KPOPWORLD #6 (Yves)

KPOPWORLD #6 (KEYVITUP X VAYONN)

KPOPWORLD #5

KPOPWORLD #4

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

Rookie groups have taken over this week’s latest K-pop releases with songs that are intense, dramatic, soft, and lighthearted

Comeback Corner: IU, YOUNGTAK, NAZE & MORE

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’

Missed The Rose at Coachella? No stress. We built a playlist for each K-pop artist’s Coachella set! Here’s everything The Rose performed.

The Rose Coachella Recap Playlist

Missed ATEEZ at Coachella? No stress. We built a playlist for each K-pop artist’s Coachella set! Here’s everything ATEEZ performed.

ATEEZ Coachella Recap Playlist

Missed LE SSERAFIM at Coachella? No stress. We built a playlist for each K-pop artist’s Coachella set! Here’s everything LE SSERAFIM performed.

LE SSERAFIM Coachella Recap Playlist

Featured MV of the Day: “Shopper” by IU

With a band name that sounds like the new musical from Always Sunny’s Charlie Kelly, Bye Bye Badman has some of the smoothest sounds we’ve encountered in the K-indie circuit.

Daily Non-K-pop Spotlight: “Wave” by Bye Bye Badman

NCT Dream is currently on tour promoting the mini album DREAM()SCAPE.&nbsp;

Is “Breathing” the Best Song from DREAM()SCAPE?

Check out this English translation cover of “Smart” by LE SERRAFIM performed by Kenyan indie pop artist Semo!

Fan Spotlight: “Smart” by LE SERRAFIM cover

Check out this English translation cover of “Love Wins All” by IU performed by indie pop artist ysabelle!

Fan Spotlight: Love Wins All - IU (English Cover) by ysabelle

Clean guitar tones and groovy bass guitar – each with their own tasty licks – run wild in this excellent indie track from Dasutt.

Daily Non-K-pop Spotlight: “Lunch Time” by Dasutt

This song by Korean Indie rock band BIG PANTS GUYS features unique vocal textures you won’t find in idol music. Down-home, nasally everyman vocals sweetened by vocoder sit front and center in the mix.&nbsp;

Daily K-indie Spotlight: “2U” by BIG PANTS GUYS

While this song may not be streamed nearly as much as “Magnetic” (the smash hit from this record) it features a tight groove and brilliant harmonies.&nbsp;

ILLIT’s SUPER REAL ME – KPOPWORLD’s Top Pick!

With powerful, impassioned vocal delivery, Leeseul’s “Little Miss Narcissist” is a solid pop song that uses spooky soundscapes and tight production to thrill listeners in a big way.&nbsp;

Music