kep1er

When Kep1er debuted in January 2022, the group arrived with a built-in audience, faces already known, and the particular pressure of having been chosen.

Formed through the Mnet survival show Girls Planet 999, they launched into a scene that had already watched them closely for months. The question was not whether people knew them. It was what they would become now that the competition was over. The answer came quickly: FIRST IMPACT, their debut EP, sold some 400,000 copies and hit number one on the Gaon Album Chart. The built-in audience had shown up.

Four years and eight mini albums later, CRACK CODE is where they’ve arrived – and it sounds like a group still willing to surprise you. When speaking to the members for this cover story, they talk about how the group has grown into itself, what it feels like to occupy a stage after years of occupying it together, and what they are still learning about each other and themselves.

By now, most of the awkwardness of early training – the careful politeness of people still working each other out, the effort it takes to become a unit rather than a collection of individuals – has been replaced by something more instinctive.

“In the beginning, we all had different training styles, so it wasn’t easy to come together as one,” she says. “We spent a lot of time talking about what each of us liked, and through understanding and respecting one another, I think we were able to become the close-knit Kep1er we are today.” The lesson she keeps returning to is a simple one: “Constant communication is what helps us understand each other better.”

HUENING BAHIYYIH describes the shift in more practical terms. “At first, we were so focused on ourselves that we didn’t really know each other well,” she says. “But over time, we’ve become much more comfortable giving each other feedback on choreography and helping one another find styles that suit us, which has really broadened our perspective.”

Kep1er’s mix of nationalities is also part of what makes the group what it is to her. “We teach each other our languages and share our cultures, so we’re always learning new things, which makes it really fun,” HUENING BAHIYYIH says. “When we visit each other’s countries, we share the things we love.” She adds something else: “I still feel so happy to be part of a team like this, even now.”

That closeness has a practical dimension on stage too. “We give each other a lot of feedback,” says YUJIN. “We’ve done that since debut, but now we’re even more comfortable sharing feedback and adjusting together. Whether it’s spacing, small differences in movement, or even the smallest details – we talk about everything and work through it as a team.”

Performing has always been central to Kep1er’s identity. It is there in the back catalogue – in the precision of their choreography, in the visual consistency built across concerts, music shows, and touring schedules that have taken them across Asia. Ask the members what it feels like standing in the wings before a show now, and the answers reveal how much that relationship has changed.

CHAEHYUN describes the shift in physical terms. “Rather than feeling nervous, it feels more like a rush of energy,” she says. “Sometimes my racing heartbeat even feels like a sign that I’m ready.” In the early days, she says, her first thought was always the same. “What if I make a mistake?” Now, she says, it’s more like: “This stage is going to be fun.” The tension has not disappeared. “It’s still a kind of tension, but the direction of that feeling has definitely changed.”

What it means to feel most like yourself on stage varies across the group. “Being next to the members and exchanging energy with them while performing is when I feel the most like me,” says HIKARU. When a new performance style does not yet feel natural, HIKARU turns to the people around her. “I learn a lot by watching the members,” she says. “Since each of us has different strengths and charms, I often find myself thinking, ‘Oh, doing it this way looks cuter,’ or ‘That makes the lines look cleaner,’ and I learn from those moments.”

“There are moments when expressions I never practiced come out naturally on stage,” she says. “I think that only happens when I’m fully immersed in the song, and those are the moments when I feel most like myself.”

Performing across different countries adds another layer. “Personally, performing in a country I’m visiting for the first time feels especially exciting,” says DAYEON. “I remember feeling even more energised on stage because I was so happy to meet fans there.” XIAOTING frames it in terms of responsibility. “When I think about the fans who come from different places just to see me, it makes me want to put on an even better performance and live up to their expectations.”

That connection with fans takes a different shape at Kep1Arcade, the group’s Japan fan meeting running across Osaka, Tokyo, and Nagoya in May. DAYEON sees it as a chance to show sides of the group that a concert stage doesn’t always allow. “I think there will be more opportunities to interact with fans,” she says. “We’ll be showing cuter and more diverse sides of ourselves that you might not see at a concert.”

Kep1er’s music itself has shifted across four years. Early singles like “WA DA DA” and “Up!” built the group’s reputation on high-energy pop with hooks that stuck; “Shooting Star” showed a softer side. Last year’s “BUBBLE GUM” signalled something changing – a bouncier, more playful mode that reset expectations.

