logo
BTS member V logs 400 million Spotify streams with Winter Ahead

BTS member V logs 400 million Spotify streams with Winter Ahead

Straits Times11-08-2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
BTS member V co-wrote and sang the tune in November 2024.
SEOUL - V of South Korean boyband BTS amassed 400 million plays on Spotify with his single Winter Ahead.
It is his sixth solo effort to reach the milestone, after Love Me Again, Christmas Tree, Sweet Night, Fri(end)s and Slow Dancing.
He co-wrote and sang the seasonal tune with Park Hyoshin in November 2024 and entered Billboard's Hot 100 at No. 99.
It is his fifth solo entry on the main singles chart.
His former entries include the drama soundtrack Christmas Tree from 2022; Love Me Again and Slow Dancing, the prerelease and main track from his first solo album Layover in 2023; and the digital single Fri(end)s, which dropped in 2024.
Winter Ahead also made The 27 Best Winter Songs For The Season listed by Billboard magazine.
Fri(end)s was featured in the third season of Amazon Prime drama The Summer I Turned Pretty. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Business Keppel to sell M1's telco business to Simba for $1.43 billion
Business Singtel, StarHub shares fall after announcement of Keppel's M1 sale
Singapore Healthy lifestyle changes could save Singapore $650 million in healthcare costs by 2050: Study
Opinion Anwar's government: Full house but plenty of empty offices
Singapore 79 arrested, over 3kg of heroin seized in 5-day drug blitz
Singapore Man's claim amid divorce that his mother is true owner of 3 properties cuts no ice with judge
Asia Tourist spots in South Korea face complaints over rude service, price gouging during peak season
Business Nvidia, AMD to pay 15% of China chip sale revenues to US, official says
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

FACT CHECK: Did Taylor Swift Copy Popstar Britney Spears' Iconic Look for Her New Album as Internet Sleuths Spot Uncanny Resemblance?
FACT CHECK: Did Taylor Swift Copy Popstar Britney Spears' Iconic Look for Her New Album as Internet Sleuths Spot Uncanny Resemblance?

International Business Times

time5 days ago

  • International Business Times

FACT CHECK: Did Taylor Swift Copy Popstar Britney Spears' Iconic Look for Her New Album as Internet Sleuths Spot Uncanny Resemblance?

When Taylor Swift revealed the burlesque-inspired artwork for her 12th studio album The Life of a Showgirl, she appeared in a rhinestone bra, fringed arm bands, and a bedazzled nude thong that looked strikingly familiar. And Swift is being alleged to have copied the entire look. Swift, 35, may have drawn inspiration from one of her idols, Britney Spears, who wore a nearly identical Bob Mackie–designed outfit during her $53.3M-grossing, 69-date Dream Within a Dream Tour in 2001. Mackie, now 86 — an iconic designer and a favorite of stars like Cher and Carol Burnett —created the Ziegfeld Follies–inspired sparkling costume for the 1981 Las Vegas stage show Jubilee! Copy Cat Taylor Swift poses for her new album X On April 1, Julien's Auctions sold the 43-year-old Grammy winner's bra, panties, and armbands for a staggering $78K. A replica of Britney's rhinestone-studded, low-rise Levi's 501 medium-wash jeans — created by Corbin Struck — went for $2,925. In 2023, Spears recalled online about first meeting Swift backstage during her $40.9M-grossing, 88-date Oops!... I Did It Again Tour around 2000–2001. "My good friend at the time was the assistant to my manager who was trying to become a manager himself," the semi-retired pop star—who boasts 41.8M Instagram followers - wrote. "There was a knock, and then he said, 'I have a girl named Taylor who wants to come in and sing for you.' I was like of course! He walks in, and she sings a beautiful song with her guitar. "I was like, 'Wow wow she's unbelievable!' We took a picture, and she then became the most iconic pop woman of our generation. Kinda cool she plays stadiums, and I prefer her videos over movies any day. She's stunning! Girl crush!" The admiration went both ways, with Swift telling GMA in 2004, "I think Britney Spears is awesome just because she has this aura that, you know, being around her in real life, people just change, and she's just so just awesome that way. "She has this aura that people just can't resist. And that's what I love about Britney Spears because she's just like nobody else and she's very different." In the Mood for Love Britney Spears X The 14-time Grammy winner announced Wednesday on her boyfriend Travis Kelce's New Heights podcast that her new album, "The Life of a Showgirl", will drop on October 3. The 12-track project features two songs — Ruin the Friendship and CANCELLED! — which many believe address the breakdown of her relationship with Blake Lively. The disgraced 37-year-old actress allegedly tried to blackmail Swift in February, threatening to leak ten years' worth of private text messages unless Swift publicly supported her during her legal battle with Justin Baldoni. On May 30, the "How Does It End" singer regained ownership of the masters for her first six studio albums — "Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation." According to Billboard, Taylor spent roughly $360M to repurchase her music catalog from Shamrock Capital after "bully" Scooter Braun sold her masters to the private equity firm in 2020 — a year after acquiring them from Big Machine. Meanwhile, Britney is gearing up to launch her first jewelry line, B. Tiny, and is reportedly heavily involved in her fully authorized biopic for Universal Pictures, directed by Wicked filmmaker Jon M. Chu. Spears — who recently joked about adopting "a beautiful baby girl" — will soon mark the 19th birthday of her son Jayden Federline on September 12. In November, the singer made her final $20K child support payment to her second ex-husband, Kevin Federline, whom she was married to for just two years before their 2007 divorce.

