After more than two years of development, HYBE’s Japanese group &TEAM has arrived, and they’re ready to howl at the moon. The band’s nine members — K, Fuma, Nicholas, EJ, Yuma, Jo, Harua, Taki, and Maki — debuted on Dec. 7 and have already topped Japanese music charts with their debut EP, First Howling: ME. You may have heard their emo-rock debut single “Under the Skin” or caught their playful “Scent of You” music video, and this beginner’s guide will tell you everything else you need to know about &TEAM’s nine members and fierce concept.
How was &TEAM formed?
&TEAM was formed on the competition reality show &AUDITION - The Howling -, which is available to stream for free on YouTube (you can start with episode one at this link). Over &AUDITION's eight episodes, 15 trainees competed in group challenges to improve their performance skills and teamwork. Together, they worked towards a shared goal: to earn enough “&Balls” after each challenge to fill up an empty “&Ring” and ensure their debut. Challenges included covers of work by artists including BTS, Seventeen, Monsta X, and Taemin, and by Tomorrow X Together, who visited the trainees to offer advice over a lunch of pizza and chicken.
Four of &AUDITION’s 15 trainees — K, Nicholas, EJ, and Taki — appeared on I-LAND, the competition show that formed &TEAM’s brother group, ENHYPEN, in 2020. That year, HYBE LABELS JAPAN confirmed that the quartet would debut in a Japanese group. As confirmed members of the final team, K, Nicholas, EJ, and Taki served as leaders and mentors for the other trainees on &AUDITION, but still performed with them as if competing themselves.
In the show’s finale, a combination of audience and producer voting determined the five additional members of &TEAM: Fuma, Yuma, Jo, Harua, and Maki.
What is &Team’s concept?
&TEAM’s werewolf concept was introduced two years ago in ENHYPEN’s “Drunk-Dazed” music video. K and EJ appeared as werewolves tailing the vampiric ENHYPEN and establishing an immortal rivalry that spans decades.
Now “Under the Skin,” &TEAM’s debut single, adds backstory to their friendship. It establishes the nine &TEAM members as isolated teen werewolves in search of belonging. They find each other, and unite as a pack, by “howling.” The song’s lyrics reflect that urge for connection: “My heart is shouting right now, where are you?,” they sing, “Howling from afar, the quiet "Save me"… I wanna meet you and know why my heart hurts so.”
In an extended version of the “Under the Skin” music video, an elder werewolf leaves K to look after the rest of the pack. He urges K to remember that “no matter how afraid you are, no matter how hard it is… if you have something you want to protect, you have to be brave” and that it’s a werewolf’s job to “secur[e] their territory from vampires” and “live along with humans.”
The end of the extended “Under the Skin” music video picks up where “Drunk-Dazed” began, with EJ and K pursuing a lone girl on her way to a party. She is being followed first by hooded figures and then bats, which are imagery present in ENHYPEN’s music videos and commonly associated with vampires.
Despite their rivalry, both &TEAM and ENHYPEN seek to create unity. Their names purposely leverage punctuation to communicate their ideals, with the “and” of &TEAM symbolizing its members’ solidarity as a pack and ENHYPEN’s “hyphen” or “line” representing the connection between its members and the line between human and vampire.
Looking for more lore? HYBE’s original webtoons Dark Moon: The Blood Altar and Dark Moon: The Grey City provide more backstory about each group’s origins. And for deep dives into &TEAM and ENHYPEN’s concepts, check out the fascinating analysis by the Bookish Theories YouTube channel.
What is &TEAM’s fandom name?
&Team’s fandom name is “Luné.” It stands for “Light Up New Energy” and is a direct translation of “moon,” which provides light in the darkness and transforms werewolves into their true selves. As Luné, fans will illuminate and guide &TEAM’s journey.
Who are &TEAM’s members?
25-year-old K is perhaps &TEAM’s most anticipated debut. A talented all-around performer, K just missed out on joining ENHYPEN when producers chose Sunoo as the group’s seventh member in I-LAND’s shocking finale. He tends to have sophisticated tastes: his favorite drink is coffee, he lights candles and listens to jazz to relax, and he journals every evening. Oh, and his favorite breakfast? Greek yogurt with acacia honey.
Must-watch performances: Just about every K performance is top-notch, but a self-choreographed I-LAND dance routine with ENHYPEN’s Sunghoon and Jungwon set to Rain’s “Rainism,” Dynamic Duo’s “Three Dopeboyz,” and G-Dragon’s “One of a Kind” is especially impressive. For &AUDITION performances, check out K’s high notes in BTS’s “Lights,” eerie puppeteering in ”Black Swan,” suave suited dancing in TVXQ’s “Something,” and adorable duet with Taki in Seventeen’s “Oh My!”
24-year-old dancer Fuma was previously a trainee under n.CH entertainment, where he participated in dance covers with Haru of the girl group NATURE. In addition to those duets, which include Taemin’s “Want” and “Move” and BTS’s Boy With Luv, pre-debut Fuma can also be seen in YouTube videos of dance classes from Seoul’s popular 1MILLION Dance Studio. He told Teen Vogue that he’s enjoyed creating choreography in the past and would “of course!” be interested in contributing to &TEAM’s future projects. He adores Pokémon and claims Eevee as his favorite.
