KPOPWORLD #5

KPOPWORLD #4

KPOPWORLD #3

KPOPWORLD #2 (Poster Version)

TNX (an acronym for The New Six) is a five-member boy group under P NATION. Originally debuting as six members, the group was formed through the SBS survival program LOUD, a collaboration project between J.Y. Park and PSY. They officially debuted on May 17, 2022 with their first mini album Way Up. The group’s lineup was finalized during the finale of LOUD in 2021, where Kyung Jun, Tae Hun, Hyun Soo, Jun Hyeok, Hwi, Sung Jun, and Tanaka Koki were selected for P NATION’s upcoming boy group. However, in January 2022, P NATION announced that Tanaka Koki would not debut with the team in order to continue training, leading the group to debut as six members under the name TNX. On their debut day, they also introduced their fandom name THX, meaning “Together with TNX.” Following their debut, TNX continued building their discography with releases such as Love Never Dies, Boyhood, and the digital single &quot;Fuego&quot;, while also participating in the survival competition Road to Kingdom : Ace of Ace in 2024. During this period, member Jun Hyeok temporarily paused activities due to anxiety before later returning to the group. In October 2024, it was announced that member Kyung Jun would enlist in the military and depart from the group following the completion of his service, reducing TNX to five members. The group continued activities with releases including the mini album For Real? in 2025 and the digital single &quot;Call Me Back&quot; in 2026, maintaining their growth under P NATION.

TNX han pasado cuatro años construyendo una reputación basada en la performance. Con "Die Another Day", salieron a buscarla en un terreno nuevo

TNX Hablan de Rock, Voces en vivo y de no contenerse

Más allá del K-pop, géneros del sudeste asiático como el P-pop están ganando atención internacional. Al frente de este impulso está la boy band SB19, que llega a San Antonio para mostrar exactamente por qué

KPOPWORLD Festival Spotlight: SB19

XLOV is a South Korean boy group formed by 257 Entertainment and currently managed by [WM Entertainment]. The group consists of four members: Wumuti, Rui, Hyun, and Haru. They debuted on January 7, 2025, with the single album I&#x27;mma Be. XLOV gained attention for promoting a genderless concept, incorporating androgynous styling and performances that challenge traditional gender norms in Kpop. The group&#x27;s name combines &quot;X,&quot; representing the unknown and negation, with &quot;LOV,&quot; symbolizing incomplete love, while their fandom name, EVOL, represents the completion of that concept. Several members were previously known through survival programs before debut. Wumuti, Rui, and Haru participated in Boys Planet, while Wumuti was also active in the project group WATERFIRE before helping form XLOV. The group is particularly noted for Wumuti&#x27;s involvement in songwriting and production, including contributions to their debut release. Since debuting, XLOV has released music including I&#x27;mma Be and I ONE, earning recognition for their distinctive concept, performance style, and growing international fanbase. In 2026, the group&#x27;s management structure changed following the acquisition of 257 Entertainment by WM Entertainment through RBW. Their music primarily incorporates elements of hip-hop, R&amp;B, and pop, while their visual identity and performances have distinguished them as one of the more unconventional rookie acts of the fifth generation of Kpop.

XLOV

Desde su debut en enero de 2025, XLOV han convertido el estilismo sin género en la base de toda su identidad, no solo en un look al que un miembro recurre de vez en cuando

Cómo el estilismo sin género de XLOV está rompiendo el molde del K-pop

WHIB is a seven-member boy group under C-JeS Entertainment, consisting of members Kim Junmin, Haseung, Jinbeom, UGeon, Leejeong, Jaeha, and Wonjun. Originally an octet, they debuted on November 8, 2023, with the single album Cut-Out. The group was first teased in November 2021 as the trainee group M.I.C, which stood for “Made in C-JeS.” On September 7, 2023, it was revealed that the group would debut as an eight-member group under the name WHIB, along with introductions to the new members. In 2025, members LeeJeong, Junmin and Wonjun competed on the Mnet survival show Boys II Planet, ranking 12th, 13th, and 62nd, respectively. On October 16, it was announced that member Inhong had departed from the group. WHIB released their first mini album, ROCK THE NATION, on January 29, 2026.

