KARD: A One of A Kind Co-Ed Group

On July 6, DSP Media released an official statement on their website announcing that KARD will release their first album, “Where To Now? (Part.2) : NOWHERE” on July 28 and will go on a world tour afterward. However, after careful discussions, all four members of KARD agreed that their upcoming album and tour will be their final activities together as a group. As a HIDDEN KARD, I was devastated by the news. I have been following KARD since their debut in 2016 and have been there for every comeback since then. In 2022, I heard they were coming to my hometown in Houston, and I bought the tickets immediately. I dragged my friend to go see them together at the Bayou Music Center, where we saw them perform live for the first time.

Let’s reflect back on KARD’s 9-year journey and explore how they helped revived co-ed groups in K-pop!

Why Co-Ed Groups Are A Rarity In K-pop?

K-pop is built on a highly manufactured fantasy in which companies market idols as the “perfect boyfriends and girlfriends”. Entertainment companies sell the illusion of idols belonging only to the fans and no one else. When K-pop fans discover their favorite idols are dating someone, the illusion is shattered, and fans go berserk, feeling betrayed and disappointed that their bias no longer belongs to them.

During the 1990s, co-ed groups were a dime a dozen. The first co-ed group in K-pop was Roo’ra, who became South Korea’s most popular musical act of the decade with their innovative blend of reggae, hip-hop, and pop. They achieved massive commercial success with their second album, The Angel Who Lost Wings, which sold one million copies. Other groups such as Koyote, Cool, and S#arp also found major commercial success and proved mixed-gender ensembles could dominate the mainstream.

In 1996, SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man introduced his “Culture Technology” model—a formula of casting, training, producing, and marketing future idols and groups. H.O.T was the first successful product of this formula, becoming the first Korean acts to hold a solo concert in China and sparking the first Hallyu Wave. The following year, SM used the model again to debut S.E.S. which quickly became one of K-pop’s most successful girl groups, selling over 650,000 copies of their debut album and setting the commercial and visual template for future female idol groups. By the 2000s, other agencies adopted the CT method, realizing how much more profitable and marketable same-sex idol groups were compared to co-ed groups. Slowly, co-ed groups were becoming an obscurity and soon became a relic of the past. (Check out From Seoul to the World: The Story of K-pop’s Evolution to learn more about the history of K-pop and the CT model!)

Co-ed groups made a brief comeback in the 2010s with Core Contents Media’s Co-ed School, a 10-member South Korean group (6 males, 4 females). Unfortunately, the group faced poor reception in South Korea when dating rumors between the members stirred in the media and allegations involving member Kangho emerged, accusing him of sexual assault and underage drinking. The company decided to split the group into the male and female subunits, Speed and F-ve Dolls (5dolls). By the end of the 2010s, co-ed groups were all but extinct. Between Co-ed School’s collapse and Trouble Maker’s brief run, few agencies were willing to gamble on the format again. That was until DSP Media decided to take the risk and revive co-ed groups with their upcoming group, KARD.

Four of A Kind: BM, Somin, Jiwoo, and J.Steph

Before we talk about KARD as a whole, let’s take a look at each member’s story and how they got into the K-pop industry.

BM

Matthew Kim, aka BM (Big Matthew), was a Korean-American from Los Angeles, California. Before becoming a K-pop star, he was majoring in Psychology in college while rapping and dancing were his hobbies. He planned on becoming a counselor to help younger children with drug-related and mental problems.

When BM brought his mother to one of his dance competitions, she saw his star potential and decided to sign him up for an audition for the SBS reality competition show K-pop Star in LA. BM was reluctant to go because of his poor Korean language skills and lack of knowledge of the K-pop industry. He actually ended up passing the audition and won a free trip to Korea. During K-pop Star, he passed through each round despite the judges’ skepticism about his Korean skills and debut potential. However, BoA, who served as a judge on the show, kept saving him until he landed in the top 50.

