Reaching for the moon, the 5th generation K-Pop boy group LUN8 is stealing hearts all over the world. With their boyish charms and disarming charisma, the members of LUN8 (Jin Su, Chael, Takuma, Jun Woo, Ian, Do Hyun, Ji Eun Ho, and Eun Seop) are putting their versatile talents on full display, and we just can't get enough. If you're a LUV8 (LUN8's fandom name), we can imagine that you feel the same way. So, to satisfy your fandom needs, we created an exclusive quiz in collaboration with LUN8 just for you!

LUN8 recently made a grand comeback with their 2nd mini-album "BUFF". With a sentiment of coming together to make dreams come true, LUN8 delivered vocals, visuals, and vibes in this release, complemented by the most addictive choreography and catchy rap verses. To think that such a production is coming from a rookie group truly makes it even more impressive.

To celebrate LUN8's return with "BUFF", we got together with the lovely boys of LUN8 and decided to create a very special quiz for LUV8!

EXCLUSIVE QUIZ: Which LUN8 Member Will Be Your Bestie?

We created the options for each question on the quiz from the LUN8 members' personal answers, edited for clarity.

Based on the LUN8 member your answers are most similar to, you can find out which LUN8 member is meant to be your very own bestie!

If you haven't taken the quiz yet, what are you waiting for? Take our EXCLUSIVE QUIZ made in collaboration with LUN8 first, and come back here to find out the full version of the members' answers! No cheating, though!

Did you take the quiz, LUV8? 🌙💛

Then, let's get into the LUN8 members' quiz answers!

LUN8 on X

What is your secret to making new friends?

I try to find common ground before starting a conversation.
Jin Su
I try to become friends by giving out some jelly.
Chael
Because I value the people I meet, I am still trying to come up with the best way to make new friends.
Takuma
I believe approaching with a sincere heart will open people up to me.
Jun Woo
I start a conversation by giving an ice cream or a drink.
Do Hyun
I start giving out candies!
Ian
If you approach everyone with no hesitation and treat them with kindness, I believe you will make a friend naturally.
Ji Eun Ho
I am quite sociable, so if there’s someone I want to be friends with, I go up to them and start talking and make them my friends.
Eun Seop

LUN8 on X

If you could have any SUPER POWER in the world, what would it be?

I would like to be able to never feel tired, even if I don’t sleep. While there might be more amazing and impressive powers, I think having the ability to not feel tired would allow me to live life more vigorously without losing the fun and sense of achievement that comes from working hard.
 
Jin Su
I want the ability to go back in time so I can continuously feel the happiness of spending enjoyable moments with my fans.
 
Chael
I want the power to control time.
Takuma
I would like to have healing powers to be able to cure all diseases. I want it because it's sad to be sick and when I get hurt during practice, I want to heal immediately.
 
Jun Woo
Although I want various superpowers, the one that comes to mind right now is the ability to move through space and time. If I could move through space and time, I think I could sleep more and then show the fans a better side of myself!
 
Do Hyun
Since I like dancing and I am very passionate about it, I want the ability to be the best dancer in the world.
 
Ian
I want the ability to teleport so I can travel anywhere in the world whenever I want.
Ji Eun Ho
I want the ability to stop time. If I could stop time, I would be able to sleep a lot and then only show my best side to the fans.
Eun Seop

LUN8 on X

If you could only listen to one LUN8 song from MON to SUN, what would it be?

I’d say 'MON2SUN.' It seems to be the song that best fits my taste.
 
Jin Su
I'll go with 'MON2SUN,' which makes me feel good the moment I hear it.
 
Chael
It's definitely 'GOT THE RIZZ.' I like it so much that I think I could keep listening to it.
 
Takuma
I think I'll listen to 'GOT THE RIZZ.' Because listening to an exciting song starting from the morning makes me feel like every cell in my body is waking up.
Jun Woo
If I could only listen to one song from this album, it would be 'GOT THE RIZZ.' I think it's a song that's very cheerful and listening to the lyrics gives me energy!
 
Do Hyun
It's 'MON2SUN.' In fact, I think about our fans all week, which fits well with the message of 'MON2SUN'.
 
