Welcome back to all our lovely K-Pop honeybees! We hope everyone’s had a great start to their 2026. And if you haven’t, then we’re hoping our new K-Pop Hotspot will be just the thing to help. Whether you need inspirational songs to get you pumped in the morning or bangers to rock out to during the day, these new comebacks and debuts have it all!
But first, have you read some of our full comeback reviews yet? We covered CHUU‘s new album, DxS from Seventeen‘s new unit, and SF9 Inseong’s solo mini-album! Now, let’s get into our January K-Pop Hotspot!
HA SUNG WOON
HA SUNG WOON continues to make us swoon over his beautiful, powerful vocals in his ‘Tell The World’ single. Through his voice alone, he pulls us into this emotional experience. While there is comfort relayed through the song, its strong delivery is where the charm of the track lies. It builds up effortlessly and just as easily climbs onto our playlists. “Tell the world I’m fine” because we have SUNG WOON’s soulful new single!
IDNTT
idntt kicks off our January K-pop Hotspot with a high-energy comeback! <yesweare> is their new mini-album and introduces new members. And we’re still just as obsessed with their sound now as we were with their debut album. The title track, ‘Pretty Boy Swag,’ is a certified banger with a choreography that is just as swaggy as the boys. In the same vein, ‘Yes We Are’ is a bold declaration of who these boys are. It’s a catchy song about unapologetically following your path and living authentically. We’re obsessed!
APINK
Apink is back to reclaim their throne, and honestly, we’re bowing down! Their 11th mini-album, RE : LOVE, is exactly the refresh we needed! The title track, ‘Love Me More,’ feels like a warm, sun-drenched escape, and the music video is just as dreamy. This mini-album is packed with range, too. ‘Fizzy Soda’ is the bubbly energy boost we needed, while ‘Birthday Cake’ is a literal sweet treat for the ears. Between the golden-hour vibes of ‘Sunshine’ and the tear-jerking vocals on ‘Hold My Hand,’ this album is a certified no-skips era. Apink really said the start of 2026 belongs to them!
H1-KEY
H1-KEY’s new single, ‘Not Like A Movie,’ has officially become our new motivation anthem for 2026! In celebration of their fourth anniversary, this quartet gifted us with an inspiring new song. ‘Not Like A Movie’ is for anyone who had big dreams and lost their way when reality hit. H1-KEY’s encouraging and relatable lyrics prove that it’s okay if nothing goes the way you want. Life and reality are not like a movie, and mistakes and failures are perfectly normal!
MONSTA X JOOHONEY
A new year brings new MONSTA X solo music to enjoy! And with the release of JOOHONEY’s Insanity, we got the most unexpected K-Pop collaboration of all time…’STING (Feat. Muhammad Ali).’ Yes, that Muhammad Ali. JOOHONEY’s title track is every bit as ferocious as fans would expect from the rapper, and we love how Ali’s motto, “I’m gonna float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” is woven into the song. As well as checking out more collabs with the likes of Tiger JK and IVE’s REI, we’d totally recommend listening to Insanity’s tracklist in order to be taken on a journey of total catharsis!
CNBLUE
What better way to start the year than with some good K-Band comebacks? CNBLUE gave us pure joy with their absolute banger title, ‘Killer Joy,’ and made sure it stuck in our heads right from the start! But since this is CNBLUE we’re talking about, we already had a feeling the entirety of 3LOGY would have us hooked. And it really did! We expected nothing less from our faves, and we’re so ready to keep listening to the album for the rest of the year, and beyond.
LATENCY
LATENCY has made their official debut with ‘It Was Love,’ and it’s about time we got another K-Band! These girls have hit the ground running this new year, and we’re so impressed with their talent. LATENCY features a few former cignature, LOONA, and Loossemble members, so you already know we’re here to support our girls on their new endeavors. And that guitar solo from Heeyeon has got to be one of our favorite moments of our January K-Pop Hotspot!
YOUNG POSSE
Next up on our January K-Pop Hotspot: YOUNG POSSE really said they’re making 2026 their year with ‘LOSE YOUR SHXT!’ Their new single with BENZO is a banger from start to finish, from the club-worthy instrumental to the verses. Not to mention how fun the ‘LOSE YOUR SHXT’ music video looks. If you’ve been looking for a way to make your K-Pop playlists fun again, we recommend you listen to YOUNG POSSE!
CHROCKTIKAL
Will 2026 be THE year for Korean bands?! Finally, our prayers have been answered! New co-ed band, ChRocktikal, has just released their debut album, We break, you awake, with a whopping 11 songs. They range from the most headbanging punk rock songs to rock ballads and pop rock tracks we can sway along with. It’s iconic and absolutely everything to us. The title track ‘PEACE’ makes this the ultimate rock debut. And frontwoman Siyeon’s voice was made to be heard.
ENHYPEN
Everyone’s favorite vampires are back! ENHYPEN returned this month with THE SIN : VANISH, which continues to build on their beloved lore. The album’s cover art probably explains this chapter better than we ever could: “They fell for the forbidden, lived through the afterlight, awakened to love, and faced the storm.” ENHYPEN’s newest era is more tumultuous and darker than ever, and the hard-hitting title track, ‘Knife,’ is a far cry from its predecessors, ‘Bad Desire’ and ‘XO.’ THE SIN : VANISH is their most immersive work yet, elevating their storyline from a theme to a full-blown concept album. Plus, with writing credits from Heeseung and Jake, what more could we wish for?
