Five K-pop girl groups flood May with new albums

Five major K-pop girl groups — BABYMONSTER, NMIXX, ITZY, LE SSERAFIM and aespa — are releasing new albums throughout May 2026, according to The Korea Times, while project group I.O.I stages its first comeback in nine years on May 19.

The concentration of major releases from YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, HYBE Labels and SM Entertainment within a single calendar month marks one of the most active periods for K-pop girl groups in recent memory, according to The Korea Times, and is expected to draw strong interest from Korean-American communities nationwide.

BABYMONSTER, the YG Entertainment girl group, opens the month May 4 with its third mini-album, "CHOOM," according to The Korea Times. The project centers on hip-hop, dance and R&B, and the group has been positioned as a successor to the label's earlier acts BLACKPINK and 2NE1.

JYP Entertainment contributes two releases in quick succession. NMIXX drops its fifth mini-album, "Heavy Serenade," on May 11 — seven months after its "Blue Valentine" project. ITZY follows May 18 with "Motto," an eight-track album featuring solo performances from each member.

LE SSERAFIM, from HYBE Labels' Source Music, returns May 22 with "PUREFLOW pt.1," its second full-length studio album and first since "UNFORGIVEN" in 2023. The record is built around an introspective concept, The Korea Times reported.

SM Entertainment's aespa closes out the month May 29 with "LEMONADE," its second studio album, which is expected to deepen the group's science-fiction narrative universe.

Nine of the 11 original members of project group I.O.I — among them Chungha, Kim Se-jeong and Jeon So-mi — are reuniting for the third mini-album, "I.O.I : LOOP," on May 19. The group, which formed through the "Produce 101" competition series, is releasing new music for the first time in nine years.

The back-to-back releases across four major entertainment companies set up a months-long streaming and chart competition that K-pop observers will be watching closely, The Korea Times reported.