Check out the full list of new K-pop releases for the summer below.
Ah, summer. That time of the year marked by balmy weather, a barrage of vacation plans and release after release in the K-pop sphere. After all — what would the season be without a great summer anthem? If 2023 gave us “Do It Like That” by TXT and “Seven” by Jungkook, and 2022 gave us “Attention” by NewJeans and “After Like” by IVE, one can only imagine what 2024 will bring.
If you’re still insatiated after the series of sellout concerts by K-pop’s heavy-hitters that get announced every other day, look forward to these fresh releases. ATEEZ, for one, will be coming back with “GOLDEN HOUR — PART 1” — hot off their show-stopping Coachella stage and six months after the release of their second studio album last December. Likewise, Stray Kids have fully leaned into the booked-and-busy trope, having released their digital single “Lose My Breath” with Charlie Puth, all done in between a Met Gala debut and member Lee Know’s Gucci Cruise cameo.
K-culture fans who have not had enough of their favourite artists following the raft of sellout concerts by numerous K-Pop heavy-hitters can look forward to fresh releases from the likes of Stray Kids, NewJeans, ATEEZ, and ZEROBASEONE, which are set to come thick and fast throughout May and June. While some mentioned in May have already been released, we include those that we believe warrant a closer look at, be it because of notable collaborations, or through exceptional chart performance. And that’s not all: stay tuned for rookies TWS and Human Chanel Jennie who are rumoured to make a musical return in the months to come.
In the meantime, check out Men’s Folio’s picks of the K-Pop comebacks to look out for this summer.
Seventeen
When: 29 April
What: It’s been a good month for CARATs everywhere— since Seventeen dropped their album 17 is Right Here just under a month ago, both album and title track “Maestro” have been established as international hits. As of May 14, the album rose to 5th on the US’ Billboard 200 chart — the group’s fifth consecutive album to enter the Top 1o of the prestigious chart — while “Maestro” climbed to 5th on the World Digital Song Sales chart.
tripleS
When: 8 May
What: It’s been about twenty days since 24-member girl group tripleS dropped their highly-anticipated first full album ASSEMBLE24, and since then, it’s safe to say that they have outdone themselves. A quick reference to the Hanteo chart shows that the group has set a new personal best in terms of first-week sales — clocking up 152,355 sales on just the first day, surpassing the record previously set by +(KR)ystal Eyes [AESTHETIC].
Chart-wise, the album’s title track, “Girls Never Die”, has been steadily climbing as well — a testament to the unwavering support of WAVs everywhere.
Stray Kids
When: 10 May; 13 May
What: Beginning with news that is bound to please Stays, JYP starboys Stray Kids have solidified their presence in the music scene. After gracing the red carpet at the recent Met Gala, their third digital single, “Lose My Breath”, featuring American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, was released earlier this month and debuted at No. 90 at the pinnacle of global music: the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Given this is familiar territory for the boy group — this is their second song to enter the celebrated chart — it’s safe to say these boys are here to stay.
In a further display of the diverse, cross-genre musical talent within the group, a set of remixes of the same song was released three days later, comprising a version with rap lyrics, and another remix with more electronic influences.
ZEROBASEONE
When: 13 May
What: In the week since fan-favourite ZEROBASEONE released their third mini-album You Had Me at HELLO, it has shot to the top of iTunes charts around the world. Following a debut at No. 1 on the global iTunes album chart, it has since reached No. 1 on iTunes Top Albums charts in 23 countries.
aespa
When: 13 May; 27 May
What: Having rocketed to the top of all major domestic charts in Korea with the first double title track of their debut album, “Supernova”, girl group aespa follows up with the release of their first full-length album, Armageddon, come 27 May. Fans can look forward to the 13 May release of the second title track (also named “Armageddon”,) a synth bass-heavy hip-hop dance track.
IVE
When: 15 May
What: IVE dropped the hotly-anticipated MV for “Accendio” — the title track for their record-breaking IVE SWITCH album — just over a couple of weeks ago — the icing on the cake for DIVEs, who supported their idols into elite company: with IVE SWITCH, they are only the second girl group in the Hanteo chart’s history to surpass one million first-week album sales with three different albums.
ITZY
When: 15 May
What: JYP superstars ITZY recently released their hotly-anticipated third Japanese single, comprising of title track “Algorhythm” and accompanying B-side “No Biggie”. In an additional treat, the release also features instrumentals of both songs.
Mark Tuan
When: 16 May
What: A teaser of his full solo debut next year, NCT’s Mark Tuan released his single, “200”, two weeks ago. Comprising of a regular and acoustic rendition of the song, the contrasting visuals and arrangements of the respective renditions showcase Mark’s musical range and dexterity, navigating deftly between a more upbeat, electronic sunshine pop-type sound and a more soulful one.
NewJeans
When: 24 May; 21 June
What: NewJeans’ Bunnies are in for a treat these coming two months: a double single is set to drop this May, comprising the main single “How Sweet”, and its B-side “Bubble Gum”. In June, the girl group is set to make their official Japanese debut — also with a double single — with the single “Supernatural”, and its B-side “Right Now”.
