Kpop News

This past March and April have been big for Kpop. From ENHYPEN's Heesung leaving the group, to BLACKPINK's 3rd studio album release, and BTS's highly anticipated first album since returning from military enlistment, the genre hardly saw a dull moment. 

On March 10th, BELIFT LAB announced that Lee Heeseung, the main vocalist and all-rounder of ENHYPEN, would be leaving the group in order to pursue a solo career. This caused a massive uproar in not just the ENHYPEN fandom, but rippling across the whole K-pop fandom. Due to his excitement about group activites days before his removal, many fans began to speculate that Heeseung was forcibly removed from the group. Others questioned why Heeseung couldn’t be a member of ENHYPEN while simultaneously pursuing a solo career. Other idols under HYBE, the parent company behind BELIFT, such as TXT's Yeonjun and members of BTS released solo music while still remaining in their respective groups. 

Fans who believe that Heeseung was forced to leave the group have been doing anything they can to bring him back. Since the announcement of his departure, fans have made global petitions, one garnering over 1.5 million signatures, booked billboards in Times Square, and sent protest trucks to sit in front of HYBE’s headquarters. However, some fans believe that Heeseung chose to leave, and are excited for his solo projects. Regardless, protests and public outcry show no signs of stopping anytime soon.

BLACKPINK, one of the most successful K-pop girl groups, released their 3rd mini-album, DEADLINE, after a three-year hiatus pursuing solo careers. The album has five tracks, and is different from their previous works, as it takes more inspiration from western pop sounds and is aimed towards a global audience. As a result, fans have mixed feelings about the album. Some fans praise it for its experimental nature, admiring its diverse from the usual BLACKPINK sound. To many, “GO”, DEADLINE's title track, stands out with its empty chorus and intense beats. The song “Champion” also got praise for its empowering, pop-rock sound. However, some fans think it falls flat, and doesn’t sound like a BLACKPINK album. The song “Me and my” faced criticism for misogynistic lyrics, and the group faced backlash for working with problematic producers. A lot of this judgement stems from the fact that this was the groups first album after three and a half years. Fans are also blaming YG, the company BLACKPINK is under, for lack of promotion, as well as for unfair line distribution. Overall, feelings among fans are mixed. 

After a four year hiatus to complete mandatory military service, BTS released their 10th studio album, Arirang. The 14-track album is described as a blend of Korean folk, hip-hop, R&B, and pop rock. The album has pretty good reception, with fans describing it as BTS's experimental return to its hiphop roots. While the title track, “SWIM” is praised for its softer and melancholy sound, some find it to be underwhelming for a title track. Tracks like “Body to Body” have received overwheling praise from fans for its high-energy beats and sampling of traditional Korean folk songs.“Hooligan” has also been praised, for its aggressiveness and mature take on their original hip-hop concept. Some fans described the album as one that takes “multiple listens to fully understand”, while others find the heavy use of production, such as the use of autotune in the final track “Into the Sun”, offputting. Similarly to the reception of DEADLINE, feelings are mixed.