A flood of big-name K-pop artists are expected to return this summer

Summer is one of the busiest seasons for the K-pop scene, always loaded with refreshing bops for the sweltering heat. Once again this year, the competitive industry welcomes many big-name artists with a new batch of bangers that will find their way into listeners’ summer playlists.

On the list of stars is Super Junior, one of the oldest K-pop boy groups. The group is set to make a big comeback with their 11th full album Vol. 1 “The Road: Keep on Going” on July 12. The album follows February’s single “The Road: Winter for Spring”.

Beginning with “The Road: Keep on Going,” the boy band will also release 11th album Vol. 2 and bound volumes of the album with different album titles, respectively, within the year, according to eight-member agency Label SJ.

K-pop veterans Girls’ Generation will also make a long-awaited comeback in August when they release a new album to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their debut, the group’s agency SM Entertainment said. Further details are yet to be revealed.

All eight members of the girl group will take part in the album, which will be the group’s first release in nearly five years since their sixth studio album “Holiday Night” in August 2017.

Four top female K-pop artists who took part in the second season of Mnet’s hit survival program “Queendom” which aired from March to June are also expected to unveil new albums from the end of this month. .

Both Loona and Kep1er are set to release Eps on Monday, titled “Flip That” and “Doublast” respectively. The program’s eventual winner, WJSN, will then take over and release the special single “Sequence” on July 5.

Hyolyn, formerly Sistar, will also be making her return next month.

Aespa will release their first-ever English single “Life’s Too Short” on Friday. The quartet previously performed the song for the first time at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California in April.

Shortly after the release of “Life’s Too Short,” the foursome will also be releasing their second EP “Girls” on July 8.

The group is also set to perform their new songs and hit the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, ahead of their first showcase in Japan on August 6-7.

Itzy will release their 5th mini album “Checkmate” on July 15, before kicking off their first-ever US tour from Seoul in August. The upcoming EP will mark the band’s first release in about 10 months since their full-length debut “Crazy in Love” last September.

Launched in 2019, the girl group has been actively promoting themselves in Korea and Japan. He released hit songs including “Dalla Dalla”, “Icy”, “Wannabe”, “Not Shy” and “In the Morning”. He also reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200 main albums chart with his debut LP.

The mixed group KARD will resume its activities as a full group after J.seph completes his compulsory military service. The four-piece band will release their fifth mini-album “Re:” on Wednesday, more than two years after their last release, “Red Moon,” released in February 2020.

Winner will release a new album next month after a 27-month hiatus. Her third studio album “Remember” was released in April 2020. YG Entertainment hinted at Winner’s full band return by sharing a poster on their social media platforms on Monday. Although more details about the album have yet to be released.

GOT7’s Youngjae will release a second solo mini album “Sugar” on Tuesday. The artist participated in his soon-to-be-released five-track EP, from writing lyrics to composing and arranging. Meanwhile, GOT7 made their group comeback with the self-titled EP “GOT7” in May after a 15-month hiatus.

Stray Kids and Twice will release albums separately in Japan. Stray Kids will release their second Japanese EP “Circus” on Wednesday, followed by their latest Japanese EP “All In” in November 2020. Celebrating the fifth anniversary of their debut in Japan, Twice’s fourth Japanese album “Celebrate” is set to be released on July 27. .

Twice’s Nayeon will also be releasing her first album as a solo artist. Her EP “Im Nayeon” will be released on Friday. Sunmi plans to return with a new digital single on June 29. Enhyphen is also set to return with their third mini album “Manifesto: Day 1” on July 4.

Blackpink is preparing for the release of its new album in August, while other K-pop artists, including SF9 and Chungha, are also planning to return to the local music scene next month, according to singer agencies FNC Entertainment and MNH Entertainment, respectively.

By Jie Ye-eun (yeeun@heraldcorp.com)