Rookies, fifth-generation K-pop acts to drop new releases next month

By Lee Gyu-lee

The fifth generation of K-pop is set to conquer the charts this February, with leading groups like IVE and ZEROBASEONE spearheading a wave of highly anticipated comebacks.

Girl group IVE is making a comeback with its third EP, “IVE EMPATHY,” on Feb. 3. The upcoming album will consist of six songs, including the double title tracks, “REBEL HEART” and “ATTITUDE.”

“'IVE EMPATHY' is an album that adds a unique charm to the team's colors stemming from 'proactive confidence,' which is the symbolic identity of IVE,” the group’s agency Starship Entertainment said in the release.

“Through this new album containing IVE's diverse musical colors, the group will continue to explore about 'myself,’ while stirring (audiences’) curiosity emotionally with a more mature perspective and expanding its ‘new style' infinitely.”

One of its members, Jang Won-young took part in writing the lyrics for the song, “ATTITUDE.” Another member, Liz, took her first stab at writing lyrics with the track, “Thank U.”

The group kicked off the album’s promotions, prereleasing the title track, “REBEL HEART,” on Jan. 13. The song topped iTunes’ Top Song chart in four different countries.

Boy group ZEROBASEONE is gearing up for its fifth mini-album, slated to hit the shelves on Feb. 24, dropping one of its tracks, “Doctor! Doctor!”, on Monday prior to the album’s release.

The song is an R&B ballad that talks about the mysterious journey of healing through an addiction to love.

“'Doctor! Doctor!' is an easy-listening song that portrays a yearning heart that can't live without love in a catchy way, using a metaphor of the emotion of love to a burning fever,” the group’s agency, WakeOne, said in a press release.

“Through the song, ZEROBASEONE is set to offer pleasant smiles to listeners not only with their dazzling visuals portraying love addiction but also with the nine members' positive energy.”

The group is also set to release its first Japanese EP “PREZENT” on Jan. 29.

SM Entertainment is finally ready to unveil its latest girl group Hearts2Hearts on Feb. 24. The agency said that the new group will be making its debut next month, sharing a teaser for the upcoming eight-piece act.

This will be the agency’s first girl group in five years since aespa, which debuted in 2020.

“The team name Hearts2Hearts signifies their purpose to connect with global fans and move forward toward a bigger ‘us’ through their own mysterious and beautiful musical world filled with various emotions and sincere messages,” the agency said.

“As it’s debuting in SM's 30th anniversary year, the group is expected to showcase distinctive colors in various aspects including music, performance and visuals, based on SM's unique cultural heritage and capability for solid planning built over a long time.”

BLACKPINK member Jisoo will be picking up her solo career with a new release on Feb. 14. The singer shared a teaser video for the upcoming release, captioning it with “2025.02.14 COMING SOON” on her social media last week.

This will be her first solo album in two years since she released her first single EP, “ME,” in 2023. The album’s title track, “FLOWER,” topped the iTunes charts in 57 countries and regions and claimed No. 38 on the UK’s Official Single chart upon its release.

The singer has previously put on hold her music career, focusing on acting. Jisoo is also slated to star in Coupang Play’s new original series, “Newtopia,” which will hit the streaming site on Feb. 7.

Virtual boy group PLAVE will also make a comeback with the third mini-album, “Caligo Pt.1,” on Feb. 3, about five months after the digital single, “Pump Up The Volume,” in August last year. The song topped Melon’s Hot 100 and Top 100 chart on the day of its release and won the first prize on MBC’s music program, “Show! Music Core.”

PLAVE will unveil concept photos and teasers starting Monday.