Epex
Epex (Korean: 이펙스, romanized: Ipekseu; stylized as EPEX; shortened from Eight Apex) is an eight-member South Korean boy band formed by C9 in 2021, consisting of Wish, Keum, Mu, A-Min, Baekseung, Ayden, Yewang and Jeff. The group debuted on June 8, 2021, with their first EP titled Bipolar Pt.1: Prelude of Anxiety.
Epex | |
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![]() Epex in October 2022 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
Genres | |
Years active | 2021 | –present
Labels | |
Members |
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Website | Official web |
History
Pre-debut activities
Keum is a former contestant of Mnet's Produce X 101. As a 2-year old trainee representing C9 Entertainment, he was eliminated in the final episode and was ranked 17th place.[1]
2021: Debut with Bipolar series
C9 Entertainment opened several SNS accounts on March 1, 2021, stating that they would become the artist accounts for the new idol group prior their debut.
On April 1, 2021, the group's official name was announced to be EPEX, which stands for "Eight Apex". The meaning of the group is said to be when the gathering of eight youths reaches eight different apexes.[2]
On May 7, 2021, a teaser titled "Prelude of Anxiety" was released on the group's SNS accounts. Their debut EP, Bipolar Pt.1: Prelude of Anxiety and its lead single "Lock Down", was released on June 8.[3]
On September 24, 2021, a teaser titled "Prelude of Love" was released on the group's SNS accounts. Their second EP, Bipolar Pt.2: Prelude of Love and its lead single "Do 4 Me" was released on October 26.[4]
2022–present: continue with Prelude series, first concert tour
On March 15, 2022, a teaser titled "21st Century Boys" was released on the group's SNS accounts. Their third EP, Prelude of Anxiety Chapter 1. '21st Century Boys' and its lead single "Anthem of Teen Spirit" was released on April 11.[5]
On October 26, they released their fourth EP Prelude of Love Chapter 1. 'Puppy Love' , a sequel of their 2021 EP Bipolar Pt.2: Prelude of Love, alongside the lead single "Hymn To Love".[6][7] To commemorate of the EP release, they held an online showcase in the same day.[8] The group also announced their first international concert tour, Eight Apex, starting from Seoul on November 19 & 20, following Osaka, Tokyo, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur and more cities would be announced later.[9][10]
Members
Adapted from their Naver profile[11] and website profile.[12]
- Wish (위시) – leader, vocalist, dancer
- Keum / Keum Donghyun (금동현) – rapper, dancer
- MU (뮤) – vocalist
- A-Min (아민) – vocalist, dancer
- Baekseung (백승) – rapper
- Ayden (에이든) – rapper
- Yewang (예왕) – vocalist
- Jeff (제프) – rapper
Discography
Extended plays
Title | EP details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |
---|---|---|---|---|
KOR [13] |
JPN [14] | |||
Bipolar Pt.1: Prelude of Anxiety |
Track listing
|
10 | 26 | |
Bipolar Pt.2: Prelude of Love |
Track listing
|
6 | — |
|
Prelude of Anxiety Chapter 1. '21st Century Boys' |
Track listing
|
5 | — |
|
Prelude of Love Chapter 1. 'Puppy Love' |
|
4 | — |
|
Prelude of Love Chapter 2. 'Growing Pains' |
|
6 |
|
Singles
Title | Year | Peak position | Album |
---|---|---|---|
KOR Down. [21] | |||
"Lock Down" | 2021 | — | Bipolar Pt.1: Prelude of Anxiety |
"Do 4 Me" | — | Bipolar Pt.2: Prelude of Love | |
"Anthem of Teen Spirit" (학원歌) | 2022 | — | Prelude of Anxiety Chapter 1. '21st Century Boys' |
"Hymn to Love" (사랑歌) | 127 | Prelude of Love Chapter 1. 'Puppy Love' | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. |
Filmography
Concerts and tours
Headlining
- Eight Apex (2022–present)
Awards and nominations
Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asia Artist Awards | 2021 | Male Idol Group Popularity Award | Epex | Nominated | [23] |
Gaon Chart Music Awards | 2022 | New Artist of the Year – Physical | Bipolar Pt.2: Prelude of Love | Nominated | [24] |
Golden Disc Awards | 2022 | Rookie Artist of the Year | Epex | Nominated | [25] |
Hallyu Influencer Grand Prize Awards[upper-alpha 1] | 2022 | The Male Idol in the Rise | Won | [26] | |
Hanteo Music Awards | 2021 | Rookie Award – Male Group | Won | [27] | |
Korea Culture Entertainment Awards | 2021 | Best New Male Artist | Won | [28] | |
Mnet Asian Music Awards | 2021 | Best New Male Artist | Nominated | [29] | |
Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||||
Album of the Year | Bipolar Pt.1: Prelude of Anxiety | Nominated | |||
Seoul Music Awards | 2022 | Rookie of the Year | Epex | Won | [30] |
Popularity Award | Nominated | [31] | |||
K-wave Popularity Award | Nominated | ||||
Notes
- The 2022 Hallyu Influencer Awards (planned/directed by Lee Ail) held at the large studio on the 1st floor of the Ilsan Bitmaru Broadcasting Center on June 1st was hosted by JGMC and hosted by Payton Foundation and HR Entertainment, OBS Kyungin TV, bntnews, It was held with the official support of Kukje News and Reborn Nature.
