A 2024 GUIDE TO ENHYPEN

Welcome to a 2024 Guide to Enhypen. While this guide is by no means comprehensive, it will hopefully provide an updated and accessible introduction to the group, including their history, what they're known for, their discography highlights, and a bit about the members. Their fanbase is called Engene because fans are the engines behind their growth. For existing fans and Engenes, hopefully this is a fun recap of what the boys have accomplished so far, as we welcome new members to the community.

History of Enhypen

Enhypen is a 7-member boy group who debuted in November 2020 under Belift Labs, a joint venture between CJ E&M Entertainment, a Korean media company, and Big Hit Entertainment, a label which at the time produced BTS and TXT. The 7 members of Enhypen were selected among 23 participants in a survival show called I-LAND, during which the boys lived and trained together for close to 3 months in isolation from the outside world due to the pandemic. Enhypen's ownership has changed slightly since their debut, as Big Hit Ent. became Hybe Corporation in 2021, and Hybe acquired CJ E&M's stake in Belift Labs in August 2023, valuing Belift at over $200M when Enhypen was their only artist. Belift is now a fully owned subsidiary of Hybe and houses Enhypen and their recently debuted sister group, ILLIT.

There are no official positions within Enhypen besides the leader, Jungwon. The goal is for each member to be able to fulfill all positions at a high quality, and to be well-rounded in all skills. While respecting the group's wishes to not get boxed into a certain role, fans sometimes refer to unofficial positions like center, main, or lead vocal or dancer depending on the eras, so we will cover the strengths and growth of each member in the members section later in the video. The members are typically named starting from the leader, followed by the eldest to the youngest.

Note: Ni-ki's name should be spelled with a hyphen.

Although Enhypen debuted during the pandemic's lockdown and were unable to promote normally in front of fans, they were quickly a global success. Here are some of their accolades. At 12 days, they were the fastest K-pop group to win a Rookie of the Year award. They were the fastest Korean act in history to reach 1 billion total streams on Spotify. They were the fastest K-pop group to perform in the 55,000-seater Tokyo Dome, and they were the first K-pop group to guest at an overseas fashion show, which they accomplished as global ambassadors of Prada. While their journey to the top was certainly supported by their trailblazing senior groups, and the support of incredible in-house music producers, choreographers, creatives, and staff, the boys have always approached their jobs with humility, hard work, and an underdog mentality. Their mid-lockdown debut put them in a tough position, as they were initially unable to interact with live fans and fulfill their true dreams of being performers for their first year. In behind-the-scenes footage at K-POP FLEX, a concert in Germany that took place almost 18 months after Enhypen's debut, the members express their shock and amazement at their first opportunity to hear a crowd cheer. The pandemic also led Enhypen to adapt a Gen-Z digital engagement strategy, and the boys quickly became viral on TikTok almost every time they posted. Till this day, the boys are highly active on Weverse, an artist engagement app run by Hybe, and they go live or post behind-the-scenes photos almost daily.

While there are so many talented boy groups in K-pop, Enhypen continues to grow and excel as artists. Here are some things they are known for.

Dance breaks.

Enhypen has an in-house produced weekly variety show called En O'Clock, which typically airs every Thursday when they are not actively in promotions. There are now over 100 episodes of En O'Clock, which, in addition to other network variety shows, Enhypen behind-the-scenes footage on YouTube, and other special shows like Enhypen&Hi, has given fans a library of hilarious content to really see each member's personalities shine. A fan-favorite clip that demonstrates the disaster that is some En O'Clock episodes is the following game of foot volleyball where the boys are not allowed to use any English while playing. Enjoy the content!

Jake: "Shall we start start the rules after the first serve?"

Jake: "All right everyone let's go let's go pay attention sldfjasrlg"

Jungwon: "I'm Jungwon, I'm from Korea! I'm a Korean!"

Sunghoon: "For this game, let's ban all English"

Ni-ki: "Okay okay"

Sunghoon: "We can't even say OK"

Jay: "Ready, start!"

Jake: "Hey, Ni-ki Ni-ki!"

Jake: "OK"

Sunghoon: "Why why why? What happened?"

