[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids renew contract with label

All eight members of Stray Kids agreed to stay with label JYP Entertainment and signed contract renewals, the company announced Thursday.

Their exclusive contracts were due to expire in March next year, but were renewed in advance.

The octet is set to bring out their ninth EP, “Ate,” on Friday, amid high expectations after the four previous albums – EPs “Oddinary,” “Maxident” and “Rockstar” as well as third LP “Five-Star” — all debuted atop the Billboard 200.

The eight bandmates returned home Tuesday after headlining British Summertime Hyde Park in London and are to go to Chicago next month to play Lollapalooza. On Aug. 24, Stray Kids will kick off their largest-ever global tour with two days of concerts in Seoul.

Le Sserafim scores 300m Spotify streams with ‘Perfect Night’

Le Sserafim surpassed 300 million streams on Spotify with the girl group’s first English-language single last week, according to agency Source Music on Thursday.

Digital single “Perfect Night” achieved the feat in about eight months, a record for the five-member act. It is the third song from the group to hit the mark, after “Antifragile” and “Fearless” from the second and first EPs, respectively.

“Perfect Night” was the group’s first entry into the top 10 of Billboard’s Global 200 Excl. the US chart. The single stayed on the chart for 28 weeks, peaking at No. 8.

Meanwhile, the five bandmates returned from Yokohama, Japan, Wednesday after a three-date meet-and-greet. They will host fan meetings in Japan again in Fukuoka on July 30 and 31 and are set to make a full return to activities in late August.

Ily:1 to bring out album next month

Girl group Ily:1 is putting together an album to be released in August, agency FNC ENM said Thursday.

The group of six dropped digital single “I My Me Mine” in April, ditching the fresh teen image and going for strong “girl crush” vibes. The catchy disco tune is a prerelease from the upcoming album and gives fans a taste of what is to come.

The multinational group – two each from Japan, Taiwan and Korea – debuted in April 2022 with single “Love in Bloom.” The group’s last album was second EP “New Chapter,” which came out a year ago.

(G)I-dle’s Shuhua denies dating rumor

Shuhua of (G)I-dle is not dating Taiwanese actor Ko Chen-tung, agency Cube Entertainment said Thursday.

The artist uploaded a series of pictures Tuesday taken while readying for an appearance in a TV music chart show. She wrote “Hey~ I love you” in the caption, and one of the replies came from the actor who used a smiling emoji.

The idol was spotted at his birthday party during her visit to Taiwan last month. The interaction on her social media triggered rumors that the two have been seeing each other.

Ko has since deleted his comment on the post. Shuhua’s agency told media that the rumor is “groundless.”

Separately, Shuhua’s group (G)I-dle is promoting seventh EP “I Sway.” The mini album came out earlier this month and sold over 1 million copies, topping iTunes albums charts in 18 regions.