CRACK CODE, released in March 2026, pushes further still, led by “KILLA (Face the other me)”, a harder-edged title track that puts a different version of Kep1er front and centre. “KILLA (Face the other me)” is built around a predator-prey dynamic, and positions the group as something to be reckoned with rather than simply admired – a hunter with a target, moving with confidence. The production is more propulsive than anything in their earlier catalogue, and the vocal performance – defined by a distinctive growl and snarl in the chorus – follows suit. Where “WA DA DA” introduced a group bursting with bright energy and girlish charm, “KILLA (Face the other me)” introduces something fiercer, more akin to a femme fatale.

The subtitle – “Face the other me” – is where it gets interesting. It points inward as much as outward, framing the song as a confrontation with a side of themselves that hasn’t always been visible. The bridge makes this explicit: imagery of reflection, of something blooming in darkness, of moving past anxiety into something more assured. For a group whose identity has been built on warmth, accessibility, and the kind of pop hooks that pull you in immediately, leaning into shadow and self-possession is a genuine shift.

What “KILLA (Face the other me)” suggests, more than anything, is that Kep1er are no longer defining themselves by where they started – it all points to a group actively rewriting what they’re capable of on their own terms. Four years in, that’s not a small thing.

“Whether it’s the lyrics or the melody, if even one part resonates with me, I find myself holding onto it for a long time.” A song becomes meaningful, she says, at a specific moment: “When it overlaps with my own emotions.”

For first-time listeners still finding their way into Kep1er’s expansive discography, XIAOTING is clear about what she wants them to take from it. “I think Kep1er’s biggest charm is our powerful, energetic performances combined with catchy melodies,” she says. “Even for those hearing our music for the first time, I hope it can give them energy and a sense of positivity in their everyday lives.”

There is a question that cuts through in any long-running group’s interview: looking back at the person you were when you debuted, what would you tell them about what this group would come to mean to you? With Kep1er, the answers are about feelings – what the group became to each of them personally, in ways none of them could have anticipated.

YUJIN speaks to the bond itself, addressing her debut-era self directly. “I’d say that we become a team that grows more united over time,” she says. “When the six of us come together, the synergy is incredible, and they’ll become people who mean even more to you in the future.” CHAEHYUN’s version is more personal. “I’d tell myself that this will become a name you’re grateful for – one that makes you love the stage even more and allows you to feel that kind of happiness.”

HIKARU doesn’t hesitate when asked what Kep1er would become. “I’d say it will become even closer than it is now, and turn into an irreplaceable, family-like presence,” she reflects. She adds in the present tense: “It really feels like we can’t be apart anymore – I feel uneasy without them, and I shine the most when I’m with the members.” DAYEON keeps it simple but certain. “I’d say it will become something much bigger and more deeply connected than you ever imagined.” XIAOTING looks outward. “I’d say that Kep1er will grow a lot and continue to share our energy with many people along the way.”

“Even though it will be a longer journey than you expected, you’ll grow into something truly amazing,” she says, “and you’ll be surrounded by great happiness with the fans who stay by your side.”

When the topic moves to what Kep1er hopes to remember about this chapter a decade from now, the answers do not land on achievements. They land on moments.

YUJIN wants to hold onto the concerts. “Seeing Kep1er and Kep1ians happy together on stage makes me so happy,” she says, “and whenever I watch concert videos, those feelings come back to me.” CHAEHYUN echoes a similar sentiment. “Rather than big achievements, I want to remember the moments when I truly enjoyed being on stage,” she says, “especially the times when I made eye contact with fans and felt in sync with them. That’s how sincere I was in those moments, which is why I try not to miss any of them now.”

DAYEON’s answer is unambiguous. “I want to remember every single moment of our solo concerts the most,” she says. “They’re such precious memories that I want to hold onto them even fifty years from now.” XIAOTING reaches somewhere different. “For me, I think I want to remember music shows the most,” she says. “From rehearsals to the actual performance, every part of the process is created together with our fans, which makes those moments very precious and meaningful.”

HIKARU reaches for something smaller. “I want to remember every moment, but especially the small, everyday things – like eating together, laughing, and crying – as well as every moment we shared with Kep1ians.” HUENING BAHIYYIH’s image is close to that. “The moments of being in sync with the members on stage,” she says, “and the eyes of the fans looking up at us. I think those will stay with me as unforgettable memories for a long time.”

This is a fitting place to leave the story. Not with the album release, not with the Kep1Arcade fan meetings across Japan, not with any sales figures. Just with what the group actually is, in the telling of it: girls from different walks of life who found each other through competition and chose to stay, who grew into something none of them could have predicted, and who keep showing up – for each other, and for the fans who stayed too.