1. Lay will reunite with Exo for the group's upcoming album!
EXO 엑소 Special Album [DON'T FIGHT THE FEELING] 🎧 2021.06.07. 6PM KST #엑소 #EXO #weareoneEXO #DONT_FIGHT_THE_FEELING #레이 #LAY
If you're a fan of Exo, then this week has been an absolute treat. Not only has it been filled with out-of-this-world teaser photos and videos as the group prepares to release their upcoming album Don't Fight the Feeling on June 7, but the group also revealed that member Lay will be participating in the new comeback as well!
This is Lay's first comeback with the group in three years since the release of their fifth album, Don't Mess Up My Tempo, back in 2018. Per reporting by Ilgan Sports, SM Entertainment confirmed that Lay participated in both the title track and its accompanying music video for the album.
In addition to Lay's homecoming, Don't Fight the Feeling also marks the return of members Xiumin and D.O., who both recently completed their mandatory military service. It is also the last album members Chanyeol and Baekhyun took part in the making of before they each enlisted in the military this year, so it's bound to be a very special album indeed. 👉💕
2. BTS stopped by The Late Show and taught Stephen Colbert some cool new hand gestures:
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BTS found time in their busy schedule on May 25 to appear on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and teach him all about their favorite hand gestures — from the long intestine to the dreaded double bunny. In addition to their hilarious segment, BTS also performed "Butter" on the show.
It's only been a week since the release of "Butter," but the single and its accompanying music video have set five brand-new Guinness World Records. The first was for most viewers in attendance for the premiere of a YouTube video with 3.9 million concurrent viewers; it also subsequently broke the record for most viewers for a music video premiere on YouTube as well. But the fun doesn't stop there — "Butter" broke the record for most-watched music video (and the record for most-watched K-pop music video) in 24 hours with 108,200,000 views. And over on Spotify, the single became the most-listened to song within 11 million streams within 24 hours of its release.
All of these records fall on a week in which BTS also took home four Billboard Music Awards for Top Selling Song for their single "Dynamite," Top Social Artist, Top Duo/Group, and Top Song Sales Artist. They also performed "Butter" for the first time at the event too. Plus, the group also made a guest appearance on the Friends reunion and announced their upcoming Muster will be held on June 13–14 too.
Congratulations to BTS on all of their historic success! We can't wait to see what they achieve next. 💜
3. Everglow proved that they're ~winners~ this week with their new single "First!"
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If you're not listening to Everglow yet, then you're seriously missing out. There's a reason why the group has ranked high on BuzzFeed's favorite K-pop songs lists for the last two years, after all! Now the group is back and stronger than ever with the release of their third single album, Last Melody, on May 25.
With its fiery verses and trap backbeat, the album's title track, "First," is a powerful, bombastic bop that will take your breath away. Add in a gorgeous music video set in space, stunning visual effects, and exceptional choreography, and you'll quickly see why Everglow's latest comeback is nothing short of perfection. Everglow forever let's go!
This week also saw the release of GWSN's "Like It Hot," Joy of Red Velvet's "Je T'aime," Woo!ah's "Purple," Kim Jae-hwan's "Burned All Black," and Wonwoo and Mingyu of Seventeen's "Bittersweet (ft. Lee Hi)," so be sure to check those out too!
4. Ryan Reynolds and Stray Kids became best friends!
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Who would've thought that a Deadpool-inspired performance by Stray Kids on the competition program Kingdom: Legendary War would lead to the group becoming best friends with Ryan Reynolds? Well, that's exactly what happened!
The group caught Reynolds' attention on Twitter after a Stray Kids fan (@leeknow on Twitter) created a fan video that featured member Felix chatting with Deadpool while cosplaying as him for the group's Kingdom performance. "Oh hello," Reynolds wrote after seeing the clip.
The group's leader, Bang Chan, then shared his excitement over Reynolds seeing their performance on the livestream platform VLive. "To be noticed by someone that you really, really admire and someone that you really think of as a role model just hits different," he said. He also admitted that he'd love to receive an autograph from the actor as well.
In response, Reynolds tweeted photos of himself posing with a signed bottle of Aviation Gin for Bang Chan before asking him for his autograph too. He also made a note to the Deadpool team to ship Bang Chan a real Deadpool mask after he wore one during his livestream. Bang Chan then posted his own set of images holding a signed copy of the group's In Life album addressed to Reynolds. He also apologized to Hugh Jackman for usurping his role as Reynolds' "favorite Australian."
But it's not all gray skies for Hugh Jackman; the actor also got in touch with Stray Kids to tell Bang Chan he was okay with losing his title but was "worried" for the group as Reynolds can "be a lot." He also shouted out fellow Australian member Felix as well.
"Haha thanks for the heads up! We’ll keep an eye on him," Bang Chan and Felix wrote. "Luckily all our members are just like him, so we reckon we’ll be able to handle him." And that, dear readers, is how a single performance sparked the most wholesome internet friendship between celebrities ever. We can't wait to see their reactions when they both receive each other's gifts!
5. Monsta X has unveiled new dates for their US and Canada tour!
📢 2022 MONSTA X WORLD TOUR IN US/CANADA 새로운 일정 안내 #몬스타엑스 #MONSTAX #MONSTA_X
Monsta X initially postponed their previously announced World Tour back in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. This week, however, the group shared that the show will go on once again by announcing a new set of tour dates set for January and February 2022!
Kicking off in New York on Jan. 29, the 13-date tour travels on to Toronto, Canada, and then across the US with stops in Chicago, Boston, Denver, and Los Angeles. All existing tickets will still be valid and honored at the concert.
We can't wait to see Monsta X in concert when they return next year! 👏
6. And Mamamoo, N.Flying, Ravi, and more announce that new music is on the way!
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* Mamamoo is getting ready to release their 11th mini-album, Where Are We Now, on June 2! To celebrate, the group shared the album's summery track list alongside multiple concept photos and teaser videos.
* N.Flying shared a spoiler for their upcoming title track "Moonshot" and concept photos ahead of the release of their first album, Man on the Moon, on June 7.
* Lightsum revealed they will make their debut on June 10 with the single "Vanilla."
* Ravi unveiled the track list for his upcoming fourth EP, Roses, this week. The album is set to be released on June 3.
* And last, but certainly not least, BTS have begun uploading teaser images ahead of the Hotter Version remix of their single "Butter," which will be released on May 28.
That's it for this week! Have a lovely weekend, and be sure to catch up on last week's news if you missed it! ✨