BM did not win the competition, but his appearance on K-pop Star led him to be scouted by DSP Media, where he trained for 4½ years. He made his first appearance in the industry as a feature on KARA member Goo Hara’s song “La La La” from her 2015 debut solo mini-album, ALOHARA (Can You Feel It?). He also appeared in Rainbow’s music video “Tell Me Tell Me” in 2013. He also appeared in their “Sunshine” MV with future band member J.Seph. He was supposed to debut with J.Seph as a hip-hop duo until DSP decided to debut together in KARD, with BM as its lead rapper. BM would become an integral part of KARD as the group’s writer and producer alongside J.Seph to produce KARD’s discography, his solo projects, and his fellow members’ future solo projects.

Somin

Jeon So-min, aka Somin, was from Seoul, South Korea. As a child, Somin was very shy. To help boost her confidence, her mother signed her up for a local youth dance academy. Through the academy, Somin auditioned for DSP Media at 14 and became a trainee. She trained for five to six years before officially debuting as a member of Puretty, a South Korean girl group that promoted in Japan.

The group debuted in August 2012 with the track Cheki☆Love, which became the second ending theme for the anime Pretty Rhythm: Dear My Future. Puretty was supposed to promote in Korea, but the group unfortunately disbanded due to low commercial success. In 2014, Somin and two former members of Puretty, Shiyoon and Chaekyung, were revealed to be candidates for the survival show KARA Project. The program was about finding new members for KARA following the departures of members Nicole and Jiyoung. Somin managed to reach the grand finale but ended up coming in third place. Somin redebuted as the leader of DSP’s newest girl group APRIL in August 2015, but she left the group in November that year to focus on her studies and find her identity as an artist. In 2016, Somin debuted in KARD as its main vocalist and visual.

J.Seph

Kim Tae-hyung, aka J.Seph, was from Chungju, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. He joined DSP Media as a trainee at 19. J. Seph earned his stage name when his sister wrote the name “Joseph” without the “O”. In 2013, he appeared in Rainbow’s “Tell Me Tell Me” MV and appeared once again in their “Sunshine” MV with BM. He and BM formed a close friendship during their trainee days, with J.Seph helping him develop his Korean language skills and adjust to Korean culture. He also served as a background dancer for senior artists, appearing as a dancer for Rainbow Blaxx’s “Cha Cha”. J.Seph trained at DSP Media for 5 years and was originally planned to debut with BM as a hip-hop duo until the company decided to debut both in KARD together. Along with being the group’s main rapper, J.Seph also became the other half of KARD’s producer team, co-writing with BM on all of KARD’s songs.

Jiwoo

Jeon Ji-woo, aka Jiwoo, was from the Gangnam District in Seoul, South Korea. Jiwoo became interested in music at an early age, often singing and watching music shows. She studied classical music and played the clarinet for six years before focusing on trying to become a pop singer. While attending Chungdam High School, Jiwoo was scouted by a talent scout from FNC Entertainment. After graduating, Jiwoo decided to continue pursuing music instead of a college degree. She became a trainee at FNC Entertainment in 2014, training for two years before switching to DSP Media, where she trained for two months. Jiwoo stated she did not know she was going to be in a mixed group as she was preparing to debut in a girl group. DSP Media revealed they assigned Jiwoo to the group because of her versatility and debuted her in KARD as its main dancer and lead vocalist.

Play Your KARD Right

On December 1, 2016, DSP Media opened social media accounts for their newest co-ed group, KARD. One by one, they released preteaser images of each of the members. KARD’s name and group concept were based on the playing card game. Each letter of the group’s name was based on specific playing cards, with BM assigned as the “King” (K) card , J.Seph assigned as the “Ace” (A), Somin as the Black JokeR” and Jiwoo as the “Color JokeR” card (R). The last letter (D) stood for the “hiDDen Kard” which was the official name of their fandom that completed the group. The hidden card was also alluded to a surprise track or a special guest, something akin to having “a card up your sleeve.” KARD’s debut was broken into three pre-debut project singles, with the first being “Oh NaNa”.