Jake: "I said OK"

Jay: "Guys! Just don't talk. Just keep your mouths closed!"

Ni-ki: "Ah please please, OK"

Jake: "STOP SAYING OK"

Jake: "OK let's go"

Sunghoon: "Got it, got it (in Korean)"

Sunghoon: "OK"

[Captions: Even the dependable Sunghoon said Ok]

[Captions: We have no points to deduct from]

[Captions: We can win even without playing, OK?]

Jungwon: "Let's start!"

Sunghoon: "Just don't reply to him"

Ni-ki: "OK"

Jake: "HEY YOU"

[Captions: never ending OK loop]

Sunghoon: "SERIOUSLY"

Jake: "Seriously is he doing this on purpose?!"

Sunghoon: "What are you, a SPY??"

Ni-ki: "I'm so sorry"

Jake from off screen: "Just don't say anything"

Ni-ki: "OK"

Heeseung: "He just said OK"

Jungwon: "OK, OK"

Sunghoon: "OK, passing it over..."

Jungwon: "He said it he said it"

Ni-ki: "OK, let's go"

Sunghoon: "I QUIT"

And here is another infamous clip of them trying to play lip-reading telephone.

[Captions: Guess the word "Bambi Boy" (Heeseung's nickname)]

Jake: "Bambi Boy"

Sunghoon: "Bambi Boy-"

Sunghoon: "Bambi Boy?"

Sunghoon: "Bambi Boy"

Ni-ki: "Ah, Bambi Boy?"

Ni-ki: "Bambi"

Jungwon: "Bapit"

Ni-ki: "Bambi Boy"

Jungwon: "Bapin Bogey?"

Sunghoon: "What a mess"

Ni-ki: "Bam"

Jungwon: "Bap"

Ni-ki: "Bam"

Jungwon: "Pab!"

Ni-ki: "Bam"

Jungwon: "Ppab!"

Ni-ki: "Bam"

Jungwon: "Ba-ab"

Ni-ki: "Bambi Boy"

Jungwon: "Mommy Boy?"

Ni-ki: "it sounds like something you eat"

Jungwon: "Popping boba?"

Jungwon: Spreading actual misinformation

Jay: "Papipopipo?"

[Caption: It somehow got worse]

Jay: "PA"

Jay: "PI"

Jay: "PO"

Jay: "PI"

[Nods]

[Heeseung: A laugh of disbelief]

[A look of total judgement]

There's hundreds of hours of content out there, so if you are new to diving into Enhypen, En O'Clock and their variety content is a great way to go.

The group is known for their no-skip discography, both with their title tracks and with their B-sides. Since their debut until their recent album Romance: Untold, Enhypen has released over 70 songs across 3 studio albums and 6 mini-albums. Their music spans multiple genres including K-pop, pop-rock, R&B, hip-hop, and pop ballads. Prior to each major comeback, Enhypen typically releases a cinematic concept trailer that builds on the lore of the group. While we won't go too much into lore into this video, the overarching story follows the group's lives as immortal vampires, and each MV captures a different time period of their adventures. Their lore is tied to Dark Moon, a popular webtoon produced by Hybe, with characters inspired by the Enhypen members. The webtoon has over 100 million views, and was even a special theme of Lotte World, a theme park in Seoul, South Korea.

We'll now take a look at some short highlights from Enhypen's discography.

Title songs.

Iconic B-sides.

Their discography is truly incredible, and Enhypen continues to refine their vocals and harmonies with each new release.

It's impossible to capture each member's personalities and talents in an intro video, so I'll be highlighting facts about the members that personally stand out to me.

Jungwon was selected as Enhypen's leader for his attentiveness, strong willpower, and maturity, despite his young age. At the time of his debut at 16, he was the youngest leader of a K-pop group and is 2nd youngest in Enhypen. He is known for his diligent loyalty towards the Enhypen members, staff, and Engenes. Before music show recordings, Enhypen often have mini fan meetings with fans who win lottery spots. These recordings usually happen at 3 or 4 AM, so fans have to wait outside for hours afterwards to see the boys. One time, Jungwon noticed that fans were sitting on the ground because the venue did not provide any seats.

