Yeonjun’s NO LABELS: PART 02 offers a useful look at how a TXT member can build an individual U.S. profile without pretending a single chart entry or TV stage equals instant mainstream crossover. The six-track EP, led by the funk-rock single Ice Cream, paired a clearer solo identity with repeat Billboard visibility and a New York-centered promotional plan.
For MOA, the era matters because it expands on the performance-driven image Yeonjun established outside TOMORROW X TOGETHER. For the wider K-pop industry, it shows the slower, more strategic work behind a U.S. breakthrough: a distinct sound, a recognizable visual era, album-chart consistency, and access to platforms that reach beyond K-pop-only audiences.
Yeonjun’s solo story started before Ice Cream
NO LABELS: PART 02, released on July 10, 2026, is Yeonjun’s second solo mini album. It follows his 2024 mixtape GGUM and 2025’s NO LABELS: PART 01, which was led by the hard-rock-leaning single Talk to You.
That timeline is important. GGUM introduced Yeonjun as an intense solo performer, while Talk to You pushed a sharper, heavier rock image. PART 02 does not erase that approach. Instead, it gives his solo work a wider frame, moving through rap rock, funk rock, R and B, pop, and alternative hip-hop.
BigHit Music has presented the NO LABELS series as a space where Yeonjun can show himself without a fixed label or single expected persona. He described Ice Cream as the song that best represented his color on the album, saying it shows both his “exterior and inner self.”
Why Ice Cream changed the tone
Ice Cream is built for a different kind of Yeonjun solo era. The title track uses vintage-style drums, bass, and guitar riffs in a funk-rock arrangement, while its lyrics compare a sweet but emotionally careful relationship to ice cream that can melt too quickly or cause brain freeze when rushed.
Yeonjun also participated in creating the choreography, shaping fluid moves inspired by melting rather than relying only on hard-hitting performance points. That detail connects the song’s sound, concept, and stage identity, giving the era a more relaxed but still precise energy.
The Prague-shot music video pushes that shift visually. Instead of leaning entirely on the fiercer atmosphere associated with Talk to You, the video uses city streets, close-up acting, fashion-forward styling, and choreography to create a cinematic summer-romance mood.
The rest of the project reinforces the wider palette. The tracklist includes Vanilla, Baby Wassup?, No More Disco, Fxxking Star, and Long Way Long Ride, with Yeonjun credited for lyrics on Baby Wassup? and Long Way Long Ride. Those credits help make the “no labels” concept more than a visual slogan.
The Billboard comparison needs context
NO LABELS: PART 02 debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200, earning Yeonjun his second consecutive solo entry on the main U.S. albums chart. It is a meaningful marker of continuity, especially for an artist balancing a solo campaign with his identity as a TXT member.
It was not, however, his highest placement. NO LABELS: PART 01 reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200, so the clearest story is not that the sequel surpassed its predecessor. The stronger takeaway is that Yeonjun returned to the chart with a second solo release rather than treating his first entry as a one-off moment.
The EP also reached No. 1 on Billboard World Albums, while Yeonjun ranked No. 17 on the Billboard Artist 100. Ice Cream entered Billboard Global Excl. U.S. at No. 89, giving the campaign an album, artist, and song-chart footprint rather than one isolated metric.
Sales added to that momentum. The EP sold 661,924 copies on its release day and exceeded 738,000 copies in its first week. It also reached No. 1 on Oricon’s Daily Album Ranking and No. 2 on its Weekly Combined Album Ranking in Japan.
New York became the U.S. visibility test
The rollout was designed to move Yeonjun’s solo music into American spaces that are not built specifically around K-pop. He was announced for Z100’s Summer Bash at Hudson Yards in New York on August 6, followed by ABC’s Good Morning America Summer Concert Series on August 7.
Those bookings serve different purposes. Z100’s event places a Korean solo act on a pop-radio-adjacent bill alongside mainstream pop performers, while Good Morning America offers national morning-TV exposure to viewers who may not be actively following Korean music releases.
Neither event automatically proves radio rotation, general-public recognition, or a completed crossover. No spin data or post-show audience figures are included in the available material. Still, the pairing shows how a U.S. campaign can work: build a performance vehicle in Ice Cream, establish chart evidence, then place the artist in mixed-audience settings.
What would make this a lasting breakthrough
Yeonjun’s path from GGUM to Talk to You to Ice Cream is less about chasing one fixed genre than proving he can carry different musical moods on his own. PART 02 gives him a softer, funkier, and more melodic option without abandoning the performance instincts that first made his solo work stand out.
The next signs of durable U.S. growth would be sustained Billboard chart weeks, streaming movement for Ice Cream, documented radio support, and more invitations to general-pop events rather than only K-pop festivals. Future solo dates would also show whether Yeonjun’s individual audience can keep expanding alongside TXT’s global reach.
That is why the NO LABELS: PART 02 era remains more interesting than a simple headline about one placement or one TV booking. It is a measured test of whether a fourth-generation K-pop idol can turn artistic range, repeat U.S. chart presence, and carefully chosen American platforms into a long-term solo lane.
Sources
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K-Cult.com
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