WHIB

Compositor y letrista dentro del grupo, JUNMIN aborda la música desde la melodía, al mismo tiempo que abraza la capacidad de WHIB para moverse entre distintos sonidos y estilos

Una entrevista con KIM JUNMIN de WHIB: el creador musical con oído para la melodía

Jay Park encabeza el primer KPOPWORLD Festival de la historia, y si conoces su trayectoria, esa elección tiene todo el sentido

KPOPWORLD Festival Spotlight: Jay Park

i-dle, formerly known as (G)I-DLE, is a girl group formed by Cube Entertainment, debuting in May 2018. The current lineup consists of Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi, and Shuhua, with Soojin as a former member. From debut, the group stood out because leader Soyeon played a central creative role in songwriting, production, and concept direction. Their first single, &quot;LATATA,&quot; introduced a group that could feel stylish without being anonymous. Over time, i-dle became known for concepts that were easy to name and hard to confuse: the dark elegance of &quot;HANN,&quot; the theatrical fire imagery of &quot;HWAA,&quot; the blunt rebellion of &quot;TOMBOY,&quot; and the satire and confidence of later hits. The group often treats a comeback like a thesis statement, with styling, lyrics, and stage language all pointing toward the same idea. i-dle&#x27;s member contrast is central to that impact. Miyeon gives the group a clean vocal center, Minnie adds a dreamy tone and international texture, Soyeon brings rap and creative direction, Yuqi gives warmth and a distinctive low voice, and Shuhua contributes visual and performance presence. The result is a group that can be sharp, funny, dramatic, or strange without losing its center. Their fandom is known as Neverland. i-dle&#x27;s importance lies in how visibly they challenged expectations around girl-group authorship. They helped make it normal to talk about a female idol group not only as performers of a concept, but as artists shaping the concept itself.

i-dle

Con “Run Away”, su primer sencillo digital japonés, Miyeon cambia las texturas más suaves de R&amp;B-pop de su trabajo solista en coreano por guitarra en vivo, arreglos de rock y un sonido que ya venía construyendo en los escenarios japoneses

Miyeon Corre hacia lo Desconocido en “Run Away”

I.O.I is an 11-member project girl group under Swing Entertainment formed through Mnet&#x27;s survival show Produce 101. The group was managed by YMC Entertainment and CJ E&amp;M, and officially debuted on May 4, 2016 with the mini album Chrysalis and its title track Dream Girls. Their name stood for &quot;Ideal of Idol&quot;, reflecting the show&#x27;s premise of creating a &quot;national girl group&quot; chosen directly by viewers. The final lineup consisted of Nayoung, Chungha, Sejeong, Chaeyeon, Kyulkyung, Sohye, Yeonjung, Yoojung, Mina, Doyeon, and Somi. Because the members came from different agencies, I.O.I was always planned as a temporary group. During their short run, they promoted both as a full group and as a sub-unit, releasing songs like Whatta Man, Very Very Very, and Downpour. Despite being active for less than a year, I.O.I became one of the most influential project groups in K-pop. Their success helped prove the power of survival-show fandoms and paved the way for later Produce groups like Wanna One, IZ*ONE, and X1. After their disbandment in January 2017, many members continued in the industry as soloists, actors, or members of groups such as Weki Meki, gugudan, DIA, PRISTIN, Cosmic Girls, and JEON SOMI as a solo artist. In 2026, I.O.I reunited for a special 10th anniversary project, marking their first major group comeback in nearly a decade. The reunion featured nine members, with Mina and Kyulkyung not participating, and included the EP I.O.I : Loop, a pre-release track, and anniversary concerts in Seoul before additional Asia tour stops. Although I.O.I began as a temporary group, their legacy has lasted far beyond their original contract, making them one of K-pop&#x27;s defining examples of how a short-lived project group could leave a permanent mark.