RM (BTS)
When: 24 May
What: BTS’ RM is slated to release his highly-anticipated second solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person, on 24 May. Judging by the title of the album, as well as that of its pre-release track “Come back to me”, RM’s latest body of work is set to be a more melancholic one than what ARMYs are normally accustomed to. Factor in the inclusion of British rapper Little Simz on “Domodachi”, and it becomes even clearer that Right Place, Wrong Person is expected to showcase the more soulful side of RM’s musicality.
Jay Park
When: 28 May
What: Hot on the heels of his previous single, Jay Park Season 1, last month, the musical multi-hyphenate has announced that his next digital single, Jay Park Season 2, will be released on 28 May. Notably, it will be in collaboration with Natty of Kiss of Life. In a wider context, however, Jay Park Season 2 marks the second instalment of an ongoing series showcasing the maturity in Jay Park’s musical journey, combining R&B sounds with his unique artistry.
ATEEZ
When: 31 May
What: Fresh from their internationally acclaimed performance at what is possibly one of the biggest festivals in world music, Coachella, where the group also made history as the first K-Pop boy group to perform at the festival, ATEEZ are set to continue to enthral fans — and especially their loyal Atinys — with their tenth mini-album, “GOLDEN HOUR — PART 1″. Slated to drop come the end of the month, the teaser trailer for the album was released last week, further fuelling the hype surrounding the release.
Having also announced the dates for their American tour earlier in the year, and being revealed as the first-ever K-Pop act at the MAWAZINE International Music Festival (that they will also be headlining), it seems the world can’t get enough of ATEEZ — neither can we.
WayV
When: 3 June
What: Attention, WayZennies! NCT sub-unit WayV have announced the release of their fifth mini album, titled “Give Me That”, come 3 June. While the tracklist is yet to be unveiled, there is a whole raft of teasers that have been scheduled to be released in the weeks to come.
BadVillain
When: 3 June
What: BadVillain of BPM Entertainment is set to make their debut with the first single album “OVERSTEP”. Having caught the attention of online communities thanks to its line-up — see: Emma Song (of Street Woman Fighter fame) is a part of the seven-member roster — and electrifying sound, BadVillain’s debut is gearing up to be one for the books.
Kep1er
When: 3 June
What: As the release date for Kep1er’s first album draws ever closer, one can only imagine that excitement in the Kep1ian camp must be reaching fever pitch, especially since the album’s teaser concept photos were released a few days ago. Titled Kep1going On, the album’s strong, empowering and uplifting title is reflected in the concept photos, with all nine members donning edgy outfits against a sci-fi, outer space backdrop.
NCT Dream
When: 5 June
What: Another NCT unit comeback! NCT Dream is set to drop their second Japanese single in June, titled “Moonlight”, following up the success of last year’s “Best Friend Ever”. Time will tell if the Japanese release will be included in the setlist of their upcoming The Dream Show 3 world tour.
Everglow
When: 10 June
What: News regarding Everglow’s imminent comeback in early June is not new, with the trio having released the comeback schedule for their highly-anticipated 5th single album, ZOMBIE, just over a week ago. The teaser concept photos have also dropped in the week since, showcasing a sharply contrasting light, surreal, and techno-dystopian, dark themes — a hint, perhaps, at the album’s potential duality?
Nayeon
When: 14 June
What: Nayeon is set to make her solo comeback following the success of “IM NAYEON” two years prior, with a new mini-album titled NA, right on time for the coming summer. As part of the buildup for the album release, Nayeon — also the first member of TWICE to go solo — has also released a teaser trailer awash with mystery and dreamy aesthetics.
RIIZE
When: 17 June
What: RIIZE are set to follow up on their official Japanese debut by releasing their first mini-album, titled RIIZING. Comprising fan-favourite tracks such as “Siren”, “Impossible”, “Talk Saxy” and “Love 119”, amongst others, the brand new “BOOM BOOM BASS” has been unveiled as the album’s title track. Here’s to hoping for a seven-member lineup!
Seventeen (Jeonghan x Wonwoo)
When: 17 June
What: Much to the excitement of CARATs worldwide, the fruit of the first-time collaboration between Seventeen members Jeonghan and Wonwoo is slated to drop on 17 June, in a single album titled This Man. As of today, the looped, techno-dystopian-themed animated teaser video is already live. Given the past successes of the prior Seventeen units, CARAT’s eager anticipation for this release is anything but misplaced.
TWS
TWS : 2nd Mini Album ‘SUMMER BEAT!’
☀️ 2024.06.24 6PM (KST)
☀️ 2024.06.24 5AM (ET)#TWS #투어스 #247WithUs#SUMMER_BEAT pic.twitter.com/sqp2RC02ph— TWS (@TWS_PLEDIS) May 26, 2024
When: 24 June
What: New boys on the block TWS’ second mini-album has come just in time for the summer — and it seems summer will be the central focus of the album. Titled SUMMER BEAT!, the teaser visuals for the album feature an animation of a polaroid camera spitting out a film with the album’s title in a brightly-coloured, playful font.
Once you’re done with this story, click here to catch up with our May 2024 issue.
