Girl group Kep1er will undergo significant changes in 2024 after their initial disbandment date 2024. While the group is not technically disbanding, some members will leave after their summer comeback.
Kep1er currently has nine members: Kim Chae-Hyun, Huening Bahiyyih, Choi Yujin, Kim Dayeon, Seo Youngeun, Kang Ye Seo, Hikaru Ezaki, Mashiro Sakamoto, and Shen Xiaoting. The group was formed from Mnet‘s famous K-pop reality show Girls’ Planet 999 and was supposed to disband by July 2024.
143 Entertainment reveals Yeseo & Mashiro will join Limelight
Kep1er will not disband but become a seven-member group as Mashiro and Yeseo will leave the company. Yeseo and Mashiro’s activities are under discussion, 143 Entertainment revealed. They stated: “We were even discussing with CJ ENM until yesterday whether to extend Yeseo and Mashiro’s Kep1er activities. We are still reviewing this matter carefully, and no decisions have been made.”
As per initial reports, Yeseo and Mashiro will join the Limelight group under 143 Entertainment. Kep1er’s agency, WakeOne Entertainment, commented: “We are discussing with the members and each member’s agency regarding the extension of Kep1er’s project group activities.”
Meanwhile, Kep1er is preparing for their upcoming summer comeback with the full-length album Kep1going On. The forthcoming album will contain ten tracks in total, including:
- Last Carnival
- Shooting Star
- Curious
- Flowers, Flutter, Your Heart
- Double Up!
- PUSH BUTTON
- PROBLEM
- Dear Diary
- Grand Prix (Korean version)
- Straight Line (Korean version)
The studio album Kep1going On will be released on June 3 at 6 p.m. KST, 5 a.m. ET, 2 a.m. PT, and 10 a.m. BST. Pre-orders for the album started on May 14, 2024, and continued until release.
Kep1going On is a unique album for fans as two group members have also contributed to the songwriting of multiple tracks. A report says “Shooting Star” is the album’s title track, where Dayeon incorporates rap lyrics. The song is a tribute to Kep1er’s worldwide fans, whose support has made the group stronger. Mashiro also wrote lyrics for b-side tracks like “Curious” and “Straight Line.”