Ian
I'll choose 'MON2SUN,' a song that's easy to listen to and that never gets old.
 
Ji Eun Ho
I'll listen to 'MON2SUN'! It's my favorite song, and the meaning of the song, 'Thinking of you from Monday to Sunday,' is a message I want to tell our fans!
 
Eun Seop

Do you think you GOT THE RIZZ?

I am still in the process of acquiring it.
 
Jin Su
I was born with “RIZZ”.
 

 
Chael
Of course I got the “RIZZ”!
 
Takuma
I always have ‘RIZZ’..
 
Jun Woo
I think that my ‘RIZZ’ is my shy smile.
 

 
Do Hyun
I think I am too ‘RIZZ’ right now.
 

 
Ian
For sure! I was born with ‘RIZZ’!
 
Ji Eun Ho
My ‘RIZZ’ is my sweet voice!
 
Eun Seop

LUN8 on X

When making plans, are you meticulous or spontaneous?
 

I try to be meticulous when I make plans, but when I carry out those plans, I try to be as flexible as possible and change them a lot.
 

 
Jin Su
I am a rather spontaneous person.
 

 
Chael
I tend to go with the flow, so I am more of a spontaneous person.
 
Takuma
I am meticulous. If I don’t come up with a plan before I execute, I get nervous very easily. So, I try to come up with a plan from the beginning to the end.
Jun Woo
I tend to come up with meticulous plans. For example, if I were to go on a trip, I’d come up with a very detailed plan to spend my time more efficiently.
Do Hyun
My MBTI contains J, which describes meticulous people. So, I am quite meticulous.
 

 
Ian
I am very spontaneous!
 
Ji Eun Ho
I like to be spontaneous!
 
Eun Seop

Choose your favorite PASTEL color!

Grey.
 

 
Jin Su
Pastel blue.
 

 
Chael
Purple!
 

 
Takuma
Red. I am an energetic and passionate person, so I like red.
 
Jun Woo
I think pastel pink is a very nice color. It’s chic and cute at the same time.
 
Do Hyun
My favorite pastel color is the sky blue.
 
Ian
I like the shade of purple from pastel.
 
Ji Eun Ho
I usually like pastel tones. Among them, sky blue is my favorite.
 
Eun Seop

LUN8 on X

How do you approach your goals?

Through deep consideration and analysis, I find the things that I need to do, and try my best to approach my goals.
 

 
Jin Su
I get motivation from people around me and try very hard to achieve my goals.
Chael
I try to find the problems first and develop myself by fixing those problems and moving forward.
 
Takuma
While setting high goals is good, I tend to achieve things one by one as if I am clearing a mission in a video game to move forward.
 
Jun Woo
After we set our goals, we talk to each other a lot about what to do and how to achieve those goals and come up with plans.
 
Do Hyun
I achieve small things first to get to the bigger goal.
 
Ian
I try to come up with the things that I can do to achieve my goals, and accomplish them one by one. Eventually, I get to my goals or get closer to accomplishing them.
 

 
Ji Eun Ho
I set a step-by-step guide to achieve my goals and accomplish them one by one. The joy of accomplishment helps me to move on to the next step which eventually leads me to my final destination.
 
Eun Seop

If you could enter into any K-Drama with your bestie, where would you go?
 

I want to enter “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God”, and make Goblin / Kim Shin my friend.
 

 
Jin Su
I want to enter all the dramas that starred Cha EunWoo and live a life as the characters he played.
 
Chael
Since it was a show that I really enjoyed, I want to enter “All of Us Are Dead”.
 
Takuma
"Love Revolution" is the one. I think it would be fun and interesting to go to school and hang out with Ian.
 
Jun Woo
I want to enter any kind of drama with Ji Eun Ho. It would be fun and interesting as long as I am with Ji Eun Ho.
 
Do Hyun
It’s "Dream High". Because no matter when and where, I want to become a singer.
 
Ian
Since I’d like to live in the past, I want to enter “The Moon Embracing the Sun"!
 