References
- "김우석 ( 티오피미디어 ) | PRODUCE X 101 [엠넷닷컴]". produce-x-101.mnet.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- "C9엔터, CIX 이후 2년 만에 新 보이그룹 론칭 [공식]". Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- Yoon, Sang-goon (May 10, 2021). "'프듀' 금동현 그룹 이펙스 6월 8일 데뷔 확정[공식]". Naver. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- Park, Seo-hyun (September 27, 2021). "이펙스, 10월 26일 컴백..'너의 동반자' 콘셉트 포토 공개". Naver. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- Kim, Ye-na (March 16, 2022). "이펙스, 4월 11일 컴백…신보 스케줄러 오픈". Naver. Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- Hyun, Jung-min (October 26, 2022). "이펙스, 오늘(26일) 'Puppy Love' 발매…본격 컴백 활동 시작" (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- Jeon, Hyo-jin (October 26, 2022). "이펙스, 오늘(26일) 첫사랑에 빠져 컴백…'사랑가' 발표 [DA:투데이]" (in Korean). Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- Park, Se-yeon (October 26, 2022). "이펙스 "풋사랑 노래 위해 판소리 '사랑가' 찾아봐"" (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- "Epex(이펙스), 11월 콘서트 'Eight Apex' 개최..첫 글로벌 투어".
- "이펙스, 데뷔 첫 글로벌 투어 나선다".
- "EPEX : 네이버 통합검색". Naver Search (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- "EPEX : C9 ENTERTAINMENT". C9 Entertainment (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- "Bipolar Pt.1: Prelude of Anxiety – Week 24, 2021" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- "Bipolar Pt.2: Prelude of Love – Week 44, 2021" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- "Prelude of Anxiety Chapter 1. '21st Century Boys' – Week 16, 2022" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- "Prelude of Love Chapter 1. 'Puppy Love' – Week 44, 2022". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- "Prelude of Love Chapter 2. 'Growing Pains". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- Oricon Albums Chart:
- Bipolar Pt.1: Prelude of Anxiety: "週間 アルバムランキング 2021年07月26日付" (in Japanese). Oricon. July 21, 2021. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021.
- 2021년 7월 Album Chart [July 2021 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
- 週間 CDアルバムランキング 2021年07月26日付 [Weekly CD Album Ranking on July 26, 2021] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- 2021년 11월 Album Chart [November 2021 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- "Album Chart First Half 2022". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- "2022.11 Month Album Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- "Album Chart – Weeks 17". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- "Download Chart – 2022 Week 44". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- "티오원-이펙스, 리얼리티 '웰컴 투 하우스' 론칭". NBN News Agency (in Korean). April 2, 2021. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- "Asia Artist Awards - Male Idol Group Popularity Award Voting 2021". Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- "GAONCHART MUSIC AWARDS". www.gaonmusicawards.co.kr. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- Kim, No-eul (December 8, 2021). "BTS·임영웅·김호중·아이유…제36회 골든디스크 어워즈 후보 공개" [BTS, Lim Young-woong, Kim Ho-joong, IU...Candidates for the 36th Golden Disc Awards.]. X Sports News. Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- "'2022 한류인플루언서대상' 김양·알렉사 등 수상". Naver (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- "Hanteo Music Awards, 신인상 (Rookie Award) Male Artist". Twitter. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- "이펙스, '대한민국 문화연예대상' 신인상 주인공". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
- "2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards Nominees". MAMA. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- Ahn, Yoon-ji (January 23, 2022). "NCT127, 데뷔 후 첫 대상.."We made it! 건강·행복하길"[서울가요대상][종합]" [NCT127, first grand prize after debut.."We made it! Wishing you health and happiness"[Seoul Music Awards][General]]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
- "31st High1 Seoul Music Awards – 모바일 투표 현황" [31st High1 Seoul Music Awards – Mobile Voting Status]. Seoul Music Awards (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.