SM Entertainment has a dynamic third and fourth quarter ready with its heavyweight artists boy band NCT Dream, girl group aespa and other solo acts preparing to put out new music.

The K-pop agency announced its plans for the rest of this year in a press release on Thursday.

Boy band NCT Dream will release a new full-length album in the fourth quarter and then go on its third world tour across the Americas and Europe. The boy band’s fifth EP, “Dream()scape,” was released this March. The album’s lead track “Smoothie” topped the Melon Top 100 singles chart upon release.

Girl group aespa will also release a new EP and go on its second world tour this year. The girl group released its first full-length album, “Armageddon,” in May, with its lead track “Supernova” topping every Melon chart. The song also reached No. 17 on the Billboard Global 200 singles chart.

Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation will return with her sixth EP, following her last EP, “To. X,” released in November last year. Jaehyun of boy band NCT will release his first solo full-length album “J” on Aug. 26. Chanyeol, Irene and Minho are all set to drop their debut solo albums this year as well.

SM Entertainment will also debut a new girl group, a trot group and British boy band Dear Alice this year, according to the K-pop company.

Dear Alice is a boy band that the K-pop company will manage in collaboration with London-based entertainment company Moon&Back Media. The boy band’s 100-day journey in Seoul will be aired in a six-part TV series called "Made in Korea: The K-pop Experience" on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this August.


More information on the new groups will be revealed at a later date.

To find out more about them, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]