KPOPWORLD #6 (Yves)

KPOPWORLD #6 (KEYVITUP X VAYONN)

KPOPWORLD #5

KPOPWORLD #4

Following their debut with SPLAY : CHAPTER 01, five-member band Splayit are ready to show audiences more of what they can do. Featuring YOON CHAN, EUN BIN, KYUNG UK, AYDN and EUN CHAN

Splayit on Finding Their Sound and Building Their Identity

hrtz.wav is a five-member boy band under Kakao Entertainment. The group was formed through STEAL HEART CLUB and debuted with their first mini album The First Wave. The group’s formation began when Mnet announced plans to debut a new global boy band through the survival program STEAL HEART CLUB, which aired in late 2025. The program followed contestants competing in different instrumental and vocal positions to determine the final lineup of the band. The show premiered in October 2025 and concluded with a live finale in December, where the group’s official name, hrtz.wav, and its final members were revealed. The lineup was determined by position rankings, with Hagiwa as drummer, Dane as bassist, Keiten as guitarist, Riaan as vocalist, and Youn Young Jun as keyboardist. Production of the program was handled by CJ ENM, while Kakao Entertainment oversees the band’s distribution, album planning, production, and overall management. The group made their official debut with the mini album The First Wave, released on April 8, 2026.

hrtz.wav

Formed through Mnet’s STEAL HEART CLUB, hrtz.wav have spent the months since their debut learning how five individual musicians can come together as one band. Their first mini album, The First Wave, introduced a bright pop-rock sound rooted in the emotions and experiences of youth

hrtz.wav Are Finding Their Own Rhythm

Baby DONT Cry, is a South Korean girl group formed and managed by P Nation. The group consists of four members: Yihyun, Kumi, Mia, and Beni. They debuted on June 23, 2025, with the single album &quot;F Girl&quot;. The group was initially teased in early 2025 under the pre-debut name “P Girls” and confirmed as P Nation’s first official girl group later that year. Their pre-debut track “Bet You’ll Regret It” was released on June 16, 2025, building anticipation ahead of their debut. Baby DONT Cry’s debut single “F Girl” presents a bold message encouraging confidence and rejecting judgment based on external standards. The group’s concept has been described as youthful yet assertive, combining pop and performance elements with distinctive visuals. Their creative direction and early production were led by Soyeon, who played a significant role in shaping their sound and image. Baby DONT Cry’s fandom is officially named “Cherries,” symbolizing a community united by growth and joy. The group has since continued activities with subsequent releases, including the digital single “I Don’t Care” released in November 2025.. Although still early in their career, Baby DONT Cry has drawn attention for their fresh approach, strong visuals, and connections to established producers, marking a notable debut in the K-pop landscape.

Baby DONT Cry

Rising stars Baby DONT Cry are discovering new ways to express themselves. Since debuting with "F Girl" in 2025, the four-member group have begun expanding beyond their signature confidence, exploring different sounds and a wider emotional range

Baby DONT Cry Are Learning to Find Strength in Softer Sounds

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

TWICE have announced the release of a new concert film titled TWICE: THIS IS FOR… YOU, which is set to arrive in cinemas worldwide from February 5, 2027

TWICE <THIS IS FOR> Concert Film Set to Release in 2027 Under Bleecker Street’s Crosswalk and Universal Pictures International

EXO is a South Korean-Chinese boy group formed by SM Entertainment in 2012. Originally debuting as two subunits — EXO-K (Korean) and EXO-M (Chinese) — the group quickly became one of the biggest acts in K-pop history with hits like &quot;Growl,&quot; &quot;Call Me Baby,&quot; and &quot;Monster.&quot; Their synchronized choreography, powerful vocals, and theatrical concepts helped define the third generation of K-pop and earned them the nickname &quot;Kings of K-pop.&quot; Over the years, EXO has sold millions of albums, held massive world tours, and seen their members flourish in solo careers spanning music, acting, and variety shows. Members like Baekhyun, D.O., and Chen have become household names in South Korea. Despite mandatory military enlistments creating periods of group inactivity, EXO&#x27;s dedicated fanbase, known as EXO-L, has remained fiercely loyal, ensuring the group&#x27;s legacy endures well into the 2020s.

BAEKHYUN of EXO has launched his new entertainment company, B.EON Entertainment, in the midst of EXO-CBX’s ongoing contract dispute with INB100

EXO’s BAEKHYUN Establishes New Agency B.EON Entertainment

BTS could have just walked out and danced to the radio edit of their hit song with impressive choreography.

Watch the moment BTS wowed American audiences with “Butter” at the Grammys

Kind of wild: last Thursday, a very important person made a surprise appearance at The Dream Show 3: DREAM( )SCAPE – NCT Dream’s solo concert.&nbsp;

K-pop Picture of the Day

NetEase Cloud Music, a leading music streaming service in China, has expanded its K-pop offerings through a strategic licensing agreement with JYP Entertainment.

NetEase Cloud Music Expands K-Pop Catalog Through JYP Entertainment Partnership

YG Entertainment (Korean: YG 엔터테인먼트)&nbsp; – officially YG Entertainment Inc.&nbsp;

What is YG Entertainment?

BABYMONSTER (Korean: 베이비몬스터 ) is an all-female K-pop group based in Seoul, South Korea.

Who is BABYMONSTER?

Editor’s note: This is a follow-up to an article from last month’s issue. In that article, we explored how the K-drama industry has seen significant dips recently and whether that could impact K-pop. This month, we investigate some ways K-pop can maintain cultural relevance in the years to come.

K-POP IN THE 2020s: A FIGHT FOR RELEVANCE

The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles has unveiled a captivating new exhibit celebrating the rise of K-pop that features the internationally acclaimed groups ATEEZ and Xikers.&nbsp;

Grammy Museum Honors K-Pop with Ateez and Xikers Exhibit

Block B (Korean: 블락비) is an all-male K-pop group under KQ Entertainment.

Who is Block B?

Fun Facts:Wendy is a multi-instrumentalist and can play the piano, guitar, flute and saxophone.One of her favorite hobbies is finding new and rare songs.

Get to Know Red Velvet!

KQ Entertainment is a South Korean entertainment agency and record label founded by CEO Kyu Wook Kim in 2016.

What is KQ Entertainment?

ATEEZ (Korean: 에이티즈) is an all-male South Korean K-pop group under KQ Entertainment. The group premiered in 2018 with Treasure EP.1: All to Zero. Officially dubbed “4th Generation Leaders” by the Korean government, the group has served as official ambassadors for Korean culture and tourism worldwide and have sold over four million physical albums. The group’s 8 members are: Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho.

Who is ATEEZ?

Throwing it back to when BLACKPINK had the honor to start their US Encore tour at MetLife Stadium

News

Watch the moment BTS wowed American audiences with “Butter” at the Grammys

K-pop Picture of the Day

NetEase Cloud Music Expands K-Pop Catalog Through JYP Entertainment Partnership

What is YG Entertainment?

Who is BABYMONSTER?

K-POP IN THE 2020s: A FIGHT FOR RELEVANCE

Grammy Museum Honors K-Pop with Ateez and Xikers Exhibit

Who is Block B?

Get to Know Red Velvet!

What is KQ Entertainment?

Who is ATEEZ?

K-pop Picture of the Day

Trending Now

Latest Issue

KPOPWORLD #6 (Yves)

Cart