KPOPWORLD #5

KPOPWORLD #4

KPOPWORLD #3

KPOPWORLD #2 (Poster Version)

将于 2026 年 10 月 28 日至 31 日登陆 Alamodome

KPOPWORLD Festival & Worldwide Dance Competition

idntt (아이덴티티; read as identity) is an upcoming 24-member boy group under MODHAUS. They are set to make their debut sometime in 2026. The group consists of members divided into 3 rotational sub-units consisting of 8 members each - uneverm8t, yesw8are and itsnotov8r.

idntt

为新专辑 &lt;itsnotover&gt;，idntt 与 KPOPWORLD 坐下来聊了聊他们一路走来的经历、这个团队对他们提出了怎样的要求，以及他们绝不愿放手的东西

idntt：The KPOPWORLD 数字封面

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

要收尾一部三部曲并不难。真正难的是，把故事交还给那些亲身经历过它的人。EPEX 的 Youth: Epilogue 用两年、三张专辑的成长叙事，为这段青春篇章画上句点。

EPEX 谈 Youth Epilogue、主导权与成长

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

7月14日，内服美容品牌 LifePharm 宣布，genderless 组合 XLOV 将成为其最新的 Global Ambassadors。该品牌以爆红的膳食补充剂 Mood Change Alpha Plus 系列闻名，并被形容为专为 K-pop 偶像打造的自我护理产品。

XLOV 被宣布成为内服美容品牌 LifePharm 的代言人

K-pop的合约制度自20世纪90年代行业诞生以来经历了许多变化。从长达13年的“奴隶合约”，到缩短为7年——并可选择续约重谈

K-pop的合约制度解析——以及为什么这么多艺人正在离开大公司

K-pop house 的王者回来了，第一代传奇首次单飞，25 年来第一次独自发声，而 XIA 新音乐的十年等待也终于画上句号。本周的 Comeback Corner 份量十足——完整盘点现已上线。

Comeback Corner：SHINee、MEOVV、BoA，及更多

ONE PACT is a five-member boy group under ARMADA Ent. They debuted on November 30, 2023, with their first mini album Moment. The meaning of their group name &quot;ONE PACT&quot; is a combination of the words &quot;ONE&quot; (Together) + &quot;PACT&quot; (Impact), which means &quot;To come together to make a big impact&quot;. The name of their fandom, &quot;&amp;HEART;&quot; represents the idea of a continuous (&amp;) and inevitable (♡) encounter that defines ONE PACT&#x27;s existence.

ONE PACT

ONE PACT 将他们的 [OUTSHINE] World Tour 带到了伦敦——而且这场演出绝对不负期待。演出前一天，Jongwoo、Seongmin、TAG 和 Yedam 还与 Oraceon Dance Crew 一起在 Hyde Park 进行了 Random Play Dance 街头表演，把这里变成了一场粉丝活动。

从 Hyde Park 到 Islington：ONE PACT 的伦敦首秀，等待终于值得了

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 在2016年只一起活动了八个月。十年之后，K-pop 两种最常见的表演形式——ending fairy 和 M2 Relay Dance——都能直接追溯到她们。

即使过了10年，I.O.I 依然保持着K-pop影响力

ASTRO is a four-member boy group under Fantagio. Originally debuting as six members, the group entered the industry with their first mini album &quot;Spring Up&quot;, quickly gaining attention for their bright concept and strong performance skills. The original lineup consisted of MJ, JinJin, Cha Eun-woo, Moon Bin, Rocky, and Sanha, establishing a well-balanced team recognized for both musical and variety presence. In their early years, ASTRO built a steady discography with releases such as &quot;Summer Vibes&quot;, &quot;Autumn Story&quot;, and the &quot;Dream&quot; series, while also expanding their reach through concerts and international promotions. Their growth continued with their first full-length album &quot;All Light&quot; and subsequent releases including &quot;Blue Flame&quot;, &quot;Gateway&quot;, and &quot;All Yours&quot;, solidifying their place in the industry with a consistent sound and evolving image. The group also explored unit activities, including Moon Bin &amp; Sanha and JinJin &amp; Rocky, further showcasing their versatility. :contentReference[oaicite:0] Over time, ASTRO experienced significant changes, including Rocky’s departure and the passing of Moon Bin in 2023, marking a deeply emotional period for the group and fans. Despite these challenges, the group has continued activities as four members, releasing commemorative and special projects such as &quot;Circles&quot;, &quot;Twilight&quot;, and &quot;Moon&quot;, reflecting both their growth and enduring bond as they move forward together.

ASTRO

距离 CHAMELEON 发布仅十个月，YOON SAN-HA 已不再走“变身”路线。他的第三张迷你专辑 NO REASON 完全剥离了概念包装，用五首歌围绕一个近乎带点挑衅意味的单一前提展开：我就这样，不加修饰，这就够了。

KPOPWORLD Track-By-Track 与 YOON SAN-HA 一起拆解 “NO REASON”

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

当 Jennie 的 Gentle Monster 广告告一段落、她转而以 Ray-Ban 代言人身份亮相时，根本不需要任何官方声明——品牌更换本身就说明了一切。这就是 K-celebrity 代言的力量：在韩国，一个熟悉的面孔，本身就是一种道德背书

不只是漂亮脸蛋：K-Celebrities 如何成为广告界的金标准

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

tripleS 带着全体二十四名成员回来了。ASSEMBLE26 &lt;LOVE&amp;POP&gt; pt.1 现已上线——这是一个将持续到 2027 年 1 月的三部曲企划的第一部分，也是这个组合迄今为止最具野心的一年所迈出的开场一步

tripleS 携 ASSEMBLE26 <LOVE&POP> pt.1 回归

XLOV 在过去一年里一直在摸索自己到底是什么样的存在。作为第二张迷你专辑《I, God》的主打曲，“SERVE” 是他们首次如此完整地把整幅图景拼合起来

“SERVE” 深度解析：XLOV 很清楚他们到底在“serve”什么

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

hrtz.wav 的鼓手从未公开露面。Hagiwa 一直以戴着面具的方式进行表演、参赛和宣传——他的真实姓名、年龄和身份都未公开

为什么 hrtz.wav 的出道在各个频段都格外有感觉

Seoul 的 Africa Day 直接挑战了一个长期借用 Black culture 却从未真正认真反思其含义的产业。今年，BLACKSWAN 的 Fatou 成为首位在该活动上表演的 K-pop 偶像

Seoul 的 Africa Day 2026 活动展示了为什么 African 代表性在 South Korea 至关重要

本周有三个故事，都从不同角度围绕着同一个问题：粉丝、厂牌，以及艺人自己，究竟能在多大程度上定义一段 K-pop 职业生涯应有的样子？

上周 K-pop 观察解读（2026年5月25日 - 29日）

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

aespa 回来了。LEMONADE——她们的第二张正规专辑——现已发行，这也是她们迄今为止风格最丰富的一张作品。Hyperpop、pop-rock、R&amp;B、电子舞曲

aespa 以第二张专辑《LEMONADE》回归

前 ZB1 和 EVNNE 成员以 AND2BLE 之名重新出道，带着证明自己的决心回归。XLOV 携首次尝试舞曲风格的新作回归，Han Sohee 也参与其中。

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