SM Entertainment's latest project kicked off with a bang earlier this week.
On Wednesday, Kim Taeyeon of Girls' Generation released the first song on SM Entertainment's new STATION digital music station. Immediately following its release, "Rain" did well on multiple Korean music charts, launching STATION to success upon debut.
Going straight to the number one spot on 8 Korean daily charts, including the MelOn and Mnet charts, Taeyeon's mid-tempo jazzy R&B track "Rain" is a welcome return for the singer who made her solo debut last year.
Taeyeon's song "Secret," released at the same time as "Rain," and a song by Korean hip-hop artist Crush featuring Taeyeon's vocals are also currently in the top ton of many daily Korean music charts, proving Taeyeon's popularity in the country.
Since being uploaded to YouTube on Feb. 2 EST, Taeyeon's "Rain" music video was viewed more than 2 million times.
"Rain" is the first of ongoing weekly releases set to be put out by the K-pop entertainment agency. Taeyeon, who did well on Korean music charts and at year end award shows last year, is the first SM Entertainment artist to be part of the STATION digital music channel.
The new platform will introduce songs every week. While SM Entertainment hasn't released a calendar, it was previously reported that SHINee's Taemin will have a solo comeback in February. It it currently appears that Taemin's release will be part of the new STATION project.
f(x)'s Amber is also rumored to make a comeback through a solo release via STATION.
Taeyeon debuted as a soloist in 2015 with the EP "I" amidst her promotional activities as a member of South Korea's most popular girl group, Girls' Generation. Girls' Generation debuted in 2007 and has been recognized as a top Korean K-pop act since the success of their 2009 viral hit, "Gee."
Tamar Herman is a multi-media journalist and the co-founder of KultScene. She is a freelance writer and copy editor, and has written for MTV Iggy, Noisey and Paste Magazine.
