CLOSE YOUR EYES (also shortened as CYE) is a seven-member boy group under UNCORE. They were formed through JTBC&#x27;s survival show PROJECT7. They made their debut on April 2, 2025, with the mini album &quot;Enternalt&quot;. PROJECT7 started airing on October 18, 2024, and the finale was broadcast live on December 27, 2024, revealing the group name, CLOSE YOUR EYES, and the seven winners, in order: Ma Jingxiang, Kenshin, Jeon Minwook, Seo Kyoungbae, Song Seungho, Jang Yeojun, and Kim Sungmin. Before joining PROJECT7, Jeon Minwook had already debuted as a member of the boy group BAE173 and the project group A-SIX. Additionally, Ma Jingxiang was a contestant on Boys Planet, while Jang Yeojun also participated in Boys Planet and was a contestant on Wild Idol.

CLOSE YOUR EYES

JANG YEOJUN, who reflects on craft, gratitude, and responsibility

Meet The Member: An Interview with CLOSE YOUR EYES' JANG YEOJUN – The Precision-Driven Performer

From reworking a jazz-funk classic on his own terms to what jazz has taught him about performing alongside the group, JINGXIANG reflects on curiosity, energy, and connection

Meet The Member: An Interview with CLOSE YOUR EYES' MA JINGXIANG – The Curious Colour-Chaser

KPOPWORLD #6 (Yves)

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10cm stepped into horror for the first time – and did it on his own terms

10CM on Scoring Horror for Junji Ito, and Finding Comfort in the Dark

82Major (stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by Great M Entertainment. The group consists of six members: Cho Seong-il, Yoon Ye-chan, Nam Seong-mo, Hwang Seong-bin, Park Seok-joon and Kim Do-gyun. The group&#x27;s name is a combination of South Korea&#x27;s calling code (+82) and the word ‘major’, expressing their desire to become a group that represents Korea. They debuted on October 11, 2023, with the single album On.

82MAJOR

82MAJOR have their first music show win — and SEONG MO, who spent over a year presenting trophies on Show Champion as an MC, finally got to receive one

82MAJOR on HEAT, Their First Win, and What Comes Next

SEVENTEEN is a thirteen-member boy group formed by Pledis Entertainment, debuting in May 2015. The group is organized into three internal teams: hip-hop, vocal, and performance. That structure is more than branding; it explains how SEVENTEEN functions, with members contributing to songwriting, choreography, staging, and the division of energy across a very large lineup. The members are S.Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, DK, Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino. Their nickname as &quot;self-producing idols&quot; comes especially from Woozi&#x27;s central role in music and Hoshi&#x27;s role in performance direction, but the larger appeal is how the group makes thirteen people feel coordinated rather than crowded. SEVENTEEN&#x27;s early music leaned bright, youthful, and rhythmically nimble, with songs like &quot;Adore U,&quot; &quot;Mansae,&quot; and &quot;Very Nice&quot; presenting them as a group with unusual stage chemistry. Later releases such as &quot;Don&#x27;t Wanna Cry,&quot; &quot;Home,&quot; &quot;Left &amp; Right,&quot; &quot;Rock with you,&quot; and &quot;Super&quot; widened the scale while keeping the choreography and vocal distribution clear. Their best songs often turn teamwork itself into the hook: repeated gestures, fast transitions, and formations that reward watching the whole stage. The group&#x27;s growth into one of K-pop&#x27;s top album sellers came from consistency as much as spectacle. SEVENTEEN built trust through steady comebacks, strong variety content, and concerts that emphasized the members&#x27; humor as well as precision. Their fandom, CARAT, became part of that identity, following a group that could be technically impressive without losing warmth. SEVENTEEN&#x27;s legacy is tied to durability. Few large idol groups have kept such a clear group image while allowing so many individual personalities to stand out. As their scale expanded under the wider HYBE era, they remained recognizably Pledis-born: performance-first, member-driven, and unusually good at turning the mechanics of a big team into something emotionally easy to understand.