On December 13, the music video for “Oh NaNa” dropped on YouTube. The song was a romantic love serenade about falling in love with someone and asking them to be honest and true before giving your heart to them. The song’s dancehall, reggaetón, and moombahton sound quickly drew international attention to the group. Fans were drawn to the group’s mixed gender format, with their choreography being a perfect balance between masculine and feminine movements, being both stylish and sensual without crossing into over-sexualization. The hidden card for “Oh NaNa” was not revealed until December 8, and it was revealed to be labelmate former KARA member Youngji, who featured on the song. The music video went viral online, accumulating 5 million views in one month on YouTube. “Oh NaNa” landed the group at number 5 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart, and it remained on the chart for 8 weeks.

Upon debut, the group did face dating rumors with the public speculating the members were dating each other. However, KARD publicly responded they were just coworkers, friends, and family who saw each other in a professional and platonic light.

On February 16, they released their second project single, “Don’t Recall”. The song was a musical dialogue about the couple’s painful breakup, with Somin and Jiwoo singing about wanting to forget the good times and moving on while BM and J.Seph rapping about wanting to still hold on to the relationship. Like with “Oh NaNa”, “Don’t Recall” also had a hidden card release with a full English track for international fans. This year, “Don’t Recall” became the group’s first MV to surpass 100 million views on YouTube.

On April 21, LG Electronics selected KARD as the global ambassadors for the G6 Smartphone. KARD collaborated with LG to produce all their promotional content and the music video for the LG G6 for their final pre-debut single, “Rumor”. Serving as the conclusion for the love story set by “Oh NaNa” and “Don’t Recall”, the song described a misunderstanding between the ex-lovers who heard gossip about each other moving on. For the hidden version of “Rumor”, a special music video starred the group’s choreographer, Z.SUN. She was a member of the legendary hip-hop and reggae dance crew Purplow before becoming the primary choreographer and performance director for KARD. She also collaborated with other major Korean artists such as H1-KEY, Jay Park, and Mad Clown. “Rumor” topped the iTunes K-Pop Charts in 13 countries and the MV gained over 2 million YouTube views in less than 24 hours of its release.

That summer, KARD embarked on their first concert tour, the 2017 Wild Kard Tour. They performed in 11 cities across Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Brazil, with sources stating all tickets for the tour were sold out. Although they only had 4 official songs on their setlist, the group made up for it with covers of pop songs such as “Side To Side” by Ariana Grande and “Versace On The Floor” by Bruno Mars. They also previewed two new songs, “I Won’t Stop” and “Living Good”, from their upcoming debut EP.

Hola Hola: The Official Debut

On July 19, 2017, KARD officially debuted with their first mini-album Hola Hola. Appropriately named, Hola Hola was the group’s official introduction to the world. The MV surpassed 2 million views on YouTube in just 24 hours and pushed past 4 million in its first day. The EP debuted at No. 3 on the World Albums Chart, with the eponymous title track peaking at number 4 on the US World Digital Song Sales chart and topping iTunes charts in 31 countries. When award season rolled a round, KARD won Rookie of the Year at the Asia Artist Awards and the Hottest Rookie at CJ E&M America Awards.Later that year in November, they released their second EP, You & Me, in which the group took a darker turn to their tropical sound. The album explores a macabre love story of a couple’s once-happy relationship that mutates into toxicity defined by obsession and jealousy.

In 2018, Super Junior returned with their trilingual Latin hit “Lo Siento,” featuring Dominican-American singer Leslie Grace. Somin and Jiwoo joined the group to perform a special version of the song on music shows. KARD made their own comeback that year with their third EP, Ride On the Wind, released on July 25. The EP continued the group’s signature summery sound with J.Seph performing his his first singing moment on a KARD title track and putting Jiwoo front and center on the rap verse.

New Sounds, New Subunits

In 2019, KARD came back with two digital singles, “Bomb Bomb” and “Dumb Litty”. Both songs served as departures from their trademark moombahton and reggae sound, pivoting toward an aggressive, EDM-trap club style. On February 12, 2020, both singles were featured on the group’s fourth EP, Red Moon. Along with a new sound, the EP also introduced subunits for the first time with Jiwoo and Somin on “Enemy” and BM and J.seph finally becoming a hip-hop duo on “Inferno”.

