KPOPWORLD #6 (Yves)

KPOPWORLD #6 (KEYVITUP X VAYONN)

KPOPWORLD #5

KPOPWORLD #4

Choi Yu Reeは、親密なソングライティングを通して、脆さ、愛、恐れ、そして日々の暮らしを形づくる静かな感情を掘り下げたStayシリーズの締めくくりとなるStay: Twoについて語る。

Choi Yu Reeは自分らしさを貫く

LOONA (이달의 소녀, &quot;Girl of the Month&quot;) is a girl group formed by Blockberry Creative with one of the most ambitious pre-debut projects in K-pop history. From 2016 to 2018, each of the twelve members was individually introduced with her own solo single, music video, and lore before the full group debuted in August 2018. This elaborate rollout created an intricate &quot;LOONAVERSE&quot; mythology that captivated fans who dissected every visual clue and narrative connection. LOONA&#x27;s music spans a remarkable range of styles — from Chuu&#x27;s bubbly &quot;Heart Attack&quot; to the cinematic grandeur of &quot;Butterfly&quot; to the girl-crush energy of &quot;PTT (Paint the Town).&quot; The group gained a uniquely devoted international fandom, Orbits, who turned LOONA into an internet phenomenon long before the group achieved mainstream domestic success. Despite significant company controversies and member departures, LOONA&#x27;s creative ambition and the quality of their discography have ensured their place in K-pop history as one of the most artistically inventive groups of their generation.

LOONA

LOONAからソロアーティストとしての進化まで。Yvesが自身の歩み、創作のアイデンティティ、そして成長の裏にある苦悩について、2026年の率直で飾らない会話の中で語る。

Yvesのセルフイメージ

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

THE BOYZとして約10年を過ごした後、KEVIN MOONはソロアーティストとして新たな章へ。デビュー作『FREECHILD』を携えて、その第一歩を踏み出す

KEVIN MOONインタビュー――檻の中の鳥が自由を手にするまで

K-popのプロモーションサイクルで最も重要な要素があるとすれば、それは音楽番組、ひいては音楽番組での1位だろう

音楽番組の「1位」って実際何？ そしてグループはどうやって獲得するの？

SM創業者Lee Soo-manが復帰したA2O Entertainmentが、2026年10月12日にボーイズグループとガールズグループを同時にデビューさせると発表した

Lee Soo-manのA2O Entertainment、ボーイズグループとガールズグループを同時デビューへ

今週のComeback Cornerは、春の訪れを感じさせるラインナップです

カムバック・コーナー：Dayoung、AKMU、RESCENE ほか

NCT, short for Neo Culture Technology, is a boy group project under SM Entertainment. The system was built around multiple units, changing combinations, and regional expansion rather than a single fixed lineup, making NCT one of SM&#x27;s most ambitious idol structures. The project began publicly through NCT U in 2016, then expanded through fixed or semi-fixed units such as NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV, and NCT WISH. Each unit carries a different role: Seoul-based performance, youth-to-adult growth, Chinese-language promotion, rotational experiments, and the final new-team expansion. NCT&#x27;s music is often associated with dense production, experimental structures, and performance-heavy arrangements. The group&#x27;s system allowed SM to place members in songs by concept, which helped produce very different sounds under the same brand without asking every unit to serve the same identity. The project also made member identity central to the fan experience. NCTzen follows not only the full brand but also unit dynamics, cross-unit collaborations, and individual member activities, which makes the profile more complex than a normal group page. NCT is both a group brand and a structure for multiple teams. That structure shaped how SM approached global boy-group promotion from the mid-2010s onward, making the project as much about organization and unit design as individual songs.

