Sorry the 2nd post is later again this week. I normally post on Fridays or Saturdays (most often Saturdays) but sometimes I don't manage to get a post finished in time. I had a busy day yesterday, so didn't get this finished. :)
Korean group KARD have just released their 1st album Where To Now? (Part.2): NOWHERE. Sadly it will also be their last album (or at least there are no current plans for more) since they are disbanding after over 9 years together.
However, as fans have pointed out, the group may not be permanently disbanding. The contract with their agency has expired and they aren't renewing it. The members have said that they plan to concentrate on solo careers but haven't ruled out reuniting as a group in the future.
KARD is made up of 4 members- SOMIN, BM, JIWOO and J.seph. As one of the few co-ed/mixed gender groups in K-pop (an industry dominated by girl groups and boy bands when it comes to group music) they stand out. I've followed them since their pre-debut, so I was disappointed to hear the news. But as mentioned, you never know what will happen in the future!
KARD debuted in December 2016 (originally also known as K.A.R.D) with the project single Oh NaNa, which featured Hur Young-ji who was the "hidden Kard"of the group). Their 2nd project single Don't Recall followed in February 2017.
In July 2017 they made their official debut with their 1st EP Hola Hola and accompanying single/title track. They have released 8 EPs (the most recent being DRIFT which came out in July 2025) and the single album Way with Words (2020).
Their other singles include Don't Recall, Bomb Bomb, Dumb Litty, Red Moon, Gunshot, Ring The Alarm, Without You and Touch.
While they have been successful internationally, they haven’t had as much as popularity in Korea, likely due to their line-up as a mixed gender group. However, 9/10 years is a good run and as an article in The Korea Times mentions, their success abroad may pave the way for future boy/girl groups, such as ALLDAY PROJECT, which debuted last year.
Although it should be noted that ALLDAY PROJECT has had some controversy, most notably due to member Tarzzaan being accused of cultural appropriation of African American culture and racism. I think this should be addressed. That having been said, these issues are part of a wider conversation when it comes to K-pop itself.
In addition to the release of their album, they will be going on a world tour before disbanding/going on hiatus. The tour begins on 8th August in Seoul, South Korea.
My favourite songs of theirs include Oh NaNa, Don't Recall, You in Me and I can't stop.
In the last few years, all the members have launched solo careers. Rapper BM (real name Matthew Kim), was the first, releasing his debut solo single BROKEN ME in June 2021, followed by his debut digital single album THE FIRST STATEMENT in July.
To date he has released two more single albums (Strangers in August 2022 and Lowkey in December 2023), plus two EPs (Element in May 2024 and PO:INT in October 2025). His most recent single is Ooh, which came out last October.
The other 3 members followed suit this year. In February JIWOO (full name Jeon Ji-woo or Ji-woo Jeon in Western terms) released her debut EP EX(IST), alongside the single Home Sweet Home. She has bought out 3 more singles from the EP- Mutual, Dang Dang featuring bandmate BM and Lily.
SOMIN (full name Jeon So-min) was next, making her debut with the EP Unveil in April. The title track Backseat was released on the same day (2nd April).
Finally, J.seph (real name Kim Tae-hyung) released his debut EP Spin-off in May, along with the title track EASY. He has released 3 more singles from the EP- III, Trippy and Bottoms Up.
Interesting info: Although JIWOO and SOMIN both have the surname/family name Jeon and Matthew and J.seph are both called Kim, none of them are related (at least recently!). Jeon is a common family name in Korea and Kim is one of the most common.
Where To Now? (Part 2) : NOWHERE is the group's debut album. The title references their 7th EP Where To Now? (Part. 1 : Yellow Light which was released in August 2024.
Where To Now? (Part 2) was released on 28th July. It consists of 10 tracks, including lead single Back To Life, an instrumental version and solo songs from each member.
Here are some songs from the album. :)
Back To Life
Back To Life is the lead single from the album and as yet, the only single. I'm not sure whether they'll release another one. It came out on the same day as the album.
Back To Life is a dancehall song based on moombahton, showcasing the style that has become KARD's trademark.
A performance video just premiered today (2nd August):
Move (BM solo)
Move is a solo track by BM. It's from his 2nd EP PO:INT (released last October) but wasn't released as a single. This is the official audio.
EASY (J.seph Solo)
EASY was J.seph's debut solo single and the title track from his 1st EP Spin-off (both released in May). It's included as a solo song on NOWHERE.
This is the official music video which premiered in May.
Backseat (SOMIN Solo)
Somin's debut single Backseat also features. It's the title track from her debut EP Unveil, and both EP and single came out in April.
This is the music video.
Home Sweet Home (JIWOO Solo)
And JIWOO's debut single was also included. It's from her debut EP EX(IST) and both came out in February. This is the music video.
Listen to/buy WHERE TO? (Part.2) NOWHERE here: https://lnkfi.re/KARD_NOWHERE
And find more audios/ videos from the album in the YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOx6zz-edaOI
Thank you for the music, KARD! Wishing you all the best for the future. :)
Hope you enjoyed the post! :) Are you a KARD fan? What do you think of the album and their disbandment/hiatus?
For more KARD visit these posts:
Music video for 2nd project single Don't Recall (2017), one of my fave KARD songs: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2017/02/weekly-music-video_22.html
K.AR.D Debut Mini Album (about their 1st mini album/EP Hola Hola, released in 2017): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2017/08/kard-debut-mini-album.html
K-pop Christmas! (features the 2017 single You in Me, another of my fave songs, and Trust Me, plus links to more music): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2017/12/k-pop-christmas.html
J-pop and K-pop Round-up 2019 + New Videos (includes the music video for Dumb Litty): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2019/10/j-pop-and-k-pop-round-up-2019-new-videos.html
New Music Releases (Aug 2020; includes the lyric video for Medication): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2020/08/new-music-releases.html
New K-pop Videos (July 2022; features the music video for Ring The Alarm): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2022/07/new-k-pop-videos.html
New Music Releases (Aug 2024, features the music video for Tell My Momma): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2024/08/new-music-releases.html
New Music Releases (Oct 2024; includes the performance video for SPIN): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2024/10/new-music-releases.html
New Music for 2025 (features the visualiser for Detox): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2025/01/new-music-for-2025.html
New Music Releases (July 2025; includes the music video for Touch): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2025/07/new-music-releases.html
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