SuperM (
Hangul: 슈퍼엠) is a South Korean
supergroup formed in 2019 by
SM Entertainment and
Capitol Music Group.[1] The group consists of seven members from four SM Entertainment boy bands:
Taemin from
Shinee,
Baekhyun and
Kai from
Exo,
Taeyong and
Mark from
NCT 127,
Ten from
WayV, and
Lucas, who is a former
NCT and WayV member.[2] The group debuted on October 4, 2019, with their
self-titled EP, which entered the US
Billboard 200 at number one, making SuperM the first Asian artist in history to top the chart with a debut release.[3][4] Their debut single, "
Jopping", was among Billboard's Critics' Picks for the "25 Best K-pop Songs" of 2019.[5]
History
Background and formation
All members of SuperM came from existing boy groups under
SM Entertainment.
Taemin had been an active artist since the age of 14, when he debuted as a member of
Shinee in May 2008.[3]Baekhyun and
Kai debuted as members of
Exo in April 2012. They have also been members of Exo's Korean sub-unit Exo-K since April 2012, and Baekhyun has been a member of its R&B-oriented sub-unit
Exo-CBX since October 2016.
Taeyong,
Ten, and
Mark debuted as members of
NCT in April 2016, and
Lucas debuted as a member of NCT in January 2018. Taeyong and Mark were added to NCT's Seoul-based sub-unit,
NCT 127, in July 2016. Mark also debuted as a member of NCT's then-teenaged sub-unit
NCT Dream in August 2016, while Ten and Lucas were added to NCT's China-based sub-unit,
WayV, in January 2019.
In 2019, before the official announcement of SuperM's debut, there had been rumors that
SM Entertainment was planning to debut a "
K-pop Super Boy Band".[6] On August 7, 2019, Capitol Music Group chairman Steve Barnett and SM Entertainment founder
Lee Soo-man officially announced the group as SuperM at Capitol Congress 2019.[7][8][9][10][unreliable source?][11] The "M" in SuperM stands for both Matrix and Master, since each member was already an established star in their own groups.[12][13] The teaser revealed the group members, each excelling in dance performance, vocals, and rap.[14][15] Described as "the
Avengers of K-pop", the group was to be focused more on performance-based music.[9][16] SM A&R executive and director Chris Lee stated that the group had been in the works for around one year. Lee felt the analogy to the Avengers was apt: "Each Avenger has their own group and
Iron Man has his own movie and
Thor has his own, but together, they have an even greater synergy, so like that the members will pursue their own careers and own groups but also join together with synergy—a positive one".[9]
Audiences and followers had mixed opinions on the project at first. Some fans are enthusiastic about the band's debut following the release of the first teaser at Capitol Congress 2019.[17] Meanwhile, others were concerned about SM Entertainment prioritizing existing groups, Exo members establish solo careers before their
mandatory military service, and the group debuting in the United States rather than starting with Korean promotions.[18][19] Writing for
MTV News, Caitlin Kelley opines that "the biggest takeaway from the backlash is that it's not that easy to combine the powers of multiple fandoms" and felt that the group's structure might be complicated for American audiences, although she noted that "the fact that SuperM trended worldwide for several hours shows potential. That level of engagement means that there is widespread interest in the group—now it's just a matter of turning public opinion around".[18] Kate Halliwell of The Ringer wrote, "plenty of people support several groups within the K-pop genre at large, and it makes sense to target them whenever possible ... but the toxic side of fandom is difficult to escape". She added that the formation of the group "once again [proves] how online backlash is inevitable, and often overwhelming when it comes to navigating multiple K-pop fandoms at once", although she felt that the formation of the group "[signifies] a rising tide in Western K-pop demand".[19]
2019: Debut and initial success
SuperM promoted their debut album both in the US and in South Korea.[20] Several teasers were posted on SuperM's various social media channels.[19][21] The group filmed their debut music video in
Dubai in August 2019.[21] The group's
self-titled debut EP was released on October 4, with the instrumental of one of the album's songs, "I Can't Stand the Rain", released on August 28.[22]SuperM's lead single, "Jopping", was released alongside its music video on the same day as the EP,[23] which debuted at number one at the
Billboard 200 albums chart with 168,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 10.[24]
In April 2020, SuperM became the first group from SM Entertainment to hold a live online concert, entitled
Beyond the Future, jointly organised by SM Entertainment and
Naver as part of the world first online-dedicated live concert series, Beyond Live.[36] For their concert on April 26, they performed songs from their debut album as well as new tracks from an upcoming unannounced release, playing to a live audience of more than 75,000 paying real-time viewers from over 109 countries. The revenue from the online concert, from pure ticket sales excluding merchandise, has been estimated at US$2 million.[4][37]
In August 2020, the group announced their first studio album, Super One, for a September 2020 release.[38] The album release was preceded by a pre-release single, "
