KARD

Co-ed South Korean group Kard deliver propulsive, hard-edged pop that incorporates electronic trap, moombahton, and hip-hop textures to their stomping anthems. Formed in the late 2010s, the quartet issued a steady string of well-received mini-albums, including their 2016 Korean and U.S. Top Three hit debut Hola Hola and 2018's Top Ten Ride on the Wind. They hit number 12 in Korea with 2022's Re:, and again charted with 2023's ICKY and 2024's Where to Now? (Pt. 1: Yellow Light).

Created by DSP Media in 2016, the Seoul-based outfit is comprised of rappers J.Seph (Kim Tae-hyung) and BM (Los Angeles-born "Big" Matthew Kim) -- who originally planned to be a hip-hop duo -- and vocalists Jiwoo Jeon and Somin Jeon, a former member of Puretty and APRIL. The quartet issued their debut single, "Oh Na Na" with Heo Youngji, at the end of 2016. They followed with "Don't Recall" in early 2017, also recording an English version. Third single "Rumor" arrived months later, just before the group released their debut EP, Hola Hola. The effort hit number two on the Korean charts and peaked at number three on the Billboard World Albums ranking. They followed with a promotional tour of the United States and Europe. After delivering the soundtrack for Lovebird: First Year Season 2, they released their second mini-album, You & Me, to close out a whirlwind year.

Kard rang in 2018 with their third EP, Ride on the Wind, another Top Ten showing in both Korea and the U.S. That same year, in addition to a short Asian tour, the quartet performed at SXSW. While only releasing a pair of singles in 2019 -- "Bomb Bomb" and "Dumb Litty" -- they returned in 2020 with their fourth mini-album, Red Moon. A three-track single album, Way With Words, also arrived that year, featuring the hit song "Gunshot." Toward the end of the year, J.Seph enlisted in South Korea's mandatory military service, reducing Kard to a trio. BM also branched out as a solo artist in 2021.

In April 2022, J.Seph returned to the fold, and that June the group delivered their fifth set, Re:, hitting number 12 on Korean Circle Albums chart. They again reached the Top 30 with both 2023's ICKY and 2024's Where to Now? (Pt. 1: Yellow Light). While on tour in December 2024, Kard unveiled the non-album single "Detox." ~ Neil Z. Yeung