SEVENTEEN

JEONGHAN and JOSHUA of SEVENTEEN have announced that they will return as a new sub-unit on October 19, under the name JxJ

SEVENTEEN’s JEONGHAN and JOSHUA Form New Sub-unit JxJ

ZEROBASEONE, commonly known as ZB1, is a five-member boy group formed through the Mnet survival show &quot;Boys Planet&quot; in 2023. They originally debuted as a nine-member group — along with AND2BLE&#x27;s members Zhang Hao, Ricky, Kim Gyuvin and Han Yujin — under WAKEONE Entertainment, with &quot;In Bloom&quot; setting first-week sales records that demonstrated the massive anticipation built through the survival show. As a project group with a limited contract period, ZB1 operates with an urgency to make every comeback count, and they have delivered with consistent chart-topping releases and sold-out concerts. The group&#x27;s strength lies in their strong individual star power combined with impressive group synergy, cultivated through the intense bonding of their competition experience. Their fandom, ZEROSE, mobilized quickly into one of the most organized fan bases in fourth-generation K-pop. ZB1 represents the continued power of the survival show format to create commercially dominant groups with built-in passionate audiences. On March 15, 2026, they held their last concert as a nine-member boy group, sparking sadness among fans, who had grown fond of the relationship that had developed between the nine boys. As YH Entertainment did not renew the contracts of Zhang Hao, Ricky, Kim Gyuvin, and Han Yujin with WAKEONE, ZB1 are now promoting their career as a five-member boy group, with Sung Hanbin, Kim Jiwoong, Seok Matthew, Kim Taerae, and Park Gunwook.

ZEROBASEONE

Seok Matthew and Park Gunwook, members of WakeOne’s ZEROBASEONE, have announced the September 21 release of their long awaited sub-unit project under the duo name ‘EMP’

ZEROBASEONE’s Seok Matthew and Park Gunwook Announce Mixtape Under Sub-unit ‘EMP’

JUN of SEVENTEEN has announced the release of his first solo, Chinese-language EP, 9, scheduled for September 28

SEVENTEEN’s JUN Announces First Chinese EP ‘9’

TWICE is a nine-member girl group formed by JYP Entertainment through the survival show Sixteen. The lineup consists of Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu, with members from South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. They debuted in October 2015 with &quot;Like Ooh-Ahh,&quot; introducing the bright, kinetic identity that would make them one of the central girl groups of K-pop&#x27;s third generation. The group&#x27;s early rise was built on an unusually clear pop formula: big choruses, memorable gestures, colorful styling, and personalities that were easy for viewers to distinguish. A run led by &quot;Cheer Up&quot; and &quot;TT&quot; turned TWICE into a national-level phenomenon in Korea, while their Japanese members helped the group cross naturally into Japan&#x27;s idol and pop markets. Rather than relying on a single vocal or dance center, TWICE worked because the lineup felt balanced as a whole: playful, approachable, and tightly rehearsed. As the members grew older, TWICE gradually expanded beyond the cute and school-age image attached to their first hits. The move from &quot;Fancy&quot; through &quot;I Can&#x27;t Stop Me&quot; kept the group&#x27;s melodic accessibility while bringing in sleeker dance-pop, disco, synth-pop, and more mature performance styling. That evolution mattered because it let TWICE remain recognizable without staying frozen in their debut concept. TWICE also became one of the clearest examples of a K-pop girl group building a long international career without losing its domestic base. Their Korean and Japanese discographies developed side by side, and later global touring brought the group to arenas and stadiums far beyond East Asia. The fandom is known as ONCE, a name that matches the group&#x27;s long-running emphasis on mutual loyalty between the members and their audience. Their legacy is not only commercial. TWICE helped define what a modern large girl group could be: member-driven, visually bright, musically immediate, and durable enough to age into a second phase. They normalized the idea that a top K-pop girl group could keep all members active across many years, shift concepts without abandoning its core warmth, and still feel like a complete team even as individual members developed solo work, acting, modeling, and unit activities.

TWICE

NAYEON of TWICE has released a new single with Brazilian DJ Alok, titled “Bye Bye Inhibitions”

TWICE’s NAYEON Collaborates with Brazilian DJ Alok on “Bye Bye Inhibitions”

ALPHA DRIVE ONE, also shortened as ALD1, is an eight-member project boy group under WAKEONE. The lineup consists of Leo, Junseo, Arno, Geonwoo, Sangwon, Xinlong, Anxin, and Sanghyeon. The group was formed through Boys II Planet, continuing the survival-show project group model that has become central to modern K-pop fandom. Their early rollout included the pre-debut single &quot;Formula&quot; before their official 2026 debut, giving the team a staged introduction rather than a single launch moment. The fandom is known as ALLYZ. ALPHA DRIVE ONE is defined by its formation, lineup, debut structure, and five-year project framework, giving fans a clear sense of both the group&#x27;s origin and the limited-contract timeline around its future.

