In August, Red Velvet, Stray Kids, and others are due to light up K-pop fans

Dozens of new K-pop acts, including ASTRO, Sunmi, and Somi, re-energized the music industry earlier this month with their new summer jams. But there’s more to come: fan favourites like Red Velvet and Stray Kids are gearing up for upcoming releases, making August a great month for K-pop fans.

1. Red Velvet (16th August)

Red Velvet, a K-pop girl group, will release its new mini-album “Queendom” on Aug. 16, more than a year after its previous release, “The ReVe Festival ‘Finale.‘”

The five-piece act, called the “queens of summer” by some due to summer successes like “Red Flavor” (2017) and “Power Up” (2018), will unleash new songs that will hopefully keep fans cool in the heat.

The group’s management organisation, SM Entertainment, has revealed that the upcoming album would have six tunes ranging from pop dance to electro-funk in commercial music styles. The title track will be the main single.

“The lead track will emphasise the members’ refreshing attitudes and offer a positive message to fans through the lyrics,” SM stated in a statement released Wednesday, adding that the album’s creative process included a slew of legendary producers and lyricists.

On August 4, Red Velvet released a teaser on its official YouTube channel. The quintet appears as giants in a mystery fairy-tale-like village called the “Queendom” in the 30-second movie.

2. Stray Kids (23rd August)

Stray Kids, who won Mnet’s competition programme “Kingdom: Legendary War” in June, will release “NOEASY,” a new album on Aug. 23.

Their new lead track is titled “Thunderous” in English, but it’s “Sorikkun” in Korean, which refers to a performer of the traditional Korean storytelling musical genre pansori. According to JYP Entertainment, the group’s record label, the song would incorporate sounds from Korean traditional music as well as other brass instruments.

“Through the song, Stray Kids will emphasise that despite all the obstacles, they will never lose their nerve,” JYP said in a statement, adding that the music was composed by three members, Bang Chan, Chanbin, and Han, collectively known as “3RACHA.”

There are 13 other songs on the CD, including “Gone Away,” “The View,” “Silent Cry,” and “Star Lost.”

JYP released teaser photographs of Han and Felix on Wednesday.

3. BTOB 4U (30th August)

On Aug. 30, BTOB 4U, a four-member sub-unit of the K-pop boy band BTOB, will release a special album named “4U: OUTSIDE.” Eunkwang, Minhyuk, Changsub, and Peniel make up BTOB 4U. Hyunsik and Sungjae, two more BTOB members, are presently doing their necessary military service.

BTOB 4U’s first album since appearing on “Kingdom: Legendary War” is “4U: OUTSIDE.” All other facts concerning the album, on the other hand, have been kept under wraps.

Cube Entertainment, the group’s agency, released a teaser, depicting a cube with black stairs and a white door that can fool the eyes.

“Thanks to Kingdom, BTOB could have presented its broad musical spectrum,” Cube stated in a statement. “With its new release, it will be able to reclaim the public’s attention.”

Furthermore, on August 23, Brave Girls, the vocalists of “Rollin‘,” will release a new song, and on August 24, Kwon Eun-bi, a former member of the now-defunct project group IZ*ONE, will make her solo debut.