Joshua Hong of Seventeen is one of 13 band members, but he’s poised to become one of the K-pop moneymaker’s most significant assets stateside yet.
On Friday, Hong released his reimagining of “Love is Gone,” originally by the US DJ duo Slander, featuring American singer-songwriter Dylan Matthew. The TikTok-famous heartbreak anthem went viral during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This was such a special collaboration and opportunity to work with a group of incredibly talented artists to create a brand new world for this record. The Seventeen version stays true to the emotional core, but breathes new life with fresh vocal melodies and overtones,” Slander said in a press release.
Hong hasn’t released solo music yet, but he released the English track “2 MINUS 1” in 2021 with his Korean-American bandmate, Vernon.
The latest release comes as Hong has become one of the more active group members. Two members on Seventeen’s roster — Jeonghan and Wonwoo — have enlisted for South Korea’s compulsory military service, with dance leader Hoshi and vocalist and producer Woozi set to join them in September.
Hong is American and is exempt from serving in the Korean army.
And that’s just as well, because he’s all over the place, from the cover of Allure Korea to releasing a perfume in collaboration with Lola James Harper. He has also inadvertently fueled the Labubu-buying frenzy in South Korea by posting snaps of him kissing the doll and being spotted at the airport with the doll clipped to his Chanel bag.
To be sure, Hong isn’t the only Seventeen member who’s had significant solo activities. The band’s leader, S.Coups, recently made his Met Gala debut in a gray Hugo Boss outfit that resembled a traditional Korean hanbok.
The band is set to embark on another tour that kicks off on September 13 in Incheon, South Korea.
Having an American member of a K-pop band being active stateside is an ongoing strategy for Hybe, the megacompany that owns Pledis, Hong’s label. In June, Hybe was marked as a “buy” pick by Goldman Sachs analysts, who said they were “most bullish on HYBE’s fundamentals for producing and monetizing Mega IPs.”
The Grammy-nominated BTS — also under Hybe — is set to return in 2026 with new music and a tour. In the meantime, Seventeen remains one of the most successful investments under Hybe’s umbrella.
In 2023 Seventeen, per statistics compiled by Goldman, achieved an all-time high of 4.5 million albums sold in week one of release, breaking BTS’s record of 3.3 million copies.
The US also holds promise for big money for groups from Hybe and beyond. Stray Kids, the mega-band under the label JYP, just wrapped up the US leg of its dominATE tour.
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