[Today’s K-pop] Kep1er debuts with 1m followers on TikTok

Girl group Kep1er hosted an online showcase to signal its debut Monday.
 
The nine members of the band were chosen through a competition that started with 99 candidates from China, Japan and Korea. The program wrapped up in October and the band was originally set to debut last month, but that was postponed as two members tested positive for COVID-19 while preparing.
 
“I’m so excited and happy that I am making a debut that I’ve been only dreaming about,” gushed Choi Yujin.
 
The debut EP is titled “First Impact” and consists of six tracks that contain the band’s perspective. With the EP, “listeners will be able to watch dreams become real,” said Mashiro.
 
Lead track “Wa Da Da” fully demonstrates the nonet’s energy and charms in the dance number. It announces the group’s ambition, but the first thing on their minds was that they were not to disappoint fans who have supported them from the beginning of the show.
 
“First we’d set our goal at the music video of the debut song topping 30 million views,” said Choi.

Seventeen’s Woozi puts out 1st solo mixtape

Woozi of Seventeen discussed his first solo mixtape before releasing it Monday.
 
“I am proud that I might have further grown in terms of music through working on this,” he said, adding that he is satisfied with how it could be a special gift to the band’s fans.
 
The title “Ruby” signifies that the music instantly pulls the listener in like a beautiful gemstone. The musician described it as strong and diverse, and confided that he wanted to create music that is as far from him as possible, but at the same time is very much like him.
 
Writing all the lyrics in English was a novel experience for the seasoned songwriter. There were difficulties, but he had many who offered help and, thanks to them, he could come up with good words.
 
“I’d like to hear that (the mixtape) is attractive in a way that only Woozi can,” he said.

Yuju of GFriend to debut as solo musician

Yuju of disbanded girl group GFriend will return as a solo musician on Jan. 18, announced agency Konnect Entertainment on Monday.
 
She debuted as a member of the six-member act in 2015 with the EP “Season of Glass,” but the group disbanded in May, not long after the agency Source Music was acquired by Hybe, which was Big Hit Entertainment at the time.
 
In September, she signed with Konnect Entertainment and has been preparing for her solo career. In November, she took her first step with a remake of Jo Sungmo’s 2004 megahit “To Your Side,” the main theme song for drama series “Lovers in Paris.” It was part of a project named Cyworld BGM 2021 that invited contemporary singers to sing the top 100 songs from the 2000s.
 
Her debut EP is titled “REC.” and according to the agency, will surprise listeners with her musical capabilities. It will mark a meaningful start as a solo artist, said the company.

Up10tion ready to take challenge

Boy band Up10tion held an online showcase Monday to introduce its 10th EP “Novella.”
 
As the title suggests, the six-track EP is fashioned after a short novel that starts from meeting and falling in love with someone and then breaking up and dealing with the heartbreak afterwards. But the relationship between Up10tion and Honey10 will be that of a happy ending, said Sunyoul with a smile. Honey10 is the name of the 10-piece band’s official fandom community.
 
“We wanted to show a more mature side of us and devoted ourselves to working on music for the past six months,” said Kuhn. While working on the album, they went through the ups and downs of being in and out of love.
 
Lead track “Crazy About You” will be a challenge in the matter of music.
 
“We’ll put on great performances for sure but also will express sophisticated sexiness. To top it off, we’ve added full sentiments,” said Hwanhee.

By Hwang You-mee (glamazon@heraldcorp.com)