Like Big Hit Entertainment labelmates BTS before them, the members of boy group Color Outside the Lines, or CORTIS, burst onto the K-pop scene eager to tell their own stories of youth. From the exclamatory trap anthem “GO!” to grunge-rock lead single “What You Want” to reference-heavy hip-hop track “FaSHioN,” teen members James, Juhoon, Martin, Seonghyeon, and Keonho strive to be seen as a group that doesn’t fit into any of the traditional K-pop boxes—and “for the whole world to know [their] name.”

But it’s comparatively minimalist EP tracks like “JoyRide” and “Lullaby” that have some of the most unexpected things to say. On the latter—a hazy, acoustic ode to an already weary Generation Z—CORTIS interrupts a serenade of <i>ooh</i>s with a shouted yet still soothing refrain: “I GOT WORK/YOU GOT WORK/BUT IN THIS MOMENT/QUIET FIRST.” A valuing of respite alongside the boldest of global pop ambitions.

Four years after her solo debut <i>Hello</i>, Red Velvet singer JOY (aka 박수영) returned with the summer-themed EP <i>From JOY, with Love</i>. Though JOY originally debuted as Red Velvet’s lead rapper, she would become better known for her singing, and specifically for her sweet, airy vocal tone. Alongside fellow Red Velvet members IRENE, SEULGI, WENDY, and YERI, JOY has been active in the K-pop industry since the girl group’s debut in 2014. However, a multi-hyphenate career as a variety show host and drama actor has kept her from releasing solo music as frequently as many of her third-generation contemporaries.

While <i>Hello</i> gave listeners JOY’s reinterpretation of already famous tracks (e.g. Park Hye Kyung’s 2003 hit “Hello”), <i>From JOY, with Love</i> includes six original songs, perhaps giving fans a better chance to understand the singer’s intentions as an artist. This may be especially true for the songs JOY helped write: brass-led dance track “Get Up and Dance” and pop ballad “Unwritten Page,” which was written as a message to a past version of JOY who is going through a difficult time. Bubbly lead single “Love Splash!” is a beach-set bop about falling in love—but the album as a whole is designed to give JOY’s perspectives on four diverse forms of love: playful love, friendship, self-love, and romantic love.

<i>IVE SECRET</i> is the second Korean mini album of 2025 for IVE, the K-pop girl group known for hits like “LOVE DIVE” and “After LIKE.” As the title suggests, the six-track album is an exploration of the lesser-known, complex emotions behind the glossy facade of the fourth-generation team, composed of members Gaeul, Yujin, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz, and Leeseo.

Sonically, this means a more subdued sound for IVE. Gone are the soaring choruses of “I AM” and “REBEL HEART.” Instead, dreamy lead single “XOXZ” builds to a rap-chant chorus of the title slang, created to mean “I love you, good night, see you in my dreams.” IVE pairs the low-key chorus with a lulling, melodic “ooh-ooh, ooh,” a subtle and powerful reminder of their vocal prowess.

The album’s “secret” theme is more explicit in tracks like “Dear, My Feelings,” a song about looking back at old diary entries with fondness, and “♥beats,” a laidback electropop bop about love explored on a digital landscape. Wonyoung participated in writing the lyrics for “XOXZ,” while Liz co-wrote the lyrics for “Midnight Kiss,” a midtempo pop ballad about missing a lover.

<i>Cerulean Verge</i> wasn’t the start of Korean artist WENDY’s career—the K-pop soprano debuted alongside IRENE, JOY, and SEULGI as third-generation girl group Red Velvet in 2014—but it was the start of something new. The six-track pop EP was the first major project WENDY released following her solo split from SM Entertainment in April 2025, and the ASND Label album is filled with upbeat songs about harnessing the power of a fresh start.

<i>Cerulean Verge</i>’s central theme is perhaps most explicit on lead single “Sunkiss,” a pop anthem about embracing a new version of oneself, but an optimism is infused throughout the album. On “Hate2,” billed as WENDY’s first self-composed track, the singer beats back the inner voices telling her she’s not good enough. “I know what I really want,” she proclaims in the song’s soaring chorus. “I’m painting as my heart leads me.” On the English-language love song “Chapter You,” WENDY sets out on a different kind of journey—one that feels destined for some kind of success, given the broader faith in the future expressed on the piano ballad “Believe.”

On “EXISTENTIAL CRISIS,” a pop-punk track that sonically links <i>Cerulean Verge</i> with WENDY’s 2024 EP <i>Wish You Hell</i>, the singer has confidence that she can walk her own bold path. It’s one she’s taking listeners on along with her. “Even in the midst of any trials/Know I’m gonna be right there,” she promises on “Fireproof,” a rousing clap-along commitment to her fans.

TWICE成员CHAEYOUNG，9月12日发行个人出道正规专辑《LIL FANTASY vol.1》及主打歌《SHOOT (Firecracker)》
展现CHAEYOUNG内心小世界的首张个人正规专辑《LIL FANTASY vol.1》!能让大家看到"Artist CHAEYOUNG”全貌的作品

-CHAEYOUNG参与主打歌《SHOOT(Firecracker)》在内的所有歌曲的创作及视觉创意的全面指导
-主打歌《SHOOT (Firecracker)》，在俏皮又别致的旋律上唱出CHAEYOUNG抱负的歌曲！“一起享受这个派对吧！”
-专辑收录了MV先行公开曲《AVOCADO (feat. Gliico)》、TWICE全球巡演个人舞台曲《내 기타 (My Guitar)》、CD Only歌曲《Lonely Doll Waltz》等丰富曲目！