set to enlist.“As the venue has limited space, the event will be free with pre-registration being accepted from members of [EXO’s] official paid fan club [EXO-L-ACE 3, ACE 2].

Kai of K-pop boyband EXO is set to enlist in the military next week.The news was shared by Kai’s label SM Entertainment on May 3, announcing that the K-pop idol will enlist in the South Korean military on May 11. In accordance with South Korean law, all able-bodied men over the age of 18 are required to serve in the military for up to two years.SM Entertainment said that Kai had been preparing new music with boyband EXO, but is set to enlist early “due to a recent change in regulations of the Military Manpower Administration”, per Soompi.

aespa have released a new music video for their new song ‘I’m Unhappy’.The music video, released on May 2, opens with a shot of member Winter running down a high school hallway, as the sound of a heartrate monitor plays in the background. As it flatlines, the word “contiune?” appears on screen, followed by a countdown, like an old-school arcade video game.The clip then cuts to the singer waking up in the middle of a party, with the members looking forlorn while singing about being unhappy.

K-pop girl group aespa have unveiled the music video for ‘Welcome To MY World’, the pre-release single to their upcoming mini-album ‘MY WORLD’.On May 2 at 6pm KST, the quartet dropped their pre-release track ‘Welcome To MY World’ along with a music video for the song. The new track arrives ahead of their third mini-album ‘My World’ and its lead single ‘Spicy’, which is due out on May 8 at 6pm KST.In the new visual, the members of aespa take a road trip to a forest and connect with nature.

Red Velvet member Joy will step back from all scheduled activities due to health concerns.Today (April 26), Joy’s label SM Entertainment announced in a statement that the K-pop idol would not be participating in any planned activities for the time being due to the “poor condition” of her health.“Joy recently visited a hospital due to her poor health condition, and after consultation and examination, the medical staff advised that she needs treatment and rest,” SM Entertainment said per Edaily, as translated by Soompi. However, the label did not give specific about Joy’s condition.“Joy will not participate in any schedules for the time being and will instead take a break to recover her health,” it added, adding that “this decision was made following thorough discussions with Joy, looking out for her health”.Red Velvet are currently on the Asia leg of their ‘R to V’ world tour, and are set to play the Pia Arena MM in Yokohama, Japan on May 3 next.

NCT member Doyoung has unveiled his cover of labelmate Seulgi‘s solo single ’28 Reasons’.Doyoung made an appearance on the April 18 episode of online talk show LeeMujin Service, hosted by singer Lee Mu-jin, where he performed a number of songs, including ’28 Reasons’ by his SM Entertainment labelmate Seulgi.For his performance, the NCT singer transformed the track into a sultry, jazzy number. “28 reasons that ruined you, you don’t have to know / I have no bad intentions / You know all 28 reasons to run away / So, why are you leaning into me again,” he sings. During the episode, Doyoung also performed a solo version of ‘Perfume’ by NCT DOJAEJUNG, the new NCT sub-unit which he is a part of, as well as a cover of HYNNs ‘The Lonely Bloom Stands Alone’.Later, Lee and Doyoung spoke about how the K-pop idol ended up joining SM Entertainment.

NCT members Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo have made their debut under a new sub-unit, NCT DOJAEJUNG, with their mini-album ‘Perfume’.On April 17 at 6pm KST, the NCT trio released their first mini-album ‘Perfume’ as well as the music video for its title track of the same name.In the new visual, Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo formulate scents in a flower-filled mansion, later bottling them in three perfume bottles. Placing them in a gift box, they leave it on the doorstep of a fan as a gift.“Leaving ‘em on your wrist / On your collar / Gonna let ‘em hover / So you can’t forget me / Mixed in with the smallest sigh,” NCT DOJAEJUNG sing on the chorus.

SM Entertainment has revealed that its slate of artists will join the HYPE-owned fan community platform Weverse.SM Entertainment confirmed today (April 17) in a press release that its artists – which include popular K-pop acts such as Girls’ Generation, EXO, Red Velvet, NCT and aespa – will be joining the Weverse platform sometime this year.“SM Entertainment will achieve ‘SM 3.0’ through the co-existence of private messenger Bubble and fandom platform Weverse,” SM Entertainment said, per Korea JoongAng Daily. “SM will open SM artists’ Weverse official communities by the end of this year.”SM Entertainment artists currently uses its self-owned fan community platform Kwangya Club.

NCT member Mark in the new song ‘Golden Hour’.On April 7, Mark released his new solo song ‘Golden Hour’, as part of the group’s ongoing ‘NCT Lab’ project. The song makes a reference to Ramsay in its lyrics: “Excuse mе waiter / That golden yolk in the middle / Make it right / I’m callin’ Gordon Ramsay“.According to Mark, the namedrop was inspired by a 2018 post by an NCT fan, who tweeted a picture of their “boyfriend” making eggs to Ramsay.

