By Dong Sun-hwa
In the K-pop universe, strong competition for the top spots on monthly music charts never stops, but the race is going to be hotter than ever in March, with a bunch of prominent stars, such as Stray Kids and Red Velvet, gearing up for their fresh music offerings.
1. WINNER's Seungyoon (March 14)
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| Seungyoon, a member of K-pop act WINNER, will drop his new digital single, "Born to Love You," March 14. Courtesy of YG Entertainment |
"Born to Love You," a new digital single by Seungyoon of K-pop boy band WINNER, will hit multiple music streaming charts on March 14, according to his management company YG Entertainment, Friday.
"Seungyoon will sing about love with a great sense of maturity," the company said in a statement.
YG added that Bang Ye-dam, a member of YG's rookie boy group, TREASURE, took part in the creative process of "Born to Love You." This single is the second time that the two have teamed up, following their first collaboration on Bang's solo track, "WAYO" (2020).
It has taken about a year for Seungyoon to return as a soloist, after he rolled out his first solo studio album, "PAGE," last March, which conquered the iTunes charts in 18 countries.
"I unfolded my personal stories in 'PAGE,' but this time, I will focus more on the music itself rather than on stories," Kang said through YG.
Meanwhile, WINNER, consisting of Seungyoon, Seunghoon, Mino and Jinu, is planning to hold its live concerts at Olympic Hall in Olympic Park in southern Seoul, April 30 and May 1.
2. (G)I-DLE (March 14)
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| The teaser for (G)I-DLE's upcoming release, "I Never Die" / Courtesy of Cube Entertainment |
K-pop act (G)-IDLE will also release its first studio album, "I Never Die" on March 14, according to its record label, Cube Entertainment.
On Friday, Cube took to the group's official Twitter to unveil a black-and-white teaser featuring the members wearing smokey eye makeup.
Leading the album is "Tomboy," a track composed by (G)I-DLE's leader, Jeon So-yeon, who was behind the success of the team's numerous hits including, "Lion" (2019). The other group members were also hands-on with the album, Cube added.
(G)-IDLE burst onto the K-pop scene with the song, "Latata" in 2018. It debuted as a six-member group, but member Soojin quit the act last summer following her school bullying scandal.
3. Brave Girls (March 14)
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| K-pop act Brave Girls / Courtesy of Brave Entertainment |
K-pop act Brave Girls, who rose to meteoric stardom last year thanks to the belated success of their 2017 release, "Rollin'" will also join the heated race in March, putting out their sixth EP, "Thank You."
Although the details about the mini-album have been kept under wraps, the group's record label Brave Entertainment floated a teaser on March 2, featuring six empty chairs.
The upcoming EP is Brave Girls' first release in about seven months. In August, the quartet, which is made up of Minyoung, Yujeong, Eunji and Yuna, dropped a tune titled, "Chi Mat Ba Ram," securing the top spots on numerous music streaming charts.
4. Stray Kids (March 18)
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| K-pop act Stray Kids / Courtesy of JYP Entertainment |
K-pop hotshots Stray Kids will roll out their new mini-album, "Oddinary" on March 18, their agency JYP Entertainment said.
The EP will be fronted by "Maniac," a tune composed by three members Bang Chan, Changbin and Han, who are collectively dubbed, "3RACHA."
"'Maniac' will shed light on the group's unique magnetism," JYP said in a statement.
"Oddinary" will also carry six more tracks, including, "Charmer," "Lonely St." and "Muddy Water." Along with the members of '3RACHA,' other Stray Kids members also participated in writing the songs to highlight the team's vibe, JYP added.
The eight-piece act is the first JYP artist to sell more than a million copies of an album, with its second full-length album, "NOEASY" reaching that milestone in 2021. Stray Kids are also the winners of Mnet's "Kingdom: Legendary War" (2021), a competition show that featured six high-profile K-pop boy groups.
5. Red Velvet (March 21)
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| K-pop girl group Red Velvet / Courtesy of SM Entertainment |
Following the success of its latest release, "Queendom," K-pop girl group Red Velvet is seeking to extend its winning streak with its new EP, "Red Velvet 'The ReVe Festival 2022 ― Feel My Rhythm.'"
The mini-album, which is scheduled to come out on March 21, will be led by "Feel My Rhythm," through which the group will showcase its unexplored side.
"The fresh EP will offer six songs of various genres and moods," SM said in a statement.
On Wednesday, the label dropped a teaser featuring a mysterious girl in a pink dress, who has a box on her head to conceal her face.
After unleashing its new mini-album, the quintet will meet its fans in an event titled, "2022 The ReVe Festival: Prologue," on March 19 and 20 at SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park located in southern Seoul.
6. NCT DREAM (March 28)
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| K-pop boy group NCT DREAM / Courtesy of SM Entertainment |
Another big-name star gearing up for a March comeback is NCT DREAM, whose second studio album, "Glitch Mode," will hit the shelves on March 28.
According to the septet's record label, SM, the album will offer 11 tracks in total. More details about the upcoming release will be announced later.
NCT DREAM, a sub-unit of SM's boy group NCT, hit a career high with its first studio album, "Hot Sauce," which dropped last May, selling more than 3.4 million copies.
In addition to the aforementioned acts, more singers, including OH MY GIRL, CRAVITY, Moonbin and Sanha of boy group ASTRO, Solar of girl group MAMAMOO and soloist Kim Jun-su will release their new music this month. Kihyun of Monsta X is also poised to make his solo debut with the album, "Voyager," March 15.
