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.

TNX는 4년 동안 퍼포먼스로 이름을 쌓아왔다. "Die Another Day"를 통해 그들은 그 이름을 전혀 새로운 곳에서 찾고자 했다

TNX, 록·라이브 보컬·그리고 물러서지 않겠다는 태도에 대해 말하다

K-pop을 넘어, P-pop 같은 동남아시아 장르가 국제적인 주목을 받고 있다. 그 흐름을 이끄는 보이그룹 SB19는 왜 그런지 직접 보여주기 위해 San Antonio를 찾는다.

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

2025년 1월 데뷔 이후, XLOV는 특정 멤버가 가끔 시도하는 룩이 아니라, 젠더리스 스타일링을 팀의 정체성 전체를 이루는 기반으로 삼아왔다

XLOV의 젠더리스 스타일링이 K-pop의 틀을 깨고 있는 방식

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

그룹 내 송라이터이자 작곡가인 JUNMIN은 멜로디부터 음악을 시작하며, WHIB가 다양한 사운드와 스타일을 오갈 수 있는 힘을 소중히 여긴다

WHIB의 KIM JUNMIN 인터뷰 – 멜로디 중심의 음악 메이커

Jay Park는 첫 KPOPWORLD Festival의 헤드라이너를 맡는다. 그의 이야기를 알고 있다면, 이 섭외가 얼마나 완벽한지 금방 이해할 수 있다.

KPOPWORLD Festival Spotlight: Jay Park

TEN이 자신이 세운 회사 ILLIMNT에서 선보이는 첫 프로젝트의 발매일이 정해졌다. 9월 4일 발매되는 싱글 앨범 ‘OUTWEST’는 SM Entertainment를 떠난 뒤 내놓는 첫 기념성 아닌 공식 발매작이다.

TEN, 9월 싱글 앨범 ‘OUTWEST’ 발표

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

8월 20일, CUBE Entertainment는 i-dle의 리더 SOYEON이 9월 초 발매되는 앨범으로 솔로 아티스트로 돌아온다고 발표했다. 이는 2021년 이후 처음이다.

I-dle의 SOYEON, 2021년 이후 첫 솔로 앨범 발표 예정

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

3세대 대표 그룹 SEVENTEEN의 막내 Dino가 자신의 페르소나 Picheolin 이름으로 첫 솔로 앨범 Gilboard를 2026년 8월 3일 발매할 예정이다.

SEVENTEEN의 DINO, 페르소나 Picheolin으로 솔로 앨범 ‘Gilboard’ 발매

from20은 솔로 데뷔 이후 K-pop 안에서 보다 성숙한 콘텐츠를 위한 공간을 꾸준히 만들어 왔으며, 그의 두 번째 정규 앨범 'Rated R'은 그 흐름을 한층 더 밀어붙일 전망이다. 6월 26일 발매되는 이 앨범은 지난해 여름 화제를 모은 싱글 "EYE CANDY" 이후 공개된다.

from20, 2번째 정규 앨범 ‘Rated R’ 발매

tripleS is a large-scale girl group under MODHAUS, designed around a rotating system of members, subunits, and fan participation. The full project is built around the idea of &quot;The Idol of All Possibilities,&quot; with members introduced over time and organized into different DIMENSION units. The group stands apart because its structure is part of the concept. Fans known as WAV participate through Gravity votes that can influence unit lineups and other project decisions, making tripleS one of the clearest examples of K-pop experimenting with decentralized and fan-directed group management. Musically, tripleS moves between sleek dance-pop, bright electronic pop, and more experimental unit sounds depending on which members are active in a given DIMENSION. That flexibility is the point: the group can present a full-team identity while also letting smaller units develop their own color. tripleS works as both a group and a system. Its rotating structure shapes the music, fandom, and release strategy, making the project unusual even in a K-pop landscape already familiar with subunits and survival-show teams.

tripleS

tripleS가 24명 전원으로 돌아왔다. ASSEMBLE26 &lt;LOVE&amp;POP&gt; pt.1가 지금 공개됐다. 2027년 1월까지 이어지는 3부작 프로젝트의 첫 번째 파트이자, 그룹의 가장 야심 찬 한 해가 될 것으로 보이는 이번 활동의 시작이다.

tripleS, ASSEMBLE26 <LOVE&POP> pt.1로 돌아오다

aespa is a four-member girl group debuted by SM Entertainment in November 2020, consisting of Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning. The group introduced a concept centered on virtual &quot;ae&quot; counterparts, blending real and digital worlds into an elaborate sci-fi universe often associated with KWANGYA. That metaverse-inspired setup positioned aespa at the intersection of idol pop, technology branding, and SM&#x27;s long-running taste for high-concept worldbuilding. Musically, aespa made a sharp first impression with an aggressive, synth-heavy style that matched the digital concept without depending on it completely. &quot;Black Mamba&quot;, &quot;Next Level&quot; and &quot;Savage&quot; used sudden beat changes, metallic textures, and big vocal climaxes to create a sound that felt more angular than most mainstream girl-group pop. The approach could be polarizing, but it made aespa instantly identifiable. The group&#x27;s later singles showed how flexible that identity could become. &quot;Drama&quot; pushed the cinematic side of aespa, while Supernova turned their electronic edge into something brighter, stranger, and more playful. Karina and Winter often serve as the visual and performance center of the group, Giselle gives the rap sections a casual sharpness, and Ningning brings a vocal power that lets aespa&#x27;s biggest choruses land with real force. aespa’s fandom is known as MY, and the group became one of the key fourth-generation acts by making high-concept idol pop feel commercially central rather than niche. Their importance is tied to that blend: they are an SM vocal group, a performance group, a fashion-forward girl group, and a sci-fi pop project at the same time. Even when the lore becomes less prominent, the idea remains clear: aespa turns futurism into a pop language.