ALPHA DRIVE ONE

ALPHA DRIVE ONE are taking UNBREAKABLE : 少年 BEAST stateside

ALPHA DRIVE ONE Release UNBREAKABLE : 少年 BEAST in the U.S. for the First Time

If you’re ready to hit the dance floor, then this week’s K-pop releases are for you. Check out our latest picks in this week’s Comeback Corner column

Comeback Corner: JUN, CHANYEOL, CRAVITY & MORE

KARD is a four-member South Korean co-ed group under DSP Media, consisting of J.Seph, BM, Somin, and Jiwoo. They officially debuted on July 19, 2017 with Hola Hola after a pre-debut project series that introduced the group through &quot;Oh NaNa,&quot; &quot;Don&#x27;t Recall,&quot; and &quot;Rumor.&quot; The group&#x27;s significance starts with its lineup structure. Co-ed idol groups are rare in modern K-pop, and KARD made that format feel central rather than novelty-based. Their performances are built around contrast: male and female vocal colors, rap and vocal handoffs, and choreography that lets the four members interact as a unit instead of splitting into separate halves. Musically, KARD became closely associated with tropical house, dancehall, Latin-pop, and club-oriented pop, sounds that helped them connect quickly with international audiences. &quot;Hola Hola&quot; established the bright version of that identity, while later singles such as &quot;Gunshot,&quot; &quot;Ring The Alarm,&quot; and &quot;Icky&quot; leaned into sharper performance energy and heavier rhythmic production. The fandom is known as Hidden KARD. KARD became one of K-pop&#x27;s clearest examples of a stable co-ed act with a global audience. Their longevity matters because they kept a distinct lane through military hiatuses, changing industry trends, and a market where most idol teams follow same-gender formats.

KARD

Three years after their last London show, KARD returned to a room so packed that security had to ask fans to move closer together

KARD Prove Their Chemistry Is Bigger Than Any Contract in London

ALLDAY PROJECT is a five-member co-ed collaboration group under The Black Label. They made their debut on June 23, 2025, with the digital single &quot;FAMOUS&quot;. ALLDAY PROJECT is described as a limitless creative project that knows no boundaries, and a special collaboration of 5 unparalleled artists (Annie, Tarzzan, Bailey, Woochan, and Youngseo) recognized in their respective fields, united to push the boundaries of creative expression, challenge conventional norms, and deliver something entirely new and unprecedented. With sophisticated music, daring visuals, and powerful messages, ALLDAY PROJECT transcends labels and defies expectations.

ALLDAY PROJECT

THEBLACKLABEL’s viral hip-hop group ALLDAY PROJECT has released their second EP, CRASH, nine months on from their first

ALLDAY PROJECT Release 2nd EP Album ‘CRASH’

MEOVV (pronounced &quot;Meow&quot;) is a five-member girl group under The Black Label. Their name stands for &quot;My Eyes Open VVide,&quot; reflecting the group&#x27;s bold and confident image. They officially debuted on September 6, 2024 with the digital single &quot;Meow&quot;. Prior to debut, the group attracted significant attention online after rumored trainee photos began circulating in early 2024, particularly due to the involvement of well-known figures such as choreographer Bailey Sok, actress and model Ella Gross, and Annie Moon, granddaughter of Shinsegae chairwoman Lee Myung-hee. Following Annie&#x27;s reported departure from the pre-debut lineup, The Black Label officially introduced the five-member group in August 2024, revealing members Ella, Gawon, Sooin, Anna, and Narin. Around the same time, the agency also announced a global partnership with Capitol Records for the group&#x27;s international promotions. After debuting with &quot;Meow,&quot; the group quickly followed up with releases including &quot;Toxic&quot; and &quot;Body,&quot; continuing to establish their sleek and performance-driven identity. In 2025, MEOVV revealed their fandom name PAWMPAWM and released their first EP My Eyes Open VVide, led by the title track &quot;Drop Top&quot; and preceded by the pre-release single &quot;Hands Up.&quot; The group achieved their first music show win on M Countdown with &quot;Hands Up&quot; on May 8, 2025. Later that year, MEOVV expanded their activities with their first Japanese single &quot;Me Me Me&quot; and the digital single &quot;Burning Up,&quot; followed by a remix version titled &quot;Burning Up (Rush Remix).&quot; In 2026, the group released their second EP Bite Now on June 1, continuing their rapid rise within the global K-pop scene.

