ENHYPEN

About

Name origin

ENHYPEN takes its name from the hyphen symbol (-): just as a hyphen connects words to create new meanings, the seven (now six) members aim 'to connect, discover, and grow together to form a new act' — formalized as the motto 'Connection, Discovery, & Growth'. The official fandom name ENGENE was announced on October 9, 2020 via a Weverse video, chosen from a week of fan submissions. It carries two meanings: fans are the 'engines' that keep the group moving forward, and fans share ENHYPEN's 'GENE' — the same DNA connecting the group and fandom.

Formation

ENHYPEN was formed through the 2020 Mnet survival show I-LAND, a joint project of Belift Lab — itself a CJ ENM and HYBE joint venture founded in March 2019 to create the new boy band. Of the 23 trainees who competed from June 26 to September 18, 2020, seven were chosen in the finale: six by global vote (Jungwon, Jay, Jake, Ni-Ki, Heeseung, Sunghoon) and one by producers' choice (Sunoo). The group debuted on November 30, 2020 with the EP BORDER: DAY ONE and the single 'Given-Taken', made its Japanese debut on July 6, 2021, and stacked million-sellers with DIMENSION: DILEMMA (2021) and MANIFESTO: DAY 1 (2022). On March 10, 2026, Belift Lab announced that Heeseung would depart over differences in musical direction to prepare a solo album as EVAN; the group has continued as six members, releasing the EP THE SIN: BLISS in August 2026.

Why fans love them

Fans know ENHYPEN as K-pop 'performance kings' and '4th generation hot icons' — Ticketmaster's own artist bio praises their powerful, highly synchronized performances. Their signature is the dark vampire-fantasy concept threaded through BORDER, DIMENSION, MANIFESTO and the BLOOD series (DARK BLOOD, ORANGE BLOOD), extended into the Dark Moon: The Blood Altar webtoon and anime. The multinational lineup — Korean members plus Korean-American Jay (Seattle), Korean-Australian Jake (Brisbane-raised) and Japanese Ni-Ki — built a genuinely global fandom, reinforced by hits like 'Drunk-Dazed', 'Tamed-Dashed', 'Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)', 'Bite Me', 'XO (Only If You Say Yes)' and 'No Doubt'. The SIN: BLISS (August 2026) became their first Billboard 200 number-one, and the ongoing WORLD TOUR 'BLOOD SAGA' reaches Europe and Singapore in February-March 2027.

Members

• 
  Jungwon · LeaderYang Jung-wonBorn 02-09-2004Seoul, South Korea
• 
  JayPark Jong-seongBorn 04-20-2002Seattle, Washington, USA
• 
  JakeSim Jae-yunBorn 11-15-2002Seoul, South Korea
• 
  SunghoonPark Sung-hoonBorn 12-08-2002Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea
• 
  SunooKim Seon-wooBorn 06-24-2003Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• 
  Ni-kiNishimura RikiBorn 12-09-2005Okayama, Japan

Member photos: Jungwon, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Ni-ki — Wikimedia Commons contributors (CC BY 3.0 / CC BY 4.0)