Vernon and The 8 of K-pop boy band Seventeen are preparing to debut a new subunit this summer, according to Pledis Entertainment on Thursday.
Pledis said the two artists are working on a unit album with a target release of June and are participating in the album's production.
Vernon, one of the group’s rappers, has consistently taken part in songwriting and composing since Seventeen’s debut in 2015. In 2024, he became a member of the Korea Music Copyright Association in recognition of his continued songwriting activity. He was also selected as a voting member of the Recording Academy, organizer of the Grammy Awards, in 2025.
The 8, who is Chinese, is known for his strong dance skills and has also released several solo albums in China, including “Stardust” in 2024.
The two artists previously collaborated when Vernon participated in the songwriting and composition of “Orbit,” the lead track of The 8’s “Stardust.”
The duo is now poised to become Seventeen’s sixth official subunit.
Seventeen has previously introduced several units, including BSS — Seungkwan, DK and Hoshi — which produced hits such as “Fighting,” “CBZ (Prime Time)” and “Just Do It.” As several members gradually began their mandatory military enlistment, additional duo units were introduced, including JxW (Jeonghan and Wonwoo), HxW (Hoshi and Woozi), CxM (S.Coups and Mingyu) and DxS (DK and Seungkwan).
The full boy band is currently on its “New_” world tour. After holding shows in Thai capital Bangkok and Bulacan in the Philippines, the group is expected to bring its tour to a close at Incheon for encore concerts on April 4 and 5.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com
