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は4年間、パフォーマンスで評価を築いてきた。「Die Another Day」で彼らは、その評価をロックという新たな場所で探し求めた

TNX、ロック、ライブボーカル、そして一切手を抜かない姿勢を語る

K-popを超えて、P-popのような東南アジア発のジャンルが国際的な注目を集めている。その先頭を走るのがボーイバンドSB19で、彼らはサンアントニオで、その理由をまさに見せてくれる。

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

2025年1月のデビュー以来、XLOVは、ジェンダーレスなスタイリングをメンバーの誰かが時々選ぶルックではなく、グループ全体のアイデンティティの土台として築いてきた。

XLOVのジェンダーレスなスタイリングがK-POPの型を打ち破る理由

Jay Park が初開催となる KPOPWORLD Festival のヘッドライナーを務める。その背景にある彼の歩みを知っていれば、この起用がいかに納得できるかがわかるはずだ。

KPOPWORLD Festival Spotlights: Jay Park

KPOPWORLD Festivalの2組目のヘッドライナーとして、インディーロックバンドThe Roseが新鮮な本物感を届ける

KPOPWORLD Festival スポットライト：The Rose

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

EVANが初のミニアルバム『DEATH OF ME』をリリース。8曲を収録し、制作とクリエイティブ・ディレクションの両面でEVANが主導。オルタナティブロックの荒々しさからドリームポップの柔らかな質感まで幅広く展開する。

EVAN、デビュー・ミニアルバム『DEATH OF ME』を携えて登場

NiziU (ニジュー) is a nine-member Japanese girl group formed by JYP Entertainment and Sony Music Japan through the Japanese reality show Nizi Project. The group’s name, a combination of &quot;Nizi&quot; (rainbow) and &quot;U&quot; (the fans/members), symbolizes their goal of shining in various colors. The final lineup was established on June 26, 2020, featuring leader Mako, along with Rio, Maya, Riku, Ayaka, Mayuka, Rima, Miihi, and Nina. After the massive pre-debut success of &quot;Make you happy&quot;, the group officially debuted on December 2, 2020, with &quot;Step and a step.&quot;

NiziU

JYP Entertainmentの注目のJapanese girl group NiziUが、初の韓国ミニアルバム『Sour Grapes』を発表した。発売日は2026年9月28日。

Japanese Girl Group NiziU、初の韓国ミニアルバムをリリースへ

KickFlip is a seven-member boy group under JYP Entertainment, consisting of Kyehoon, Amaru, Donghwa, Juwang, Minje, Keiju, and Donghyeon. The group was formed through the SBS audition program Loud and debuted in 2025. The group&#x27;s identity connects JYP&#x27;s idol training system with a more youthful, agile performance image. Because several members were already known from a survival-show context, KickFlip&#x27;s debut carried built-in curiosity around how the lineup would translate from trainee competition to a working group. The fandom is known as WeFlip. KickFlip is still early in its career, with its public identity centered on formation, lineup, and debut positioning rather than a long-established legacy.

KickFlip

JYP Entertainmentの新人ボーイズグループKickFlipが、10月6日発売の5thミニアルバム『KICK OFF THE WALL Pt. 1』を発表し、あわせて初のワールドツアーを示唆した

KickFlipが5thミニアルバムと初のワールドツアーを発表

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

SM Entertainmentは、MINHOが2026年9月7日にミニアルバム『Make it Hot』でソロカムバックすることを発表した。今回の発表は、SHINeeの6月のグループアルバム『Atmos』のプロモーション終了を受けてのもの。

SHINeeのMINHO、9月に2ndミニアルバム『Make it Hot』をリリース

ALL(H)OURS is a South Korean boy group under EDEN Entertainment. The group debuted on January 10, 2024 with the mini album ALL OURS and the title track &quot;GOTCHA.&quot; Its lineup consists of Kunho, Youmin, Xayden, Masami, Hyunbin, Minje, and ON:N. The group&#x27;s fandom is known as Min(ut)e. The name ALL(H)OURS suggests a team that is ready to give everything at every hour, a theme that fits the group&#x27;s high-impact performance style. After debut, the group continued building its discography through releases such as WITNESS, Smoke Point, VCF, and NO DOUBT, balancing sharp choreography with direct, energetic title tracks.

