SM Entertainment to drop winter special album

SM Entertainment will drop a winter special album titled “2021 Winter SMTOWN: SMCU Express” on Dec. 27. [SM ENTERTAINMENT]

SM Entertainment will drop a winter special album titled “2021 Winter SMTOWN: SMCU Express” on Dec. 27, according to the K-pop powerhouse on Friday.

The album will feature various artists under the SM label, including star K-pop idols Exo, Red Velvet, NCT and aespa.

The album will feature “not only tracks by existing groups but also interesting combinations of artists,” SM Entertainment said.

SMCU stands for the “SM Culture Universe,” a fictional universe launched by SM Entertainment in October 2020 to connect every SM artist under one coherent storyline, similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“2021 Winter SMTOWN: SMCU Express” is the agency’s first winter special album since 2011.

SM Entertainment is also set to host a free-of-charge online concert titled "SMTOWN Live 2022: SMCU Express @ Kwangya" on Jan. 1, 2022, to celebrate the new year.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]