Girl group Kep1er has been reborn ‘again’.

Kep1er, formed through Mnet‘s ‘Girls Planet 999: Girls’ War’, which aired in August 2021, extended the group‘s life by renewing their contract in May. They are the first project group that came together through an audition program to successfully renew their contract, making the dreams that senior project groups such as I.O.I and Wanna One were unable to achieve come true.

Although the group was reorganized from 9 to 7 in the process, they are determined to properly show “Kep1er’s color” through their 6th mini-album ‘TIPI-TAP’, which will be released on November 1. As this is the first album to showcase the seven-member group, they are encouraging each other, saying, “Let‘s fill it up so that it doesn’t look empty.”

“We‘ve gone through many changes, so we decided that this time we’d like to make a song that will make Kepler better known to the public as the title song. We also wanted to show our fans who must have had a hard time during the reorganization process a good side of us. Then we came across the addictive chorus of ‘TP-Tap’, and we thought, ‘This is it!’ Mashiro and (Kang) Yeseo, who re-debuted as part of the group Maydin, complimented us, saying, ‘It’s pretty!‘ whenever our concept photos came out, which made us feel reassured.”

The members said, “After spending the 2 years and 6 months that were initially given to us, our will to be together became stronger, so we renewed our contracts without hesitation.” Due to the timing, Mashiro and Kang Ye-seo returned to their original agencies, and the remaining seven put their regrets behind them and tried to persuade their respective agencies to keep the team.

“At that time, uncomfortable and sensitive stories had to be exchanged. Nevertheless, everyone calmly expressed their inner feelings and set new goals. Through that, we got to know each other better, and our teamwork became stronger. We also felt like we became more mature as we coordinated opinions with our agencies. Maybe that’s why even the difficult discussion process remained as good memories.”

They say that their affection for Kepler grew as they saw each other struggling towards the common goal of ‘maintaining the team’. Leader Choi Yu-jin, whom the members all unanimously called “the one who worked the hardest”, emphasized, “I trusted my younger siblings”.” The other members also laughed, saying, “We say the words, ‘We’re happy to be Kepler!‘ the most to each other.”

“The members who have been together for 3 years are so simple yet passionate. I wonder how I could have met these members, and I think I wouldn’t have come this far if it weren‘t for them. I’m glad that I have this many people to rely on. Because we‘re all together, I’m not afraid of the road ahead. There are still many concert halls and countries I haven‘t been to, so I have to go to them all as Kepler.”


Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com