K-pop group TXT energised and excited for European tour debut
The boy group's label, Big Hit Music, which also manages K-pop super stars BTS, announced in January that TXT would be taking a "long-term break" to rest and spend time with their families. This was after group leader Soobin said he was taking time off for health reasons.
"It was the first time we took such a long break. It gave us time to reflect on many things," member Hueningkai said in an interview shortly before taking to the stage at London's O2 Arena for the group's first UK performance on Tuesday.
"I think it actually brought us closer together and allowed us to think more about ourselves as a team and artists," added Hueningkai, whose hiatus highlights included a family trip to South Korea's resort island of Jeju, good food and a visit to Japan with friends.
"Rest is as important as working because rest is always inspiring me a lot," added member Taehyun.
The group, composed of Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai, debuted in March 2019.
Six years on, they have won over a loyal fanbase, known as "MOA", short for "Moments Of Alwaysness", with their pop rock sound and hits including "Blue Hour", Sugar Rush Ride" and "0X1=LOVESONG (You Know I love You)", featuring South Korean singer Seori.
Their album "Minisode 3: Tomorrow" ranked as the 10th best-selling album of 2024 globally, according to recorded music industry body IFPI, which also placed TXT seventh on its Top 10 list of global recording artists of 2023.
The European tour, which kicked off in Barcelona, Spain, on March 20, also takes the fivesome to Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam. Fans are in for a spectacle, the members said.
"It's a really colourful and diverse set list, so I think it will be really fun for the fans. There are solo stages that we haven't shown before," Hueningkai said.
Other novelties for the group include Beomgyu's upcoming solo debut with mixtape "Panic", released on March 27. As for other new music, no spoilers, the group said. Fans will have to wait and see.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
19 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Brexit isn't to blame for the Tate's woes, wokery is
If in doubt, blame Brexit. This has been the go-to for every failing business, politician and cultural enterprise for the last decade. And, with the news that the Tate is suffering from embarrassingly low attendance figures, director Maria Balshaw has reached for the same old script. 'The combination of Brexit changing their educational and work opportunities and then Covid profoundly affecting the end of their studies and the way they choose to live their lives' is stopping European youngsters from coming, says Balshaw. This blame game is telling for a number of reasons. For starters, the idea that Erasmus kids were what was holding Tate's attendance figures together is ludicrous – Brexit hasn't stopped youngsters from holidaying in the UK. Perhaps more revealing is the fact that Balshaw seems more concerned with attracting members of the European Union than addressing the nonchalance among punters from her own isle. Tate Modern has recently announced a slew of late openings to attract a Gen-Z audience. Museums having to masquerade as clubs to get the youth in is not a sign of good health. But aside from the Remaniac whining that is so typical in arts circles, why are Tate's numbers so low? A clue might be found in the shake-up of another event in 2016 – not Brexit but the revamping of Tate Modern as a 'museum for the 21st century', along with its Switch House 10-floor extension. There was a conscious reorientation by former directors Nicholas Serota and Frances Morris towards a focus on the political – think decolonisation, deconstruction, and lots of woke little plaques. At one point, an accompanying explanation next to Tate Britain's early 17th-century Cholmondeley Ladies informed the public of a possible lesbian subtext, which might have caused alarm to the sisters who feature in the work. One section of the Tate extension called 'Performer and Participant' informs viewers that they will be 'directed by an artist and political activism'. For your average Goldsmiths student this might be an exciting opportunity, but most ordinary museum goers are there to see the great art – never mind the politics. Perhaps Tate's failures are down to its own institutional cowardice. Over the years, both Tate Modern and Tate Britain have acted like museums who are embarrassed not only of their own collections but by their very own existence. The formerly famous Tate restaurant was not reopened after the pandemic thanks to criticism of the murals on the wall by Rex Whistler that included images of slave boys. Despite explanatory plaques, booklets and other apologetic scripts being produced around the mural for years, the museum decided that hungry members of the public simply couldn't be trusted to eat next to such a work. You can once more view them, but only in the context of an installation 'contextualising', ie condemning, the work. Likewise, Sir Stanley Spencer's Resurrection, Cookham has been quietly filed away into storage after critics argued that he had used images from a 'National Geographic magazine' to paint the black figures, instead of using people he knew – despite the obvious lack of black people to befriend in 1920s Cookham. Museums are not supposed to be entertainment factories, serving the political whims of colourfully dressed members of our cultural elite. These institutions seem to have forgotten their duty to curate and conserve art history in its entirety, without layering modern political fashions onto the past. In her book published last year, Gathering of Strangers, Balshaw insisted that 'we should not go back to the turn of the twentieth century and the Victorian civilising mission that motivated many museums', but instead look to the heroes of climate justice for direction as to which content should end up on the hallowed walls of our museums. A choice between the Victorians and Just Stop Oil? I know which exhibition I'd rather go to.
