September in the K-Pop world was a wild ride. From all the bops wrapping up the summer to hits from solo artists, we have so many favorites to choose from this month!
Have you been following along with THP’s K-Pop team? Check out our coverage for LISA, JISOO, Big Ocean, MCND, &TEAM, ROSÉ, Jackson Wang, Def., and ZEROBASEONE’s new subunit, EMP!
THIS MONTH’S NEWS
Before we jump into this month’s K-Pop comebacks, we’ve got some announcements to cover! Epik High is about to embark on their Epik High 3.0 North America Tour. With 13 cities (and a newly added Seattle show), they’ll be touring throughout the States and Canada in the span of one month. Be sure to get tickets before they’re sold out!
Speaking of sold out, LISA has added two new dates to her Las Vegas residency after selling out the first four dates in 10 minutes! VIVA LA LISA will be held at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, with the new dates being on Thursday, November 12 and Sunday, November 29. She’s making history as the first K-Pop artist to have a Las Vegas residency, and we couldn’t be more proud!
In case you missed it, CATCH THE YOUNG recently headlined night one of the K-INDIE ON Festival in Berlin. The band performed 13 songs, including a cover of a local favorite, ‘99 Luftballons’ by Nena. They’ve also just wrapped up their first Latin American tour, so it’s safe to say 2026 has been a big year for K-Pop and K-Band tours!
Finally, although HEARTSTEEL is not technically K-Pop, we at THP won’t pass up an opportunity to talk about Baekhyun! The Riot Games virtual group just dropped their new single, ‘Live My Life,’ HEARTSTEEL’s first release since 2023. The song features Anderson .Paak as K’Sante, Baekhyun as Ezreal, Connor Price as Sett, and Nic D as Kayn.
CHUNGHA
CHUNGHA kicks off our September K-Pop Hotspot with a hot new single, ‘México!’ We don’t get just one version of the song; we get three! One is entirely in English, another entirely in Spanish, and another still is a mix of both. It’s a heavenly track with a strong EDM instrumental that we can’t help but repeat!
82MAJOR
82MAJOR wrapped up the summer with some extra HEAT! Their latest single album was led by title track ‘Like Fire,’ and it’s easily one of our favorite 82MAJOR releases yet. ‘Like Fire’ perfectly picks up where ’Sign’ left off, a journey made even smoother by the inclusion of a ‘Sign’ remix on HEAT. Not to mention a Spanish version of the iconic ‘TROPHY,’ so we can keep enjoying that song over and over.
KWON EUNBI
KWON EUNBI keeps the successful solo train going with her new single, ‘DEJAVU!’ It’s the perfect bop to close out the summer. We think it might be a top contender for song of the summer at this rate! And the dreamy music video is everything. She never fails to make us want to hit the dance floor with her songs, and ‘DEJAVU’ is no exception.
MONSTA X
MONSTA X keep proving to us through their music that they are simply ‘MAGIC.’ What else would you call a group that has such a solid discography and only continues to add more masterpieces to it? The Phase introduced us to another new era that has us pressing the like button on all of its songs. We seriously can never get tired of hearing the members’ distinct vocals and watch them try out new things. MONSTA X is definitely not just a phase for us! And on that note, one of our faves on this album has to be ‘SURVIVOR,’ especially for its very last line.
TEN
TEN outdid himself AGAIN! We’ve always loved his solo projects, and we feel the same strong positive emotions for his September drop as well. ‘OUTWEST’ had our attention from the start, instantly getting us hooked on the beat and TEN’s vocals. And if the song wasn’t already captivating enough, the music video will truly make sure you’re focused. Tell us a time when TEN delivered a performance and you looked away. You can’t, right?
VERIVERY
VERIVERY is back with their eighth mini-album, CONFETTI! This five-track EP has no skips, from the energetic title track ‘Don’t Panic!’ to the unit B-sides. VERIVERY brings back fun and whimsy to K-Pop with the ‘Don’t Panic!’ music video. We couldn’t stop laughing out loud at their antics. You won’t want to miss this epic comeback!
