South Korean agency SM Entertainment recently unveiled the members of their new boy group ‘RIIZE’, including former NCT members Shotaro and Sungchan. Back in May, it can be remembered that the two left their former band and were reported to be joining a new group.
In a press release last Monday, July 31, SM Entertainment announced that in September, they’ll be debuting a seven-member boy group named RIIZE – with the group name being a combination of the words ‘Rise’ and ‘Realize’ – wherein, the group “will rise and realize their dreams together.”
The group is said to be the first K-pop group to define itself with the genre of “emotional pop,” which will infuse punk rock and pop with emotional lyrics.
The following day, RIIZE opened its official Instagram account introducing the “seven top-notch members who have both skills and visuals,” as the agency described.
View this post on Instagram
“These members, each of whom has their own unique characteristics and strengths, will embark on a new ‘Realtime odyssey’ together as one team, through which they will write a new chapter of music history,” SM Entertainment wrote in the press release.
As such, the lineup includes former NCT members Shotaro and Sungchan, alongside SM Rookies Eunseok and Seung Han, and newly announced members Won Bin, So Hee, and Anton.
Shotaro and Sungchan first debuted as a member of NCT in 2020, participating in the group’s second full-length album NCT Resonance Pt. 1, its repackage album NCT Resonance Pt. 2, and their 2021 album Universe – before departing the group last May to re-debut in the new group.
RIIZE will be the first rookie boy group to be launched under the agency after NCT debuted in 2016, and the first group SM Entertainment will launch after 2 years following Aespa in November 2022.
The group is set to take the stage at the SMTown Live 2023 on September 26 which will be held at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia – joining other SM Entertainment artists including Aespa, NCT (127, Dream, and WayV), Red Velvet, Super Junior, and TVXQ.
Aside from RIIZE, SM Entertainment is also planning to launch the final sub-unit of NCT through a reality show, called, “NCT Universe: Lastart,” and is planning to launch a new girl group, though, details for the latter are yet to be announced.
Other POP! stories that you might like:
Is BLACKPINK going to have the same fate as 2NE1?
5 K-Dramas that convince us love gets sweeter the second time around
2016 K-Dramas to re-watch: A look back at one of the best eras of K-Drama to date
NewJeans express admiration and gratitude to IU for being their ‘Celebrity’
