KPOPWORLD #6 (Yves)

KPOPWORLD #6 (KEYVITUP X VAYONN)

KPOPWORLD #5

KPOPWORLD #4

10cm가 처음으로 호러 장르에 발을 들였고, 그것을 자신만의 방식으로 해냈다

Junji Ito를 위해 호러 음악을 만든 10cm, 어둠 속에서 편안함을 찾다

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

82MAJOR가 데뷔 후 첫 음악방송 1위를 거뒀다 — 그리고 Show Champion에서 1년 넘게 MC로 트로피를 건네던 SEONG MO도 마침내 직접 트로피를 받았다

82MAJOR, HEAT, 첫 1위 그리고 다음 행보

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

SEVENTEEN의 JEONGHAN과 JOSHUA가 10월 19일 JxJ라는 이름의 새 유닛으로 돌아온다고 발표했다.

SEVENTEEN의 JEONGHAN과 JOSHUA, 새 유닛 JxJ 결성

ZEROBASEONE, commonly known as ZB1, is a five-member boy group formed through the Mnet survival show &quot;Boys Planet&quot; in 2023. They originally debuted as a nine-member group — along with AND2BLE&#x27;s members Zhang Hao, Ricky, Kim Gyuvin and Han Yujin — under WAKEONE Entertainment, with &quot;In Bloom&quot; setting first-week sales records that demonstrated the massive anticipation built through the survival show. As a project group with a limited contract period, ZB1 operates with an urgency to make every comeback count, and they have delivered with consistent chart-topping releases and sold-out concerts. The group&#x27;s strength lies in their strong individual star power combined with impressive group synergy, cultivated through the intense bonding of their competition experience. Their fandom, ZEROSE, mobilized quickly into one of the most organized fan bases in fourth-generation K-pop. ZB1 represents the continued power of the survival show format to create commercially dominant groups with built-in passionate audiences. On March 15, 2026, they held their last concert as a nine-member boy group, sparking sadness among fans, who had grown fond of the relationship that had developed between the nine boys. As YH Entertainment did not renew the contracts of Zhang Hao, Ricky, Kim Gyuvin, and Han Yujin with WAKEONE, ZB1 are now promoting their career as a five-member boy group, with Sung Hanbin, Kim Jiwoong, Seok Matthew, Kim Taerae, and Park Gunwook.

ZEROBASEONE

WakeOne 소속 ZEROBASEONE의 Seok Matthew와 Park Gunwook이 듀오 이름 ‘EMP’로 오랫동안 기다려온 서브유닛 프로젝트를 9월 21일 발표한다고 밝혔다.

ZEROBASEONE의 Seok Matthew와 Park Gunwook, 서브유닛 ‘EMP’로 믹스테이프 발표

이번 주 최신 K-pop 신곡들은 강렬하고, 드라마틱하고, 부드럽고, 경쾌한 곡들로 신인 그룹들이 주목을 받았다

Comeback Corner: IU, YOUNGTAK, NAZE & MORE

CLOSE YOUR EYES (also shortened as CYE) is a seven-member boy group under UNCORE. They were formed through JTBC&#x27;s survival show PROJECT7. They made their debut on April 2, 2025, with the mini album &quot;Enternalt&quot;. PROJECT7 started airing on October 18, 2024, and the finale was broadcast live on December 27, 2024, revealing the group name, CLOSE YOUR EYES, and the seven winners, in order: Ma Jingxiang, Kenshin, Jeon Minwook, Seo Kyoungbae, Song Seungho, Jang Yeojun, and Kim Sungmin. Before joining PROJECT7, Jeon Minwook had already debuted as a member of the boy group BAE173 and the project group A-SIX. Additionally, Ma Jingxiang was a contestant on Boys Planet, while Jang Yeojun also participated in Boys Planet and was a contestant on Wild Idol.

CLOSE YOUR EYES

스스로 재해석한 재즈-펑크 클래식부터, 재즈가 그룹과 함께 무대에 설 때 자신에게 가르쳐준 것까지, JINGXIANG은 호기심과 에너지, 그리고 연결에 대해 이야기한다

Meet The Member: CLOSE YOUR EYES의 MA JINGXIANG 인터뷰 – 호기심 많은 컬러 체이서

녹음이 잘됐는지 아는 순간부터 그룹의 색깔이 앞으로 어디로 향할지까지, MINWOOK가 팀 안에서 본능, 정체성, 그리고 서로를 북돋는 힘에 대해 들려준다

Meet The Member: CLOSE YOUR EYES의 JEON MINWOOK와의 인터뷰 – 본능에 이끌리는 이상주의자

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 X의 KIHYUN은 올해 초 2025년의 YOUTH에 이은 두 번째 솔로 EP BORDERLINE로 돌아왔다

KIHYUN: The KPOPWORLD Digital Cover

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.

TNX의 Kurated KPOPWORLD 플레이리스트는 “Die Another Day” 자체에 대한 코멘트이기도 하다

Kurated: “Die Another Day” 동안 TNX에 영감을 준 10곡

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

모든 것을 완벽하게 해내야 한다는 필요에 이끌리던 그는 이제 자신의 강점을 믿고, 자신만의 스타일을 찾으며, 더 자유롭게 과정을 즐기는 법을 배웠다

WHIB의 WONJUN과의 인터뷰 – 자신을 믿는 법을 배워가는 완벽주의자

보컬과 랩 모두에서 실력을 넓혀가며, JAEHA는 선배 멤버들의 응원을 받으며 퍼포머로서 새로운 자신의 모습을 발견하고 있다

WHIB’s JAEHA와의 인터뷰 – 자신만의 범위를 찾아가는 올라운더

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

최근 몇 달간 THE BOYZ가 겪은 여러 변화 속에서도, 멤버들은 그룹으로서도, 그리고 각자도, 자신들만의 방식으로 함께 나아갈 길을 만들겠다는 의지를 굳게 다지고 있다.

JACOB: 솔로 비행

늘 팀을 어떻게 더 잘 서포트할 수 있을지 고민하는 JEONG은 WHIB에서 자신의 역할에 뚜렷한 팀 중심의 시각을 더한다

WHIB의 LEE JEONG 인터뷰 – WHIB를 하나로 만드는 팀플레이어

WHIB의 래퍼 UGEON은 좋은 퍼포먼스가 단순히 트랙을 따라가는 것 이상의 것이라는 걸 알고 있다. 그것은 현장에서 분위기를 읽고 순간의 에너지를 만들어내는 일이다

Interview