&TEAM Korean Debut 2025: Million-Seller Group Targets Music Show Wins with 'Back to Life'

HYBE's nine-member multinational group &TEAM officially entered the Korean music market on October 28, 2025, releasing their first Korean mini album "Back to Life" after three years of building success in Japan.

Japan Success Leads to Korean Launch

The group held a media showcase at Blue Square in Seoul's Yongsan District on October 28, marking their first official Korean album promotion. While &TEAM has previously performed Korean versions of Japanese songs on Korean music shows, this represents their first domestic comeback.

"When I first heard about our Korean debut, I was honestly surprised," said EJ, the group's Korean leader. "We've prepared hard for this."

&TEAM debuted in Japan on December 7, 2022, under YX Labels (formerly HYBE Labels Japan). The group was formed through the survival show "&AUDITION - The Howling -" and consists of six Japanese members, one Korean (EJ), one Taiwanese (Nicholas), and one German-Japanese member (Maki).

Million-Seller Status and Tour Success

Before their Korean debut, &TEAM achieved significant milestones in Japan. Their third single "Go in Blind," released in April 2025, earned million-seller certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), with shipments exceeding one million copies.

The group's first Asia tour "Awaken the Bloodline" initially attracted 100,000 fans across nine cities from May through July 2025. The tour later expanded with encore performances at Saitama Super Arena in Japan on October 25-26, bringing total attendance to approximately 160,000 fans.

'Back to Life' and Future Goals

The title track "Back to Life" is a rock hip-hop song expressing determination and resilience. The six-track album includes "Lunatic," "MISMATCH," "Rush," "Heartbreak Time Machine," and "Who am I."

"Our goal this time is to definitely get first place on Korean music shows," member Jo stated at the showcase. "Korean music shows are stages that fans around the world watch."

The production team included HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, main producer Soma Genda, Latin Grammy-nominated producer JULiA LEWiS, and producers Tyler Spry, Scotty Dittrich, Mick Coogan, and Park Moon-chi.

Beyond music show wins, the group has larger ambitions. "Our next goal is a world tour," said K, while Maki added, "Appearing at Lollapalooza is our dream."

Preparing for Korean Promotions

The Japanese members studied Korean extensively before the debut. "I thought language was really important, so I made an effort by talking with EJ and watching variety shows," Yuma explained. "Now my Korean skills have improved."

Member Harua acknowledged both excitement and concerns: "K-pop culture is something fans worldwide pay attention to. What we're looking forward to is meeting fans frequently. What I'm worried about is our Korean language skills."

Understanding Korean music show culture, the members practiced intensively. "Korean music shows have fancams and ending fairies, so we practiced every facial expression and movement," Harua said.

Industry Context

&TEAM represents HYBE's first overseas-based global group, trained under the K-pop system but initially debuting abroad. Four members (K, Nicholas, EJ, and Taki) previously competed on the 2020 survival show "I-LAND," which produced ENHYPEN.

The group's Korean debut exemplifies the K-pop industry's evolving globalization strategy, where groups trained in Korea first establish themselves in foreign markets before returning to compete domestically.

The album "Back to Life" was released on October 28, 2025, with the title track pre-released on October 27 across streaming platforms.