HYBE sparks summer vibes with BTS live album, TXT comeback, new boy band launch

HYBE Co., a South Korean music powerhouse, is turning up the heat this summer with a wave of major releases, including a live album from its flagship act, BTS, and the return of labelmates Tomorrow X Together (TXT) with a new full-length album.

Adding to the excitement, BIGHIT Music, HYBE’s home label for both groups, will debut its first new boy band in six years, marking a bold new chapter in its artist lineup.

BTS is set to drop its live album, called Permission to Dance on Stage – Live, on Friday afternoon, according to the company.

This is the seven-member boy band’s first official live concert compilation, which features recordings from their Permission to Dance world tour held between 2021 and 2022, offering fans a curated experience of their global performances.

The performance album precedes their highly anticipated full-group comeback early next year, with a new studio album and a world tour, which will mark their first group-wide promotional cycle since going on hiatus in 2021.

TXT WILL RETURN WITH ITS 4TH FULL-LENGTH ALBUM


Next Monday, another BIGHIT big name, TXT, will unveil its fourth full-length album, dubbed The Star Chapter: TOGETHER.

The title track, Beautiful Strangers, blends hip-hop and trap elements with a melodic base, pairing emotive vocals with powerful, high-impact instrumentation, the company explains.

The track explores themes of empathy, connection and personal growth, serving as an uplifting anthem that reflects TXT’s continued artistic evolution, it added.

The album also marks the conclusion of TXT’s long-running conceptual narrative series that has explored themes of youth, identity and self-discovery.

The storyline, which began with their first album, The Dream Chapter: MAGIC, followed by The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE and The Name Chapter: FREEFALL, will come to a close with this latest release.

Notably, each member will feature a solo track for the first time.

FIRST NEW BOY BAND IN 6 YEARS


In what may be the label’s most anticipated move this summer, BIGHIT will introduce a new boy band on Aug. 18 – the first since TXT’s debut in 2019.

The forthcoming boy band will comprise five members: Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon and Keonho. The group’s name and additional details are expected to be announced at a later date.

BIGHIT described the act as a “young creator crew” with a distinctive creative vision, noting that the members are actively involved in producing music, choreography and video content.

All five are teenagers, the company said, adding that they will showcase their creativity across songwriting, composition, performance and videography, drawing from their personal stories.

Martin and James have already contributed to notable releases, including TXT’s Deja Vu and Miracle, as well as ILLIT’s debut track Magnetic.

James also took part in choreography production for TXT’s Deja Vu and ILLIT’s Magnetic, Cherish and Tick-Tack.

Despite a flurry of high-profile announcements, HYBE shares ended down 1.7% at 266,500 won ($192.06) on Wednesday.

Investor sentiment was weighed down by growing concerns that Korean financial regulators may refer company founder and chairman Bang Si-hyuk to prosecutors over alleged irregularities related to HYBE’s 2020 initial public offering, said analysts.

Write to Sookyung Seo at skseo@hankyung.com

Jennifer Nicholson-Breen edited this article.