Time Out
24 minutes ago
- Time Out
A major Rauschenberg exhibit is coming to the Guggenheim Museum this fall
A century ago this fall, Robert Rauschenberg was born in Texas. He went on to become a Pop art pioneer and one of the most renowned American artists of this era. Now, museums and galleries across the globe are planning shows that honor the artist's expansive creativity, spirit of curiosity and commitment to change. For its part, NYC's Guggenheim Museum on the Upper East Side will host a major show called " Robert Rauschenberg: Life Can't Be Stopped," running from October 10, 2025–April 5, 2026. The show will feature more than a dozen historic pieces, including Rauschenberg's monumental painting "Barge," all which reflects the artist's radical legacy. The Guggenheim's show will be drawn from its own collection as well as loans from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and focuses on the artist's experiments with using photographs in drawing, painting and printmaking. Rauschenberg's radial use of media imagery and commercial printing techniques led critics to associate him with Pop artists such as Andy Warhol. Like Warhol, Rauschenberg was also enamored with contemporary culture. As he once said to an interviewer, "I want paintings to be reflections of life, and life can't be stopped." Among the highlights of the Guggenheim show is the 32-foot-long silkscreen painting "Barge," mostly created over a 24-hour period in the early 1960s. It's joined by an untitled silkscreen 1963 painting, which introduced vibrant color into his work. One of the earliest pieces in the show is a piece from 1953 called "Untitled (Red Painting)," in which the artist layered brith red paint over a collaged newspaper. Other pieces show how his transfer methods evolved over the decades. The Guggenheim and Rauschenberg have had a long relationship over the years. The museum first included him in a 1961 group show, followed just two years later by a show called by Six Painters and the Object, which was the first museum exhibition of Pop art in New York. In 1997, the Guggenheim presented the most comprehensive retrospective of his career to date—a landmark exhibition spanning its building on Fifth Avenue, the former Guggenheim SoHo and a satellite gallery on Hudson Street. "Robert Rauschenberg's centennial is not only a moment to honor his legacy but also a call to renew our commitment to the radical curiosity and spirit of collaboration that defined his life and work," Courtney J. Martin, Executive Director of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation said in a press release. "The Guggenheim has been a vital partner in sustaining that legacy." While you're at the Guggenheim also check out which features an extraordinary hanging garden. It's on view through January 18, 2026.
Leader Live
3 hours ago
- Leader Live
KPop Demon Hunters song reaches number one in singles chart
The single, by animated group HUNTR/X, has jumped four places after being's last week's number four. In the albums chart, Merseyside band The K's have clinched their first number one album with Pretty On The Internet. The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack also spends a sixth consecutive week at the top of the Official Compilations Chart, the Official Charts Company said. It is the first time a K-pop artist has gone to number one in the Official Singles Chart since 2012, when PSY's Gangnam Style became the UK's first-ever K-pop number one. Two more tracks from KPop Demon Hunters also make the top 20, Saja Boys, Andrew Choi and Neckwav's Your Idol jumps four places to reach number 10, while Soda Pop leaps six to 11. This week's highest new entry comes courtesy of Drake and Central Cee, whose single Which One has gone straight to number four in the charts. US singer Justin Bieber has slipped down from number one to two with Daisies, while Dior by producer MK, known as Marc Kinchen, featuring singer-songwriter Chrystal, is a number three and US singer Sabrina Carpenter is in fifth place with her chart-topper Manchild. It is a second top 10 for US singer Tinashe, as Disco Lines' reworking of No Broke Boys reaches number eight. The death of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne last month has led to his band Black Sabbath's back catalogue continuing to surge in popularity in the charts this week. Black Sabbath's Paranoid reaches number 20 and Iron Man is at number 48 in the singles chart. Osbourne's Crazy Train also reaches number 25. Earlestown-formed indie rock group The K's previously enjoyed top five success with their 2024 debut I Wonder If The World Knows? Theirs is also the best-selling album of the week on vinyl, the most-downloaded album of the week and the best seller in UK independent record shops. As Oasis prepare for their fourth and fifth gigs at London's Wembley Stadium this weekend, the Gallagher brothers scoop the UK's most-streamed album of the week with Time Flies… 1994-2009 at number two, while (What's The Story) Morning Glory? is at number three and Definitely Maybe is in sixth place. Paul Weller achieves his 24th top 10 album as a solo artist with Find El Dorado at number five, just behind US singer Alex Warren at number four with You'll Be Alright Kid (Chapter 1). Osbourne's legacy can also be seen in the albums chart, with his Memoirs Of A Madman returning to the top 40 at 32 for the first time since its 2014 release. Black Sabbath's 2016 compilation album The Ultimate Collection climbs to its highest ever position at 14, while their chart-topping 1970 album Paranoid returns to the top 40 for the first time in 45 years at 38. Meanwhile queen of pop Madonna notches her 26th top 40 album this week with Veronica Electronica (23), a remix album featuring rare material from her Ray Of Light era. And synth-pop pioneer Gary Numan celebrates his 17th top 40 album of his career with A Perfect Circle at 34. Martin Talbot, chief executive officer at Official Charts, said: 'It's 13 years since PSY's Gangnam Style became the first K-Pop Number 1 in the UK, way back in October 2012, but this week represents another landmark moment for the globally dominating South Korean genre. 'While the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack tops the Official Compilations Chart again this week, the film also claims Number 1 in the Official Singles Chart through HUNTR/X's Golden. 'For the many music fans who have been to their enormous concerts, bought their merch and streamed their iconic songs, this will forever be the summer of Oasis – but K-pop's superstars are certainly giving the Gallaghers a run for their money.' The last time a track from an animated picture topped the singles chart was in 2022, when We Don't Talk About Bruno from Disney's Encanto became the first original song from a Disney animation to become a UK number 1 single.
