KPOPWORLD #5

KPOPWORLD #4

KPOPWORLD #3

KPOPWORLD #2 (Poster Version)

&amp;TEAM is a nine-member Japanese boy group under YX Labels (formerly HYBE Labels Japan). The group was formed through the survival program &quot;&amp;Audition - The Howling&quot; and debuted in December 2022 with their first extended play &quot;First Howling: Me&quot;. The group consists of EJ, Fuma, K, Nicholas, Yuma, Jo, Harua, Taki, and Maki, with EJ serving as the leader. Several members, including K, Nicholas, EJ, and Taki, previously participated in the survival show I-LAND before being selected for HYBE&#x27;s Japanese global debut project. Before their official debut, the group released the digital single Under the Skin, which introduced their storyline and concept. Their debut EP, First Howling,e followed shortly afterward, marking the beginning of the group&#x27;s &quot;First Howling&quot; series of releases. Although primarily active in Japan, &amp;TEAM promoted internationally and later expanded into Korea with Korean-language releases and promotions. Their fandom name is LUNÉ, representing fans who support the group like the moon lighting the night sky.

&TEAM

Na nossa matéria de capa impressa da Issue 5, MAKI do &amp;TEAM fala com sinceridade sobre como é viralizar — e por que isso é mais complicado do que parece

NA REFLEXÃO MAKI: &TEAM

BIGBANG is a South Korean boy group formed by YG Entertainment, debuting in 2006 and becoming one of the most influential acts in K-pop history. The current profile centers on G-Dragon, Taeyang, and Daesung, with T.O.P and Seungri tied to earlier chapters of the group. The group&#x27;s importance comes from how strongly it changed expectations for idol music and image. BIGBANG made self-production, individual fashion identity, and genre-blending central to its appeal, with G-Dragon&#x27;s songwriting and public style playing a major role in the group&#x27;s reputation. Musically, BIGBANG moved through hip-hop, R&amp;B, electronic pop, ballads, and festival-sized dance tracks without losing a recognizable identity. Songs such as &quot;Lies,&quot; &quot;Haru Haru,&quot; &quot;Fantastic Baby,&quot; and &quot;Bang Bang Bang&quot; became reference points for later idol groups trying to balance mainstream hooks with stronger artist branding. The members also became major solo figures, which helped the group feel less like a standard idol team and more like a collection of distinct pop stars. That individual power brought both longevity and complications, especially as military service, controversies, and member departures changed the group&#x27;s public shape. The fandom is known as V.I.P. BIGBANG is a defining second-generation group whose impact on K-pop music, fashion, performance, and global ambition is difficult to separate from the genre&#x27;s modern history.

BIGBANG

G-Dragon tornou-se o primeiro rapper asiático na história da Nike a fechar uma colaboração criativa com o Swoosh em 2019 — não um contrato de embaixador, mas uma parceria construída inteiramente em torno da sua própria lógica estética

Como G-Dragon construiu a parceria mais importante da Nike na história do K-pop

A trajetória de David Yong no K-pop não segue o manual padrão de um idol. Depois de descobrir o gênero por meio de BIGBANG e TWICE, o empreendedor de Singapura recorreu a anos de treinamento vocal enquanto encarava estudos de coreano, aulas de dança e gravações em Seoul

De Fã a Executivo-Artista: David Yong sobre Sua Jornada no K-pop

KiiiKiii is a five-member girl group under Starship Entertainment, consisting of Jiyu, Leesol, Sui, Haum, and Kya. The group began its rollout in 2025 with &quot;I Do Me&quot; and built its debut era around a confident, self-directed image. As a newer Starship group, KiiiKiii carries attention from the company&#x27;s girl-group history while needing a distinct identity of its own. Their early presentation leans youthful but assertive, with styling and performance choices that frame the members as a compact team rather than a loose collection of rookies. The fandom is known as TiiiKiii. KiiiKiii is still early in its career, but its debut identity is clear: a compact Starship girl group built around self-possession, youthful confidence, and a team image still being defined through its first releases.

KiiiKiii

Certos tipos de marketing se tornaram comuns na indústria do K-pop. De fotos conceituais iniciais e trailers em estilo de filme a teasers e mash-ups, novos álbuns vêm acompanhados de uma grande quantidade de conteúdo para os fãs analisarem antes do lançamento

Uma nova era do marketing do K-pop: por que o site de viagem de KiiiKiii funciona

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.

BTS anunciou que não submeterá músicas para o 68º Grammy Awards, que acontece em fevereiro do ano que vem, em resposta à criação de uma nova categoria de Best Asian Pop Music Performance

BTS se retiram do Grammy Awards anual

USPEER is a South Korean girl group currently under MW Entertainment. Originally formed under WM Entertainment, they debuted on June 4, 2025, with their first single album &quot;Speed Zone&quot;. The group&#x27;s original lineup consisted of seven members: Yeowon, Soee, Sian, Seoyu, Daon, Chaena, and Roa. Their name combines the words &quot;US&quot; and &quot;PEER&quot;, reflecting the group&#x27;s understanding of the nature of the world and their commitment to working together to create a brighter future. In January 2026, after amicably concluding negotiations over the group&#x27;s exclusive contract and trademarks, USPEER&#x27;s management was transferred to MW Entertainment. Later, in May 2026, it was announced that leader Yeowon would be leaving the group following a long hiatus.

