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

A songwriter and composer within the group, JUNMIN approaches music from the melody up, while embracing WHIB’s ability to move between different sounds and styles

An Interview with WHIB’s KIM JUNMIN – The Melody-Minded Music Maker

JACOB takes us track by track through j., his solo debut – seven songs, brought together in a project he built almost entirely on his own terms

Track-By-Track: JACOB’s j.

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&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

&amp;TEAM's first-ever U.S. performances weren't just a KCON debut, they were a test. On the Artist Stage, the group played to a packed, barricade-close crowd

&TEAM's KCON 2026 Debut Stands Out

The first KPOPWORLD Festival &amp; Worldwide Dance Competition lands at San Antonio's Alamodome from 28–31 October, and the choice of city is doing as much talking as the eleven-act lineup

KPOPWORLD Festival's San Antonio Bet: What an Alamodome Weekend Says About K-Pop's US Expansion

The Seoul-born singer-songwriter is 17 years old, less than two years into her career, and already operating on her own terms – writing and producing her music

ZIN CHOI: Listen at Your Own Risk

Cortis, is a South Korean boy band formed by Big Hit Music. The group consists of five members: Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Keonho. They debuted on August 18, 2025, with the digital single “What You Want&quot; followed by their first EP, &quot;Color Outside the Lines&quot;. The group’s name is derived from the phrase “Color Outside the Lines,” reflecting their concept of creative freedom and nonconformity. Cortis has been promoted as a self-producing “creator crew,” with members participating in songwriting, choreography, and visual direction. Blending pop, hip-hop, and experimental elements, the group gained early attention for their performance skills, self-produced content, and strong rookie-year sales, establishing them as one of Big Hit Music’s newer generation acts.

CORTIS

CORTIS built "FaSHioN" around a lyric that refuses the idea that style needs money – 200 million streams later, the track is still their clearest statement of intent

CORTIS’ First Anniversary Positions Them As K-Pop Fashion Royalty

Before Islington Assembly Hall opened its doors, KANG YUCHAN and from20 brought us behind the curtains before the two rising stars took to the stage

Backstage At KANG YUCHAN & from20’s Body Talk Tour in London

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

Since debuting in January 2025, XLOV have made genderless styling the foundation of their entire identity, not just a look one member occasionally reaches for

How XLOV’s Genderless Styling Is Breaking the K-Pop Mould

The seven-member group – SEOHEE, SEOYEON, ELENA, JIA, SAKI, SEAH, and YI HANI – have officially debuted as the first act under HYBE's ABD label, releasing their debut EP TUNE &amp; PLAY today

TUIDE Officially Debut with ‘TUNE & PLAY’

&nbsp;This week’s column breaks down MTV VMA Best K-pop snubs, the fallout from RM and j-hope attending a Chris Brown concert, and why U.S. labels are signing rookie groups like WAYF BOYS

Last Week In K-pop, Interpreted (August 17 - August 21, 2026)

TEN's first project under his own company, ILLIMNT, has a release date. 'OUTWEST,' a single album dropping September 4, marks his first non-commemorative release since leaving SM Entertainment

TEN Announces Single-Album ‘OUTWEST’ for September

Over August 14 and 15, ATEEZ, Kwon Eunbi, MONSTA X and Sunmi took to the stage at Turkey’s annual Istanbul Festivali. Both dates were entirely dedicated to K-pop