MEOVV

THEBLACKLABEL has announced that their rising girl group MEOVV are set to release the new single album GO HARD on October 12, 2026

MEOVV To Release Single Album ‘GO HARD’ in October

EVNNE is a 5-member boy group under Jellyfish Entertainment. They debuted on September 19th 2023 with the mini-album “Target: Me”. The group name is an acronym for &quot;EVENing&#x27;s Newest Etoiles&quot;. The group originally consisted of seven trainees who were previously contestants on the survival show Boys Planet. The members were Park Han Bin, Lee Jeong Hyeon, Mun Jung Hyun, and Park Ji Hoo from WAKEONE; Yoo Seung Eon and Ji Yun Seo from YH Entertainment; and Keita from Rain Company. The group formerly went with the name &quot;BLIT&quot; an acronym for &quot;Boldly Leaping Into Tomorrow&quot; but was changed after fans raised concerns of misinterpretation. On December 8 2025, Jellyfish Entertainment announced that Yoo Seung Eon and Ji Yun Seo would end their activities with EVNNE after finishing the [OUR EVNNEing] fanmeeting in January 2026 and would thereafter return to YH Entertainment.

EVNNE

Jellyfish Entertainment boy group EVNNE are set to return on October 19 with their sixth mini album on: our noise, their first mini album since the group’s restructure

EVNNE To Return with 6th Mini Album ‘on: our noise’ on October 19

ENHYPEN is a boy group formed through the 2020 survival show I-LAND and managed by Belift Lab. The current lineup consists of Jungwon, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki. They debuted in November 2020 with Border: Day One, arriving with a built-in global audience from the show and a concept built around connection, transformation, and fate. The group&#x27;s early work used dark, dramatic imagery to separate them from brighter rookie-boy-group formulas. &quot;Given-Taken,&quot; &quot;Drunk-Dazed,&quot; &quot;Fever,&quot; and later songs in the Dimension and Dark Blood eras leaned into supernatural metaphors, sharp choreography, and a tension between elegance and danger. That made ENHYPEN feel less like a simple survival-show product and more like a group with a continuing storyline. ENHYPEN&#x27;s member appeal is strongly performance-based. Jungwon gives the team a steady center as leader, Jay and Jake bring international texture, Sunghoon&#x27;s skating background informs his clean stage image, Sunoo adds brightness and contrast, and Ni-ki anchors the dance line with unusual precision for a maknae. Their fandom, ENGENE, grew quickly because the group&#x27;s identity invited close reading: fans could follow the music, the lore, and the members&#x27; development at the same time. As a fourth-generation act, ENHYPEN&#x27;s importance sits between survival-show fandom and global idol scale. They showed how a group could debut with a transnational audience already watching, then keep that audience through consistent visual storytelling, polished performance, and songs that made adolescence feel mythic rather than ordinary.

ENHYPEN

Songs from BELIFT LAB’s ENHYPEN and HYBE Latin America’s SANTOS BRAVOS have been combined in a new remix, titled “Bloody Paradise x VELOCIDADE (PETERBLUE Remix)”

ENHYPEN and SANTOS BRAVOS Team Up in New PETERBLUE Remix

Red Velvet is a five-member girl group formed by SM Entertainment, debuting in August 2014. The group -- Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy, and Yeri (who joined in 2015) -- is built around a dual-concept identity: the bright, playful &quot;Red&quot; side and the darker, experimental &quot;Velvet&quot; side. This duality gave them enormous creative range and became their defining artistic trademark. The &quot;Red&quot; side gave the group some of K-pop&#x27;s most vivid pop singles, including &quot;Dumb Dumb,&quot; &quot;Russian Roulette,&quot; &quot;Red Flavor,&quot; and &quot;Power Up.&quot; The &quot;Velvet&quot; side leaned toward smoother R&amp;B, darker synth textures, and slower-burning drama on songs such as &quot;Automatic,&quot; &quot;Bad Boy,&quot; and &quot;Psycho.&quot; Instead of treating those modes as separate eras, Red Velvet made the contrast part of the brand: sweet could turn strange, elegant could become unsettling, and experimental choices could still land as pop. That range made Red Velvet especially important as an album group. Their title tracks often drew the most attention, but fans and critics also paid close attention to B-sides, vocal arrangements, and the way the members&#x27; tones fit together. Wendy&#x27;s vocal clarity, Seulgi&#x27;s performance edge, Joy&#x27;s color, Irene&#x27;s cool center, and Yeri&#x27;s later addition gave the group a layered sound that could handle both bright hooks and more atmospheric material. Red Velvet&#x27;s influence comes from their refusal to settle into one easy lane. They could be playful without feeling lightweight, polished without becoming predictable, and weird without losing the listener. Their fandom is known as ReVeluv, and the group&#x27;s place in K-pop rests on that balance: a major SM girl group with mainstream hits, deep-cut credibility, and a catalog that made adventurous pop feel normal.

