Katseye's 'Animal,' co-written by Ed Sheeran, leads new K-pop releases from Jennie and aespa

Katseye drops 'Animal' co-written by Ed Sheeran

Hybe and Geffen Records' multinational girl group Katseye released 'Animal' on July 24, a prerelease single from the group's upcoming third EP 'Wild,' scheduled for Aug. 14. The track features songwriting by Ed Sheeran, who co-wrote it with Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid, Grammy-winning producer Blake Slatkin, and songwriter Omer Fedi. Built on driving rhythms and electronic beats, the uptempo pop song explores the contrast between composure and instinctive desire, anchored by the refrain 'You move like an animal.' Actor Demi Moore makes a cameo near the end of the music video, which shifts between an office setting and a red-lit performance space and was directed by Cody Critcheloe. Katseye debuted in the US in 2024 under Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk's 'Multi-home, Multi-genre' strategy and has performed at Lollapalooza and Coachella. In May, the group won three trophies at the 2026 American Music Awards, including new artist of the year, after earning two nominations at the 68th Grammy Awards in February.

Jennie returns with summer solo single

BLACKPINK's Jennie released her new single 'Less than a Lover' on July 24 via OA Entertainment. The summer-themed song was co-written and co-composed by Jennie, who also directed its music video. The track captures the excitement and lingering emotions of a relationship that exists between friendship and romance. She is scheduled to continue her festival appearances next month, with dates set for Lollapalooza Chicago in the United States and Summer Sonic 2026 in Japan.

aespa unveils first Japanese mini album

aespa released its first Japanese mini album, 'KISS N TELL,' at midnight on July 24 across major music platforms, with the title track's music video premiering on the SMTOWN YouTube channel. The title track is a house-based dance-pop song built around lively piano sounds and danceable beats, with lyrics capturing two people deepening their relationship by openly sharing their worries. The album includes 'ATTITUDE,' the opening theme for the TV anime 'Kill Blue,' and 'In Halo,' an OST for the drama 'First Love,' tying the group's music to Japanese entertainment content. The group had revealed the album title during its Tokyo fan meeting 'MY CLASSMaeTE,' held July 18-20 at Keio Arena Tokyo. aespa is also slated to perform at Lollapalooza Chicago on Aug. 2 at Grant Park.

Stray Kids announce new EP and kick off world tour

Stray Kids will release its new EP 'THIS & THAT' at 1 p.m. on Aug. 7, the group's agency announced on July 24. The eight-track EP will include the prerelease single 'RUN IT,' as well as 'After You,' 'I Do,' and other songs. The title track, also titled 'This & That,' was produced by the group's in-house production unit 3RACHA, consisting of Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han. The group kicked off its new world tour, 'RUN IT,' at KSPO Dome in southeastern Seoul on the same day.

Chart milestones for Hybe collaboration, CORTIS and ATEEZ

The collaboration single 'Iconic By Mistake' by Le Sserafim, Illit and Katseye surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify as of July 24, just 41 days after its release. The track sits at No. 21 on Spotify's Weekly Top Songs Global, No. 38 on Billboard's Hot 100, and No. 22 on the UK Official Singles Top 100, with its music video approaching 100 million YouTube plays at over 93 million. Le Sserafim flew to Osaka on July 24 to begin the Japan leg of its tour, with Summer Sonic 2026 dates planned in Osaka and Tokyo. Separately, CORTIS's 'REDRED' achieved its 90th consecutive day at No. 1 on Apple Music Korea's daily chart on July 24, the second-longest reign in the chart's history after BTS's 'Dynamite.' ATEEZ's title track 'Bad' from its 14th mini-album 'GOLDEN HOUR: Part.5' reached No. 7 on YouTube Music's weekly popular songs chart for July 10-16 and No. 21 on the Melon daily chart dated July 23, marking the group's first entry into Melon's top 100.

Sandara Park and BigBang map next chapters

Former 2NE1 member Sandara Park is preparing to release a two-track single album titled 'REPRISM' this fall, with only the recording left to complete, the artist said in a Hankook Ilbo interview. One track, 'Festival,' reinterprets a well-known song through a rock sound, while 'Nail' is the first original song she created with her songwriting team. Park described the project as 'the biggest turning point in my life' after 22 years in the industry. Meanwhile, BigBang will mark its 20th debut anniversary with a free fan event hosted by Coupang Play on Aug. 19 at Yeouido Han River Park's Water Light Stage in Seoul, with reservations opening July 28 via the Coupang Play app. The trio of G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung will then launch a stadium tour with a three-night homecoming at Goyang Stadium from Aug. 21 to 23, followed by dates across Oakland, East Rutherford, Paris, London, Singapore, Sydney, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Osaka, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Kaohsiung. The tour follows the group's reunion at Coachella 2026.