NCT Dream member Mark has opened up about the group’s now-scrapped graduation system.NCT Dream had originally launched with a rotational graduation system, where members would leave after turning 20 years old. Mark had been the first to “graduate” from group, in December of 2018, following the release of the holiday single ‘Candle Light’.However, their label SM Entertainment later removed the system in April of 2020 in favour of a fixed group, consisting of the boyband’s seven original members.

Kakao has been raided by South Korean authorities over allegations that it was involved in stock manipulation over its purchase of SM Entertainment shares.According to a report by English South Korean publication Korea JoongAng Daily, about 40 prosecutors and investigators from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) – the East Asian country’s financial regulator – had confiscated data from Kakao’s office in the city of Pangyo in relation to its stock trading activity from February 2023.“The special judicial police at the FSS is presently in the process of investigating if the sale of SM shares is in violation of the Capital Markets Act under guidance from the prosecution,” an FSS spokesperson said in a statement to South Korean press, per Korea JoongAng Daily.“The team is looking into whether there was artificial engagement to sway share prices in a certain direction,” they added.Per The Korea Herald, Kakao are reportedly under investigation for allegedly artificially inflating the stock price of SM Entertainment in an attempt to block HYBE from taking control of the K-pop agency.Back in February, HYBE had launched a tender offer to buy up to 25 per cent of SM Entertainment for ₩150,000 per share. However, HYBE had only been able to acquire 0.98 per cent through that offer, per The Korea Herald.Around the same time, HYBE had submitted a petition to the FSS over an “abnormal” 2.9 per cent purchase of SM Entertainment stocks that had been transacted through a IBK Securities’ branch in Pangyo, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.Kakao has yet to comment on the situation. NME has reached out for comment.Meanwhile, HYBE has since dropped its bid to acquire SM Entertainment following a discussion with Kakao.

SHINee member Taemin has officially been discharged from military service, and he’s set to celebrate it with fans during an upcoming fanmeeting event.The K-pop idol was officially discharged from his two-year military service on April 4, nearly two years since he enlisted for active duty on April 19, 2021. The occasion was marked by his SM Entertainment, which released a video titled ‘Taemin is Back’, featuring archival footage of the singer in a practice room.Soon after, Taemin also released a handwritten letter, touching on his time in the military and feeling about being discharged.

aespa have released a new song called ‘Hold On Tight’ for the soundtrack of the Apple TV+ original film Tetris.The synthpop songs finds the girl group singing entirely in English. The track is their first solo release since their July 2022 mini-album ‘Girls’.

EXO member Sehun has broken his silence on rumours that his alleged girlfriend is pregnant.The rumours surfaced following two anonymous online posts, both of which have been deleted, according to Sports Chosun. The first was reportedly posted by an anonymous individual who claimed to be Sehun’s girlfriend, and was an image of a man with his face covered.

Red Velvet have announced their upcoming ‘R to V’ world tour.Today (March 27), the quintet revealed that they will be bringing their upcoming ‘R to V’ concert tour to major cities in Asia and Europe. The girl group had initially announced two shows in Seoul, South Korea for their concert tour.The Asia leg of Red Velvet’s ‘R to V’ world tour will kick off an April 21 in Singapore.

NCT Dream members Mark Lee and Chenle have revealed which UK artist they would like to work with.The boyband recently sat down to speak with the Official Charts Company ahead of the upcoming London show of their ongoing ‘The Dream Show 2: In a Dream’ world tour.During the interview the interview, the boyband were asked if there were any UK artists they would like to collaborate with at the moment. Mark Lee showed his love for London-born Central Cee, saying: “[He] is a rapper I recently got to listen to, and I imagine that it’d be interesting if we got to be on a song together.”Meanwhile, member Chenle said they he would like to work with English singer and television personality HRVY again.

HYBE, home to K-pop superstars BTS, is set to sell off its entire stake in SM Entertainment.Today (March 24), HYBE announced that it would accept a tender offer by South Korean internet giant Kakao and sell its 15.8 per cent stake in K-pop agency SM Entertainment, as reported by Reuters.HYBE’s share of SM Entertainment is worth about ₩564billion (roughly US$437million), based on Kakao’s March 7 tender offer to buy up to 35 per cent of SM Entertainment for ₩150,000 per share.According to Reuters, the planned sale of SM Entertainment shares by HYBE would net the K-pop giant a profit of around US$87 million, which is roughly 25 per cent higher than the price the company originally paid for the shares.Following the announcement, shares of both Kakao and SM Entertainment companies went up about half a per cent, as of 1:30pm KST.

