Top K-pop releases in October: With IU, CL, bugAboo and Secret Number female acts rule
October is going to be dominated by the Women of K-pop as Lisa of Blackpink set the tone by dominating all global charts with her solo debut months ago and which is still continuing to break new records every day. Twice, JYP Entertainment's it-group also set the tone straight for October with their first all-English song, ‘The Feels’, topping charts and making their Hot Debut on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart at Number 10 for the week of October 16, 2021.
With ITZY still dominating music shows with their back-to-back wins, the future of K-pop seems to be female positive - making the group one to have the most music show wins among fourth-generation groups with a total of 41 wins.
October will also see powerful female releases with K-pop soloists and rookie groups making a comeback. This month will also see the debut of a rookie group among other female comebacks.
READ MORE
'The Feels': TWICE debut on Billboard Hot 100 with their first English single
Is Aespa the biggest band in K-pop right now? 'Savage' makes chart history in 2nd week
IU takes the lead with ‘Strawberry Moon’
Female K-pop artists are going to rule in the second half of October, setting the tone for the rest of the year with K-pop super soloist IU taking the lead. It is reported that IU will make her comeback seven months after releasing her last release ‘Lilac’ in March 2021. IU will set the tone for fall 2021 with her digital single ‘Strawberry Moon’, which will release on October 19 at 12 am KST (11 am ET) to mark the 13th anniversary of her debut in the K-pop industry.
IU posted several teaser images on her social media accounts to tease the release of her new single. In the official cover photo of the single, IU is seen sitting on top of a scoop of strawberry ice cream in a black dress while holding two strawberry ice cream cones in her hand. She provides dreamlike imagery from the poster of the song, which has raised expectations of fans, who are suspecting a range of concepts including fairy tale - one that shows her free-spirited charm as well as one that will bring out a romantic atmosphere.
CL makes a return with ‘Alpha’
Following IU, second-generation powerhouse idol CL, who was a former member of YG Entertainment’s 2NE1, will release her album ‘Alpha’, which will be her first studio album produced by her own label Very Cherry. The album marks CL’s debut full-length album with 11 songs, making it her first full-length work as a solo artist since her career debut in 2007. Several singles from the album were pre-released before the final release of her album, which will be on October 20 at 1 pm KST (12 am ET).
CL, who had started pursuing a solo career starting in 2015 with the album ‘Hello Bitches’, is regarded as one of the most influential figures to help spread the Hallyu (Korean Wave), all thanks to her experimentation across music styles as well as her live performances. 2021 also marks a special year for CL as she made her MET Gala debut wearing an Alexander Wang outfit, making her one of two Korean artists to make an appearance on the red carpet.
Rookie girl groups to release new music
This month will also see releases from rookie groups like Blackswan, a four-member girl group under DR Entertainment who made their debut in 2020 with their first full album ‘Goodbye Rania.’ This time around, Blackswan will release their first single album ‘Close to Me’ on October 14, 2021. Making a comeback with their third single album is the rookie group Secret Number. They are a five-member girl group under VINE Entertainment who made their debut in May 2020 with their first single album ‘Who Dis?’. The group will release their third single album ‘Fire Saturday’ on October 27.
Making their grand debut in October 2021 is a six-member rookie girl group called bugAboo. The group is managed by A Team Entertainment and will release its debut single album on October 25. Other October releases include pop duo Davichi, who will release their new single ‘My First Love’ on October 18, which marks their 13th anniversary in the K-pop industry.