Pop Base: SEVENTEEN Made History At Glastonbury 2024

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SEVENTEEN At Glastonbury, No One’s Safe From The Never-Ending-Aju-Nice

SEVENTEEN did it again! In their 9th year as a K-pop idol group, Pledis Entertainment group SEVENTEEN made history by being the first K-pop group to ever perform at Glastonbury Festival, one of the biggest music festivals in Europe.

This festival tends to sell out months before the entire lineup is even announced, so SEVENTEEN had to perform in front of a crowd that knew little to nothing about K-pop. The stakes were high, but after an hour of carefully curated setlist and 6 "Aju Nice" later, SEVENTEEN proved to the UK that K-pop is the future of the music industry.

Not only did the Glastonbury crowd and the Carats love their performance, but the group also received full scores from NME (New Musical Express), a UK-based music critic brand. Moreover, Ethnomusicology Ph.D. holder, music critic, and committee member of the MAMA Awards, Kim Yongdae, even honored SEVENTEEN with the title "The Pride of K-Pop" in his recent YouTube live.

The entire audio of SEVENTEEN’s Glastonbury 2024 performance is available for free on BBC SOUNDS. You can also watch performances of "MAESTRO," "SOS," and "VERY NICE" on the BBC YouTube channel.

2NE1 Are Back!!!

Remember 2NE1, the legendary K-pop girl group? Well, they are making a comeback… soon. YG Entertainment confirmed that on June 27, 2NE1 members - CL, Minzy, Park Bom, and Sandara Park - along with Yang Hyun Suk, YG's former CEO and 2NE1's producer, had a meaningful two-hour-long meeting after eight years.

The agency also urged fans, Blackjacks, to anticipate "good news." Although the comeback date is not confirmed yet, one thing is certain: their music will break records.

The More You Know:

• Uhm Jung Hwa, a Korean actor, singer, MAMA Best Female Artist (1999), and multiple Baeksang Awards for Best Leading Actress winner, has spoken out against misogyny in the Korean entertainment industry. In her recent YouTube video with Korean rapper, singer, and fashion designer MLMA, Uhm Jung Hwa expressed frustration, stating, “‘34-year-old Uhm Jung Hwa,’ my age is always at the forefront of my name. They never do this for male actors. Reporters only do it for actresses and female singers. It’s ridiculous that they mention my age first instead of focusing on what I have achieved in my career.”

• The participation of two of the most popular K-pop boygroups in the Paris Summer Olympics 2024 has delighted fans. Recently, SEVENTEEN's subunit BSS (BooSeokSoon)'s song "Fighting" was chosen as the cheering song for the South Korean team. This isn’t surprising given the song's popularity throughout 2023 and the stable presence on the chart of Melon, South Korea’s domestic music streaming service. However, it is highly impressive that A SUBUNIT DID THAT!

  Additionally, on July 2, 2024, Jin of BTS was selected as the torchbearer for the Paris Summer Olympics 2024, representing South Korea. Torchbearers are chosen based on significant contributions to the community, making Jin’s selection a notable honor. It seems like for Jin, the sky is the limit.

• "Tiramisu Cake," a song released in 2015 by We Are The Night, has captured everyone's attention in recent weeks, with the trend showing no signs of dying down anytime soon. Various K-pop idols including Jeonghan of SEVENTEEN, Moonbyul of Mamamoo, Mingi of ATEEZ, Rei of IVE, Taeyeon of Girl’s Generation, Younghoon of The Boyz, as well as members of NCT, TXT, TWS, and ZEROBASEONE, have participated in the TikTok dance challenge. However, Kwon Latte Norwich (SEVENTEEN Hoshi's family dog) has arguably stolen the show with her best TikTok-slash-Instagram-reel.

• South Korean rapper, singer, actor, and member of the second-gen boy group "2PM" has been cast as the lead in Netflix's latest Asian series "Soul Mate," alongside Hayato Isomura, star of "Alice in Borderland." Set in Berlin, Seoul, and Tokyo, the drama will depict a 10-year love story between a Korean and a Japanese person. Filming has already started and the drama is scheduled for release in 2025.

Best Songs From Last Week

On July 3, AESPA released their Japanese debut single album, "Hot Mess," featuring three original songs. The title track is without a doubt outstanding, accompanied by an even more impressive music video. However, the b-side "Sun and Moon" stands out with its mellow melody and relaxed vocals.

Continuing with the theme of K-pop Japanese albums, TXT also released their highly anticipated Japanese single album, "CHIKAI," on the same day. The title track, "We'll Never Change," tugs at fans' heartstrings with its emotional lyrics: "Even at a distance / Even as we get older / One oath / We're never, we're never, we're never changing." Accompanied by a nostalgic music video, the song serves as a heartfelt promise from TXT to each other and the MOAs.

"Te Quiero," an English b-side from Kiss Of Life’s recent digital single album "Sticky," is co-written and co-composed by member Belle. The song showcases the members' dreamy vocals and has the potential to become the summer anthem.

Last on the list is DAY6's cover of "HAPPY" by none other than the human sunshine, DK of SEVENTEEN. His vocals on the cover are perfect, as always. But what makes DK’s “HAPPY” cover even more special is the music video recorded by DK himself, featuring clips of him spending time with members and behind-the-scenes footage from their concerts.

This Week's K-Pop Comeback Schedule

Monday, July 8, 2024

• (G)IDLE: 7th Mini Album "Klaxon"

• TAEYEON (Girl’s Generation): Single "Heaven"

• Xdinary Heroes: Digital Single "<Open ♭eta v6.2>"

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

• Astell: 1st Single Album "ISLAND"

• NTX: 2nd Mini Album "Hold X"

• Weeekly: 6th Mini Album "Bliss"

• YOUNGJAE (GOT7): Digital Single "T.P.O"

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

• FTISLAND: 7th Mini Album "Serious"

• Dreamcatcher: 10th Mini Album "VirtouS"

Friday, July 12, 2024

• ENHYPEN: 2nd Studio Album “ROMANCE: UNTOLD”

— Javeria Yousuf

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