K-POP HOTSPOT: April 2023 Comebacks And Debuts Roundup

Hello, honey bees who have a taste for the best honey, aka K-POP. It is time for another installment of your favorite THP feature – our K-POP HOTSPOT. April was the month of bunnies and chocolates. So, of course, a lot happened this last month, from debuts to comebacks and more, so this K-POP roundup is packed as per usual! Before we dive in, make sure to check out the comebacks we already covered, such as OMEGA X, SEVENTEEN, WOODZ, BLITZERS, DRIPPIN, P1HARMONY, JINSOL WOO, KEP1ER, IVE, and XIKERS.

Before we get into it, though, we want to give a special shout-out to Jackson Wang because the king never stops surprising us with new music, and Jackson dropped the amazing song ‘Cheetah’ last month. We have to urge you to watch the music video for this one because w o w. Otherwise, you can always just listen to the song here. Another hot tip we have for you is an amazing collab between St. Humain and SOIN as they teamed up for the remix of ‘Dial Tones,’ so make sure to listen here

Okay, we are done, promise! Now, let’s get into many more amazing comebacks and debuts from April.

KIM WOOSEOK

It’s been over a year since we got a solo comeback from Kim Wooseok, and he did NOT let us down with his new EP, Blank Page! The title track, ‘Dawn,’ is an edgy, alt-R&B track with a music video that we couldn’t keep our eyes off of. This mini-album is everything we’ve been missing, and it hits even harder knowing Kim Wooseok contributed to the lyrics and composition of each track. Blank Page has absolutely no skips!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT KIM WOOSEOK:
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

HEIZE

Heize has been killing it this past year, and she’s back with her latest single, ‘VingleVingle (Prod. R.Tee).’ Heize sings about forgetting her toxic ex-lover and dancing the night away. The instrumentals sound perfect for a night out at the club or a solo dance party at home. And the music video has such a cool concept! We don’t care what the haters think; we’re way too addicted to this track!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HEIZE:  
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

APINK

Our second-gen queens Apink are back with their 10th mini-album, Self, and it came just in time for the group’s 12th anniversary! That’s right, Apink have graced us with their wonderful music for 12 whole years. We can’t believe it either! Self is brimming with Apink’s signature sound, and every single track is a bop. It’s so easy for us to enjoy Apink’s releases, from the title track ‘D N D’ to b-sides like ‘Withcha’ and ‘Candy.’ We can’t pick a favorite!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT APINK:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

AGUST D

‘People’ has brought us comfort ever since we listened to D-2 for the first time, and we were so excited to see Yoongi and IU collaborating again for this new track! This second part of its predecessor complements their voices perfectly, and it was a perfect introduction to the new Agust D era, as it was D-DAY’s pre-release track. It’s just an amazing song that feels like a hug every time we listen to it!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BTS:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IU:
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER

EXO XIUMIN & VIVIZ EUNHA

EXO’s Xiumin and VIVIZ’s Eunha have joined forces for the loveliest spring duet, and we’re here for it! Their collaboration single, ‘Who?’ has been a pleasant surprise, and we can’t describe how at peace this song makes us feel. Xiumin and Eunha sing about friends who are about to become lovers in the spring. It’s so romantic, and their voices complement each other so well!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EXO:
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT VIVIZ:
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

KARD

Attention everyone! KARD’s back after almost ten months! And this time, they’ve released their third digital single, ‘Without You.’ This track is a banger about being unable to live without someone. The instrumental reminds us of KARD’s earlier days, hitting us with a wave of nostalgia in the best way! And the music video visuals for ‘Without You’ are beyond magical. They slayed this comeback!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT KARD:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

DREAMNOTE

In need to ring in the warmer season with some ‘Lemonade?’ DreamNote got you! We were blown away and excited by the group’s pre-release single ‘Blue,’; however, ‘Lemonade’ took it up another level as the girls brought the house down with this jam. We are so excited for this upcoming summer, and the poppy ‘Lemonade will keep us company for sure.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DREAMNOTE:
  INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

LEE CHAEYEON

Lee Chaeyeon is back! We enjoyed the soloist’s debut ‘Hush Rush’ but we knew the idol had it in her to give us a groovy song this spring with a killer choreography, and that’s what ‘Knock’ offers to us. We have had this song on replay ever since it dropped, and the rest of the album is just as good. Chaeyeon, the sky is the limit, and we are here to watch you fly!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LEE CHAEYEON:
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER

PARK JIHOON

JIHOON’s comeback summarized? It slaps! We are kidding you not; this is such an outstanding release; we still have it on repeat. ‘Blank Effect’ draws us like a magnet with its dark vibes, both in the song and music video. We did not expect this outcome but are in love with it! The talent this boy has is immense for pulling this off so effortlessly. And we have to give a shout-out to ‘Gambit,’ the song featuring none other than BANG YONGGUK, which makes this particular track double the delight for our ears.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PARK JIHOON:
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

YEEUN

Yeeun’s solo debut is finally here! Ever since she released her pre-release single, ‘Strange Way To Love,’ we’ve been putting it on repeat every day. And now her single album, The Beginning, is out! The powerful title track, ‘Cherry Coke,’ is a great contrast to the soft and sweet pre-release. She’s that versatile! It’s a badass hip-hop track with a catchy hook and fire verses. The way Yeeun delivers her rap does it for us every time. 