Up until now, the group followed the company’s directions regarding the direction of their music. However, the group voiced they wanted more creative control and independance, wanting to explore more genres and concepts. On August 26, 2020, the group released their first single album, Way with Words. For the first time, BM wrote, composed, and arranged the album’s title track, “Gunshot,” with J.Seph, Jiwoo, and Somin also contributing their input. This would be the group’s last album before J.Seph would enlist for his mandatory military service in October. The song “Hold on” was dedicated to J.Seph as a farewell message, with the lyrics describing the pain of separating but keeping the bond that tied them and their fans together.

Life During the Hiatus

While J.Seph was completing his service, BM, Jiwoo, and Somin pursued solo work while the group’s activities were temporarily paused. BM made his official solo debut on June 9 with his digital single, “Broken Me”. He later dropped his solo project single album, “The First Statement,” where he flexed his creativity and status as a self-producing idol. He also became a host for DIVE Studios’ GET REAL, a podcast where K-pop artists openly talk about their experiences in the industry, alongside Peniel of BTOB and Ashley Choi of Ladies’ Code.

Jiwoo appeared on Mnet’s music survival show Good Girl, in which ten hip-hop and R&B female idols and solo artists compete against each other in missions to win flex money. She collaborated with artists such as SNSD’s Hyoyeon, Ailee, and Cheetah during group and unit missions on the show.

Somin launched her personal YouTube channel “Minny J,” where she shared her beauty tutorials, daily vlogs, and fashion lookbooks.

Re: United

On April 4, 2022, J.Seph was discharged from his military service, and DSP Media announced KARD would make a full return and release a new album in June. J.Seph returned to the producer’s chair and worked with BM to write the title track, “Ring the Alarm,” for the group’s fifth EP, Re:. True to its name, Re: represented KARD’s reunion, with all four members coming back together after being apart for 22 months.

A year later, the group came back with their 6th mini album and title track “ICKY. “ICKY” leaned further into the EDM-trap and Latin pop influences the group had been building since Red Moon, while pre-release track “Without You” offered a moodier, more restrained contrast. The mini album also continued KARD’s tradition of subunit tracks, with Jiwoo and Somin teaming up on “Fxxk You” and BM and J.Seph on “Been That Boy.”

On July 7, 2022, KARD renewed their contracts with DSP for three more years. On August 13, 2024, the group released their seventh mini-album Where to Now? (Pt. 1: Yellow Light). The mini-album acted as a fresh slate, moving away from their signature hard-hitting EDM to a sophisticated ’90s retro-pop sound. The second part of the album will be released on July 28, which will be KARD’s final project before their disbandment.

On February 11, 2026, Jiwoo finally released her solo project ⁠(EX)IST and two months later Somin released her first EP Unveil in April. J.Seph was the last to drop his solo EP EASY in May before the group announced their disbandment in July. All the members wrote their respective EPs with BM also assisting on producing and writting on all the solo projects.

Where to Now?

In an interview with The Korea Times, KARD reflected on their 10-year journey and discussed their disbandment. They were reluctant to call their group’s conclusion a true disbandment, with Jiwoo explaining that the four of them still want to make music together, just in a new environment, and that there are no plans to say goodbye and part ways entirely. Even when their contracts end, they will still maintain their bond with each other and with HIDDEN KARDs.

As a HIDDEN KARD, I find this a very bittersweet answer. This is not a goodbye or farewell, but a momentary pause for them to pursue their own paths before, hopefully, finding their way back to each other again.I think back to that night at Bayou Music Center in 2022, watching them perform live for the first time, and I’m just so grateful I got to be there and be a part of their story. Whatever comes next for BM, Somin, J.Seph, and Jiwoo, HIDDEN KARDs will be supporting them every step of the way.

Thank you KARD for all your hard work! See you again soon! ♥️♠️♦️♣️