1週間のうちに、NCTは2人の創設メンバーを失った。Markはグループを完全に脱退し、TenはSM Entertainmentを離れたもののNCTおよびWayVの活動は継続する見込みだ。

MARKとTenがSM Entertainmentを離脱──NCTの今後は？

ENHYPEN is a boy group formed through the 2020 survival show I-LAND and managed by Belift Lab, currently made up of Jungwon, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki. They debuted in November 2020 with Border: Day One, arriving with a global audience already in place from the show and a concept organized around connection, transformation, and fate. Their early work used dark, dramatic imagery to pull away from brighter rookie formulas. "Given-Taken," "Drunk-Dazed," "Fever," and the later Dimension and Dark Blood eras leaned on supernatural metaphor, sharp choreography, and a push-pull between elegance and danger &mdash; which made them feel less like a survival-show byproduct than a group with an ongoing storyline. The member appeal is heavily performance-driven: Jungwon holds a steady center as leader, Jay and Jake bring international texture, Sunghoon's figure-skating background shapes his clean stage presence, Sunoo adds brightness and contrast, and Ni-ki anchors the dance line with rare precision for a maknae. Their fandom, ENGENE, grew fast because the group's identity rewarded close reading &mdash; music, lore, and member development all unfolding at once. As a fourth-generation act, ENHYPEN sit at the junction of survival-show fandom and global idol scale. They demonstrated that a group could debut with a transnational audience already watching, then hold it through consistent visual storytelling, polished performance, and songs that treated adolescence as mythic rather than ordinary.

ENHYPEN

ENHYPENからの脱退から約1か月足らずで、Lee Hee-seungは新たなアイデンティティを手にした

HEESEUNGは今やEVAN - BELIFT LABが彼のソロ活動を正式始動

NCTは今年10周年を迎える — 10年経った今、彼らがK-popに与えた影響を否定するのは難しい。NCT 127の初期作に見られる工業的なカオスから、NCT Dreamの成長物語、WayVの都会的洗練、そしてNCT Wishへの継承まで。

NCTの「Neo-Ness」はどのように弱点から最大の強みへと変わったか

MONSTA X is a boy group formed through the survival show No.Mercy who debuted under Starship Entertainment in May 2015. Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohoney, and I.M make up the current lineup, with Wonho a former member, and the group has always been tied to a forceful performance image. Their sound runs muscular &mdash; EDM drops, hip-hop percussion, dark synths, and choruses built to carry heavy choreography. They became one of the most physically commanding performance groups of their generation across a run stretching from the breakthrough drive of "Dramarama" to the sharper drama of "Love Killa," while their vocal line and later English-language releases revealed a smoother R&amp;B and pop register that softened the edges without draining the intensity. They also mattered as a bridge between Korean idol promotion and Western touring: English-language singles, American media appearances, and a large international audience, all without blurring the group's identity. Their fandom, Monbebe, is known for staying loyal through lineup changes, enlistments, solo projects, and long stretches between full-group activity. Their legacy rests on consistency and stamina rather than reinvention. MONSTA X refined one recognizable image &mdash; power, charisma, and emotional loyalty &mdash; instead of rebuilding it every comeback. That became a template for later boy groups aiming to look tough onstage while cultivating a close, fan-centered identity off it.

MONSTA X

MONSTA XがUnfoldをリリースしました — 彼らにとって3作目のフル英語アルバムで、K-popグループとしては初めての到達です。本作は癒しを軸に据えていますが、楽な意味での“前に進む”癒しではなく、壊れたものに実際に向き合うという、より厳しい意味での癒しで構成されています。

MONSTA X、3作目のフル英語アルバム「Unfold」でK-pop史に名を刻む

Mark Leeが10年間在籍したNCTを脱退すると発表したとき、K-pop史上でも類を見ない反応が起きました。24時間以内に彼の直筆の手紙は何百万ものいいね、シェア、コメントを集めましたが、注目すべきだったのは単なる数字だけではありません