aespa

aespa가 돌아왔다. 두 번째 정규 앨범 LEMONADE가 지금 공개됐으며, 이들은 그 어느 때보다 폭넓은 스펙트럼을 담은 앨범을 선보였다. hyperpop, pop-rock, R&amp;B, electronic dance까지

aespa, 두 번째 앨범 "LEMONADE"로 돌아오다

MONSTA X is a boy group formed through the survival show No.Mercy and debuted under Starship Entertainment in May 2015. The group is associated with a powerful performance image built around Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohoney, and I.M, with Wonho as a former member. Their sound often leans muscular: EDM drops, hip-hop percussion, dark synths, and choruses designed for heavy choreography. MONSTA X became one of the most forceful performance groups of their generation through a run that moved from the breakthrough energy of &quot;Dramarama&quot; to the sharper drama of &quot;Love Killa.&quot; At the same time, their vocal line and later English-language work showed a smoother R&amp;B and pop side that softened the edges without removing the group&#x27;s intensity. MONSTA X became especially important in the bridge between Korean idol promotion and Western touring. They pursued English-language releases, appeared on American media, and built a strong international audience while keeping a clear group identity. Their fandom, Monbebe, is known for loyalty through lineup changes, military service periods, solo work, and long gaps between full-group schedules. The group&#x27;s legacy rests on consistency and stamina. MONSTA X did not need to reinvent themselves every comeback; they refined a recognizable image of power, charisma, and emotional loyalty. That made them a template for later boy groups that wanted to look tough on stage while still building a close, fan-centered identity off it.

MONSTA X

MONSTA X가 Unfold를 발표했습니다 — 세 번째 정규 영어 앨범으로, 어떤 K-pop 그룹도 아직 도달하지 못한 기록입니다. 이 앨범은 가장 편하지 않은 방식의 치유를 중심으로 만들어졌습니다: 그냥 잊고 넘어가는 것이 아니라, 처음에 깨진 것을 실제로 마주하고 다루는 작업입니다.

MONSTA X, 세 번째 영어 정규 앨범 Unfold로 K-pop 역사 기록

Meaningful Stone는 결코 규모를 쫓는 아티스트가 아니다. 그녀의 작업은 충격보다는 잔물결처럼 퍼지며, 천천히 펼쳐져 어느 순간 그 감정의 무게가 이미 곁에 와 있음을 깨닫게 한다

Meaningful Stone, "Angel drop (Live)" 발매

WONHO 첫 정규 앨범 SYNDROME 발표

EPEX [‘i:peks] (이펙스), formerly known as C9ROOKIES (C9루키즈) is a 7-member South Korean boy group under C9 Entertainment, consisting of Wish, MU, A-Min, Baekseung, Ayden, Yewang, and Jeff. On November 21, 2025, it was announced that Keum had left the group. They debuted on June 8, 2021, with their first EP album, BIPOLAR Pt.1 : 불안의 서 (Prelude of Anxiety)

EPEX

EPEX, Youth Chapter 3 : ROMANTIC YOUTH에서 로맨스와 어둠을 품다, Youth 시리즈의 마지막 앨범

BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed by Big Hit Music in 2010 and debuting on June 12, 2013, with the single album &quot;2 Cool 4 Skool&quot;. The group consists of seven members: RM (leader), Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. The name BTS stands for Bangtan Sonyeondan (“Bulletproof Boy Scouts”), reflecting the group’s original concept of resisting societal expectations and criticism aimed at youth. Members RM, Suga, and J-Hope have played significant roles in songwriting and production throughout the group’s career. BTS first gained widespread attention with the [The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1 era], particularly the single I Need U, which earned the group their first Korean music show win in 2015. Their international breakthrough followed with releases such as Wings and the Love Yourself series. In 2018, &quot;Love Yourself: Tear&quot; became the first album by a Korean act to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The group achieved further global success with singles including &quot;Dynamite&quot;, &quot;Butter&quot;, and &quot;Permission to Dance&#x27;&quot;, all of which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. BTS is among the best-selling artists in South Korean history and has received numerous international awards, while also participating in global initiatives such as the UNICEF Love Myself campaign. Between 2022 and 2025, BTS paused full-group activities as the members completed South Korea’s mandatory military service. The last member, Suga, was discharged in June 2025, marking the completion of service for all seven members. Following their reunion, the group confirmed they were preparing a new album and world tour for 2026. Their tenth studio album, &quot;ARIRANG&quot;, recorded between July and November 2025, was released on March 20, 2026, marking their first group release in more than three years. The album will be supported by the Arirang World Tour, beginning in April 2026.

이 라이브 앨범은 21세기 팝 아이콘의 상징적인 ‘PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE’ 투어 시리즈를 담아냈다

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