NCT Dream have unveiled an English-language version of their hit 2022 single, ‘Beatbox’.The English version of ‘Beatbox’ was released alongside a lyric video, which features behind-the-scenes footage of the boyband at the photoshoot for song.“Yeah, hands up to the top, bring ’em up / Make a beatbox-box and it bump / Everywhere I go make the room hop / Everywhere I go, bring the beatbox,” the boyband sing on the chorus.The English remake of ‘Beatbox’ arrives just weeks ahead of the upcoming North American leg of NCT Dream’s ‘The Dream Show 2: In a Dream’ world tour.The boyband are set to play seven shows across the US, including the states of California, New Jersey and Texas. Tickets for the show are available now via Ticketmaster.NCT Dream are currently set to wrap up the first Asian leg of their tour with a show in Hong Kong this Saturday (March 25).

Kai, also a member of the boyband EXO, has performed his new single ‘Rover’ live for the first time.The K-pop idol recently made an appearance on the South Korean music chart show M Countdown on the network Mnet. The performance was his first live performance of ‘Rover’, following the song and its accompanying mini-album’s release on March 13.For his M Countdown appearances, Kai performed on a stage that emulated the hair salon set from the song’s music video.

Girls’ Generation leader Taeyeon has stirred up rumours about her relationship with label SM Entertainment following a series of cryptic Instagram posts.Earlier this week on March 13, just a day after BTS label HYBE ended its bid to acquire shares of SM Entertainment against competitor Kakao, Taeyeon took to Instagram Stories with a post that referenced the popular Netflix K-drama series The Glory.In the scene from The Glory, character Park Yeon-jin (Lim Ji-yeon) hand writes a resignation letter on the spot after being confronted at work.

aespa are set to release new music this spring, their label SM Entertainment has confirmed.Earlier today (March 16), South Korean news outlet StarNews reported that the girl group would be releasing new music this May. The news outlet also noted that aespa were initially scheduled to release an album in February, but it was delayed due to management disputes within SM Entertainment.Since that report, SM Entertainment has confirmed that aespa’s comeback date of May.

Kai has confirmed that boyband EXO are currently working on new music.In a recent interview with GQ Magazine UK, the South Korean musician opened up about a comeback for his K-pop boyband EXO. Notably, following Baekhyun‘s discharge from the military on February 5 this year, it will be the first time since 2019 that none of the members are serving their mandatory military service.“All the members are gathering after a really long time, so we are really looking forward to the fact that we can put out another album too,” Kai told the magazine, which added that the K-pop idol also confirmed that preparation work on new music has started.Kai said that the boyband are “not worried about what the results of this comeback would bring”.

NCT 127‘s ‘Limitless’.NCT 127 and its labels SM Entertainment and Universal Music Group have teamed up with Z2 Comics – which has worked with other musicians including Weird Al Yankovic and Gorillaz – on the new original graphic novel ‘NCT 127: Limitless’.The graphic novel shares its title with the boyband’s 2017 single ‘Limitless’ and will be “presented in the manhwa format”, according to the Z2 Comics website. The novel is set to follow in the boyband in a “reality-crossing mystery” that will take place in both the real world and “new, surreal dreamscape” as they prepare for a sold-out concert in New York.‘NCT 127: Limitless’ will be available in 10 different hardcovers – one for each active member of the boyband, alongside a general cover with the full group – starting from US$21.99.

HYBE is ceasing its acquisition of SM Entertainment, the K-pop company announced today (March 12), after a discussion with competitor Kakao.In a press statement, HYBE said it decided to suspend the acquisition after a discussion with tech giant Kakao. “The two companies agreed to cooperate on matters related to their platforms,” it added.HYBE made the decision, it said, “after observing that the market has been showing signs of overheating due to competition with both Kakao and Kakao Entertainment”.

Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo, members of the K-pop boyband NCT, are set to debut as a sub-unit.Earlier today (March 9), South Korean media outlet Sports Today reported that the three K-pop idols are set to form a trio sub-unit as part of their work with the boyband. Notably, the three singers previously worked together on the song ‘Can We Go Back’, which they performed at the 2022 MBC Gayo Daejejeon, as well as a Christmas medley posted on the official NCT YouTube channel.Their label SM Entertainment has since confirmed the report.

NCT Dream have announced the venues and ticketing details for their upcoming ‘The Dream Show 2: In a Dream’ US tour.NCT Dream’s seven-date US tour will kick off on April 5 at the Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey, followed by stops at Chicago’s Allstate Arena on April 7 and Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on April 9.From there, the K-pop boy band will play two shows in the state of Texas – one at the Toyota Center in Houston on April 12 and another at the Texas Trust CU Theatre on April 17.NCT Dream will the wrap up their US tour with two dates on the West Coast. The septet will first play the Honda Center in Los Angeles on April 18, before heading for their final stop at the Climate Pledge Area in Seattle, Washington on April 21.General onsale tickets for NCT Dream’s ‘The Dream Show 2: In a Dream’ US tour are set to go on sale at 4pm local time this Friday (March 10) via Ticketmaster.