 
Ji Eun Ho
I’d like to go into "Descendants of the Sun" with my members. It would be fun if I were the highest rank in the drama and saw my members speaking formally to me.
 
Eun Seop

And there we have it!

What did you think of the LUN8 members' full answers to our quiz questions?

Did you relate to your bias or think similarly while answering the quiz?

We hope Kpopmap's EXCLUSIVE QUIZ helped you get closer to the LUN8 members!

Until next time, stream "BUFF"!

There’s no doubt that a new K-Beauty product is always trending, especially when a K-Celeb is the face of said product. In recent news, we’ve seen big names like SEVENTEEN’s WonWoo named as the new model of Korean beauty brands like The Face Shop, ZEROBASEONE becoming the new faces of COLORGRAM, and RIIZE becoming the new models of ETUDE, and many more.

There is an abundance of K-Beauty brands with K-Celebs as the face/model/ambassador of the brand - and fans are dedicated to buying these products to support their favorite K-Pop idol or Korean actor. The Olive Young top product ranking (of Apr. 25, 2024) is a great example of this. Out of the 8 products shown, 4 of them have K-Celebs (namely MONSTA X's HyungWon, Go YounJung, 2AM's Jo Kwon, and ZEROBASEONE's Kim JiWoong) as the face of the product, which can increase the odds of consumers buying the product.

Olive Young Screenshot (25/04/2024)

If you've ever wondered why brands opt to add celebrities to their marketing campaigns, a look at the following data from 2021 by LaunchMetrics proves the impact that Korean celebrities (namely BLACKPINK's Jennie and JiSoo, and BIGBANG's G-Dragon) have had on international luxury brands for fashion and cosmetics (which has only grown stronger since then).

LaunchMetrics

If that is the impact that K-Celebs can have on international brands, then it goes without saying that they would have a similar impact on local K-Beauty brands, too.

However, recently fans have been raising the question wondering why K-Celebrities (especially veterans and big names) don't venture into creating their own cosmetics and beauty brands. If they did, surely they'd make a lucrative profit from their fans' support...

In the case of the Western world, artists like Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, and Rihanna have infiltrated the global beauty market with their respective brands. Beyoncé has recently gone viral for her content utilizing her hair care products Cécred, Selena Gomez has become a sensation on social media with her cosmetics brand Rare Beauty, and Rihanna has also created a cosmetics brand that is a staple on the dressing tables of many in the form of Fenty Beauty. So, why don't K-Celebrities leverage their fandoms and take the leap?

The K-Beauty Celebrity Cosmetics Landscape Is Not Non-Existent

If you're looking for K-Celebrity cosmetics, but feeling bleak because you can't find any, then don't despair. There is one brand that you can seek out!

That's not to say that K-Pop idols haven't ventured into creating their own cosmetics brands at all. Jeon SoMi is one of the first K-Pop idols to attempt her own cosmetics line.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 글맆 GLYF (@glyfing)

She launched the makeup brand GLYF which she had been working on since 2023.

Negative Reactions To A K-Celebrity Makeup Line

However, the product launch was met with some pushback from netizens as they questioned her intention/sincerity and the pricing of the product.

Some argued that Jeon SoMi's first product, the ILLUÉTTE Highlighter Palette (four colors) at 43,000 Korean won (about 31.39 USD), is too expensive.

Whilst this sentiment spread across communities, to be objective, similar celebrity brands in the West charge similarly or even more. The Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter (one or two colors) retails for 74,100 Korean won (about 54.02 USD) and the Rare Beauty Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter (one color) retails for 25 USD (about 34,274 Korean won).

On the other hand, if you compare a similar highlighter palette (with 4 colors) from the Korean brand IPKN called the IPKN Flap One Face Palette, it retails for 32,000 Korean won (about 23.23 USD).

Note: all prices and conversions are as of Apr. 24, 2024.

GLYF Official / Fenty Beauty Official / Rare Beauty Official / Olive Young

Taking these brands into consideration, Jeon SoMi's product is slightly on the pricey side but not entirely out of reach. It is up to consumers to buy a product in their comfortable price range.