Istanbul Festivali 2026, Turkey The Rise of K-Pop in Europe

NCT 127 is the Seoul-based fixed unit of NCT, formed by SM Entertainment and debuting in July 2016. The &quot;127&quot; refers to Seoul&#x27;s longitude, grounding the unit in the city even as the broader NCT project was designed around expansion. From the beginning, NCT 127 carried the more urban, experimental side of the NCT system. The unit&#x27;s music is known for abrasive textures, unusual structures, and a heavy emphasis on rhythm. &quot;Limitless,&quot; &quot;Cherry Bomb,&quot; &quot;Regular,&quot; &quot;Kick It,&quot; and &quot;Sticker&quot; are not built like neutral pop singles; they use chants, distorted synths, sparse hooks, and strong rap sections to create a sound that can feel challenging before it becomes addictive. That willingness to be strange became the group&#x27;s signature rather than a side effect. NCT 127&#x27;s lineup has included members such as Taeyong, Johnny, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Mark, and Haechan. The unit works because those personalities pull in different directions: rap, vocal polish, dance sharpness, humor, and a fashion-forward public image all sit inside one brand. Their fandom falls under the wider NCTzen name, often shortened to Czennie. NCT 127&#x27;s importance is not just that they promoted globally or charted internationally; it is that they made SM&#x27;s most experimental boy-group ideas commercially visible. They turned risk into identity, making songs that sounded unmistakably like NCT 127 even when they divided listeners at first.

NCT 127

NCT 127 closed KCON LA 2026's Day 1, proving that headline status was never about headcount. Jaehyun opened on "Lemonade," the crowd answering back in a wash of Neo Bong light before the group even hit their stride

NCT 127 Prove Five Is Still a Powerhouse at KCON LA 2026

Soloist Yves has announced her second Asia and Australia tour, ‘YVES TOUR 2026 ASIA &amp; AUSTRALIA,’ for November 2026

Yves Announces Second Asia and Australia Tour

RIIZE is a six-member boy group debuted by SM Entertainment in September 2023, marking the label&#x27;s first new boy group in seven years. The group — Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Seunghan (who later left in 2024) Sohee, and Anton — launched with the single &quot;Get A Guitar,&quot; a warm, acoustic-influenced track that departed from SM&#x27;s typical electronic sound. Their name combines &quot;Rise&quot; and &quot;Realize,&quot; symbolizing growth and the realization of dreams. RIIZE&#x27;s debut was met with enormous anticipation and commercial success, with pre-debut buzz generating massive social media engagement. The group has embraced a more accessible, &quot;emotional pop&quot; sound compared to SM&#x27;s other acts, appealing to a broad audience. Their fandom, BRIIZE, grew rapidly from pre-debut activities alone. Though a young group, RIIZE has already demonstrated strong momentum with chart-topping releases, and they represent SM Entertainment&#x27;s vision for the next chapter of their storied legacy of boy groups.

RIIZE

On August 21, SM Entertainment reported that RIIZE has made their debut on the Top 40 Radio Chart, a weekly ranking for U.S. airplay. “Do your dance,” the title track of the group’s most recent EP II - The 2nd Mini Album

RIIZE Debut on U.S. Top 40 Radio Chart

When ALL’N debuted with “We Up” in April, he entered the industry having already built up a wealth of experience. Initially an award-winning violinist, he has since made every aspect of the music industry his focus

ALL’N: Where Classical Meets K-pop

This week brings us two sentimental Japanese comebacks from TXT and ZEROBASEONE and a rock-filled end to ONEWE’s “Dot-Line-Plane” series that’s both uplifting and full of wonder

How XLOV’s Genderless Styling Is Breaking the K-Pop Mould

TUIDE Officially Debut with ‘TUNE & PLAY’

Exclusive

An Interview with WHIB’s KIM JUNMIN – The Melody-Minded Music Maker

Track-By-Track: JACOB’s j.

News

Last Week In K-pop, Interpreted (August 17 - August 21, 2026)

TEN Announces Single-Album ‘OUTWEST’ for September

Istanbul Festivali 2026, Turkey The Rise of K-Pop in Europe

&TEAM's KCON 2026 Debut Stands Out

NCT 127 Prove Five Is Still a Powerhouse at KCON LA 2026

Yves Announces Second Asia and Australia Tour

RIIZE Debut on U.S. Top 40 Radio Chart

ALL’N: Where Classical Meets K-pop

Comeback Corner: TXT, ONEWE, ZEROBASEONE & More

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