Former f(x) and BEAST Members Re-emerge On Their Own Terms

Last week, two former second-gen idols returned to the music scene — JANGHYUNSEUNG, who’s had a consistent solo career since 2022, and Krystal Jung, who has been absent from the music industry altogether for nearly a decade. While both artists were internationally known through their former groups, BEAST (now Highlight) and f(x), the two second-gen veterans have now re-emerged on their own terms and are taking control of their careers in different ways.

For Krystal, it’s been 10 years since girl group f(x) entered its indefinite hiatus. While the other three of f(x)’s former members have all stayed relatively close to the music industry over the years, Krystal is the one who’s been the furthest removed from it since 2016. Instead, the 31-year-old has been conquering the acting world in Korean dramas and films and even featured at the Cannes Film Festival. Now that she’s found the space to create the music, the type of music she wants, she’s gone all in. Leaning more towards ‘80s/’90s sound and modern alt-R&B, the singer released her latest single, “PWLT,” proving this new sound isn’t just for a show, nor is it a flash in the pan. It’s Krystal fully leaning into her independence as a solo artist, without all the extra bells and whistles that come with being under a major K-pop label — no strings attached. Sometimes the best way for an artist to find themselves again is to spend time away from who they thought they were.

For JANGHYUNGSEUNG, that search for independence and identity looks a little different, albeit the same concept of taking control. After taking the stage name ABLE in 2022, Hyungseung created a brand new persona for his solo career, almost like he wanted to shed the Hyunseung that people once knew. However, after signing with a new agency in 2024, Hyungseung chose to revert to his personal name, Jang Hyunseung, ahead of his first solo comeback under MPLIFY Records in 2025. On March 26, nearly a year after his last single, Hyungseung released “My Only One,” a song that brings out the singer’s vulnerability and emotional depth. Between JANGHYUNSEUNG, Krystal, and many other second-gen idols who have gone solo, we’re experiencing their true musical identities that no longer rely on what executives want — it’s an emphasis on creative expression and the freedom to be themselves. As more veteran stars break away from the idol system, the more we get a peek behind the curtain of what these artists want to say with their music.

TWICE Member Jihyo’s Younger Sister To Debut In New HYBE Group

On May 26, HYBE launched its latest subsidiary label, ABD (an acronym for “A Bold Dream”), across social media accounts, along with six short-form videos. Several potential members of ABD’s first upcoming girl group appeared in the videos — but one particular trainee who’s garnered the most buzz is Park Seoyeon, the youngest sister of TWICE’s Jihyo. Born in 2008, Park and the rest of ABD’s lineup are expected to debut in the second half of the year.

With this new announcement, HYBE has grown quite a list of subsidiary labels — from Big Hit Music to Belift Lab, ADOR, Source Music, and several others. ABD is only the latest of HYBE’s extensive artist development strategy that, overall, seems to be working out, considering at least eight of K-pop’s biggest groups right now are under HYBE, and even the world’s biggest global girl group. With that in mind, there’s no reason to doubt ABD’s first girl group will end up being one of the main acts to watch later this year, especially when they already have a built-in interest and a buzz-worthy trainee is TWICE’s Jihyo’s younger sister.

However, another notable fact about this new subsidiary is that, compared to most other K-pop labels that produce both boy and girl groups, ABD is reported to specifically focus and dedicate its resources to launching girl groups. While this is a rare strategy, perhaps it’s a necessary one to feed into K-pop’s overwhelming success in producing top-class girl groups. In comparison, most boy groups thrive within dedicated fandom spaces, while girl groups are much more palatable to the general public. By honing in on what casual K-pop listeners are most interested in, ABD is fulfilling that specific niche and giving it their undivided attention. Of course, the music itself has to resonate first and foremost to win people over, but as far as target strategies go, this might prove to be the most interesting yet.

DAY6’s Dowoon Caught Up In Marriage Rumors and Backlash

After rumors of dating and marriage began circulating on the Internet, DAY6 drummer and vocalist Dowoon finally addressed the hearsay — though, not exactly in the way fans would have wanted. Early last week, online speculation started regarding Dowoon’s alleged romantic involvement with Yoo Jiyu, a YouTuber known as the younger sister of popular content creator Yoo Hyejoo. According to these inside sources, Dowoon and Jiyu had been spotted with matching couple items, including keyrings and interior decorations, via social media posts and videos. According to The Korea Times, these rumors escalated after eyewitness accounts claimed the two had supposedly met with a wedding planner. However, on May 26, JYP Entertainment responded, saying they had “no position” on the matter — a stark contrast to the typical label responses regarding the status of their idols’ dating lives.

The fan response, to no surprise, took a heated turn as My Day (DAY6’s fandom) began accusing Dowoon of betraying both his supporters and the band. Although no artist owes the world an explanation about what goes on in their personal lives, Dowoon took the time to post a message himself, reassuring fans that nothing’s changed and apologizing for the concern. “Our team will never disappear. I’m not going anywhere. Don’t look at negative comments, and even if you see posts about me for the time being, just ignore them. I’m sorry for hurting you guys,” he stated. “Just wait a little longer.”

While the message was meant to calm the storm, it only added fuel to the fire, considering he didn’t outright confirm or deny the rumors. Therefore, fans twisted the vague message into thinking Dowoon had broken their trust, flooding his channel with unfair backlash. One user wrote, “Not even dating rumors, but marriage rumors already?” while others commented, “Please do not cause trouble for the other members.” With K-pop idols’ lives already on full display while on the clock, it’s unreasonable to assume they’re not dating or shouldn’t date just because they’re your bias. Fans have crossed the line and encroached on artists’ privacy more often than not, turning their private lives against them when it no longer caters to the idealistic image of an idol. And considering DAY6 is an older band at this point — with Dowoon being 30 — this situation just goes to show that fans’ parasocialism doesn’t fade with age. If anything, it only gets worse when their idols are now at the age when many people start to settle down and want more in life than just performing.

In the end, however, all it does is hurt the artist-fan relationship to the point where the artist may not be as open with fans as they were before — maybe even terrified to share a part of themselves that, in the regular world, would be considered normal. How can you claim to love a group and want to protect them when you become the very thing they need to be protected from? Real fan support is giving an artist their space and knowing not to pry into delicate matters that could jeopardize the artist’s happiness. But alas, sometimes fans need to learn the hard way to understand the big picture.