Jungwon: "Wait you guys are just sitting on the floor?"

Engenes: "Yes"

Jungwon: "But why?"

[Looks at staff with utter disappointment]

Jungwon: "Sitting on the chairs is comfortable, right?"

Engenes: "Yes!"

Jungwon: "We will continue to make sure there are chairs in the future"

Jungwon is often the biggest cheerleader for the members' solo projects. Ni-ki describes him as someone who always picks up the phone and texts back quickly.

Jungwon: "Hello?"

Ni-ki: "Hello"

Jungwon: [sleepy noise]

Ni-ki: "Hyung you watched my monitoring video yesterday, how was it?"

Jungwon: "Yeah it was so good!"

[Happy Ni-ki]

Jungwon: "I want it to get uploaded ASAP because I think a lot of people outside of Engenes will watch it"

Jungwon [to the staff]: "Please take good care of Ni-ki"

Jungwon: "Ni-ki's on his own right now,"

Jungwon: "so he might be a bit shy compared to when we're all together"

Jungwon: "Did you eat yet?"

Ni-ki: "Yes, I already ate"

He is often the first to comfort members when they need a hug. He also has the nickname "King of Weverse" due to his perfect daily attendance either going live or posting fan interactions. Weverse recently implemented a feature update at his request, which now enables artists to do joint lives together. It's safe to say that he cares deeply about Enhypen's fans and is diligent about his job.

Jungwon is one of the strongest technical dancers in Enhypen. He is known for his sharp isolations and flowy movements. Jungwon often executes Enhypen's choreography with the cleanest footwork. See this clip of Criminal Love where he is wearing the plaid shirt. He is a former Taekwondo athlete, which is sometimes incorporated into their choreography. Here are a few other Jungwon dance appreciation clips.

Jungwon has a distinct vocal tone that is instantly recognizable in songs. He also recently received his first writing credit, having composed part of the top-line melody for Enhypen's song 'Hundred Broken Hearts'. Here are a few other iconic moments.

Jungwon: "My autograph, my autograph"

Jungwon: "JELLY"

Jungwon: "I'm sorry [formal speech]"

[Caption: This was during I-LAND finals. Jungwon is a huge Jungkook fan.]

MC Jaejoong: "So how long did I-LAND filming take?"

Jungwon: "We were CAGED in there for 3 months"

Jungwon: "I mean we were living in there"

HYBE trainer: "We're going to stay like this for 3 min"

[Heeseung noises of protest]

Jungwon: "Like THIS? How can we stay like this for 3 minutes?"

Heeseung: "RAAH SAVE US"

Heeseung: "SAVE US"

Heeseung: "AAAAAA"

Heeseung, the eldest member of Enhypen, has been called an Ace since his pre-debut days. He is loved by fans for his well-rounded vocal and dance skills, stunning stage presence, and his chill yet hilarious personality. His vocals particularly shine in long melodies where he can showcase his range, vocal control, and technique. Due to his strong vocal technique, he is a consistent live singer and often sounds just like the studio version. Here are some Heeseung vocal appreciation clips. He also often provides ad-libs, harmonies, and backing vocals for Enhypen songs.

While Heeseung is a strong dancer, where he really excels in performance is his stage presence. He has an uncanny ability to draw you in with his eye contact. He is also capable of adapting to various concepts, whether they are serious and mature or lighthearted and bouncy. Heeseung is an overall talented musician and has recently begun to produce music, including his first producer credit on Highway 1009. [Heeseung helped with recording directing for Bite Me]

Heeseung: "That take was good"

Jay: "Thanks, you worked hard!"

Here are a few iconic Heeseung moments.

[Premise of the show is to share complaints with the MC for her to solve them]

Heeseung: "We live in different rooms in a dorm"

Heeseung: "Every night, the members play video games and they are too loud"

Heeseung: "And when I try to sleep, the members scream as if they're dying irl"

MC Youngji: "Oh, so you don't make sounds when you game?"

