Catch your eye, catch your mind! 안녕하세요 케플러입니다!
Catch your eye, catch your mind! Annyeonghaseyo, Kep1er imnida!
Catch your eye, catch your mind! Hello, we are Kep1er!
Kep1er (pronounced as Kepler) is a multi-national K-pop girl group. The group was formed through the reality survival show Girls Planet 999 and consists of nine members. They made their debut on January 3, 2022 with the mini album FIRST IMPACT.
The group will be active and under contract with WAKEONE and Swing Entertainment for two and a half years.[1]
In 2024, Kep1er became the first ever group from Produce series to extend the contracts. However: Mashiro and Yeseo did not renew the contracts.
Etymology
According to the companies managing the group, 'Kep' represents "catching a dream," while the 1 represents that the nine girls will come together as one to become the best.[2]
Their name is also inspired by german astronomer Johannes Kepler, this follows the group concept of planets and the universe that they had since Girls Planet 999.
History
2021 | 1: Girls Planet 999, Formation
On January 11, 2021, Mnet released a teaser regarding the upcoming auditions for the future competitive girl group reality show Girls Planet 999.[3] It would later consist of female contestants from or simply representing Korea, China and Japan who all shared the same dream of debut; more specifically in the show's final group.
Girls Planet 999 premiered on August 6, 2021, while the live finale was broadcasted on October 22, with the girls who ranked in the top nine to debut in the show's product group. Prior to the reveal of the debuting contestants, the group's name and logo were revealed, in which they will go by the planet-related name Kep1er. During the finale, nine different contestants were revealed to make their debut; Kim Chaehyun ranked first overall, Huening Bahiyyih ranked second overall, Choi Yujin ranked third, Kim Dayeon ranked fourth, Seo Youngeun ranked fifth, Kang Yeseo ranked sixth, Ezaki Hikaru ranked seventh, Sakamoto Mashiro ranked eighth, and finally, Shen Xiaoting ranked ninth overall and was the last contestant revealed to be in the final group's lineup.
The group was teased to be a "global" girl group, with members like Huening Bahiyyih who is of Korean-American heritage and Mashiro and Hikaru who are both of Japanese heritage. They will be the first group to debut from a fully Mnet produced survival show since the debut of project boy group X1 and the Mnet vote manipulation controversy.
2021 | 2: Pre-Debut Activities, Debut Postponement
On October 22, 2021, following the conclusion of Girls Planet 999, the staff and group's Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts were opened and revealed. On the group's social media accounts, a teaser was posted showcasing the group's official logo which had previously been revealed during the final episode of the show.
On October 25, an article was published on Naver, revealing that the group would carry out their activities as a group for roughly two and a half years and were already starting preparations for their debut album.[2]
The group's Fancafé and V LIVE channel officially opened on November 2 and 3, respectively. On November 4, Kep1er held their first V LIVE.[4] On November 9, the group’s first YouTube video was uploaded onto their YouTube channel, which was a dance practice video for "O.O.O", the signal song of Girls Planet 999.[5]
On November 21st, it was revealed that Kep1er would debut in December 2021 with the release of the website Hello, Kep1er. It was also confirmed that Kep1er will be releasing their first reality show Kep1er View, which will start airing on December 2. Multiple Kep1er Zones, used for offline promotion of the group, also began to appear in various regions.[6] On the night of November 24, three concept photos were unveiled that showcased members Yujin, Xiaoting and Mashiro, respectively, and with these teasers the group revealed that they will be debuting on December 14 (6 PM KST). The next day, they unveiled three more concept photos for Chaehyun, Dayeon, and Hikaru, as well as confirmed they would be performing at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards on December 11th, 2021.[7] Finally, the first concept photos for Huening Bahiyyih, Youngeun, and Yeseo were released. This pattern continued over multiple days leading up to their debut.
On December 5th, 2021, WAKEONE announced that a staff member who had worked with Kep1er tested positive for COVID-19. Due to this, all promotional activities, including their scheduled appearance at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards, would be postponed. the new debut date was announced to be on January 3, 2022, and that the company would cancel their pre-debut stage at the 2021 Mnet Asia Music Awards (MAMA).[8] In addition, the opening date of Kep1er's planet on the UNIVERSE app, which was originally scheduled to open December 10, 2021, was rescheduled to January 3, 2022.[9]
On December 14, 2021, WAKEONE and SWING ENTERTAINMENT announced through the official fancafe that members, Xiaoting and Mashiro tested positive for COVID-19, and that the other members tested negative. They announced that all future activities were cancelled.[10] On December 26, it was announced that Xiaoting and Mashiro had fully recovered from COVID-19.[11]
2022: Debut with First Impact, Fandom Name/Colors, Queendom 2, and Doublast
Kep1er officially debuted on January 3, 2022 with their first mini album FIRST IMPACT and its title track "WA DA DA". On the same day, the group revealed its official group and fan colors as well as their fan name - Kep1ian.[12]
On February 21, 2022, it was confirmed that Kep1er will participate in the second season of the Mnet reality competition show Queendom, scheduled to premiere in March 2022.
On June 20, 2022, Kep1er released their second EP Doublast, with "Up!", serving as the lead single.
