How ENHYPEN grew from ‘I-LAND’ teens to Coachella stars in five years

Imagine if almost every moment in your life was documented: the good, the bad, the funny, the embarrassing and even the most heartbreaking. For the K-pop superstar group ENHYPEN, they don’t need to imagine it. It has been a part of their lives since they were teenagers, when they participated in the Korean competition series “I-LAND” in 2020.

Premiering at the height of BTS mania, in which BTS made an appearance, the series was a joint venture between multinational entertainment companies CJ Entertainment and HYBE. It was a global success, with worldwide online viewership of over 20 million across 12 episodes, and participation from over 178 countries in the vote casting.

Every part of the contestants’ lives was documented as they lived and trained at the compound, with every fan-favorite moment turned into fan edits and memes. Even after the series concluded, it didn’t take long for the group to debut and return to the public eye. Within two months, ENHYPEN — comprised of Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo and Ni-Ki — released their first EP, “Border: Day One.”

Since then, the group’s meteoric rise has been nonstop: They’ve released 11 albums (five of which have placed in the Billboard 200 Top 10), performed at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and accomplished two world tours. The group is currently on its third international jaunt, the “Walk the Line” world tour, and is set to perform Saturday at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

It’s hard to believe it has only been five years since they debuted. Now nearly in their early 20s, the group’s members are trying to prove that they’re no longer the boys they once were at the start of their careers. With their latest album release, “Desire: Unleash,” they want to show ENGENEs — the name for their fandom — how much they’ve grown as artists and as people. Their recent Coachella set showcased a more edgy side to their performance, one that they had arranged themselves.

“One of the most impressive moments in our growth journey was Coachella,” says Heeseung. “When I think back to when we just debuted, I don’t think we were even boys. We were almost babies. We began this journey with such young members, and we’ve made it all the way here. We grew physically, but throughout this journey, we also grew mentally, and that has helped us show the best side of ourselves.”

Growing up in the public eye was not easy for the group, whose youngest member, Ni-Ki, was 14 years old during the competition. They had to adapt to their new lifestyle quickly, but felt fortunate to be surrounded by a good team and staff that made it easier. Though Ni-Ki is aware his childhood was not the norm, he says he received a lot of mental stimulation that helped him develop into the person he is now.

K-pop band ENHYPEN on the Dream Stage at KCON 2024.

(Konuk Ryu)

“Because I started in this scene from a young age, I had to go through many changes,” Ni-Ki explains. “For example, my personality underwent many changes, and I realized many different things because I was in a good environment for that to happen.”

Sunoo admits they were a little immature and clumsy during “I-LAND” and even during their debut, but it was really who they were at the time. What has been depicted through the show, behind-the-scenes footage and their social media is who they are.

“Now that I think about it, we showed almost everything,” Sunoo admits. “During the show, we were showing the very raw version of ourselves. I think our fans did love those sides of us as well. As we grew, they got to love us even more.”

Leader Jungwon believes that having everything on social media helped the group’s popularity as they debuted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since they couldn’t meet their fans offline, they relied on social media to connect with them. He says, “There are clear pros and cons of being in this [digital] era. Before we debuted and appeared on ‘I-LAND,’ social media was already widespread, making it easy for things about us to go viral.”

Dr. Hye Jin Lee, a K-pop scholar and clinical assistant professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, notes that social media may have helped ENHYPEN grow further, as social media usage reached an all-time high during the pandemic. TikTok users soared around that time, providing another platform for the group to increase its visibility and share its music through short-form content. With over 30 million fans on TikTok, the group follows viral trends and dance challenges, as well as schedules livestreams on both TikTok and its company’s official app, Weverse.

“ENHYPEN had to rely on digital media to meet and interact with fans due to debuting at a time when in-person performances weren’t possible,” Lee explains. “That has allowed them to build strong connections with their fans. That’s why they’re more prolific on social media. They post on Weverse daily and are very active on TikTok.”

ENHYPEN is conscious of its public image and the constant surveillance by its fans through the group’s media and livestream appearances. At first, they were cautious of the image they wanted to project. However, over time, they realized it was better just to be themselves.

“These days, I want to show who I am and the natural side of myself,” says Sunghoon. “Going forward, as I age, the perception that I would like to have would change as well. As you get older, the way you think also changes. But, at the moment and present, I just want to be who I am in front of other people.”

Fans noticed these changes, as the members have begun to express their opinions and boundaries openly. Jungwon recently admitted during an interview that he felt he was too young when he first performed their the group’s song “Fever.” Jake began opening up about the pressures he felt throughout his career. Sunoo, who was given the nickname “Ddeonu” for his cute expressions, has started to turn down doing cute poses during interviews and livestreams.

“I don’t think being cute all the time is very suitable for who I am at this moment,” Sunoo shares. “Our fans still would love to see me being cute and adorable, so I don’t think I can do away with it completely. So when they want to see that side of me, I go ahead, but I don’t go out of my way to do it when there isn’t any request. That’s the kind of balance I’m trying to strike at this moment.”

Jay has taken it a step further, going on the group’s official livestream channels to offer advice to ENGENEs who are struggling or seeking guidance. He adds his own life experiences to his words of comfort and advice, opening up another side to the serious artist.

“Being in this career for the past five years, I’ve come to realize that it’s really impossible to make things up,” he said. “I believe that one side that we can truly show to people is when we’re true to ourselves. Whenever I do something or think about something, I try to be sincere and honest about my feelings and no longer make things just because I want to be seen in a certain way or leave a certain kind of impression.”

Fans have looked out for the group’s best interests, including commenting on the members’ hectic schedule. As one of the most in-demand groups in the industry, with several comebacks, tours, fashion shows, press days, variety shows, brand ambassadorships and writing/producing music, ENHYPEN’s members knows what they’ve signed up for in becoming a K-pop artist.

“It’s very heartwarming that our fans are very concerned about our health, but I want to say that the very core of everything that we do is coming from our passion,” says Jake. “No one is telling us to do this. We want to do this. We chose this for ourselves. Going back to that thought helps us stay grounded and motivated.”

Although they cherish the “I-LAND” and debut memories of the past five years, they are looking ahead to the group’s future in 2025. Jay says this year marks a significant turning point in their careers, highlighted by Coachella, “Desire: Unleash” and the “Walk the Line” world tour.

“This is a consistent flow,” says Jay. “It’s going to be this momentum that will bring us to our next step as ENHYPEN. We will use this as a beginning to venture out into many more fields ahead.”

Sunghoon is looking forward to making it to a decade with the group, curious about how that will look for them together and individually.

“I’m sure ENHYPEN will be together, but I think we’ll be more active in pursuing our individual pursuits,” he said. “I’m curious to find out what that will look like and how much more we will have grown [by then]. When we work as individuals, we work hard, and when we get together again, we will work amazingly as a team.”