GOT the beat, Kep1er: K-pop stars to kick off 2022 with new music
By Dong Sun-hwa
With a new year on the horizon, some of the most celebrated K-pop stars are busy gearing up for their new music offerings. Included on the list are GOT the beat, a new project girl group launched by K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment, and Kep1er, a girl band made up of nine winners from Mnet's talent search show “Girls Planet 999.”
1. GOT the beat (Jan. 3)
Project girl group GOT the beat / Courtesy of SM Entertainment
GOT the beat ― a supergroup consisting of seven female singers represented by SM Entertainment ― will drop its first song, “Step Back” on Jan. 3. Its members include BoA; Taeyeon and Hyoyeon of Girls' Generation; Seulgi and Wendy of Red Velvet and Karina and Winter of aespa.
“Step Back” is an addictive hip-hop, R&B tune interlaced with repetitive bass sounds and variations of different instrumentation,” SM said in a statement, Tuesday. “It revolves around a woman who does not lose her sense of self-respect in her relationship.”
On Twitter, SM unveiled teaser images of BoA, Taeyeon, Seulgi and Winter, featuring the singers sporting dazzling black outfits.
Prior to release, GOT the beat will premiere “Step Back” during the “SMTOWN LIVE 2022: SMCU Express@Kwangya” concert on Jan. 1.
GOT the beat is the first sub-unit that marks the beginning of SM's “Girls On Top” (GOT) project. According to the company, the new project intends to combine different SM female artists to showcase new styles of music and performances.
This is not the first time that SM has produced a project group. In 2019, it launched “K-Pop Avengers” SuperM, which included seven members from its existing boy bands EXO, SHINee and NCT. The septet became the first K-pop act to reign atop the Billboard 200 chart with its self-titled debut album.
2. Kep1er (Jan. 3)
K-pop girl group Kep1er / Courtesy of Wake One Entertainment, Swing Entertainment
Multinational group Kep1er is slated to make its debut on Jan. 3, after pushing back the date due to COVID-19 concerns.
The nonet's debut album “FIRST IMPACT” was originally set to hit shelves on Dec. 14, but the group postponed its plan on Dec. 6 as a member of its support staff tested positive for COVID-19. A few days later, two Kep1er members ― Xiaoting and Mashiro ― were also reported to have contracted the virus. On Dec. 26, Kep1er's management companies Wake One Entertainment and Swing Entertainment announced that the two members had fully recovered.
“FIRST IMPACT” will start off with “WA DA DA,” a track highlighting Kep1er's powerfulness and loveliness. The album will also offer five other tunes including “Shine,” “Another Dream” and “O.O.O (Over&Over&Over),” which were previously unveiled on “Girls Planet 999.”
Kep1er, consisting of Yujin, Mashiro, Xiaoting, Chaehyun, Dayeon, Hikaru, Huening Bahiyyih, Youngeun and Yeseo, will be active for two and a half years.
3. ENHYPEN (Jan. 10)
Teaser for ENHYPEN's new release, “DIMENSION: ANSWER” / Courtesy of BELIFT LAB
K-pop rookie band ENHYPEN is poised to roll out the repackaged version of its first full-length album, “DIMENSION: ANSWER,” on Jan. 10.
ENHYPEN's record label BELIFT LAB took to Twitter to float a number of teasers, Tuesday. One of the images features the members breaking into a mysterious world of miniatures.
More details about the album and its lead single have been kept under wraps.
ENHYPEN consists of seven winners from Mnet's audition program "I-LAND" (2020). Its agency, BELIFT LAB, is a joint venture established by Mnet's operator, CJ ENM and HYBE, home to K-pop sensation BTS. ENHYPEN's first studio album “DIMENSION: DILEMMA,” which came out on Oct. 12, sold more than 1 million copies.
4. MAMAMOO's Wheein (Jan. 16)
Teasers for Wheein's upcoming EP, “WHEE” / Courtesy of The L1VE
Also included in the star-studded January lineup is Wheein of K-pop girl group MAMAMOO, who will release her second EP, “WHEE,” on Jan. 16. This will be her first album since she joined a new agency ― THE L1VE ― earlier this year. THE L1VE is a music label established by Ravi, a rapper of K-pop boy group VIXX.
It has taken about nine months for the MAMAMOO member to come up with a fresh EP, since she put out her first mini-album, “Redd,” in April. But the details about the EP have not been disclosed yet.
Wheein debuted as part of MAMAMOO in 2014 with the single "Mr. Ambiguous." MAMAMOO, comprising Solar, Moon Byul, Wheein and Hwasa, rose to stardom after unleashing a string of hits, including "Decalcomanie" (2016) and "Starry Night" (2018). In 2018, Wheein made her solo debut with the digital single "Easy."
On top of that, more K-pop acts like MOMOLAND, PENTAGON and WJSN Chocome ― a sub-unit of girl group WJSN ― are also preparing to return to the stage. Kim Yo-han, a member of K-pop boy band WEi, will also make his solo debut with the mini-album “Illusion” on Jan. 10.