Hoya leaves Infinite
Last week, Woolim Entertainment announced that Hoya had decided to leave Infinite and Woolim. After the announcement, Hoya released a letter to fans on his Instagram apologizing for the concern he's caused,thanking fans and his "Woolim" family for their support over the years. Hoya hasn't announced what his future plans are, but we wouldn't be surprised if he puts his music production and acting skills to good use!
Despite Hoya’s departure, Infinite has already announced plans to come back later this year with the remaining six members.
Casper leaves CROSS GENE
In another shocking departure, CROSS GENE announced on their fancafe that Casper had left the group. According to the message, Casper left due to differences in direction. Casper posted "I'm sorry" in Chinese, English, Korean, and Japanese on his Instagram.
Casper isn't the first to leave CROSS GENE. In 2013, Chinese member J.G. left the group when they were still rookies, and he was quickly replaced by Seyoung.
CROSS GENE will continue on as a five-member group, with no current comeback announcement. We wish Casper the best.
Seo Taiji holds his 25th anniversary concert in Seoul
On Saturday, K-pop legend Seo Taiji held his 25th anniversary concert at the Seoul Olympic Stadium. Seo Taiji performed his eight-song setlist alongside special guests, BTS. The collaboration makes sense since BTS performed a Seo Taiji & Boys cover at the 2016 KBS Song Festival. BTS was also one of the groups who released a remake of one of Seo Taiji's hits – "Come Back Home" – to celebrate his 25 years in the industry.
Seo Taiji had incredible energy throughout the show. It felt like we were back in the 1990s watching him perform. (Can we drink whatever he’s drinking because he looks incredible!) Our favorite was watching him and BTS perform "Come Back Home" together on stage. Congrats to Seo Taiji on 25 years… and here's hoping for many more!
BTS becomes the first K-pop group to sell on Amazon
In other BTS related news, their company, BigHit Entertainment, announced that pre-sales of the next album LOVE YOURSELF 'Her' would be available on Amazon. The album quickly became the No. 1 selling album on Amazon. This is a first effort from BigHit Entertainment to focus sales in North American countries. Consequently, we see this move having a positive impact on BTS charting on Billboard.
We also hope this will bring greater visibility to the K-pop industry as a whole. This could be the beginning of easier and more economical access to K-pop albums here in North America. (If you've ever ordered a K-pop album, you'll know that shipping is killer!)
Royal Pirates announces a two-year hiatus
Royal Pirates has had a rough few years. They debuted in 2013 as a three-member band consisting of James, Moonchul, and Sooyoon. In 2015, James was forced to give up the bass and switch to the keyboard after a nearly fatal accident. Only two years later, James announced he was leaving Royal Pirates to focus on his health.
Now, Royal Pirates has announced that after their goodbye concert, 'Hasta La Vista' on Sep 23, they will begin a two-year hiatus. Sooyoon will complete his mandatory military service while Moonchul will focus on his solo career. We can only hope that in two years, we'll be writing about their comeback.