KIK
January really wasn’t messing around with their K-Bands! KIK is back with their second EP, LOW KIK, and it’s another banger all the way around. ‘Sun’ is such a peak title track. It’s the type of song that makes you feel like life is worth living again. So if you need some morning motivation this winter, then ‘Sun’ is for you! With Wooseok of Pentagon at its center, this trio is truly starting to climb our rock playlists.
EXO
The idea of 2026 being the new 2016 is truly being fulfilled with EXO’s new comeback, REVERXE! Their eighth full-length album delivered everything we’ve been missing in K-Pop, including our beloved Lay Zhang. We can’t believe how long it’s been since we’ve seen Lay in an EXO comeback. Now it feels like the wait was almost nothing. The title track ‘Crown’ reminds everyone who the kings are, and we’ve never forgotten. Trust. If the pre-release track ‘I’m Home’ didn’t bring back the same wintry EXO vibes that we know and love, then we don’t know what will.
CATCH THE YOUNG
Speaking of K-Bands, we can’t forget about Catch The Young’s new full-length album, EVOLVE. With 14 incredible new songs, Catch The Young gives us versatility, artistry, and replayability from start to finish. The title track, ‘Amplify,’ is so hype and sounds like the perfect song for us to listen to live! (Wishing for a CTY tour soon…) We’ve been riding the Catch The Young train since their debut, and we couldn’t be prouder of our boys!
ONEUS
Our next January K-Pop comeback is THP’s beloved ONEUS, back with a new single album, Origin! The title track, ‘Grenade,’ is a hard-hitting track that proves just how explosive ONEUS can be. Not that we didn’t already know! But in case you’re still sleeping on ONEUS, this single album might change your mind. The upbeat dance track, ‘STOP & MOVE,’ and the dreamy and romantic song ‘When you’re close to me,’ are just the kind of high-quality B-sides ONEUS will always bless us with. Wherever they go next, we’ll be there to listen and support.
XG
XG’s new comeback is giving ultimate main character vibes! THE CORE is the group’s first full-length album, with 10 songs proving how wide their range really is. ‘HYPNOTIZE’ is the perfect title track with its dreamy verses and 90s disco vibe. The music video concept has us convinced that XG are truly from another level, probably from another universe. With an XG world tour on the horizon, we can’t wait to see their killer live performances. If we had to pick our favorite B-sides, we’d say ‘TAKE MY BREATH’ and ‘UP NOW.’ But trust us when we say this is a no-skips album!
KIIIKIII
KiiiKiii’s back with their second EP, Delulu Pack! And we just want to say: these girls do not miss! The title track, ‘404 (New Era),’ has an absolutely brilliant concept reminiscent of the early 2000s era. From the styling to the music video visuals, we had a blast just watching along. Their energy is absolutely infectious. The clips from KiiiKiii’s childhood to them ringing in the new year in the dance practice room really brought everything together. Don’t sleep on any of their B-sides either!
I-DLE
i-dle is back to make 2026 theirs once again with an incredible new single. ‘Mono (Feat. skaiwater)’ is about spreading love to everyone, starting with yourself. It’s about uniting people—no matter their origin, gender identity, or sexuality. Leave it to i-dle to share an incredible message with every track they release. The majority of the ‘Mono’ music video is also filmed in black and white until the last chorus, staying very on theme. Every aspect of this song is a masterpiece!
BILLLIE
Since the last comeback, Billlie has found themselves booked and busy. Sharing a stage with Megan Thee Stallion, MOON SUA, and SIYOON feature on ARrC’s album, SIYOON’s first movie, the group performing in Spain, fan meetings, and now a new single! We have entered the next chapter of Billlie with ‘cloud palace ~ false awakening,’ which comes out ahead of their upcoming album, the collective soul and unconscious: chapter two.
We first heard this single at their November fan meeting, and everyone was begging for an official release, and what better way than for it to be the introduction to a new album. There is so much to love about this single, from their oh so lovely vocals, to the instrumentals, it’s just too good. The percussion instruments, like the xylophone and piano, alongside their vocals, were such a nice touch. If this is what we should expect for the upcoming album, we’re beyond excited.
8TURN
8TURN is bringing their A-game with their new single, ‘BRUISE.’ From their cinematic music video to their showstopping chorus, we were hooked! The energy in this January comeback alone brings our playlists to an all-time high. It’s so addictive, so edgy, and the right amount of angst and longing. ‘BRUISE’ will be replayed all year long at this rate.
WHIB
WHIB set out to do exactly what they set out to do with their first EP, ROCK THE NATION! With five back-to-back bangers, this mini-album is as bold as it is energetic. The title track, ‘ROCK THE NATION,’ has an action-packed music video with incredible fight sequences. We also LOVE the styling for this comeback. The B-sides are just as high-quality as the title. It’s definitely a THP-certified, no-skips EP!
ONEWE
It only felt right to close out our January K-Pop Hotspot with one of our fave K-Bands to ever do it: ONEWE! Their fourth demo album, Studio WE : Recording #4, is out, along with the title track, ‘Ferris Wheel!’ The title track is a whimsical, carnival-esque track that feels like it belongs in an anime OST. And can we take a moment to appreciate the bright music video visuals and heavenly vocals to match? ONEWE never fails to make us feel warm and cozy in the midst of snow and ice storms.
We’ve hit the ground running with our first K-Pop Hotspot of 2026! What was your favorite January K-Pop comeback and debut? Which comebacks are you most looking forward to in February? Let us know in the comments below, or on Twitter @TheHoneyPOP!
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