ALL(H)OURS

5世代ボーイグループのALL(H)OURSが、初のワールドツアーを控える中、2026年9月10日に6枚目のミニアルバム『UNBOUND』をリリースする予定だ。

ALL(H)OURS、6枚目のミニアルバム『UNBOUND』をリリースへ

NEXZ is a seven-member Japanese boy group formed by JYP Entertainment and Sony Music Japan through the Japanese reality show Nizi Project Season 2. The group&#x27;s name means Next Z(G)eneration, and was coined by J.Y. Park to represent the wish for the group to lead JYPE into the future. The final episode premiered on December 15, 2023, revealing the debut lineup, ranked as follows: Tomoya, Haru, Yuki, Ken (So Geon), Yu, Yuhi (Hyui), and Seita. They debuted with the Korean song &quot;Ride the Vibe.&quot;

NEXZ

JYP EntertainmentのNEXZが、2026年8月24日にリリース予定の4thミニアルバムSAUCIN’のティザーイメージの公開を始めた

NEXZ、独自のコンセプトで4thミニアルバム『SAUCIN’』を予告

KiiiKiii is a five-member girl group under Starship Entertainment, consisting of Jiyu, Leesol, Sui, Haum, and Kya. The group began its rollout in 2025 with &quot;I Do Me&quot; and built its debut era around a confident, self-directed image. As a newer Starship group, KiiiKiii carries attention from the company&#x27;s girl-group history while needing a distinct identity of its own. Their early presentation leans youthful but assertive, with styling and performance choices that frame the members as a compact team rather than a loose collection of rookies. The fandom is known as TiiiKiii. KiiiKiii is still early in its career, but its debut identity is clear: a compact Starship girl group built around self-possession, youthful confidence, and a team image still being defined through its first releases.

KiiiKiii

KiiiKiiiは2026年8月10日に3rdミニアルバム『WhyKiiiKiii』をリリース予定で、プロモーションでは、インタラクティブな「KiiiKiii Travel」ウェブサイトを通じて、Y2Kや2000年代初頭を意識した世界観をさらに強めている

KiiiKiii、ヴィンテージテーマで3rdミニアルバム『WhyKiiiKiii』を予告

WayV is the Chinese-based fixed unit of SM Entertainment‘s ambitious NCT (Neo Culture Technology) project, debuting on January 17, 2019 as the fourth sub-unit of NCT. They are managed by SM Entertainment’s China-exclusive label, Label V. They debuted with the digital EP, The Vision. The group currently consists of 6 members; Kun, Ten, WinWin, Xiaojun, Hendery, YangYang

WayV

SM Entertainmentは、中国のNCTサブユニットWayVが、2026年8月10日に8枚目のミニアルバムVision Wingsでカムバックすると発表した。全7曲で構成される。

WayV、8枚目のミニアルバム『Vision Wings』を発表

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

『We made』でi-dleは、新しいアルバムを発表しているだけではない。彼女たちは、自身のディスコグラフィー全体を通して続いてきた意図的な流れをさらに紡いでいる。それは、グループがゼロから再構築されてきた軌跡を映し出す、初期作品を新たな形で捉え直したものだ。

i-dle、サーマルティーザーとともに9th Mini Album『We made』を発表

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

SEVENTEENはここ2年ほど、メンバーの入隊と除隊が続いてきた。その間、グループの勢いを保ってきたのが、今回新たに発表された『V8』をはじめとするユニットプロジェクトの数々だ。そして今、VernonとThe8による新ユニットが正式に確定した。

SEVENTEENのVernonとThe8、1st Mini-Album『V8』を発表

ENHYPENが8枚目のミニアルバム『THE SIN : BLISS』をリリース。『THE SIN』シリーズの第2章となる本作は、『THE SIN : VANISH』から続くヴァンパイアの物語を引き継いでいる。

Mini Albums