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YEEUN:
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK

DAWN

If you don’t hear from us, we’re just trying to recover from Dawn’s latest single, ‘Dear My Light.’ From the first guitar note, we knew we’d be in tears by the end of the song. ‘Dear My Light’ is by far one of the best breakup songs we’ve ever heard. It’s about being ok by yourself and being supportive of your partner after a breakup. And although Dawn’s raw and emotional vocals absolutely crushed us, we can’t imagine a better way for him to express his true feelings. We’ll always wish the best for him and Hyuna, no matter what happens.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DAWN:
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

BLO4

Is it really springtime if we didn’t have a BOL4 comeback? Her eighth EP, Love.zip, has such a sweet and fresh sound! The title track, ‘Friend The End,’ was meant to blast in your car with all the windows rolled down. Every song is catchy and easy to listen to, especially ‘Chase Love Hard’ (feat. Hwang Min Hyun). Not that we expected anything less from Ahn Jiyoung’s songwriting and composing! She’s outdone herself with this mini-album!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BLO4:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

LEE GIKWANG

Lee Gikwang is back with his first-ever full-length album, Predator! This LP has been a long time coming, with Lee Gikwang’s last solo release being from 2019, before his military enlistment. Since he’s been back, he’s pulling out all the stops for Predator! The title track ‘Predator’ is dark and dreamy, with choreography that fits the concept so well. Our favorite b-sides are ‘I Can’t Do This,’ ‘Out Of Control,’ and ‘Religious.’ It’s a top-tier solo album from beginning to end, and there’s a wide range of music genres for every mood.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LEE GIKWANG:
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

TEMPEST

What we witness with TEMPEST is their continuous growth and musical diversity through each new comeback. Are we grooving hard to ‘Dangerous’ as we write this? We most certainly are! The boys keep the fresh sound and charisma and add a sprinkle of coolness to give us their most dangerous side so far. Oops, pun, totally intended. But wait, the B-sides of THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM are also a must-listen! How else are you going to grow your TEMPEST playlists?

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TEMPEST:  
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

NCT DOJAEJUNG

It’s been a long time coming, but the NCT multi-unit franchise got a new addition to their ranks. Power vocalists Jaehyun, Doyoung and Jungwoo teamed up in April to bring us NCT DOJAEJUNG and we knew this would be an album full of bangers. The r&b pop tracks the guys delivered to us on Perfume are everything. Not a skip detected, and ‘Perfume’ makes for the perfect debut title track we think.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NCT:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

BANG YONGGUK

We won so hard this month! Not only did we get YONGGUK featured in another artist’s music, but we also got a pre-release single from his mini-album The Colors of Love. We’ve been needing new music from the unmistakable rapper, and now that we got it, we’re melting away at the sound of his voice against the gentle tune that ‘Green’ presents.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BANG YONGGUK:
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

SOYOU

Soyou has blessed us with her angelic vocals once again with her new digital single, ‘Farewell Everyday.’ She’s in her element when it comes to soft ballads like this one, and we get chills every time she hits those high notes. It’s an emotional breakup song about a relationship that was doomed from the start; one where you’d feel you were walking toward the end every day. Soyou puts us in our feels with this single, but it hurts so good to hear her sing.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SOYOU:
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

ALICE

We need to talk about how proud we are of ALICE! These girls deserve the world, and their latest comebacks have been just incredible! ALICE’s newest single album, Show Down, is no exception. The two songs, ‘Show Down’ and ‘Dizzy,’ are so fun and cheery. They each show off these girls’ clear vocals and visuals in the ‘Show Down’ music video. We hope to see a full group comeback soon! Until then, we’re putting these singles into our feel-good playlist for sure.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ALICE:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

GOLDEN CHILD

We’re still recovering from how hard this one hit us. Golden Child only knows how to give us bops, and the language is no issue for them. They dropped their 3rd Japanese single, and the main track ‘CRAYON’ is, once again, beyond our expectations. Singing, rapping, dancing, visuals, everything is pure perfection. We have no idea how they keep surprising us every time, but we love it!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GOLDEN CHILD:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE

RYU SUJEONG

No, we will never move on from LOVELYZ’s disbandment, but thankfully the members of the group keep us fed with their solo endeavors! Ryu Sujeong finally made her comeback this last month with ‘Grabby Girl’ and Archive of Emotions, which had us jamming and balling our eyes out, if we are being honest. Sujeong really owns the r&b and coffeehouse genre. Her voice never sounded better!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RYU SUJEONG:
INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

ONEWE GIUK

If you’ve been following ONEWE for a while, you know all about Giuk’s solo music in SoundCloud and others. If you’re new to them, this is the perfect occasion to know about all this insane music he has released. ONEWE’s Giuk, otherwise known as CYA, made his solo debut with his first official mini-album Psycho Xybernetics: TURN OVER. The concept of it is so unique and original: Giuk explores different dystopias and utopias through his music. This mini-album is literally a time machine and is proof of Giuk’s incredible artistry. It also features several artists, including ones he was worked with before such as Sunwoo from The Boyz. Believe us, this is a release you want to listen to. There’s nothing like it out there.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ONEWE:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

AGUST D

The amazing Agust D trilogy comes to an end with D-DAY! This album not only includes amazing and vulnerable storytelling, but it also includes great lyrics about liberation, which is the main theme of this album. We’re so proud of Yoongi for sharing these incredible ten songs that we can’t stop listening to! D-DAY has also allowed us to enjoy a deeper look into the A.D.C.U (Agust D Cinematic Universe) with two incredible music videos that mark a new beginning of Agust D’s history. Yoongi is such a genius for creating these visuals!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BTS:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE

THE WIND

In case you missed it, Highlight’s agency, Around Us Entertainment, is debuting a new boy group next month! The Wind has just released their pre-debut single, ‘Give You The Light,’ and it’s a breath of fresh air in every way. These boys show off their clear vocals with a song that instantly reminds us of our carefree high school days. We’re looking forward to their debut even more now. The Wind, fighting!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WIND: 
  INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

XODIAC

Remember when we got all excited over XODIAC’s English pre-debut single? Well, their official debut is finally here! The boys are here to ‘Throw A Dice’ and hopefully hit number 1 with their debut because what we are hearing is pure talent, especially those high notes and ad-libs had us listening. Whew, talent right there all around. We are, for one, super excited for the guys’ future!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT XODIAC:
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

BIG BANG TAEYANG

We got a Taeyang comeback! Our king is back with his second EP, Down To Earth, which is also his first album release in almost six years! We’ve been patiently awaiting his return, and he did NOT disappoint. He blessed us with ‘Vibe (feat. Jimin of BTS)’ earlier this year; we can’t thank him enough! The title track, ‘Seed,’ is a romantic ballad showcasing Taeyang’s beautiful vocals. And we’ve managed to fall in love with every one of his b-side tracks and collabs with Lisa of Blackpink, Beenzino, and Bryan Chase. It’s impossible to pick our favorite. Taeyang has raised our standards to a new high with this no-skips mini-album!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TAEYANG:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

EPEX

EPEX EPEX EPEX! Our boys are back to bring us the upbeat music we know and love so much from them. Yes, we love when they go all high tension and bad a**, but this spring needed some light-heartedness! ‘Sunshower’ is exactly that. However light and poppy ‘Sunflower’ actually sounds, the song is about the boys going through their first breakup, a sad topic contrasting the happy melody. Overall though Love Chapter 2. Growing Pains is light and fun, which is giving us a well-needed serotonin boost.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EPEX:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

XDINARY HEROES

Xdinary Heroes keeps getting better with every single comeback! ‘Freakin’ Bad’ is bold, unapologetic, and addictive, and the entire mini-album Deadlock is yet again another skipless masterpiece. They reaffirm sounds we’ve loved from them and explore through new ones. They even have ballads now. And surprise, DAY6’s Young K also participated in ‘Good Enough,’ and hearing the mix of DAY6’s sound with Xdinary Heroes’ sound is actually everything we’ve ever wanted. Xdinary Heroes remains one of the best bands to look forward to with every single release!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT XDINARY HEROES:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE

DIA JUEUN

DIA’s Jueun offered us a real treat this past month as she made her solo debut with the single album Easy Breezy and the title song of the same name. The song offers us a lot of comfort and good feelings, and the best part has to probably be Seo Inguk featuring on the song. That’s a man we will always listen to and die for! A successful debut if you ask us.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DIA:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

How did we make it through this month of bangers without collapsing, right? Are we ready for May’s comebacks to come at us in full force? Of course! What was your favorite comeback of April? Which one are you most excited about in May? Let us know in the comments below, or tweet us @TheHoneyPOP!

Need more K-POP content? Don’t worry; we got you! You can also find more on our K-Pop playlist: