It’s the first K-pop debut of the year — as well as a comeback. Boy band idntt, one of K-pop’s most ambitious projects, has just debuted its second subunit, yesweare, adding eight new members to the mega lineup in the making.

With the debut of yesweare on Monday, idntt is promoting its new and second EP, “yesweare,” as a 15-member group, combining the seven members of its first subunit, unevermet, launched in August last year.



“With the new album, we hope to show our new identity through this journey of yesweare joining unevermet to become one team,” said uneverment member Lee Hwan-hee during a press showcase in central Seoul on Monday.


“To describe yesweare in one sentence, I’d say, ‘We are young,’” said member Kim Seong-jun of yesweare. “We hope to show our bold fearlessness with the new EP.”

With the debut of its second unit, idntt is now two-thirds complete.


For those confused by the statement, here’s the breakdown: Launched by Modhaus in August last year, idntt has been billed as the male counterpart to the agency’s 24-member girl group tripleS.


Similar to tripleS, idntt — which currently has 15 members and will ultimately grow to 24 — is structured around three subunits that function like Lego blocks, coming together to form a complete group.


The first, uneverment, debuted in August last year with seven members. It was initially planned as an eight-member unit, but Hwangbo Min-gyeol suspended activities ahead of the debut in July following allegations of school bullying raised online.

With the launch of yesweare on Monday, eight additional members were introduced under the idntt banner: Lee Cheong-myeong, Towa, Lee Kyu-hyuk, Park Nu-ri, Kim Seong-jun, Han Ye-joon, Choi Gyeong-been and Hwang Eun-soo.


When the third and final subunit, itsnotover, makes its debut, idntt will complete its full lineup as a 24-member group.


“The easiest way to understand the system is to consider unevermet and yesweare as part of our journey to create one, complete idntt,” explained Nam Ji-woon. “Because this is a path no one has taken before, I’m certain it is going to be a successful one.”


The new EP, “yesweare,” consists of five songs: the lead track “Pretty Boy Swag,” along with B-sides, “Yes We Are,” “Boys,” “Rage Problem” and “Moon Burn.”


Only the eight newly debuting members of yesweare took part in “Yes We Are” and “Rage Problem,” while for the rest of the tracks, all the current idntt members joined to form a single large-scale crew.


The lead track, “Pretty Boy Swag,” is a hip-hop song marked by its rhythmic bass riff and humming sound, which member Kim Hee-ju of unevermet described as “a song that shows idntt’s street-learned swag.”


The addition of the new subunit has reshaped the group’s identity on a grander scale, according to the members.

“What we are most excited about is the stage,” said Lee Kyu-hyuk. “We’re eager to show performances that are only possible with 15 members’ vocals and presence.”


With the group shaping up to be a massive 24-member team, the boy band highlights the diversity of its lineup as a key strength.


“I believe the core identity of our group lies in diversity,” said Lee Cheong-myeong. “If we can express our unique identities to the fullest, I think we can unite such diversity into one combined identity.”


BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]