The Likeliness Of More K-Celebs Opening Brands In Future

Whilst K-Pop idols are at a career and popularity advantage to launch products in the form of beauty and fashion brands, there might be some hesitance on their part due to potential backlash from fans. Jeon SoMi is one case study, but so is former Girls' Generation member Jessica Jung, who faced backlash from her agency when trying to launch her current fashion brand BLANC & ECLARE.

Some fans perceive pursuing businesses like this as a distraction and a lack of dedication to being an idol. Even in the West, Rihanna has received a lot of backlash for not releasing music and focusing solely on her beauty brand, for example.

As K-Pop fandom prioritizes a relationship with the K-Pop idol, for instance, whilst there might be an outpouring of support for the idol's brand - fans might not like the change in focus.

There is also the issue of K-Pop idols losing out on much-needed brand deals essential to marketing their groups or themselves. This is because beauty brand models are usually tied to only promoting that specific brand due to exclusivity clauses in the contract.

Lastly, and naturally, creating a brand in a saturated market is also a huge risk that K-Celebs may not have the time or energy to take on. Especially in South Korea, where K-Beauty giants such as Olive Young rule the day, it might be difficult to navigate the brands under that umbrella and other competitors. Even a brand (distributor) as huge as Sephora (selling international brands) has had to close down operations in South Korea due to being unable to beat the local K-Beauty market.

If competition can be this fierce between distributors, then it will undoubtedly be just as fierce amongst actual brand competitors.

However, there is still hope that more K-Celebs will take the leap to create products that can help fans feel closer to or like them.

What do you think? Should more K-Celebs be starting beauty brands? Do you reckon that being the face of another K-Beauty brand and not starting their own is the best way for K-Celebs to be part of the K-Beauty industry?

Spotify - the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service - announced that RIIZE has been selected as the newest RADAR KOREA artist, making them the first K-Pop boy group to join the program.

As Spotify’s global music program for emerging creators, RADAR supports rising artists around the world on their paths to superstardom, helping talent at all stages of their development while strengthening their connections to fans and new listeners. Previously, Spotify has successfully elevated international sensations like The Kid LAROI, Lauv, Tyla, and Lil Baby, and closer to home, RADAR KOREA has spotlighted artists including NMIXX, Huh, LE SSERAFIM, and Zior Park.

RIIZE debuted with 'Get A Guitar' last September and has released a series of trendy singles such as 'Talk Saxy', 'Love 119' and 'Impossible'. Through their music, the group has showcased their distinctive 'emotional pop' sounds that express their unique colors. This June, RIIZE is returning with their first mini album "RIIZING" and will showcase their newfound growth.

For their entry into the RADAR program, Spotify will support RIIZE with a bespoke campaign to continue to propel them in the global music scene. As part of this interactive campaign, fans and listeners around the world can look forward to a host of exclusive content such as member interviews, on the RADAR KOREA playlist clips and across the following YouTube channels: Spotify and K-Pop ON! Spotify. Moreover, as a RADAR artist, RIIZE will also receive a mixture of Spotify’s best-in-class editorial; on-platform and out-of-home marketing support.

As of April 2024, RIIZE has close to 4 million monthly listeners and 630,000 followers on Spotify, amassing fans from across the globe in their rookie year. The top 10 countries streaming the group comprise Indonesia, Japan, the United States, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Brazil, and Mexico. RIIZE's most-streamed songs on Spotify are 'Get A Guitar', 'Memories', 'Love 119', 'Talk Saxy', and 'Siren'.

“The RADAR KOREA program bolsters Spotify’s dedication to helping music travel the globe and connecting Korean artists with fans and new audiences at every stage of their journeys,“ said JungJoo Park, Spotify’s Head of Music, South Korea. “With their incredible talent, RIIZE as rookies have shown how they’re a force to be reckoned with. So we're thrilled to welcome them aboard as a RADAR KOREA artist and look forward to introducing their unique sounds to more listeners worldwide."

“We’re pleased to be selected to take part in Spotify's RADAR KOREA program, and look forward to connecting with our fans and new listeners around the world,” said RIIZE. “Living up to our team name RIIZE, we will make our best efforts to deliver great music that touches the hearts of our fans.”