'The roar of the crowd at the Padang': That 'handsome Keppel guy' on leading a contingent at NDP 2025
'The roar of the crowd at the Padang': That 'handsome Keppel guy' on leading a contingent at NDP 2025

New Paper

time5 days ago

  • New Paper

'The roar of the crowd at the Padang': That 'handsome Keppel guy' on leading a contingent at NDP 2025

Are you one of the thousands who caught the video of that "handsome Keppel guy" from the National Day Parade - a nickname swiftly bestowed by netizens - and want to know more about him? We got you. A TikTok video featuring the man who led the Keppel contingent went viral, amassing over 150,000 views. "Good looking guy!" one user commented, while others went as far as to dub him Singapore's "internet boyfriend" and even a "national treasure". The New Paper recently caught up with the man himself: Andrew Whitmarsh, 27, a key account manager at Keppel Ltd, a global asset manager and operator. He has worked at Keppel for the past two years since graduating from university, and told TNP over email on Aug 14 that marching in the parade was "an unforgettable experience that filled me with pride". IMAGE COURTESY OF KEPPEL Born in Singapore, Mr Whitmarsh spent most of his childhood in Hong Kong before returning at the age of 18 for National Service, university, and his current job. "I didn't expect my partner's TikTok video to go viral, but I loved seeing how excited she was as the view count kept climbing," said Mr Whitmarsh. He only realised what had happened when his phone began lighting up with messages from his friends, who sent a video of him posted by another news site. Lauren Alexandra Wong, his partner of almost two years, said she was initially "surprised" that he received so much attention from just the short clip. "But I'm just happy that the (commenters) agree with me and also think he's good looking," said the 27-year-old. Training was 'intense but rewarding' Mr Whitmarsh said he was invited to be the contingent commander for this year's NDP at the start of 2024. To prepare for the role, he first served as Keppel's deputy contingent commander during last year's parade, undergoing "intense but rewarding" training. For this year's parade, training began in May. Mr Whitmarsh led a 36-man contingent, spending 14 Saturdays under the scorching sun, perfecting their drills in the lead-up to the big day. IMAGE COURTESY OF KEPPEL "What motivated me was the opportunity to represent Keppel on a national platform and to meet colleagues from different divisions - people I wouldn't have had the chance to interact closely with otherwise," he said. Beyond the thrill of "marching into the roar of the crowd at the Padang", Mr Whitmarsh's fondest memories of NDP 2025 are the breaks spent with colleagues from both last year and this year's parade, sharing homemade food and conversations, and playing games. And after 14 consecutive Saturdays, quipped Ms Wong, she is just "glad to have him back".

Golden from KPop Demon Hunters tops music charts in US, Britain
Golden from KPop Demon Hunters tops music charts in US, Britain

Straits Times

time12-08-2025

  • Straits Times

Golden from KPop Demon Hunters tops music charts in US, Britain

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The song Golden has climbed to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. SEOUL – The hype around Netflix's animated film KPop Demon Hunters (2025) shows no sign of abating, with a song from its soundtrack emerging as the summer's biggest pop hit since its release in June. Golden has climbed to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, beating American singer Alex Warren's song Ordinary (2025) for the top spot, according to Billboard magazine on Aug 11. Golden is performed by singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as the fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix in KPop Demon Hunters. Huntrix comprise Rumi, Zooey and Mira, voiced by actresses Arden Cho, Yoo Ji-young and May Hong respectively in the film. This marks the ninth song associated with South Korean pop to reach the highest spot on the chart, and the first by female lead vocalists. Golden joins songs like Seven (2023) by singer Jungkook and Like Crazy (2023) by singer Jimin, both of K-pop boy band BTS, on the list. Huntrix are also the first all-women group of three or more members to top the Billboard Hot 100 since American girl group Destiny's Child did so with Bootylicious for two weeks in August 2001, according to Billboard. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NEL, Sengkang LRT resume service after hours-long power fault; Punggol LRT being restored Singapore Live: Services on Punggol LRT being progressively restored Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation Singapore Plan to base Singapore's F-15 fighter jets in Guam cancelled Singapore Hyflux investigator 'took advantage' of Olivia Lum's inability to recall events: Davinder Singh Singapore Scoot to launch flights to Chiang Rai, Okinawa, Tokyo-Haneda, boost frequency to other places Singapore Off-duty SCDF officer dies after accident in Punggol; 15-year-old pillion rider taken to hospital Business Goh Cheng Liang, Nippon Paint billionaire and richest Singaporean, dies at 98 The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States based on streaming, radio airplay and sales data. After debuting at No. 81 in early July, Golden has steadily risen through the ranks, climbing to No. 23, then No. 6, No. 4 and No. 2 before finally reaching the highest spot. The hit song is also the first No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart by any fictional act since the ensemble, We Don't Talk About Bruno (2021), which reigned for five weeks in February and March 2022, Billboard added. We Don't Talk About Bruno was a song from Disney animated musical film Encanto (2021) and performed by some of the film's voice cast members. Earlier in August, Golden climbed to No. 1 on the British Official Singles Chart Top 100, which ranks Britain's biggest songs of the week, based on audio and video streams, downloads, CDs and vinyl, compiled by Official Charts. It marked the first K-pop act to reach the top position since South Korean rapper Psy topped the chart with Gangnam Style in 2012. 'It represents another landmark moment for the globally dominating South Korean genre,' Mr Martin Talbot, chief executive of Official Charts, said in an article published on the company's website on Aug 1. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store