Korean boy group iKON made a successful comeback, topping the iTunes album charts in 11 countries with their new album.
The boy band released their new album "New Kids: Begin" on May 22 that carries two title tracks: "Bling Bling" and "B-Day."
YG Entertainment said "New Kids: Begin" peaked at No. 1 on iTunes charts in Hong Kong, Armenia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The album also placed in the Top 50 in 32 countries.
The music videos for "Bling Bling" and "B-Day" reached 2.86 million and 1.95 million views on YouTube since May 22.
IKON member B.I said with the new album, "It is as if we are debuting again," according to the YG Entertainment blog.
"It's been a long time since we performed before Korean fans, and it feels as if we're debuting again. We feel that finally our team has become complete," the group said.
On the song "Bling Bling," B.I, who took charge in producing the track, said, "It's raw, and it gives off the feeling of racing like crazy."
In a separate interview with Korea Herald, member Yunhyeong said B.I "sometimes acted like a perfectionist, but he knew so well how to blend our own musical color into the songs. He even sent a long message to Chanwoo to give him advice on his dance moves."
Comparing themselves to fellow YG Entertainment artists Big Bang and WINNER, iKON said they are different.
"If Big Bang gives off the vibe of a party at a penthouse and Winner at a luxurious ocean side, we are more like young boys riding bikes and skate boarding in a parking lot," explained B.I.
IKON's plans are to be active in Korea and Japan. Last May 20, they started their Japan dome tour.
On June 17, they will be performing at a concert at the Saitama Metlife Dome in Japan.
B.I said their goal this year was not to win awards but to actively promote their music.
"We're not aiming at winning awards this year. Our goal is to do active promotions in Korea. We'll be able to achieve this goal either by releasing songs continuously or by going on a lot of music and variety shows. We want to show ourselves more to the public and meet more fans. Check us out and our new beginning," he said.