USPEER

Há um ano, USPEER estrearam sob a WM Entertainment como um grupo de sete integrantes, com um single cheio de energia e um nome construído em torno da curiosidade coletiva. Doze meses depois, são um grupo diferente em quase todos os sentidos — agência diferente, lineup diferente

Um Ano Depois, USPEER Ainda Seguem Firmes

I.O.I is an 11-member project girl group under Swing Entertainment formed through Mnet&#x27;s survival show Produce 101. The group was managed by YMC Entertainment and CJ E&amp;M, and officially debuted on May 4, 2016 with the mini album Chrysalis and its title track Dream Girls. Their name stood for &quot;Ideal of Idol&quot;, reflecting the show&#x27;s premise of creating a &quot;national girl group&quot; chosen directly by viewers. The final lineup consisted of Nayoung, Chungha, Sejeong, Chaeyeon, Kyulkyung, Sohye, Yeonjung, Yoojung, Mina, Doyeon, and Somi. Because the members came from different agencies, I.O.I was always planned as a temporary group. During their short run, they promoted both as a full group and as a sub-unit, releasing songs like Whatta Man, Very Very Very, and Downpour. Despite being active for less than a year, I.O.I became one of the most influential project groups in K-pop. Their success helped prove the power of survival-show fandoms and paved the way for later Produce groups like Wanna One, IZ*ONE, and X1. After their disbandment in January 2017, many members continued in the industry as soloists, actors, or members of groups such as Weki Meki, gugudan, DIA, PRISTIN, Cosmic Girls, and JEON SOMI as a solo artist. In 2026, I.O.I reunited for a special 10th anniversary project, marking their first major group comeback in nearly a decade. The reunion featured nine members, with Mina and Kyulkyung not participating, and included the EP I.O.I : Loop, a pre-release track, and anniversary concerts in Seoul before additional Asia tour stops. Although I.O.I began as a temporary group, their legacy has lasted far beyond their original contract, making them one of K-pop&#x27;s defining examples of how a short-lived project group could leave a permanent mark.

I.O.I

I.O.I estiveram juntas por oito meses em 2016. Uma década depois, dois dos formatos de performance mais onipresentes do K-pop — o ending fairy e o M2 Relay Dance — têm origem direta nelas

Mesmo Após 10 Anos, I.O.I Mantém Sua Relevância no K-pop

BLACKPINK is a four-member South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, consisting of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. They debuted on August 8, 2016 with Square One, led by &quot;Boombayah&quot; and &quot;Whistle,&quot; and arrived as YG&#x27;s first new girl group after 2NE1. From the beginning, the group was presented less as a large idol ensemble and more as four sharply individualized performers, each with a distinct vocal tone, visual identity, and public role. The group&#x27;s name captures the tension that became central to their image: &quot;black&quot; for a harder, more self-assured edge and &quot;pink&quot; for glamour, playfulness, and pop accessibility. Their music often builds around that contrast. Jennie and Lisa&#x27;s rap sections give many songs a clipped, percussive center, while Jisoo and Rosé&#x27;s vocals provide melodic lift and emotional color. This structure made BLACKPINK songs easy to recognize even across different producers, languages, and markets; the group could move from the spare whistle hook of their debut to the maximal drops of &quot;DDU-DU DDU-DU&quot; and still feel like the same act. BLACKPINK&#x27;s rise was also shaped by scarcity. Compared with many idol groups, they released relatively few songs in their first several years, which made each comeback feel closer to an event than a routine promotional cycle. That strategy had tradeoffs, but it concentrated public attention on a small set of songs, videos, styling choices, and stage moments. Tracks such as Kill This Love, How You Like That, Pink Venom, and Shut Down became reference points for a global-facing K-pop style built around impact, visual clarity, and immediately repeatable hooks. Their international growth came from more than chart performance. BLACKPINK connected K-pop&#x27;s idol system with the language of global pop, luxury fashion, digital fandom, and festival stages. They were the first Korean girl group to perform at Coachella in 2019 and returned in 2023 as the first K-pop act to headline the festival. Collaborations with Western pop artists, major fashion-house relationships, and an unusually large YouTube and social-media footprint helped make the members visible to audiences who did not necessarily follow Korean music closely. As individual artists, all four members developed major careers in music, acting, fashion, and brand work, making BLACKPINK one of the clearest examples of a modern K-pop group whose group identity and solo identities reinforce each other. After renewing with YG for group activities, the members&#x27; individual paths became more independent while BLACKPINK remained active as a shared brand and performance unit. Their significance is not only that they broke records, but that they helped normalize a model where a K-pop girl group could operate simultaneously as an idol act, a global pop project, and a set of four standalone celebrity careers. The fandom is known as BLINK.