Heeseung: "I concentrate, so I'm not loud"

Jungwon the Fact Checker: "No Heeseung is also really loud"

[Members unionize against Heeseung]

Jungwon: "Ni-ki and I don't really game"

Jungwon: "The rest of them all sound the same [while gaming]"

[Members sharing how they will resolve their "complaints"]

Sunoo: "I'll make more friends"

Sunghoon: "I'll worry less about things"

Heeseung: "I realized that I myself was the problem"

Jungwon: "Isn't that our song? (Polaroid Love)"

MC [pretending]: "O... uh who are you guys?"

Heeseung: "Oh, he's Korean, he must not know us"

[Context: Enhypen is known to be disproportionately popular overseas vs. in Korea, so Heeseung is self-roasting Enhypen]

Sunghoon: "I'm Enhypen"

Heeseung: "Yeah, I have a unique butt."

Jay: "Yeah I bet that he has."

Heeseung: "I have a small butt, but I'm really bouncy."

Jay is a Seattle-born Korean-American member of Enhypen who is, in my opinion, Enhypen's backbone. He is an extremely well-rounded individual, both as an artist and as a person. He is a strong vocalist and particularly excels in live singing. He also has incredible stage presence. One of Jay's side passions is guitar. Jay also enjoys cooking for his loved ones. In this clip, he is preparing dinner for his mom.

Jay's Mom (Off camera): "You've never lived away from us until now"

Jay's Mom (Off camera): "Not even once before"

Jay's Mom (Off camera): "And because you don't have any siblings"

Jay's Mom (Off camera): "I was really worried for you [to enter this industry so young]"

Jay's Mom (Off camera): "But now you have 6 brothers"

Jay's Mom (Off camera): "So I feel less worried"

Jay: "We're going to get a noise complaint lol"

Jay has also had a few iconic artist collaborations. And he is hilarious on variety shows, although at his own expense.

[Jay technically blocks Sunoo's hit, but Sunoo tags him anyways]

Jungwon: "Sunoo must have really wanted to hit Jay"

Sunghoon: "HAHAHA Jay's reaction time is so slow"

Jungwon: "His neck is sticking out like a turtle"

Sunoo: "I can't look at his expression it's too funny"

Captions: [S-L-O-W]

[Sunghoon, Heeseung, Ni-ki demonstrates how this game is supposed to be played]

Jungwon: "Let's practice"

[Caption: A passionate tango?]

[Caption: AR-TIS-TIC]

[Caption: Who cares about the ball... when we can just laugh]

Jake: "GO GET IT"

Jungwon: "We're doomed"

[They try Jungwon as the thrower and Jay & Jake receiving]

Jake: "I can't make eye contact with Jay"

Jungwon: "It's a good lineup"

Jake: "I DON'T WANT TO GET CLOSE"

Jake [in English]: "Seems like I'm the only one..."

Jake [in English]: "I still haven't met Mr. Jjongsby... no one has met him."

Jay [in English]: "Afraid I haven't been the greatest host, old sport."

Jay [in English]: "You see..."

[Jungwon sneezes loudly]

[Jake yells in disgust]

Jake is an Australian-Korean member of Enhypen who is part of the '02-line. He is a talented vocalist and his vocal tone beautifully suits Enhypen's discography, particularly in songs with falsetto or melodic choruses. He is a powerful and sharp performer, but can also rock a laid-back, swaggy choreo execution. Jake and Sunghoon are ambassadors for the luxury jeweler Tiffany. They are referred to as the "Tiffany Twins." Jake is close with other Aussie K-pop artists like Felix from Stray Kids.

[Jake and Felix struggle to play the 'Marshmallow' game]

"Here are some additional great Jake moments."

Jake: "[Walk] is a word she really likes"

Jake: "Layla do you want to go for a WALK?"

Jake: "We have to go for a walk now"

[Captions: Amazing]

[Captions: I'm the king of archery]

All: "Oh it fell off it fell off"

[Caption: The arrow fell off as soon as it landed]

Ref: "If it falls off, then it doesn't count"

Jake: [Noises of rage]

[Opposing blue team celebrates]

Jungwon: "Nice, nice"

Jake: "Hang on, it fell off, IT FELL OFF"

Ref: "No it is fine if it stays on for a few seconds"

Jake: "WHAT ON EARTH TYPE OF RULE IS THAT"

[Jake and Sunghoon are paired together for a haunted house challenge]

Sunghoon: "IT'S DOOMED"

Sunghoon: "The two of us are the biggest cowards"

Jake [to the staff]: "Me? and Sunghoon???"