I.O.I

Chungha tiene previsto lanzar un nuevo sencillo digital titulado “México” el 1 de septiembre de 2026. El anuncio, compartido por la agencia de Chungha, MORE VISION

Chungha lanzará el sencillo digital “México” el 1 de septiembre

El solista auto-producido ALL’N ha lanzado su segundo sencillo, “Dream Higher.” Debutó en la industria como aprendiz en el programa de supervivencia chino Youth With You

ALL’N Lanza su Segundo Sencillo Liderado por Violín, “Dream Higher”

JUN. K, solista y miembro de 2PM de JYP Entertainment, lanzará un nuevo sencillo digital titulado “Your Lips” el 17 de agosto de 2026 con la participación de Wendy de Red Velvet

JUN. K Lanzará el sencillo digital “Your Lips” con la participación de Wendy de Red Velvet

SHINee is a boy group formed by SM Entertainment, debuting in May 2008 with &quot;Replay.&quot; The group consists of Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho, and Taemin. SM promoted them as a &quot;contemporary band,&quot; a phrase that fit their role as trendsetters in music, choreography, styling, and performance. SHINee&#x27;s catalog moved quickly from the smooth youthfulness of &quot;Replay&quot; into sharper electronic pop and hybrid performance tracks. Later records like &quot;View&quot; and &quot;1 of 1&quot; showed how far they could push taste while staying accessible, bringing deep house, retro R&amp;B, and fashion-conscious presentation into mainstream idol pop. Their dances were often technical without feeling stiff, and their vocals gave even experimental tracks a polished center. The members built unusually strong individual identities: Onew as a warm vocalist, Jonghyun as a songwriter and one of K-pop&#x27;s most expressive singers, Key as a style and variety standout, Minho as an athletic performer and actor, and Taemin as a solo performer whose work influenced later idols. Jonghyun&#x27;s death in 2017 remains an important and painful part of SHINee&#x27;s history, and the group&#x27;s later activities are often understood through both grief and continuity. SHINee&#x27;s fandom is known as Shawol. Their legacy is deep because they were not only popular; they were influential in ways that became part of K-pop&#x27;s basic vocabulary. Later groups inherited their emphasis on difficult choreography, distinctive styling, strong solo identities, and the idea that idol pop could be both polished and genuinely adventurous.

SHINee

ONEW, miembro de SHINee y solista bajo Griffin Entertainment, ha anunciado el lanzamiento de su cuarto single japonés “KAKERA -運命のピース-” el 16 de septiembre.

ONEW Lanzará su cuarto single japonés, “KAKERA”

BIGBANG is a South Korean boy group formed by YG Entertainment, debuting in 2006 and becoming one of the most influential acts in K-pop history. The current profile centers on G-Dragon, Taeyang, and Daesung, with T.O.P and Seungri tied to earlier chapters of the group. The group&#x27;s importance comes from how strongly it changed expectations for idol music and image. BIGBANG made self-production, individual fashion identity, and genre-blending central to its appeal, with G-Dragon&#x27;s songwriting and public style playing a major role in the group&#x27;s reputation. Musically, BIGBANG moved through hip-hop, R&amp;B, electronic pop, ballads, and festival-sized dance tracks without losing a recognizable identity. Songs such as &quot;Lies,&quot; &quot;Haru Haru,&quot; &quot;Fantastic Baby,&quot; and &quot;Bang Bang Bang&quot; became reference points for later idol groups trying to balance mainstream hooks with stronger artist branding. The members also became major solo figures, which helped the group feel less like a standard idol team and more like a collection of distinct pop stars. That individual power brought both longevity and complications, especially as military service, controversies, and member departures changed the group&#x27;s public shape. The fandom is known as V.I.P. BIGBANG is a defining second-generation group whose impact on K-pop music, fashion, performance, and global ambition is difficult to separate from the genre&#x27;s modern history.

