History of K-Pop: MONSTA X
In celebration of the release of our new mini-issue, this month we are covering the history of MONSTA X! Be sure to grab your copy of MONSTA X’s mini-issue here.
MONSTA X’s debut to stardom began with the brutal pre-debut survival show No.Mercy, which determined the final seven members from the 12 trainees. Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Jooheon, Wonho, and I.M made it out alive together and debuted as a group in mid-2015 with their first mini-album Trespass. The debut music video of the same name presented the boys in a particularly interesting light that intrigued many who hadn’t originally watched No.Mercy, showcasing both a dark and playful side to the bunch that was especially alluring to those who preferred a hip-hop influence in their K-Pop.
The first comeback came four short months later in September 2015. The original lead single “Rush” had a harder time on the charts than “Trespass,” but the mini-album itself did better in sales, with about 73,000 copies sold in Korea while Trespass saw 42,000. For many, B-side “Hero” was the main selling point of the mini-album instead of “Rush,” which eventually gained a performance music video and ended up as the lead single in the repackage version of the mini-album. This could have also contributed to the higher number of sales. As of this writing, the “Rush” music video has 19 million views, while the “Hero” performance video has 109 million views.
As 2016 rolled around, MONSTA X hopped on the trilogy trend that took the K-Pop world by storm, and thus The Clan series was born. The series kicked off with the release of single “Ex Girl,” a softer pop ballad that featured MAMAMOO’s Wheein and showed a softer side to MONSTA X. The single was released on May 9, while lead title “All In” dropped on May 18. The Clan series intrigued many K-Pop fans and the cryptic nature of the music video helped the group gain attention that they hadn’t managed to get with their debut or first comeback. It proved to be a good move as The Clan Pt. 1 Lost peaked at No. 6 on the Gaon Monthly Album Chart and won a “Disc Bonsang” at the Golden Disk Awards. A special music video for B-side “Stuck” was also released later in August.
By this point, MONSTA X had solidified themselves as the masters of dark concepts and heavy hip-hop-influenced titles. The group took a bit of a different approach with the next lead single “Fighter,” which dropped in early October 2016. The title was not as popular as “All In,” but the mini-album The Clan Pt. 2 Guilty performed just as well on the charts, peaking at the No. 2 spot on the Gaon Weekly Album Chart and No. 3 on the U.S. World Albums Chart.
The final part of The Clan was released in March 2017 in the form of the group’s first full album The Clan Pt. 2.5: The Final Chapter. The album peaked at the same position as the previous release on the Gaon Weekly Album Chart, but also provided the group their first No. 1 on the U.S. World Albums Chart. Sales for the album reached almost 141,000, pushing the group into the mainstream spotlight. This era also marked the group’s first world tour, the Beautiful World Tour, which took the group to 10 different countries across the world. MONSTA X also began to take on a sexier aura, which helped boost their popularity as they did it very well.
The repackage version of the full album, Shine Forever, was released in mid-June and gave the group their first No. 1 on the Gaon Weekly Album Chart.
Up to this point, despite international success, MONSTA X had yet to obtain a music show win. All of that would change with the next mini-album The Code and title “DRAMARAMA,” with the group’s first win on The Show on November 4, 2017. On top of The Code getting the group No. 1 on the Gaon Weekly Chart, they also achieved No. 4 on the Gaon Monthly Album Chart. The Code also succeeded in winning a “Disc Bonsang” at the 2018 Golden Disk Awards. The Code era remains an emotional reminder for many Monbebe, who felt the group finally got the recognition they deserved in Korea after two years.
The Connect was the next mini-album to join the lineup in March 2018. Lead single “Jealousy” also earned a music show win on The Show. The album racked up 177,000 sales in South Korea alone, and the single made it onto numerous charts around the world, including France and New Zealand. This era kicked off the group’s second world tour Monsta X World Tour: The Connect, which spanned five months and covered 12 different countries.
Shortly after the conclusion of the second world tour, MONSTA X released their second studio album Take.1 Are You There? and lead single “Shoot Out.” The title took home four music show wins during its run, along with the album reaching a new peak on the Gaon Monthly Albums Chart at No. 2. The album also won a “Disc Bonsang” at the 2019 Golden Disk Awards.
Following Take. 1 came the third full album Take. 2 We Are Here and lead single “Alligator.” The album was released in February 2019 and peaked at No. 1 on both the Gaon Weekly and Gaon Monthly album charts, selling 174,000 copies in the first month of release. The album also went platinum, recording over 253,000 sales.
The seventh mini-album Follow: Find You was released on October 28, 2019 with title “Follow,” and would be the last title featuring member Wonho, though none were aware of it at the time. The comeback would be overshadowed by the drama surrounding him.
On Halloween 2019, a sudden announcement came out that Wonho had left MONSTA X. We extensively covered the situation at the time, but it was extremely shocking and difficult to comprehend not just for fans, but for all members of the K-Pop community. The good news is that after being investigated, he was cleared of all charges and was given the ability to return to the K-Pop scene. Many wished for him to rejoin MONSTA X, but it is unclear if there was an opportunity to do so. He announced shortly after the news of charges being dropped that he would debut as a soloist.
MONSTA X’s first release after Wonho’s departure was all-English album All About Luv. A number of singles were pre-released in 2019 before the album’s release the following year, including “Who Do U Love” and “Love U.” The album brought the group their first charting on the U.S. Billboard 200 at No. 5. While the album didn’t chart in Korea, it hit a number of placements on foreign charts, especially in Europe. The boys were one of the first groups to make a huge push in the Western market specifically with this album.
The first Korean comeback without Wonho was released in May of this year, with mini-album Fantasia X. Lead single “Fantasia” charted as well as other releases, but had some criticism that the track was too similar to “Follow.”
It has been four months since the release and MONSTA X has been fairly quiet, save for Shownu and Minhyuk recently singing the OST for the webtoon soundtrack of She’s My Type. Within the last month, Wonho had his official solo debut with his first mini-album Love Synonym #1: Right for Me and leading single “Open Mind.” The music video sits at almost nine million views as of this writing, showing a promising future for the lost member in his new venture.
MONSTA X has been on the scene for five years and has changed dramatically within that time, for better or for worse. Monbebe have stuck by the boys through thick and thin, and that bond has proven to be the glue that has held the group together in the face of immense adversity. There’s no doubt that the group has left a lasting effect on the K-Pop industry and has helped bridge the gap between the East and the West. Only time will tell where MONSTA X will go as their career continues.