I-DLE SOYEON
Next on our September K-Pop Hotspot is i-dle Soyeon’s first studio album, What a Wonderful Life! We can’t believe how long it’s been since her last solo comeback, but it was so worth the wait! ‘I’m Gonna TOESA’ (“TOESA” meaning “quit my job”) is such a refreshing title track. Soyeon sings about growing up, growing old, and living your life with no regrets. The rest of the album carries the same message of making the most of the present. Our favorite B-sides include club banger ‘icebluerabbit’ and the rock ballad ‘Would you love me.’
SHINEE MINHO
MINHO really decided to make it hot this September! His new mini-album, Make it hot, gives us everything we could have asked for and more. The title song brings massive, explosive energy, but the B-sides are where the magic really happens. The switch from the funky bounce of ‘Time 1.1’ to the moody, effortless cool of ‘Out Of My Hands’ shows off his voice in the best way possible. It is an incredible showcase of his range as an artist, and we haven’t been able to turn it off since it dropped.
EVAN
We loved EVAN‘s solo debut, and now with DEATH OF ME in our grasp, we’re even more in love with the music. He is already establishing his sound in a confident way, and we’re here to witness it. The title, ‘Death of Me,’ had us hooked on the spot, the same way ‘Ride or Die’ had us invested. And as music lovers, we can’t skip an album’s B-sides. If we had to pick recs, we’d go with ‘Not Enough’ and ‘Immature.’
EXO D.O.
Our beloved D.O. is back with his fourth mini-album, DOPAMINE! It’s an aptly named EP because we feel nothing but dopamine from listening to it. ‘Guitarist’ is a killer title track, from the guitar instrumentals to the dancey chorus. We also love the music video aesthetics that feel like a last farewell to summer. Don’t sleep any of his dance and rock-style B-sides either!
UNIS
September was a whirlwind for UNIS and EverAfter. The girls released their new song, ‘Sky Land, Star Land,’ at the beginning of the month. This dreamy, nostalgic track is an automatic bop in our books. Then came the news of their disbandment and their final ballad, ‘Milky Way.’ We are absolutely gutted, to say the least. No matter where the girls go from here, we’ll still be here to support them!
HEARTS2HEARTS
Not even three months after the release of their second mini-album, Hearts2Hearts is back with a brand new single! ‘Moonride’ is a catchy new song about those late-night drives that make you feel free. We can already hear this song soundtracking our next night out.
ALL(H)OURS
ALL(H)OURS are back with yet another bop of a mini-album, and we just can’t be quiet about it! If you know us, then you know we can’t stop hyping these guys. And they gave us another reason to keep at it: UNBOUND. This group delivers powerful, addictive, and memorable title tracks, as well as just as memorable and diverse B-sides. You won’t have regrets checking them out! We know we didn’t because we’re still here, obsessing over their music. Our latest has to be ‘DANG DANG,’ which we have on repeat.
IU
Queen IU is back with two new songs, and she even blessed us with two new music videos to match! ‘Dear my crazy soulmate’ is a heartfelt song about the importance of platonic love. The music video feels like such a movie and even stars veteran Korean actresses Kim Young-Ok and Na Moon Hee. On the other hand, ‘Unknown Planet’ is a heartbreaking breakup anthem. IU sings about grieving all that you’ve built with someone and the process of moving on from all of it. Excuse us while we cry our eyes out.
LE SSERAFIM
When LE SSERAFIM dropped ‘Perfect Night’ back in 2023, you couldn’t escape it! Now, our girls are back with a second Overwatch collaboration! ‘Made My Night’ is the perfect dance-pop track. We’re always big fans of LE SSERAFIM’s super upbeat, party-style concepts, so this release definitely didn’t disappoint!
PENTAGON
To celebrate their upcoming 10th anniversary, PENTAGON has released their new single, ‘Coward!’ We’ve missed the group dearly, and this song brings us right back to the K-Pop sound we know and love. The music video shows everyone together as a group for the first time in years. And the lyrics bring us to tears every time. Welcome back, PENTAGON!
