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📌 Today's Top 3
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RM · Jin · SUGA · j-hope · Jimin · V · Jungkook AMA 2026 special appearance + four Allegiant Stadium nights — a Las Vegas week BTS will spend six days in Las Vegas from May 23 through 28. Four 'BTS WORLD TOUR ARIRANG IN NORTH AMERICA' shows land at Allegiant Stadium on May 23, 24, 27, and 28, and in between, on May 25 (May 26 09:00 KST), they make a special appearance at the 52nd American Music Awards (AMA 2026) at MGM Grand Garden Arena in the same city. It's their first awards-show stage in four years. AMA has them up in three categories — Artist of the Year (they won the same category in 2021), Song of the Summer for 'Swim', and Best K-Pop Artist (they took Favorite K-Pop Artist in 2022). Taylor Swift is in the running across the same categories. This edition of the show also marks Queen Latifah's return as host after 30 years. The 7 members are RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. 📑 “"테일러 스위프트와 격돌" 방탄소년단 'AMA' 출격” — 스포츠경향 · “방탄소년단(BTS), 美 '아메리칸 뮤직 어워즈' 시상식 특별 출연” — 스포츠경향 · “BTS at American Music Awards” — 텐아시아 | ||||||||||||||||
Sakura · Chaewon · Yunjin · Kazuha · Eunchae 2nd studio album 'PUREFLOW pt.1' D-1 — 11-track set with title track 'BOOMPALA' and two MV teaser drops LE SSERAFIM's 2nd studio album 'PUREFLOW pt.1' drops tomorrow, May 22, at 1 PM KST. The title track is 'BOOMPALA' — a coined word that doesn't appear in any dictionary, created by LE SSERAFIM specifically for this comeback. The album runs 11 tracks total, including 'CELEBRATION' (pre-released April 24), and ahead of release the title-track MV teasers were revealed twice, on May 20 and May 21. The post-release 'PUREFLOW' world tour schedule has already been announced via official notice, so the 2nd studio album campaign is moving on three tracks at once — album, content, and tour. Meanwhile, Chaewon, who is on a temporary hiatus from activities, will still take part in the 2nd studio album release schedule itself and is only sitting out external dates such as music shows and university festivals (see 5/20 #013). The 5 members are Chaewon, Sakura, Yunjin, Kazuha, and Eunchae. 📑 “김채원, 활동은 불참하지만…르세라핌 홍보 나섰다 '리무진서비스' 출연” — 마이데일리 · “[NOTICE] 2026 LE SSERAFIM TOUR 'PUREFLOW' IN ...” — Weverse LE SSERAFIM 공식 공지 | ||||||||||||||||
Sungho · Riwoo · Jaehyun · Taesan · Leehan · Woonhak 1st studio album 'HOME' title track is 'Viral' — written and composed by ZICO, June 8 release D-18 BOYNEXTDOOR's 1st studio album 'HOME' title track has been revealed as 'Viral (바이럴)'. Lyrics and composition are by ZICO, CEO of KOZ Entertainment and the group's producer. The 1st studio album drops June 8 at 6 PM KST, with a comeback showcase at Korea University's Hwajeong Gymnasium the same evening at 8 PM KST. Ever since their debut EP 'WHY..', ZICO has been credited as writer and composer on signature tracks like 'But I Like You' and 'Serenade', and members Jaehyun, Taesan, and Woonhak have been steadily stacking their own writing and composing credits, building up a self-producing identity. ZICO taking sole writer-composer credit on the title track all the way through their 1st studio album reads like the peak of that arc since debut. Earlier, on May 19, a 9-minute film essay 'Finding HOME', in which all 6 members took on straight acting, was released. The 6 members are Sungho, Riwoo, Jaehyun, Taesan, Woonhak, and Leehan. 📑 “보이넥스트도어, 타이틀은 '바이럴'…지코 작사·작곡” — 마이데일리 | ||||||||||||||||
S.Coups · Jeonghan · Joshua · Jun · Hoshi · Wonwoo · Woozi · The8 · Mingyu · DK · Seungkwan · Vernon · Dino DK and Seungkwan (DxS) at Seoul Jazz Festival 2026 on May 22 — D-1 SEVENTEEN's vocal unit DK and Seungkwan (DxS) are on the domestic lineup of the 18th Seoul Jazz Festival (SJF) 2026, which opens tomorrow, May 22. SJF runs May 22 through 24 at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, with global jazz and R&B artists sharing the stage with domestic K-pop vocal units. DxS just wrapped a two-city Japan vocal-unit tour from April 30 to May 1, meeting a cumulative 24,000 fans before returning to Korea for this run. Alongside SEVENTEEN's 13-member group activities, the team has long run parallel sub-unit projects — Hoshi-Woozi unit (currently on military service), BSS (Seungkwan, DK, Hoshi), and the DxS vocal unit. | ||||||||||||||||
Yujin · Gaeul · Rei · Wonyoung · Liz · Leeseo Japanese 3rd mini album 'LUCID DREAM' full release May 27 — digital pre-release dropped May 20 IVE's Japanese 3rd mini album 'LUCID DREAM' was digitally pre-released yesterday, May 20, with the official release set for May 27. The title track shares its name with the album — 'LUCID DREAM' — and lands as the next step in IVE's ongoing Japan campaign. The same day, on the May 3rd-week Inkigayo chart, digital single 'BANG BANG' came in at #8, and member Wonyoung has been confirmed as MC at the Asia Artist Awards 2026 at Kaohsiung National Stadium in Taiwan on December 5 and 6 — her sixth year in a row hosting. The three threads — Japan release, Korean charts, and awards MC — are all running into the full Japan activity season in June. The 6 members are Yujin, Wonyoung, Gaeul, Rei, Liz, and Leeseo. | ||||||||||||||||
