By: Melissa Díaz Quevedo
K-pop is here to stay for a while. Over the last decade, this music, which mixes different genres and styles, has become a global phenomenon. Many people have heard of groups such as BTS, Blackpink, EXO, Twice, Girls’ Generation, and others who have had an incredible impact worldwide. Popularity and diversity are the reasons we see more collaborations between K-pop idols and Western artists through social media every day. For example, one of the latest collaborations was the single‘Back for More’ by the group Tomorrow by Together (TXT) and the Brazilian artist Anitta.
Among these stars is Enhypen, a group under BELIFT LAB and HYBE Corporation. They’re a seven-member band:: Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Niki. The group was formed on ‘I-Land’, which was a show aimed at creating a new group of Bang Si-hyuk, also known as Bang PD, the founder of BTS and Hybe Corporation, one of Korea’s top entertainment companies.
What makes Enhypen stand out? Firstly, they were formed on the TV show ‘I-Land’, which happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. This show featured a global voting program and allowed fans worldwide to follow their progress, understand their emotions, and vote for their favorite member to debut. Also, the group’s members come from different countries like Korea, Japan, the United States, and Australia.
Since their debut on November 30, 2020, with the single‘Given and Taken’, Enhypen has been breaking records. For instance, their recent track ‘Bite Me’, became the fastest fourth-generation K-pop song to cross 100 million streams on Spotify, in just 90 days. ‘Bite Me’ reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart and the mini-album ‘Dark Blood’ made it to No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart.
Also, in September 2023, they became the first 4th generation group to sell out the Tokyo Dome, a stadium with a capacity of 55,000 people and one of the biggest concert venues in Japan, where many K-pop artists aspire to perform. After two days of performing, Lee Heeseung, one of the group’s vocalists, shared his thoughts in a post on Weverse: “We could meet so many Engenes in Tokyo Dome. It’s really dizzying, exciting, and filled with a lot of emotions”. Niki, the Japanese and youngest member, also shared “The last two days have been the happiest moments of my life”.
This achievement is significant because Japan is a vital market for K-pop artists because offers numerous touring and performing opportunities. With two nights sold out, Enhypen has turned into a phenomenon in the Land of the Rising Sun and its global impact continues to rise. In fact, their next stage is in LA on October 6 at the Dignity Health Sports Park.
It’s just been three years since they debuted and they have already achieved many goals that any artist could dream about. From breaking records with their hit songs to filling famous venues like the Tokyo Dome they have demonstrated their global impact. Also, Japan recognizing their talent and their dedicated global fanbase show how quickly they’ve become successful. As Enhypen continues with the ‘Fate Tour’, their future in the music industry looks promising.