TOP Announces Personal Departure from BIGBANG.

Seoul - In a surprising revelation, TOP, formerly a member of the renowned K-pop group BIGBANG, has declared his voluntary withdrawal from the group.

On the 31st of May, TOP took to his Instagram account to address his departure.

Responding to a fan's inquiry about his status within BIGBANG, TOP clarified in the comments, stating, "I have already mentioned that I am leaving BIGBANG."

He further expressed, "I am embarking on a new chapter in my life."

In a notable gesture, TOP shared a screenshot on his Instagram story, featuring an article with the descriptor 'BIGBANG' preceding his name.

Notably, he placed an 'X' mark over the words 'BIGBANG,' symbolically denying any association. Additionally, TOP removed the 'BIGBANG' reference from a post where Swings mentioned him.

TOP originally debuted as part of the five-member group BIGBANG in 2006 under the management of YG Entertainment, alongside G-Dragon, Taeyang, Daesung, and Seungri.

However, in 2017, TOP encountered legal trouble due to involvement in a marijuana case while fulfilling his duties as a conscripted police officer.

Consequently, he received a suspended sentence of 10 months in prison.

Following the incident, TOP continued to participate in BIGBANG's digital single, 'Still Life,' until April of the previous year.

It should be noted that his exclusive contract with YG Entertainment had already expired at that time.

Meanwhile, TOP has hinted at an upcoming solo comeback by sharing a video on his Instagram, presumably captured in his studio space, and mentioning his ongoing work on his forthcoming album.

Fans and industry insiders eagerly await further developments regarding TOP's solo career and the future direction of BIGBANG without their former member.

Source(1)

IVE is on fire, winning big even when the odds are against them!

On January 30, IVE (Ahn Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Jang Wonyoung, Liz, and Leeseo) made waves by taking home their fifth music show win with their pre-release song “Rebel Heart.” Despite M Countdown being off the air and replaced with a highlight show, IVE still claimed the top spot for the final week of January.

The show revealed the winner at the end, and to everyone’s surprise, IVE secured their second consecutive #1 victory!

This major achievement marks a historic milestone for the group, reaching five music show wins with just their pre-release track.

Fans, known as DIVE, couldn’t be more excited, and IVE couldn’t be more grateful. In a statement from Starship Entertainment, the group expressed, "It feels like a surprise gift right before our official comeback. We've only had happy moments promoting 'Rebel Heart,' and we're so thankful for this 1st place win."

They went on to add, "Starting from February 3, we will bring even more happiness to DIVE. The title track 'Attitude' we will release then is a song that we all really love, and we hope DIVE will look forward to it."

“Rebel Heart,” released on January 13, is the pre-release track for IVE’s third mini-album IVE EMPATHY, which will drop on February 3. The song has already been making waves on both domestic and international music charts. It continues to perform well on Billboard, landing at 51st on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and 97th on Billboard Global 200 as of February 1.

But it’s not just chart success that’s getting attention! The “Rebel Heart” dance challenge on TikTok has taken the internet by storm, with the members’ dance challenge videos collectively surpassing 24.96 million views with just two posts.

Additionally, viral challenges like the emoji challenge and the band challenge—where popular Korean bands perform the chorus of “Rebel Heart” in their own style—have sparked enthusiastic responses from fans all over the world.

With their official comeback just around the corner, IVE is poised for even greater success. Get ready for IVE EMPATHY and the double title tracks, including “Attitude,” coming on February 3.

Source (1)