February is going to be a big month for K-pop aficionados, with high-profile acts like BABYMONSTER and TWICE dropping their new music offerings shortly before a rookie group — NCT WISH — makes its much-anticipated debut in Japan.The first player in the starting lineup is BABYMONSTER, a new girl group under K-pop powerhouse YG Entertainment that also represents A-list stars BLACKPINK. The six-piece act is scheduled to release its new single, “Stuck in the Middle,” on Feb. 1, seeking to repeat the success of its debut song, “Batter Up.”The music edwardsrailcar video for “Batter Up,” unveiled on Dec. 27, became the fastest music video for a K-pop debut single to garner 200 million views on YouTube on Friday, reaching the milestone 53 days after its release.According to YG, “Stuck in the Middle” has a contrasting vibe from its hip-hop-infused debut track.”It is a single of a new genre illuminating the vocal brilliance and unique voices of our members,” YG said in a statement, Saturday, adding that the group also plans to roll out its first mini-album in April. One day after the return of BABYMONSTER, girl band TWICE is set to put out, “I Got You,” a tune to be included in its upcoming mini-album, “With YOU-th.”Characterized by a simple drum pattern and ambient sound, “I Got You” is an English-language song about the TWICE members’ friendship and love, says their management company, JYP Entertainment.
In a short YouTube video shared on Jan. 5, JYP unveiled some of its lyrics that read: “We were lightning from the start. And it keeps me going to know that no mtter what you got me, I got you and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”After whetting fans’ appetites with “I Got You,” TWICE, which is currently on its biggest-ever world tour, will unleash “With YOU-th” on Feb. 23. The details about the mini-album will be disclosed in due course. On Feb. 5, boy band P1HARMONY is set to unveil the music video for “Killin’ It,” the title track off its first full-length album. The song will hit streaming charts on the same day, but the physical album will hit shelves in Korea and the U.S. on Feb. 7 and Feb. 9, respectively. It has taken about three years for the group to roll out a studio album since debuting in 2020.
Although details about the fresh album have been kept under wraps, anticipation is palpable as P1HARMONY has been generating a buzz with its November single, “Fall In Love Again,” in North America. The song remained on the Top 40 chart on MediaBase — which monitors radio station airplay in the U.S. and Canadian markets — for six consecutive weeks as of Jan. 15, while also retaining its spot on the Billboard Pop airplay chart for several weeks.P1HARMONY will also join The Governors Ball Music Festival 2024 in June, becoming the first K-pop boy band to be featured in the annual music festival held in New York City. This year’s headliners include Post Malone, The Killers and SZA.In addition, Wendy of girl group Red Velvet will release her second solo album in February, although the exact date of her comeback is unknown. Ten of boy band NCT will also go solo, with NCT WISH, the last sub-unit of NCT, making its debut on Feb. 21. NCT WISH is made up of two Koreans — Sion and Jaehee — and four Japanese — Riku, Yushi, 토토사이트 Ryo and Sakuya.