[CELEB] Kep1er hopes to continue its roll with summer song 'Doublast'

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[CELEB] Kep1er hopes to continue its roll with summer song 'Doublast'

Published: 16 Jun. 2022, 14:46

Kep1er will drop its second EP "Doublast" on June 20. [WAKEONE ENTERTAINMENT, SWING ENTERTAINMENT]

Kep1er is coming back with a refreshing summer song for its sophomore EP. The girl group is set to drop “Doublast” and the lead track “Up!’ on June 20 at 6 p.m.

A “rhythmical, funky, and soulful song with energetic vocals,” the pop number is in line with Kep1er’s lively concept scene from its debut song “WA DA DA” (2022).

Kep1er's debut EP "First Impact" [WAKEONE ENTERTAINMENT, SWING ENTERTAINMENT]

Anticipation is high since Kep1er made a record-breaking debut in January. The girl group, which formed through Mnet’s audition show “Girls Planet 999” (2021) and was named after German astronomer Johannes Kepler as a continuation of the show’s space theme, sold over 200,000 copies of its debut EP “First Impact” (2022) in the first week of its release. At the time, this was a record for a debuting K-pop girl group, establishing Kep1er as one of the most successful fourth-generation K-pop acts.

When nine finalists of the show — Yujin, Chaehyun, Dayeon, Youngeun, Yeseo, Xiaoting, Mashiro, Hikaru and Huening Bahiyyih — were announced in October 2021, many expressed skepticism about the group’s outlook. Ratings for “Girls Planet 999” peaked at only 0.87 percent, a low number despite the show’s ambitious production. The success of “First Impact” proved the worries wrong.

Kep1er performs Girl' Generation's "The Boys" (2011) during Mnet's survival show "Queendom 2" (2022).

Only a couple of months after their debut, Kep1er members challenged themselves to another competition. The group was one of the contestants on Mnet’s survival program “Queendom 2,” which aired from March to earlier this month and saw high-profile female K-pop acts compete with each other. Facing off against girl groups Brave Girls, Viviz, WJSN, Loona and solo singer Hyolyn, who’ve built much longer careers, Kep1er was a newborn act.

Although Kep1er finished in fifth place, the group was able to show various concepts and make itself more familiar to the public. Its cover performance of Girls’ Generation’s chic dance number “The Boys” (2011), a contrast from Kep1er’s usual image, saw especially positive reviews.

Huening Bahiyyih of Kep1er [WAKEONE ENTERTAINMENT, SWING ENTERTAINMENT]

A large factor behind Kep1er’s popularity is its loyal international fandom thanks to its multinational lineup. “Girls Planet 999” featured 99 contestants — 33 each from Korea, Japan and China — and allowed foreign viewers to vote for their favorite hopefuls. Mnet only accepted fan votes from Koreans prior to the show, but the series saw 90 percent of its 129 million total votes come from abroad. The “enfranchised” global fandom has been sending fervent support to Kep1er, which includes Japanese members Mashiro and Hikaru, Chinese member Xiaoting and Korean-American member Huening Bahiyyih.

The Huening Silblings dance to Tomorrow X Together's latest song ″Good Boy Gone Bad″ (2022) in a TikTok video. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Among them, Bahiyyih shows that sometimes, K-pop talent runs in the family. Her elder brother is Hueningkai a member of boy band Tomorrow X Together, and her elder sister Lea Navvab Huening was a member of now-disbanded girl group Viva.

Known as the Huening Siblings, the three have been posting dance challenge videos of each other’s songs, welcomed by K-pop fans as a wholesome show of support.

Since project groups formed through audition programs include contestants from many different agencies, they are active as a team for a certain amount of time. Kep1er is set to be active for two and a half years until the summer of 2024.

Huening Bahiyyih (Bahiyyih Jaleh Huening)

Huening Bahiyyih of Kep1er [WAKEONE ENTERTAINMENT, SWING ENTERTAINMENT]

Date of birth: July 27, 2004
Zodiac sign: Leo
Birthplace: Seoul
Debut: January 2022 as a member of girl group Kep1er
Agency: IST Entertainment

Huening Bahiyyih is a Korean-American member of the multinational girl group Kep1er, which formed through Mnet’s audition show “Girls Planet 999” (2021). While the show saw low ratings, Kep1er took the idol scene by surprise when it set a new record at the time for a K-pop girl group’s debut CD sales. Now one of the most popular acts in fourth-generation K-pop, the group recently competed in Mnet’s survival show “Queendom 2” against high-profile female artists. The group will drop its second EP “Doublast” on June 20.

This information was confirmed by IST Entertainment on June 13, 2022.

BY HALEY YANG [[email protected]]