Sunghoon: "THIS IS INSANE"

[Jake: On the ground]

Sunghoon: "HAHA dude are you ok"

[Captions: Obviously not]

Sunghoon rounds out the '02-line with his uniquely enchanting and soft vocals. His vocal tone and range, while quite versatile, especially suits Enhypen's darker or moodier tracks. He is an alluring performer and often has the 'killing parts' in choreographies, as reflected by infernal fan screams after his parts.

[Lyrics]

Sunghoon: "Can I kiss you? Can hug you?"

"YES" - very real Engene

[Mr. Camera Man???]

His elegant dancing style is part due to his former competitive figure skating career. He has a strong potential and the visuals for acting, shown in some of Enhypen's recent concept cinemas. He was also formerly co-host of Music Bank with IVE's Wonyoung.

Sunghoon: "Wonyoung, HAWAII you?"

Sunghoon [answering himself]: "I'm fine thank you"

Wonyoung: ???????

Sunghoon: "Hallo (cute tone)"

Wonyoung: [Messes up] "Ah sorry!"

He is known as the "King of TikTok" within Enhypen. This TikTok went viral and became a K-pop Rick Roll. Here are a few more of his iconic moments.

Sunghoon: "My PaBorITE TiRaMISU"

Sunghoon [aggressively singing]: "I'll pass the mic, pass the mic"

"You stay, still? You staY? YoU STAYY?!"

[All answers]: "Milk tea..."

[1theK interviewer catches Enhypen in the wild]

[Jungwon fulfills his leader duties]

[Sunghoon takes this opportunity to escape]

[Interviewer finds Sunghoon anyways]

Sunghoon: [asldfjas;rg]

Sunghoon: "Can I go?"

Sunghoon: "It's over?!"

Sunghoon: "Byeeeee"

[RUNS FOR IT]

[Jungwon, who was waiting for Sunghoon]: ??????

[Jungwon the PR specialist gives a thumbs up]

[Ni-ki demonstrates how this game is meant to be played]

[Meanwhile Sunghoon...]

Sunghoon: "RUN RUN RUN RUN"

[Jake, complimenting Sunoo]: "He's really good to his hyungs"

[Sunghoon, not interested in living]

[Sunoo plotting Sunghoon's demise]

Sunoo is, in my opinion, one of the most versatile members in Enhypen. While he has a sunny personality, his vocal and performance range excels in both bright and dark concepts. He has a broad vocal range and a soft vocal tone, so Enhypen producers often leverage his voice to introduce new melodic motifs, often in the pre-chorus or bridge. His on-stream cover of "Golden Hour" by American singer and producer JVKE went viral, and caught the attention of the original artist, which led to Enhypen's collaboration with JVKE for their recent title track "XO." Here are some additional iconic Sunoo moments.

Note: Ni-ki's name should be spelled with a hyphen throughout this section. Sorry for the error!

Ni-ki is Enhypen's youngest and only Japanese member. Since his introduction on I-LAND, he has been regarded as a natural-born dancing talent, and his hard work and tireless training has honed him into the skilled, stylistic, and technical dancer he is today. While he has the precision to execute Enhypen's hyper-synchronized dances they had earlier in their careers, Ni-ki excels in creative environments where he is able to add his own flair. And he often collabs with other artists for TikTok dance challenges. He is also a talented and growing vocalist. His deep baritone vocal range and smooth vocal tone is vital to Enhypen's iconic vocal harmonies. He is a multi-talented artist with interests in design and fashion. He designed and drew this Prada logo for Miuccia Prada ahead of Enhypen's Milan trip to the Prada men's fashion week show. He is also an ambassador for luxury jeweler house BVLGARI alongside Jungwon. Here are a few other iconic Ni-ki moments.

Thanks for watching the 2024 Enhypen Guide. I may make more detailed guides on the members in the future, so feel free to leave your favorite member moments in the comments below.