BTS's Jin continues to show his global star power as his solo single "The Astronaut" remains at the top of the Argentine music chart.

Jin’s first solo single, "The Astronaut," has held the No. 1 spot on Argentina's "Top 40 Kpop" chart for an impressive 93 consecutive weeks, with over 180,000 votes. As of 1 PM on August 8, the song still held its top position with 188,709 votes, extending its incredible streak.

Argentina's popular radio channel "Vega Radio" has even rebranded its official account to "Top40Kpop" to focus more on K-pop rankings, drawing in fans from around the world. "The Astronaut," which Jin released as a special gift for fans before his enlistment, continues to perform strongly on various music charts, even 1 year and 10 months after its release.

Recently, "The Astronaut" also hit No. 1 on the "Top 100 Portugal Deezer Chart." Jin's other solo songs, like "Abyss," "Super Tuna," "Tonight," and "Yours," also performed well, with all five songs landing in the TOP 10, proving his strong streaming power.

On Spotify, the world's largest music platform, "The Astronaut" reached 100 million streams just 72 days after its release, setting a record for the fastest time by a Korean male solo K-pop artist. As of August 8, the track has over 470 million streams, solidifying Jin's status as a global pop sensation.

On Shazam, the biggest music search platform, "The Astronaut" topped the "Japan TOP 200" chart for four consecutive days from July 30 to August 2, adding to its record of 337 total days at No. 1.

After finishing his military service, Jin has jumped back into various activities, including filming the MBC variety show "It's a Relief You Rested" and becoming a global ambassador for luxury brands like Fred and Gucci. His return has excited fans worldwide, sparking anticipation for what he’ll do next.

Jin’s role as a torchbearer for Korea at the 2024 Paris Olympics also highlighted his immense popularity, grabbing global attention and topping search rankings.

Source [1]

NewJeans' Minji touched fans' hearts with a handwritten letter on her birthday — even while the group is currently unable to promote due to legal issues.

On May 7, Minji celebrated her birthday by sharing a heartfelt message on the group’s personal SNS account, which the members opened themselves to stay connected with fans.

Minji began her letter with honesty, writing, “I think I’m living a busier life than I expected. When I finally looked up, it was already May, and it was my birthday.”

She admitted that she had a lot she wanted to say, but her thoughts felt “messy.” Still, her message to fans was clear, “I just hope that I, our members, and Bunnies can all be happy. Happiness is the biggest goal in my life.”

Minji then opened up about her personal journey and struggles, saying, “I sometimes think that running toward my happiness by doing what I love might look foolish to others. But isn’t giving up your happiness now for the sake of a future that might not even come… too harsh on yourself?”

Despite everything, she ended on a hopeful note, “I really miss the times when we shared our feelings through the good music we made together. But I always look forward to what’s ahead."

She added, "We didn’t stop here, and we’re not going to stop! It might look like we’re standing still, but I believe we’re growing deeper.”

Her message comes during a difficult time for NewJeans. The group announced last year that they were cutting ties with ADOR, their original agency, after trust was broken. They later began working independently under the new name ‘NJZ’.

However, ADOR responded with legal action — claiming the exclusive contract with NewJeans was still valid and asking the court to stop the group from promoting or signing deals.

The court sided with ADOR and granted an injunction, forcing NewJeans to pause their activities. Their appeal was rejected, and they’ve now filed a second appeal.

Through it all, Minji’s message proves one thing — even when forced to stop, NewJeans' hearts are still moving forward.

Source: [1]