100", released on August 14.[39] SuperM made their US morning television debut through video call on Good Morning America on August 20 with a performance of "100".[40] In a brief interview prior to the group's performance, Mark explained that the audience was witnessing the exact same set that they used for their Beyond LIVE concert in April.[41] On August 26, SuperM won the Seoul Mayor Award at the 2020
Newsis K-Expo, making it the group's first award since their debut.[42] The second pre-release single, "Tiger Inside", from SuperM's first studio album was released on September 1.[43] It eventually became the group's first song to enter the
Gaon Digital Chart.[44] On September 25, SuperM revealed its collaboration with Marvel for a limited edition merchandise series alongside the release of Super One and the album's third and lead single "One (Monster & Infinity)".[45] The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 104,000 equivalent album units. It became the group's second top three entry after their debut EP.[46] SuperM participated in on online
advocacy event for
mental health, The Big Event, by the World Health Organization on October 10. The group performed "Better Days" during the event, which was broadcast live on the WHO's
Facebook,
Twitter,
LinkedIn,
YouTube and
TikTok channels.[47][48]
Baekhyun enlisted as part of South Korean
mandatory military service on May 6, 2021, becoming the group's first member to enlist.[49] Taemin became the group's second member to enlist on May 31.[50]
In the SM Entertainment online concert
SM Town Live 2023: SMCU Palace at Kwangya on January 1, 2023, it was announced that SuperM will have a comeback in 2023 following the discharges of Baekhyun and Taemin. However, Lucas' participation is unknown following personal controversies and scandals in 2021, which resulted in a hiatus from activities.[51] Baekhyun completed his military service on February 5, while Taemin finished his service on April 4.[52][53] Lucas left NCT and its sub-unit WayV on May 10, further putting his status as a SuperM member into question.[54] Kai became the third member to enlist in the military on May 11, following a surprise notice by the South Korean government while preparing for an upcoming Exo album and promotions.[55]
Endorsements
SuperM were announced as global ambassadors for
Korean Air in November 2019.[56][57][58] On November 4, the group was featured alongside SM labelmate
BoA in Korean Air's safety video, which was added to all Korean Air flights on the same day.[59] The song featured in the video, "Let's Go Everywhere", was released on November 18, and proceeds of the song were donated to
Global Poverty Project's
Global Citizen campaign.[59][60]
Following their safety video feature, the group was also advertised through livery sported by one of
Korean Air's
Boeing 777-300ER, registered as HL8010.[61] The livery is a picture of the group's seven members with the group's name logo below it and is situated at the aft part of the aircraft.[61][62]
In January 2021, insurance company
Prudential announced a collaborative campaign with SuperM called "We DO Well Together". The campaign encourages people to maintain good health and to spread positivity.[63] As part of the campaign, the group released a promotional single, "We Do", which was released alongside its music video on April 9.[64] Prudential hosted a virtual fan meeting and concert, with Taeyong, Ten, Lucas, and Mark attending due to Baekhyun and Taemin serving in the military and Kai being under self-quarantine after fellow Exo member Xiumin tested positive for COVID-19; Baekhyun, Taemin, and Kai appeared through pre-recorded video.[65]
SuperM: We Are the Future Live is SuperM's first world tour, promoting their
eponymous debut album. The tour was officially announced on October 2, 2019, with tickets going on sale on October 5, 2019.[28] The tour began on November 11, 2019, in Fort Worth and initially visited nine cities in North America. An extension to the tour began on February 9, 2020, in Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
^
ab"슈퍼엠 4월 도쿄돔 콘서트, 코로나19 여파로 보류(공식입장)" [SuperM's Tokyo Dome Concert in April Now Pending in the Wake of COVID-19]. Naver (in Korean). March 27, 2020.
Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
^"SuperM, 대한항공 글로벌 앰버서더 위촉 [공식입장]" [SuperM appointed as Korean Air Global Ambassadors]. Naver (in Korean). November 6, 2019.
Archived from the original on March 27, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
"オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree' (as of 19/04/2021)]. Oricon (in Japanese).
Archived from the original on April 9, 2004. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
^"가온 인증: 누적판매량 인증" [Gaon Certification: Albums] (in Korean).
Gaon Chart. January 7, 2021.
Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
^*
"週間 CDアルバムランキング 2019年12月02日付" [Weekly CD Album Ranking for December 2, 2019] (in Japanese). Oricon.
Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
"オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree' (as of 15/03/2021)]. Oricon (in Japanese).
Archived from the original on April 9, 2004. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
^Kim, Hyo-jin (December 8, 2020).
가온차트 2020, 글로벌 초이스상 1차 투표 시작…남자·여자 후보 공개 [Gaon Chart 2020, the first round of the Global Choice Award voting begins... Male and female candidates announced]. Top Star News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.