Martin · James · Juhoon · Seonghyeon · Keonho 'GREENGREEN' hits 100M on Spotify in 15 days — twice the pace of their previous album CORTIS's 2nd mini album 'GREENGREEN' crossed 100 million cumulative Spotify streams just 15 days after release. That's roughly half the time their previous 1st mini album took to hit the same milestone, and as a boygroup metric, it's a case of a group under one year from debut reaching global listeners at this pace from their second mini onward. In the same cycle, 'GREENGREEN' is hitting Billboard 200 #3, Billboard Artist 100 #5, and topping both Top Album Sales and World Albums on the May 23-dated charts simultaneously, while the previous cycle (5/20 #013) added the SBS Inkigayo May 3rd-week #1 spot (title track 'REDRED'). Add Billboard Global 200 #38 and Billboard Global Excl. US #19, and the same project is charting across six charts at once. The 5 members are Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Keonho. 📑 “CORTIS Breaks Streaming Records” — 텐아시아 · “코르티스, 무서운 '2배속' 성장” — OSEN | ||||||||||||||||
Hyunsuk · Jihoon · Yoshi · Junkyu · Doyoung · Haruto · Jeongwoo · Asahi · Jaehyuk · Junghwan Mini album 'NEW WAV' June 1 release D-11 — Choi Hyunsuk and Yoon Jaehyuk concept photos revealed With TREASURE's mini album 'NEW WAV' set for June 1, the member-by-member concept photo series is rolling out. On May 21, Choi Hyunsuk and Yoon Jaehyuk's concept photos were unveiled, following Junkyu and So Junghwan's black-and-white concept photos that opened the series on May 19. In this cycle, 'NEW WAV' is set to fill out the 12-member concept series in the week leading up to release. TREASURE's previous mini hit Billboard 200 and charted in the upper tier of Japan's Oricon at the same time, and 'NEW WAV' is the follow-up positioned to keep that global chart momentum going. The members include Choi Hyunsuk, Jihoon, Yoshi, Junkyu, Doyoung, Haruto, Park Jeongwoo, Asahi, Yoon Jaehyuk, and So Junghwan, among others. 📑 “트레저 최현석X윤재혁, 한층 과감해진 카리스마 입었다” — OSEN | ||||||||||||||||
Bang Chan · Lee Know · Changbin · Hyunjin · Han · Felix · Seungmin · I.N Felix departs Incheon Airport on May 21 for 'Louis Vuitton Cruise Show 2026' Stray Kids member Felix departed via Incheon International Airport on the morning of May 21. His destination is the city hosting 'LOUIS VUITTON CRUISE SHOW 2026', where Felix is attending the cruise collection runway as Louis Vuitton's global ambassador. Alongside Stray Kids' main group activities, members have been actively running parallel ambassador work for global fashion and beauty houses, and Felix's Louis Vuitton activity has become one of the most visible solo global-exposure channels in the group over the past one to two years. In the same cycle, the group's previous mini album '合 (HOP)' continues its 6-week run at #1 on the Billboard 200 — the longest stretch by a K-pop group released entirely in the US to date. The 8 members are Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. | ||||||||||||||||
Yunah · Minju · Moka · Wonhee · Iroha 'It's Me' jumps to #32 (+23) on Billboard Global Excl. US and #67 (+37) on Global 200 + Wonhee turns 20 ILLIT's digital single 'It's Me' climbed to #32 on the May 23-dated Billboard Global Excl. US chart (up 23 spots) and #67 on Billboard Global 200 (up 37 spots). The same track is also at #8 on Billboard World Digital Song Sales, #15 on Billboard Hot Dance Pop Songs, and lands at #10 on Japan's Spotify Weekly Top Songs and #16 on Line Music — a steep, sustained climb across global charts since release. In the same cycle, member Wonhee turned 20 (legal Korean age). She's the group's first member to come of age, and an interview was published the same day in which the group's "life unnie" — the member known as the eldest spirit in the team — treated her to her first drink. ILLIT continue to hold a top-10 grip on Korean streaming services (Melon, Bugs, Genie) since 'It's Me' dropped. The 5 members are Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, and Iroha. 📑 “아일릿,'It's Me' 미국 빌보드 주요 차트서 가파른 상승세” — 스포츠경향 · “아일릿 원희가 20살이라니…'인생 언니'와 술 한잔까지” — OSEN | ||||||||||||||||
📊 Charts
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📅 Upcoming Schedule
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💡 Today's Detail — ZICO, KOZ, and BOYNEXTDOOR's 'self-producing' identity BOYNEXTDOOR putting KOZ Entertainment CEO ZICO's name in the lyrics and composition credits of their 1st studio album 'HOME' title track 'Viral (바이럴)' reads like the peak of a group identity that's been building since debut. ZICO founded KOZ Entertainment under HYBE on January 11, 2019, separately from his Block B activities, and personally selected the 6 members of BOYNEXTDOOR — KOZ's official line is that the biggest criterion in casting was "the ability to translate the textures of everyday life into songwriting." That choice played out from day one — debut EP 'WHY..' opened with 'But I Like You' and 'Serenade' as co-credits between ZICO and the members, and members Jaehyun, Taesan, and Woonhak have since stacked lyrics and composition credits on nearly every track of subsequent EPs. ZICO taking sole credit on the title track all the way through to the 1st studio album looks less like a one-off decision and more like KOZ personally closing the final piece of the group's identity arc. | ||||||||||||||||
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BTS Las Vegas week: AMA 2026 + Allegiant Stadium 4 nights
Plus LE SSERAFIM 'BOOMPALA' D-1, BOYNEXTDOOR title 'Viral' by ZICO
May 21, 2026
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9 min read
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