5 Things You Need to Know About SEVENTEEN, the First K-pop Group That Performed at Glastonbury’s Main Stage

K-pop is quickly conquering the world, and Korean boyband SEVENTEEN is one of the music acts at the forefront of the genre’s ascendance. Here’s an introduction to the K-pop icons.

With their self-composed and self-produced music, SEVENTEEN has made waves since their debut in 2015. Having topped charts worldwide, including the Billboard Artist 100, SEVENTEEN is recently made history as the headlining act at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, making them the first K-pop group to grace the legendary Pyramid Stage.

If you’re wondering what the deal is with this 13-member juggernaut, take this as your introduction to the groundbreaking and multi-talented powerhouse group.

Here are five key facts about the band:

SEVENTEEN is a self-producing group

The world of K-pop often entails intricate planning — the creative process is often broken down to specific phases/sections with experts handling each dedicated part. SEVENTEEN broke that mould by showing that idol groups could not only produce their own songs but also make chart-topping hits all on their own.

From composing and producing to taking part in choreographing and even conceptualising album artwork, they stand out by being one of the only groups who are heavily involved in the entire process of making their albums. Vocal leader Woozi has composed and written most of their songs, cementing SEVENTEEN’s reputation as self-producing idols. This level of artistic freedom and control over their music is rare in the K-pop industry, making SEVENTEEN’s achievements all the more remarkable.

They’re split into sub-units

One of the most distinctive features of SEVENTEEN is how they’re split into 3 sub-units. That’s also part of how they got their name — they’re 13 members, divided into 3 sub-units, coming together as one (13 + 3 + 1 = 17).

Each unit hones specific skills and oversees different aspects of the group. The Vocal Unit focuses mostly on the tone and melody; the Hip-hop Unit takes rap and hip-hop production under their wing; and the Performance Unit serves impeccable choreographies with their unique moves.

When putting an album together, the leaders of each unit collaborate closely to make sure that SEVENTEEN get to tell their own stories through their music and performances. For proof of their song-production prowess, just listen to “HOME;RUN”, an upbeat number that blends jazz and dance-pop for a retro sound, or “Kidult”, a track about growing into the responsibilities of adulthood but still feeling like a kid.

SEVENTEEN’s fans are called CARATs

‘CARAT’ may sound like a fandom name seemingly plucked out of thin air, but it’s actually taken from the song “Shining Diamonds”, from SEVENTEEN’s debut EP, “17 CARAT”. Fans are referred to as CARATs to symbolise how they not only help SEVENTEEN shine brightly but also how they themselves glimmer like a jewel.

Just as carats signify the brilliance and purity of gold, CARATs symbolise the unwavering support and love the fans shower upon the band. In return, SEVENTEEN has expressed their gratitude to CARATs through songs like the romantic pop number “Darl+ing”. The group has also attended several official fan club meetings; their seventh such event, called SEVENTEEN in CARAT LAND, was recorded and is available for viewing on KrisWorld.

SEVENTEEN is massively popular in Japan

Over the past decade, hallyu (the Korean wave) has swept over the world, and SEVENTEEN is one of the Korean bands to have gained a sizeable following in Japan. Their albums have consistently performed well commercially as well as received critical acclaim. Since their ninth EP/Mini Album Attacca in 2021, which spawned the hit song “Rock With You”, SEVENTEEN has consecutively topped the Oricon charts with their subsequent releases. They recently achieved their 12th No. 1 album with 17 IS RIGHT HERE. Their 10th Mini Album, 'FML', was the third-highest selling album in Japan and the top-selling album worldwide in 2023.

SEVENTEEN 10th Mini Album 'FML'

Genre: Korean | Total Duration: 00:15:34

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Artist: SEVENTEEN 세븐틴
Release Year: 2023

Tracklist

Track 1

F*ck My Life

SEVENTEEN