K-pop agency SM Entertainment has released a statement in support of internet giant Kakao’s tender offer to buy a large stake in the company.Yesterday (April 7), Kakao – which currently holds 4.9 per cent of the SM Entertainment – announced a tender offer to buy up to 35 per cent of the company for ₩150,000 per share. If successful, this bid would make Kakao the largest shareholder of the K-pop agency, over BTS label HYBE, which has acquired nearly 16 per cent of SM.Soon after Kakao’s announcement, SM Entertainment released a statement signalling support for the deal, citing “[Kakao’s] respect [for] the current management’s efforts to address factors that have hindered SM Entertainment’s growth”, according to CNN.In the statement, SM Entertainment also said that the Kakao deal would “ensure autonomous and independent management of the company, as well as the continuous and independent activities of SM artists”, per Yonhap News Agency.“Unlike HYBE seeking to take over SM’s board of directors through a hostile merger and acquisition, Kakao is the best horizontal and strategic partner for the successful implementation of the ‘SM 3.0’ vision as it respects SM’s own tradition and identity,” the statement reportedly said.Following Kakao’s tender offer yesterday, shares of SM Entertainment jumped 15.07 per cent to close at ₩149,700.

SHINee’s Onew has opened up about the long process leading up to the release of his debut studio album ‘O (Circle)’.Yesterday (March 6), the K-pop singer made a comeback with his first-ever studio record ‘O (Circle)’ and its title track of the same name. In the hours prior to the release, SM Entertainment released an interview with Onew, in which he discussed his feelings and preparation that went into the record.While discussing his latest title track, Onew revealed that he had actually heard the song over a year ago, prior to the release of his last solo mini-album.

SHINee member and soloist Key has expressed his desire to form a duo act with Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation.Key recently appeared on ELLE Korea’s ‘Ask Me Anything’ series on YouTube, where he was asked who in SM Entertainment he would like to form a unit with. The K-pop veteran shared that he would like to form a duo with long-time friend Taeyeon.“It’s awkward for me to do [a performance] with people a lot younger than me, and they would feel uncomfortable as well,” the idol pondered aloud, before naming Taeyeon as a labelmate he wanted to form a new unit with.“I can’t do anything sensual with Taeyeon,” Key added.

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.

K-pop girl group aespa performed several brand-new tracks at their first-ever ‘SYNK: Hyper Line’ concerts over the weekend.On February 25 and 26, the four-member act held their first standalone concerts at the Jamsil Arena in Seoul, with the second day also streaming on Beyond LIVE to overseas audiences.During the shows, aespa gave live debuts to several unreleased tracks including ‘Salty and Sweet’, which they previewed via their YouTube channel prior to the concert. “‘Cause I am salty and sweet / Irresistible, a different type of treat,” they sing in the chorus.In addition to ‘Salty and Sweet’, the quartet also debuted six other unreleased group tracks, namely ‘Thirsty’, ’YOLO’, ’Don’t Blame’, ‘Hot Air Balloon’, ‘I’m Unhappy’ and another untitled song.Each member of aespa also unveiled their first-ever solo tracks: ‘Menagerie’ by Karina, ‘Wake Up’ by NingNing, and ‘2HOT4U’ by Giselle, while vocalist Winter sang an untitled ballad.

SM Entertainment boyband NCT’s “infinite” expansion will come to an end in 2023, the K-pop agency has confirmed.On February 25, SM Entertainment shared the latest in its series of videos about its new ‘SM 3.0’ strategy. In this video, SM’s co-CEOs Chris Lee and Tak Young-jun answered fan questions and also announced the end of boyband NCT’s expansion in 2023.

SHINee leader Onew’s upcoming full-length album, ‘Circle’, have recently been released.According to a report by South Korean media outlet Herald Pop, Onew’s forthcoming record will feature ‘Rain on Me’, a ballad produced and arranged in collaboration with singer-songwriter Sam Kim. Rapper Giriboy, meanwhile, has production credits on B-side ‘Caramel’.온유, 첫 정규 앨범 ‘Circle’ 기리보이·샘김 작업 참여!재치 있는 재즈팝 ‘Caramel’, 서정적 발라드 ‘우중산책’ 수록!https://t.co/hBJ7lUVyT6 #ONEW #온유 #SHINee #샤이니 #Circle #ONEW_Circle #Caramel #우중산책 #RainOnMe #GIRIBOY #기리보이 #SamKim #샘김 pic.twitter.com/zowfslbMXH— SHINee (@SHINee) February 23, 2023A separate report by Newsen also revealed the title of two more B-sides to be featured on the record, ‘Anywhere’ and ‘Paradise’.

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.