BIGBANG

YG Entertainment ha anunciado que BIGBANG lanzará “BiiiG” el 19 de agosto de 2026, su primer single desde que se reunieron a principios de este año

BIGBANG Lanzará el single digital “BiiiG” el 19 de agosto

BLACKPINK is a four-member South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, consisting of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. They debuted on August 8, 2016 with Square One, led by &quot;Boombayah&quot; and &quot;Whistle,&quot; and arrived as YG&#x27;s first new girl group after 2NE1. From the beginning, the group was presented less as a large idol ensemble and more as four sharply individualized performers, each with a distinct vocal tone, visual identity, and public role. The group&#x27;s name captures the tension that became central to their image: &quot;black&quot; for a harder, more self-assured edge and &quot;pink&quot; for glamour, playfulness, and pop accessibility. Their music often builds around that contrast. Jennie and Lisa&#x27;s rap sections give many songs a clipped, percussive center, while Jisoo and Rosé&#x27;s vocals provide melodic lift and emotional color. This structure made BLACKPINK songs easy to recognize even across different producers, languages, and markets; the group could move from the spare whistle hook of their debut to the maximal drops of &quot;DDU-DU DDU-DU&quot; and still feel like the same act. BLACKPINK&#x27;s rise was also shaped by scarcity. Compared with many idol groups, they released relatively few songs in their first several years, which made each comeback feel closer to an event than a routine promotional cycle. That strategy had tradeoffs, but it concentrated public attention on a small set of songs, videos, styling choices, and stage moments. Tracks such as Kill This Love, How You Like That, Pink Venom, and Shut Down became reference points for a global-facing K-pop style built around impact, visual clarity, and immediately repeatable hooks. Their international growth came from more than chart performance. BLACKPINK connected K-pop&#x27;s idol system with the language of global pop, luxury fashion, digital fandom, and festival stages. They were the first Korean girl group to perform at Coachella in 2019 and returned in 2023 as the first K-pop act to headline the festival. Collaborations with Western pop artists, major fashion-house relationships, and an unusually large YouTube and social-media footprint helped make the members visible to audiences who did not necessarily follow Korean music closely. As individual artists, all four members developed major careers in music, acting, fashion, and brand work, making BLACKPINK one of the clearest examples of a modern K-pop group whose group identity and solo identities reinforce each other. After renewing with YG for group activities, the members&#x27; individual paths became more independent while BLACKPINK remained active as a shared brand and performance unit. Their significance is not only that they broke records, but that they helped normalize a model where a K-pop girl group could operate simultaneously as an idol act, a global pop project, and a set of four standalone celebrity careers. The fandom is known as BLINK.

BLACKPINK

JENNIE ha anunciado un nuevo sencillo, “Less Than a Lover”, cuyo lanzamiento está previsto para el 24 de julio de 2026 como su primer proyecto desde el éxito mundial de Ruby. Un nuevo lanzamiento ya había sido insinuado varios días antes

JENNIE adelanta el nuevo sencillo “Less Than a Lover”

Kep1er is a South Korean K-pop girl group formed under CJ ENM in 2021 following the Mnet show Girls Planet 999. Originally composed of nine members, the group debuted on January 3, 2022, with their first mini-album, First Impact. The group now consists of six members following the departures of Mashiro and Yeseo in July 2024, and Youngeun in March 2026.

Kep1er

El 17 de julio, Xiaoting de Kep1er anunció su sencillo en solitario, “LEGEND”, y su lanzamiento el 30 de julio mediante una enigmática publicación en Instagram. Este será el primer proyecto en solitario de Xiaoting, después de sus actividades grupales como integrante de Kep1er

Xiaoting de Kep1er lanzará su primer sencillo en solitario, “LEGEND”

A más de veinticinco años de una carrera que la ha convertido en una de las voces más perdurables del R&amp;B japonés, Crystal Kay celebra el momento con una colaboración que llevaba mucho tiempo gestándose.

Crystal Kay se unirá a yoonmirae en “Only One”

La inimitable Lee Young Ji vuelve con "ROBOT": un nuevo single que utiliza a un robot con fallos y glitches como metáfora de perder el control de tus emociones

Lee Young Ji lanza "ROBOT" y firma con Warner Music Group antes de su gira mundial

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.

Singles