IN THE LOOP: BLACKPINK's 'Ready for Love,' NewJeans 'Cookie,' More of This Week's Hottest in K-pop
A new month has arrived, and another batch of K-pop comebacks are coming your way. But before we pay attention to what's to come, let's have a recap of the new K-pop releases and hottest news in the last week of July. Keep on reading for all the info!
July K-pop Comebacks 2022 (4th Week): Zico 'Freak,' BLACKPINK 'Ready for Love,' More
Zico 'Freak'
Zico has finally returned to the music scene after almost two years since his military enlistment in July 2020. The Block B member dropped his new EP "Grown Ass Kid," which features the title song "Freak," on July 27.
"Freak" displays Zico's lively and exciting vibe, and makes listeners imagine a city filled with freaks and commotions.
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BLACKPINK 'Ready for Love' MV
On July 29, BLACKPINK officially revealed the highly-anticipated music video for their unreleased song "Ready for Love." The MV was released in collaboration with the PlayerUnknown's BattleGround (PUBG) Mobile.
BLACKPINK's "Ready for Love" MV has a fantasy setting and stars the 3D avatars of the four members.
ATEEZ 'Guerrilla'
ATEEZ's comeback took place on July 29 as well. The boy group released a new mini-album titled "THE WORLD EP.1: MOVEMENT." The new album contains the title song "Guerrilla," which talks about the start of escaping a place where emotions are forbidden.
July K-pop Debuts 2022 (4th Week): ATBO "Monochrome," NewJeans "Cookie," More
The last week of July also saw the much-awaited debuts of a few new K-pop groups, including the following:
ATBO 'Monochrome'
IST Entertainment officially launched its new K-pop boy group called ATBO. The team was formed through the survival show "The Origin: A, B or What?" And consists of seven members.
ATBO released their debut album "The Beginning : 開花," which comprises the title track "Monochrome (Color)." This song contains the rap lyrics that member Oh Junseok wrote.
READ MORE: IN THE LOOP: BTS J-Hope 'Arson,' Kim Garam Leaves LE SSERAFIM, More of This Week's Hottest in K-Pop
NewJeans 'Cookie'
HYBE's new girl group, NewJeans, officially dropped their self-titled debut EP on Aug. 1. The album was accompanied by the music video for the fan song "Cookie." Aside from "Cookie," the EP also features the pre-release songs "Attention," "Hype Boy," and "Hurt."
CSR 'Pop? Pop!'
Another new girl group that debuted is CSR under Pop Music. Notably, CSR is made up of seven members, who were all born in 2005.
CSR released their first mini-album, "Sequence: 7272," on July 27. The album has five songs, one of which is the title track "Pop? Pop!."
Notable K-pop Events This Week: Jang Gyuri Leaves fromis_9, J-Hope at Lollapalooza, More
Jang Gyuri Leaves fromis_9
On July 28, PLEDIS Entertainment announced that Jang Gyuri is leaving fromis_9 following her contract expiration with her former agency.
IN THE LOOP: BLACKPINK’s ‘Ready for Love,’ NewJeans ‘Cookie,’ More of This Week’s Hottest in K-pop
The company explained that all the group members (excluding Jang Gyuri) signed a new contract with PLEDIS at the time of the transfer from Off the Record Entertainment.
J-Hope, TXT at Lollapalooza 2022
J-Hope and TXT have made history as the first two South Korean artists to participate in Lollapalooza, one of the major music festivals in the United States.
IN THE LOOP: BLACKPINK’s ‘Ready for Love,’ NewJeans ‘Cookie,’ More of This Week’s Hottest in K-pop
TXT performed on July 30 local time, while J-Hope was the headliner on July 31 local time.
IN THE LOOP: BLACKPINK’s ‘Ready for Love,’ NewJeans ‘Cookie,’ More of This Week’s Hottest in K-pop
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TWICE Nayeon Scores Historic Feat on Billboard 200 & Artist 100
For the week ending on Aug. 6, TWICE Nayeon's "IM NAYEON" ranked at No. 181 on Billboard 200, marking her fifth consecutive week on the chart. Nayeon herself also spent her fifth consecutive week on Artist 100 after placing 89th this week.
IN THE LOOP: BLACKPINK’s ‘Ready for Love,’ NewJeans ‘Cookie,’ More of This Week’s Hottest in K-pop
With these latest achievements, Nayeon has become the first K-pop soloist to last for five weeks on both Billboard 200 and Artist 100.
BLACKSWAN Judy & Youngheun's Departure
The final week of July 2022 also saw the departure of two BLACKSWAN members Judy & Youngheun on July 31.
IN THE LOOP: BLACKPINK’s ‘Ready for Love,’ NewJeans ‘Cookie,’ More of This Week’s Hottest in K-pop
DR Music explained the two idols want to fulfill their new dreams. However, despite this, BLACKSWAN will not disband as two new members- Sriya and Gabi- will debut in the group soon.
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Written by Maria Scott