LOVELYZ RYU SUJEONG
September was made for the solo girlies, and you can’t change our minds! Ryu Sujeong is back with her fourth EP, ALL THE COLORS I AM. Her title track, ‘Diamond,’ is a bold declaration of exactly who she is. She’s that girl, and she knows it. We didn’t skip through a single track, and we love how Sujeong absolutely owns her sound throughout this mini-album.
RED VELVET – IRENE & SEULGI
Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI has made their Japanese debut with their first mini-album, Cheetah! The title track gives off dreamy, dancey vibes that have us hypnotized. ‘Cheetah’ is about picking up the pace and taking your chance before it’s too late. There are so many B-sides to choose from, but our favorites have to be the groovy ‘Love Anxiety’ and the R&B slow jam, ‘Wave!’
E’LAST BAEK GYEUL
A solo drop from our talented vocalist Baekgyeul? You bet we’ve been streaming ‘To the Drive’ since it dropped! We just can’t resist songs with a rock sound. Make it a K-Pop one, and our joy is suddenly doubled. On top of that, the whole vibe of ‘To the Drive’ is quite uplifting and encouraging, just how we like them. Baekgyeul’s vocals are ones that will instantly captivate you, and as fans, we wanted to recommend checking him out. We’ll definitely be on the lookout for more releases!
A.C.E WOW
King WOW from A.C.E is back! You may have heard us scream over his solo release and blast ‘LOW’ so much that people around us now also know the song. Oops? We’re not sorry for recommending talent. We have been humming ‘LOW’ ever since it dropped and are already craving more music from WOW. We can’t wait to hear more of his solo creations.
ONEUS
Next on our September K-Pop Hotspot is the epic return of one of our fave boy groups: ONEUS! Following Seoho’s return from the military, they’ve released their 12th mini-album, FIRST LIGHT : 井. ‘Say Yes!’ is an upbeat title track about no longer holding back and moving toward the light. We’ve missed our boys so much, we burst into tears as soon as we started playing the music video. It’s another no-skips comeback for us, not that we expected anything less from ONEUS.
BOYNEXTDOOR
What’s better than a BND album? A BND repackaged album! BOYNEXTDOOR expanded HOME with five more tracks for HOME: DELUXE. Following ‘VIRAL,’ the title track this time is ‘ANIMAL,’ where BND take their classic brand of anarchy to the next level! Now we’ve just gotta wait and see which DELUXE tracks are added to the KNOCK ON Vol. 2 setlist!
NIZIU
NiziU never fails to deliver us bops! And the group’s first Korean mini-album, Sour Grapes, only proves it. The title track is such a fresh new song about staying authentic to yourself, even if it means other people won’t like it. NiziU slays the choreography and bold concept effortlessly. We need more of this energy! Our favorite B-sides have to be the super catchy ‘emoji’ and the dreamy ‘Lullaby.’
MINZY
MINZY breathes new life into us with her brand new single, Calling! Her first solo release in five years, we are floored by MINZY’s epic comeback. ‘Calling’ is an absolute masterpiece about finding hope in the darkest moments. She sings about the difficult path back to herself and the encouragement she has felt from her fans. We’re blessed with a Korean and an English version of the title track. And the B-side ‘We Almost Were (feat. Jinjoo)’ hits too close to home with all the “what ifs” we experience in life and love. MINZY’s back, and we’re here to support!
CRAVITY
Say it ‘LOUDER’: CRAVITY is back! We’ve been looking forward to what the guys were preparing for us, and we were not disappointed! Their title tracks have been leaving good impressions on us, and they only keep getting more and more interesting. ‘LOUDER’ may have come out at the end of September, but we’re already strongly hooked and replaying the song as if it’s been out a whole month.
CLOSE YOUR EYES
Last, but definitely not least, we have CLOSE YOUR EYES! We knew we’d be in for a treat with this mini album from the moment we heard the pre-release track, ‘Open Your Eyes,’ and we definitely weren’t let down! 256th Note transcends genre, pulling influences from across jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and Brazilian bossa nova. CLOSE YOUR EYES is a truly unique group, and we hope this era helps them get the love they deserve!
September was a stellar month for K-Pop! What was your favorite comeback and/or debut? Which new releases are you most looking forward to in October? Let us know in the comments below, or on Twitter @TheHoneyPOP!
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