2023: "Fly-By", first Japan tour, Lovestruck!, "Rescue Tayo", Magic Hour, "Fly-High"
On January 16, 2023, a teaser poster revealed that Kep1er will comeback with their second Japanese single "Fly-By", on March 15.
On February 14, a poster revealed across the group's Japanese social medias announced the group will hold their first ever Japanese tour, titled Kep1er Japan Concert Tour 2023 'Fly-By', from May 20 to June 11.
On March 1, WAKEONE revealed that the group will be making a comeback, with its release date set for April 10. On March 20, it was announced that they will the releasing their fourth mini album, Lovestruck!, on April 10.
On July 1, it was announced that Kep1er will release a special album with the children's TV show Tayo, "Rescue Tayo".
On August 4, Star News reported that Kep1er will be releasing a new album in September. On August 30, it was announced that Kep1er will be releasing their fifth mini album, Magic Hour, on September 25.
On September 21, in Kep1er Daum Cafe announced that Yeseo would temporarily sit out activities due to health. She was assumed to have returned after being seen at the Magic Hour showcase with the rest of the members.
On October 10, a teaser film revealed that Kep1er will be having a Japanese comeback on November 22. The comeback will be with their third Japanese single "Fly-High".
2024: Kep1going, Kep1going On, contract renewal, Mashiro and Yeseo's departure, Tipi-Tap
On January 12, 2024, news outlet MHN Sports reported that WAKEONE wish to extend the group's contract but they have yet to reach an agreement with the members' respective agencies. Kep1er is scheduled to end their activities on July 3, 2024.
On February 13, Kep1er announced that they will be coming back with both, Korean and Japanese albums in 2024.
On February 14, Kep1er announced that they will be coming back in Japan on May 8. Later, it was confirmed that they will release their first Japanese full-length album Kep1going.
On April 3, it was confirmed that Kep1er started working on their next album, reportedly scheduled for release in May. Additionally, WAKEONE is in positive discussions about a contract extension.
On April 25, STARNEWS reported that the group would disband in July after discussions to extend their contracts fell through. According to the report, Kep1er plans to release one final album and hold a farewell concert to express gratitude to their fans before officially concluding their activities. WAKEONE responded that they are still in discussions regarding the extension of the group's activities.
On May 13, the group unveiled the logo motion video for their first full-length album Kep1going On, set for release on June 3.
On May 16, STARNEWS reported that seven of the members had successfully extended their contracts with WAKEONE. The group would be reorganized as a seven-member group with Mashiro and Yeseo joining MADEIN. 143 Entertainment later stated that they are still discussing contract renewals with CJ ENM for Mashiro and Yeseo.
On May 30, it was announced the members, excluding Mashiro and Yeseo, had renewed their contract with WAKEONE. Both members officially departed from the group after Kep1er's Japanese concert on July 15.
On September 30, it was announced that Kep1er has signed an exclusive contract with KLAP Entertainment. The agency would be co-managing the group alongside WAKEONE.
On October 7, it was announced that they will be releasing an album on November 1. On October 10, they released a teaser for their sixth mini album Tipi-Tap.
2025: Japanese EP
On January 6, 2025, it was reported that Kep1er will be releasing their first Japanese EP on April 30.
Members
Current
Former
Discography
- Main Article: Discography
Korean
Studio albums
- Kep1going On (2024)
Mini albums
- FIRST IMPACT (2022)
- DOUBLAST (2022)
- TROUBLESHOOTER (2022)
- LOVESTRUCK! (2023)
- Magic Hour (2023)
- TIPI-TAP (2024)
Digital singles
- "SUGAR RUSH" (2022)
Japanese
Studio albums
- Kep1going (2024)
Singles
Awards & Nominations
- Main Article: Awards & Nominations
Links
Social Media
- Official Facebook
- Official Fancafe
- Official Instagram
- Official TikTok
- Official Twitter
- Official V LIVE
- Official Website
- Official Weibo
- Official YouTube Channel
Korean Streaming Services
International Streaming Services
References
 | |
|---|---|
Hikaru • Huening Bahiyyih • Youngeun • Yeseo | |
| Full Albums | Kep1going On |
| Mini Albums | FIRST IMPACT • DOUBLAST • TROUBLESHOOTER • LOVESTRUCK! • Magic Hour • TIPI-TAP |
| Digital Singles | SUGAR RUSH |
| Full Albums | Kep1going |
| Mini Album | AGAINST THE WORLD |
| Singles | FLY-UP • FLY-BY • FLY-HIGH |
| Reality Shows | Kep1er View • Kep1er Zone • Kep1er Zone 2 • Kep1er School • Kep1er-unner |
| Television Appearances | Girls Planet 999 (Pre-debut) • Queendom 2 |
| Youtube Series | Kep1us • Kep-chup • KEPture • KEPtain Heroes • Kep1ayer |
| Concerts | Kep1er Japan Debut Showcase Live • Kep1er Japan Concert Tour 2023 'Fly-By' • Kep1er Japan Fan Concert 2024 'Fly-High' • Kep1er Japan Concert 2024 'Kep1going' |
| Fanmeeting | Kep1anet • Kep1er‘s Strange Market • Fairy Fantasia |