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  NMIXX to make Japan debut with 'N=MIXX' SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - NMIXX will officially enter the Japanese market later this year with the release of its first Japanese best album, "N=MIXX," as the JYP Entertainment girl group expands overseas following a year of international touring and growing recognition from global music publications. JYP Entertainment said Friday that "N=MIXX" will be released on Dec. 9, marking the six-member group's official Japanese debut — roughly four years and ni July 31, 2026
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  Red Velvet returns as full group with summer EP 'Velvet Summer' SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) — K-pop girl group Red Velvet will return as a full group on Aug. 3 with "Velvet Summer," its first five-member release in more than two years, marking a return to the summer season that helped establish the act as one of K-pop's defining warm-weather groups. SM Entertainment said Friday that the five-track EP and its lead single, "Surfin' Boy," will be released at 6 p.m. KST on Aug. 3. The comeback is the group's first r July 31, 2026
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  Stray Kids to kick off 2026 comeback with self-produced EP 'THIS & THAT' SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - Stray Kids will return on Aug. 7 with "THIS & THAT," the group's first release of 2026, following a year of stadium tours, international festival appearances and record-setting success on the Billboard 200. JYP Entertainment said Friday that the group will release the EP and its title track, "This & That," at 1 p.m. KST on Aug. 7. The eight-track project marks another self-produced release for the group, with in-house unit July 31, 2026
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  BTS' quiet Grammy boycott speaks volumes  SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - It is hardly Grammy season, but BTS brought the awards debate into the middle of summer with a quiet boycott that produced loud repercussions. On July 29, all seven members of BTS posted the same message on their Instagram Stories within minutes of one another. There was no press conference, no statement from HYBE and no explanation beyond a few lines translated from Korean: they would not submit their comeback album, ARIRANG, for consideration at the 69t July 31, 2026
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  K-pop trains idols for debut, but not for what comes after SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - If surviving South Korea's fiercely competitive education system seems difficult, try becoming a K-pop trainee. "Once school ends, you go straight to the practice room," one trainee recalled. "There's no time to see friends or even grab something to eat together." For thousands of teenagers, that routine is the price of pursuing one of the country's biggest dreams. K-pop has built one of the world's most soph July 30, 2026
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  Hanroro revives 'A Cruel Angel's Thesis' in latest J-pop remake project SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) — Singer-songwriter Hanroro has reinterpreted "A Cruel Angel's Thesis," the iconic opening theme from the Japanese anime "Neon Genesis Evangelion," as part of a Korean project reimagining classic J-pop hits for a new generation of listeners. The remake will be released at 6 p.m. (0900 GMT) Thursday, music producer SHgold Networks said. Originally recorded by Yoko Takahashi in 1995, "A Cruel Angel's Thes July 30, 2026
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  WayV builds new EP ahead of Seoul concerts SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - NCT's China-based unit WayV will return next month with a seven-track EP built around Chinese words that share the same pronunciation but carry different meanings, SM Entertainment said Thursday. The Chinese boy band will release its eighth EP, "Vision Wings," at 6 p.m. (0900 GMT) on Aug. 10, according to SM Entertainment. The album includes Chinese- and English-language versions of the title track, "Vision Wings." Each song is tie July 30, 2026
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  After BTS comeback year, what's next for K-pop? SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - K-pop continues to debut new groups, dominate global streaming platforms and fill concert halls from Los Angeles to Bangkok. The industry's talent pipeline remains as prolific as ever, producing acts not only in South Korea but increasingly through overseas partnerships and local adaptations. Yet beneath the steady flow of new debuts lies a quieter reckoning. While visibility has never been broader, far fewer acts are reaching the commercial sc July 29, 2026
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  Red Velvet to roll out 'Surfin' Boy' at Seoul fan concert SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - Red Velvet will perform its new title track "Surfin' Boy" for the first time during a three-day fan concert in Seoul this week, SM Entertainment said Wednesday. The performance comes ahead of the release of the group's new summer EP, its first full-group release in over two years. The group will unveil the song at "2026 Red Velvet FAN-CON ," which runs from July 31 to Aug. 2 at Korea University's Hwajeong Gymnasium. The fan July 29, 2026