BLACKPINK

Quando a campanha de Jennie com Gentle Monster chegou ao fim e ela apareceu à frente de Ray-Ban, ninguém precisou de um comunicado oficial — a troca de marca disse tudo. Esse é o poder dos endorsements de K-celebrities: na Coreia, um rosto familiar é uma espécie de selo moral

Mais do que um rosto bonito: como as K-Celebrities se tornaram o padrão-ouro da publicidade

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

XLOV passaram o último ano descobrindo exatamente o que são. "SERVE" – a faixa-título do segundo mini álbum I, God – é a primeira vez que o quadro completo se encaixa de forma tão definitiva

“SERVE” Deep Dive: XLOV Sabem Exatamente O Que Estão Servindo

hrtz.wav is a five-member boy band under Kakao Entertainment. The group was formed through STEAL HEART CLUB and debuted with their first mini album The First Wave. The group’s formation began when Mnet announced plans to debut a new global boy band through the survival program STEAL HEART CLUB, which aired in late 2025. The program followed contestants competing in different instrumental and vocal positions to determine the final lineup of the band. The show premiered in October 2025 and concluded with a live finale in December, where the group’s official name, hrtz.wav, and its final members were revealed. The lineup was determined by position rankings, with Hagiwa as drummer, Dane as bassist, Keiten as guitarist, Riaan as vocalist, and Youn Young Jun as keyboardist. Production of the program was handled by CJ ENM, while Kakao Entertainment oversees the band’s distribution, album planning, production, and overall management. The group made their official debut with the mini album The First Wave, released on April 8, 2026.

hrtz.wav

O baterista de hrtz.wav nunca mostrou o rosto. Hagiwa se apresenta, compete e promove tudo atrás de uma máscara — seu nome verdadeiro, idade e identidade não foram revelados

Por que a estreia de hrtz.wav soa diferente em todas as frequências

O Africa Day de Seoul é um desafio direto a uma indústria que há muito tempo se apropriou da cultura negra sem encarar plenamente o que isso significa. Este ano, Fatou, do BLACKSWAN, tornou-se a primeira idol de K-pop a se apresentar no evento

O evento Africa Day 2026 de Seoul mostra por que a representação africana importa na Coreia do Sul

SM Entertainment e Samsung TV Plus estão tornando os concertos de K-pop gratuitos para assistir em casa – sem ingresso, sem passagem aérea

SM's Monthly Concert Series Is Closing The Distance

KATSEYE is a multinational girl group formed through the reality competition series Dream Academy, a collaboration between HYBE and Geffen Records. The group debuted in June 2024 with the single &quot;Debut&quot;. KATSEYE consists of six members from different countries: Daniela Avanzini, Lara Rajagopalan, Manon Bannerman, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza, and Yoonchae Jeong. The group was created to combine Kpop training with a global pop approach, featuring members from North America, Europe, and Asia. The group first gained attention through the documentary series The Debut: Dream Academy (or Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE on Netflix), which followed the trainees&#x27; journey during the Dream Academy project and the process of forming the final lineup. KATSEYE&#x27;s music blends elements of pop, dance, and K-pop-influenced production while targeting a global audience with multilingual promotion and international activities.

KATSEYE

KATSEYE varreram os AMAs – New Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Pop Artist e Best Music Video por "Gnarly" – e todas as datas da WILDWORLD TOUR esgotaram. Todas as 31.

KATSEYE varrem os AMAs e esgotam turnê em arenas com 31 datas em 48 horas

O K-pop há muito tem uma relação complicada com estrear menores de idade ao lado de adultos – mas a escolha do conceito importa tanto quanto a diferença de idade

Menores Em Conceitos Adultos: Onde o K-pop Traça a Linha?

KATSEYE está lotando arenas pela Europa e pela América do Norte – 200.000 fãs na fila da Ticketmaster, várias datas já adicionadas e um terceiro EP ainda a caminho. Por qualquer medida, a trajetória é notável

KATSEYE Estão Lotando Arenas. Então Por Que Tudo Parece Em Aberto?

De contratações de ídolos de K-pop a protestos pró-democracia — os festivais universitários na Coreia do Sul sempre foram mais do que entretenimento

Como os festivais universitários se tornaram cruciais no marketing do K-pop

2PM is a South Korean boy group formed by JYP Entertainment, currently centered on Jun. K, Nichkhun, Taecyeon, Wooyoung, Junho, and Chansung. They debuted in 2008 after the Hot Blood Men project, with Jay Park part of the group&#x27;s early history. The group became known for a &quot;beast idol&quot; image that emphasized athletic performance, masculine styling, and stage physicality. That made 2PM stand apart from many second-generation boy groups, especially as songs like &quot;Again &amp; Again&quot; and &quot;Heartbeat&quot; turned their choreography and dramatic staging into a signature. 2PM also developed strong individual careers. Members moved into acting, variety, solo music, songwriting, and international activities, helping the group remain recognizable even through military service and long gaps between releases. The fandom is known as HOTTEST. 2PM became one of JYP&#x27;s key second-generation acts, broadening boy-group performance language while building enough member recognition to last beyond their peak idol-cycle years.

Chyenne Tatum traça como o 2PM passou de uma estreia com acrobacias e sex appeal sem pudor em 2008 a remodelar completamente o que um boy group de K-pop podia ser

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