Red Velvet

JOY of Red Velvet has made her debut as a voice actor with the Korean dub of animated film Stitch Head: The Secret Castle’s Little Monster

Red Velvet’s JOY Makes Voice Acting Debut in ‘Stitch Head’

ILLIT is a South Korean girl group formed through the 2023 reality survival show R U Next?. The group is managed by Belift Lab, a subsidiary of HYBE, and debuted in March 2024 with the EP &quot;Super Real Me&quot;. ILLIT consists of five members: Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, and Iroha, though former member Youngeso left before the group officially debuted despite making the final line up. The group quickly gained global attention with their debut title track Magnetic, which became a viral hit on social media platforms and achieved high placements on international music charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200. Their sound combines elements of Kpop, electronic pop, and dreamy pop aesthetics. ILLIT&#x27;s concept focuses on youthful energy and individuality, presenting a soft yet modern pop style that has helped establish the group as one of the notable fifth-generation Kpop girl groups.

ILLIT

BELIFT LAB’s rookie girl group ILLIT is set to release their fifth mini album, ‘BREAK EVEN,’ on October 26, 2026

ILLIT To Release 5th Mini Album ‘BREAK EVEN’ in October Following Encore Concerts

THE BOYZ is an eleven-member boy group formed by Cre.Ker Entertainment (now an independent group), debuting in December 2017. The group gained significant attention for their performance abilities, particularly after their appearance on the Mnet competition show &quot;Road to Kingdom&quot; in 2020, where they won first place with theatrical, visually stunning stages that showcased their storytelling through dance. Their &quot;Road to Kingdom&quot; victory was a turning point, elevating THE BOYZ from a mid-tier group to one of the most respected performance-focused acts in K-pop. Songs like &quot;The Stealer,&quot; &quot;THRILL RIDE,&quot; and &quot;MAVERICK&quot; have highlighted their versatility. THE BOYZ&#x27;s fandom, THE B, has grown steadily, supporting the group through sold-out concerts and strong album sales. The group is widely regarded as having some of the best synchronized choreography and stage presence in the industry. On March 19, 2026, nine members of The Boyz filed for the termination of their exclusive contracts with One Hundred Label, citing issues including unpaid settlements and a breakdown of trust. The agency disputed the claims and rejected the termination, resulting in a legal dispute between the parties. As of April 23, 2026, the court ruled in favor of the nine members, granting the boys an injunction to end the validity of their contracts. The members who were involved are officially free from their ties with One Hundred Label, however the last member still remains as of right now. The group is currently continuing forward as an independent group, being one of the most successful of their peers to make such move.

THE BOYZ

Ex-THE BOYZ member NEW has signed an exclusive contract with one-person agency ONLY NEW ENTERTAINMENT as of September 28, 2026

TWICE’s NAYEON Collaborates with Brazilian DJ Alok on “Bye Bye Inhibitions”

ALPHA DRIVE ONE Release UNBREAKABLE : 少年 BEAST in the U.S. for the First Time

Exclusive

Meet The Member: An Interview with CLOSE YOUR EYES' JANG YEOJUN – The Precision-Driven Performer

Meet The Member: An Interview with CLOSE YOUR EYES' MA JINGXIANG – The Curious Colour-Chaser

News

Comeback Corner: JUN, CHANYEOL, CRAVITY & MORE

KARD Prove Their Chemistry Is Bigger Than Any Contract in London

ALLDAY PROJECT Release 2nd EP Album ‘CRASH’

MEOVV To Release Single Album ‘GO HARD’ in October

EVNNE To Return with 6th Mini Album ‘on: our noise’ on October 19

ENHYPEN and SANTOS BRAVOS Team Up in New PETERBLUE Remix

Red Velvet’s JOY Makes Voice Acting Debut in ‘Stitch Head’

ILLIT To Release 5th Mini Album ‘BREAK EVEN’ in October Following Encore Concerts

NEW, Former Member of THE BOYZ, Signs with ONLY NEW ENTERTAINMENT

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