Mark LeeがNCTを脱退 — 反応はこれまでにないものだった

Wanna One was an eleven-member project boy group formed through Produce 101 Season 2 and managed by Swing Entertainment. The lineup consisted of Kang Daniel, Park Jihoon, Daehwi, Kim Jaehwan, Seongwu, Woojin, Kuanlin, Jisung, Hwang Minhyun, Jinyoung, and Ha Sungwoon. The group debuted in August 2017 with 1X1=1 (To Be One), led by &quot;Energetic,&quot; and almost immediately became one of the biggest acts in Korea. Wanna One&#x27;s appeal came from the survival-show bond already formed with viewers: fans had watched the members compete, struggle, and be selected, so the debut felt less like an introduction than a payoff. That emotional investment translated into huge album sales, music show wins, endorsements, and concerts during a very short contract period. Musically, Wanna One balanced bright rookie energy with more dramatic performance tracks, moving from &quot;Energetic&quot; and &quot;Beautiful&quot; to later releases that emphasized nostalgia and urgency. Because the group was temporary from the start, even ordinary comebacks carried a countdown feeling. Their fandom, Wannable, supported the group with the intensity of knowing the project had an end date. Wanna One disbanded in early 2019, but their influence lasted through the members&#x27; later solo, acting, and group careers. They became one of the clearest examples of survival-show fandom turning into full-scale mainstream power, and their success shaped expectations for later project groups across the Produce system and beyond.

Wanna One

解散から7年、Wanna Oneが戻ってきた――そしてインターネットは彼らを忘れていなかった。新しいリアリティ番組WANNA ONE GO: Back to Baseの最初のティーザー

Wanna Oneが7年ぶりに再結集 — リアリティ番組「WANNA ONE GO: Back to Base」で

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4月5日に行われたIncheonでの「New_」ワールドツアー閉幕公演で、セットリストとは関係のない発表をした。13人全員がPledis Entertainmentと2度目の契約更新を行った。

SeventeenがPledisと2度目の契約更新

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のロンドンでのライブデビューはクラブの地下で行われた──そしてそれは彼らにとってまさにぴったりの空間だった。EartH HackneyでのBEBEOM: BE THE TIGERツアーの公演は満員で、音は大きく、本当にアドリブ感のある瞬間であふれていた。

82MAJOR ロンドン公演：TROPHYの瞬間

韓国系アメリカ人の俳優Daniel Dae KimがCNNとタッグを組み、K-popやKドラマ、食文化、スキンケアなど、韓国文化の世界的な台頭を探る4部構成のオリジナルシリーズ、K-Everythingを制作する。

Daniel Dae Kim、CNN特番「K-Everything」のホストに

今週のカムバック・コーナーは、ソロアーティストがスポットライトに飛び出して自分をアピールする回です

カムバック・コーナー：HYO、TWS、YUNA ほか

ITZY is a five-member girl group formed by JYP Entertainment, consisting of Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna. They debuted in February 2019 with &quot;Dalla Dalla&quot;, a song built around self-acceptance, difference, and the refusal to fit neatly into other people&#x27;s expectations. ITZY&#x27;s early identity was direct and performance-forward. &quot;Icy&quot;, &quot;Wannabe&quot; and &quot;Not Shy&quot; expanded the same confidence-first message with sharper choreography, chant-like hooks, and a visual style that mixed teen crush, streetwear, and runway attitude. Their dances became a major part of the group&#x27;s public image, with Ryujin&#x27;s shoulder move in &quot;Wannabe&quot; standing out as one of the most recognizable fourth-generation choreography moments. The group&#x27;s strength is the way its members divide the performance picture. Yeji gives ITZY a precise leader and dance center, Lia brings a warmer vocal tone, Ryujin anchors the cool charisma, Chaeryeong adds technical dance detail, and Yuna gives the group a bright visual spark. Even when the music shifted into different textures, that balance kept ITZY recognizable as a group built around motion, confidence, and clean stage impact. ITZY&#x27;s fandom is known as MIDZY. Their place in K-pop comes from helping define the fourth-generation girl-group language of self-confidence: louder than simple cuteness, less dark than some girl-crush concepts, and built for fans who wanted slogans they could actually say back to themselves.

ITZY

2月、ITZYはツアーで2020年のBサイド曲「THAT'S A NO NO」のアップデート版を披露した――そして数週間のうちに、6年前の隠れた一曲がTikTokチャレンジとなり、韓国のチャートを駆け上がり、グループに特別なMCountdownステージをもたらした

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