Must-watch performances: Deep-voiced and reserved, Fuma surprised viewers when he shone brightest in his team’s cover of Tomorrow X Together’s upbeat “Blue Hour.” He also showed off acrobatics in ”Black Swan” and fierce vocals in &AUDITION’s finale performance of “Running with the Pack.”
Eliminated early on in I-LAND, Nicholas was selected as one of the four contestants from the show to continue on as a member of &TEAM. The 20-year-old Taiwanese B-boy has since become a formidable performer, able to rap, since, and dance with ease. Already fluent in Mandarin and English, Nicholas learned Korean to appear on I-LAND and Japanese in preparation for &AUDITION. He grew up playing competitive badminton and credits The Sound of Music for jump-starting his interest in performing.
Must-watch performances: Nicholas excels in both soft and dark performance concepts, but is the most fun to watch in his element as a powerful rapper and dancer. His B-boying and strong dance background took center stage in his &AUDITION performances of BTS’s “Run” and Monsta X’s “Hero.” For Nicholas’s vocal chops, check out BTS’s “Film Out.”
Good-natured and optimistic, 20-year-old EJ is the kind of guy you’re happy to have around. EJ was eliminated in the first half of I-LAND, but stood out enough to be asked to join &TEAM.
He likes building things, like Lego, by hand, and told Teen Vogue that he’s recently been digging deeper into an interest in bands. His favorite groups at the moment are Green Day and Japanese bands ONE OK ROCK and Official Hige Dandism.
Must-watch performances: Catch EJ’s strong leadership skill, flawless prop work, and stable performance chops on display in his team’s performance Tomorrow X Together’s “Blue Hour.” He’s also a precise, light-footed dancer who can pull off singing while completing complicated choreo, like in Seventeen’s “Home;Run.”
18-year-old Yuma is another all-around talent, and has been dead-set on performing since he was a pre-teen. At 13, he trained and performed as a member of α-X’s, a group run by Japanese conglomerate Avex Management. He was a kind-hearted collaborator throughout &AUDITION and thrived in both vocal and dance challenges.
Must-watch performances: Yuma’s stable, soaring vocals are ever-present in his &AUDITION performances. See them at work during the grueling choreo of Taemin’s “Sayonara Hitori" and Seventeen’s “Oh My!” or while communicating the pained reverence of BTS’s “Film Out.”
A former basketball player, 18-year-old Jo towers over the other members as the second tallest on the team (K is tallest... for now). He enjoys pencil drawing as a hobby and his favorite foods are white rice, marshmallows, and miso soup with mushrooms. Over the course of the show, Jo struggled to emote as he performed. That struggle culminated in one of the more touching moments of the show, where he broke down in tearful frustration and was comforted warmly by his team members, including Harua and EJ.
Must-watch performances: Though the show’s producing mentors expressed being disappointed with his performance, Jo held his own in his team’s cover of Seventeen’s “Home;Run.” During the group’s finale performance of “Running with the Pack,” Jo exhibited impressive growth and proved he can excel in darker concepts.
Quiet and bright-eyed, 17-year-old Harua flew under the radar for much of &AUDITION and began pulling public interest towards the latter half through his charming performance of cheery concepts. Harua enjoys taking walks outside while listening to music and generally likes being outdoors.
Must-watch performances: Harua began break away from the back during his performance of Tomorrow X Together’s buoyant “Blue Hour.” His hard-earned improvement took center stage in &AUDITION’s finale performance of Melody," where he performed with confidence and ease.
Taki charmed his way onto the I-LAND set as a 15-year-old, breaking out into an endearing locking routine that won over the hearts of other contestants. He was known on the show for his lighthearted energy, impressive dancing, and for being the baby of the group. As one of three Japanese contestants, Taki was close with both K and Ni-Ki, whom he had trained with before appearing on I-LAND. As a 17-year-old on &AUDITION, Taki was no longer the youngest (Maki has him beat by a year) but still brought a charming levity to the show.
Must-watch performances: Taki’s darling duet with K in Seventeen’s “Oh My!” and his bright energy in &AUDITION’s finale performance of Melody are required viewing. For extra credit, check out his performance as leader of the “Sayonara Hitori" team. And you can always marvel at his astonishing growth by watching his first ever television appearance on I-LAND more than two years ago.
German-Japanese Maki won hearts on &AUDITION through his performance prowess and care for other members. The dimpled 16-year-old delivered some of &AUDITION’s most impressive live vocal performances, proving himself to be both a reliable entertainer and teammate.
Must-watch performances: Like Yuma, Maki delivers powerful vocals in each &AUDITION performance, no matter how demanding the choreography. See him hold his own during the aerobic intensity of Taemin’s “Sayonara Hitori" and Seventeen’s “Home;Run.”
