APRIL K-Pop Comeback: DSP Media Girl Group To Make Their Return In 2017 With ‘Prelude,’ First With New Lineup [Video]
2016, better known as the “Second Kpopcalypse” will soon come to a conclusion and the K-pop community cannot wait. We as K-pop fans have suffered through some of the most debilitating events in K-pop history primarily members leaving their respective K-pop groups or the groups themselves disbanding. Just think how much worse it was for the entertainment labels and companies having to deal with such. DSP Media probably suffered the worst of it this year when both Kara and Rainbow disbanded leaving only two K-pop acts in their place.
However, things might be turning around for DSP Media. Just recently, they debuted their newest K-pop group K.A.R.D. and K-pop fans love them. What is unique about them is the fact they are co-ed. For the first time in a long time, we might actually see the members of a co-ed group achieve the “idol” status only the most popular K-pop acts earn.
Now it looks like DSP Media wants to expand their sudden blip of success this winter and turn it into a season. The entertainment label and company released teasers that April will make their K-pop comeback in 2017 with an album titled Prelude. It should also be noted this will be the first album in which April comes back with their new lineup.
The news of April making their K-pop comeback was announced on December 21 at midnight KST. According to Soompi, the now six-member girl group released a teaser photo that had all six girls wearing unique dresses and having their backs turned to the camera. The word “Prelude” is dominantly shown in the background which is believed to be the title of the upcoming album and possibly the title of the featured title track song. Finally, a date of January 4, 2017, KST was set as its release date.
Prelude is a very important album for April because it will be the first one to feature their new lineup. According to AllKpop, DSP Media added two new members to the four original members — Chaewon, Jinsol, Naeun, and Yena — to make April a six-member girl group. The first new member, Chaekyung from the Korean K-pop survival variety show Produce 101, was revealed in October. One month later on November 24, the second new member Rachel was announced.
“The original members, Chaewon, Naeun, Yena, Jinsol, along with two new members, Chaekyung who was previously announced and trainee Rachel, will be forming a group of six and will start promoting.
April is now a group of six and they are currently working hard to greet you guys with a new album in January. Please give love and support to April who went through a new change. April will also return the love with great performance and music.”
Take note that even though DSP Media is stating April is now a six-member group, April technically started out as a six-member group. Chaekyung and Rachel are replacing two members who left: Somin and Hyunjoo. Back on November 9, 2015, April’s first leader Somin left to pursue a different career. This is when April became a five-member group. Eventually, Hyunjoo would go on hiatus during promotions for Spring due to breathing problems and frequent headaches, but would ultimately leave on October 29.
Besides the aforementioned, Prelude has a lot to live up to given the fact April’s last album, an extended play (EP) or mini-album titled Spring was their best yet. It only reached No. 12 on the Korean chart but has sold almost 5,000 units, twice as good as their debut mini-album Dreaming. Their featured title track song on Spring, “Tinkerbell,” was extremely popular too, reaching number 100 on the Korean chart and having almost 25,000 digital downloads purchased.
For K-pop fans interested in April prior to Prelude releasing, some of their albums, specifically their single album Boing Boing, is available to purchase at YesAsia. As for Prelude, it will release on January 4, 2017 at midnight KST.
[Image by DSP Media]
