South Korea's pop scene is heating up as top boy bands, including veteran act Bigbang, Enhypen and NCT 127, roll out a string of comebacks. With groups spanning generations returning at once and major acts releasing new records, the industry is watching to see whether album sales will rebound.
JYP Entertainment's Stray Kids kicked things off. The group released a new mini-album, "THIS & THAT," on the 7th and is currently promoting it. On the 12th, they followed up with a remix version featuring various takes on "THIS & THAT."
YG Entertainment is launching a major project with Bigbang, which marks its 20th anniversary this year. The group will release a new digital single, "BiiiG," on the 19th — its first new song as a group since "Still Life" in 2022, a four-year gap. YG described it as "the song that most clearly captures where Bigbang stands now, in its 20th year." Just after the release, Bigbang will hold its new world tour, "XX: COSMOS," at the main stadium of Goyang Sports Complex from the 21st to the 23rd. The tour will then continue across 19 cities worldwide — spanning North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia — for a total of 33 shows. Given that the group retains broad public recognition despite its long hiatus, attention is focused on how the new song will fare on domestic music charts.
Enhypen, signed to Hybe's Belift Lab label, will release its eighth mini-album, "THE SIN: BLISS," on the 21st. The title track, "Bloody Paradise," is a Brazilian funk number that portrays a couple who keep their eyes on each other amid a crisis of pursuit and escape, framing that moment as a paradise. It is also the group's first comeback as a six-member act following Heeseung's departure. Enhypen first performed "Bloody Paradise" at a concert held at Busan's Sajik Indoor Gymnasium on the 8th and 9th.
SM Entertainment's NCT 127 will release its seventh full-length album, "BLINGY," on the 24th. It is the group's first full album since Mark's departure, and its seven members, who mark their 10th debut anniversary, all renewed their contracts ahead of the comeback. Promotion for the new record will proceed with a five-member lineup, excluding Doyoung and Jungwoo, who are serving in the military.
Rookie groups that debuted this year have joined in as well. AlphaDrive One, signed to WakeOne — the label that oversees CJ ENM's K-pop artist business — will return on the 24th with its second mini-album, "UNBREAKABLE: BEAST." AlphaDrive One, which emerged from Mnet's audition program "Boys II Planet," rode a solid fanbase to sell more than 1.44 million copies of its debut album in the first week, reaching million-seller status. The new album is set to depict the growing pains of youth wavering under prejudice and stigma, showing a more mature side of the group.
