On June 17 KST, RIIZE made a significant comeback with their first mini-album, ‘RIIZING,’ accompanied by the release of the music video for the title track, “Boom Boom Bass.” According to data from the Hanteo chart, the boy group’s album achieved an impressive 661,722 copies sold on its first day. This remarkable feat allowed RIIZE to break their own record for first-day sales on Hanteo. The previous record was held by their debut single album ‘Get A Guitar,’ which had sold around 170,000 units on its first day. Congratulations to RIIZE for this outstanding achievement!
RIIZE, a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment, consists of seven members: Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Seunghan, Sohee, and Anton. They made their debut on September 4, 2023, with the single album ‘Get a Guitar.’ The group’s name, Riize, is a combination of “Rise,” symbolizing growth, and “Realize,” representing a team that grows together and realizes dreams.
Before their official debut, members Shotaro and Sungchan were part of SM’s boy group, NCT, joining the lineup in October 2020. On July 1, 2022, SM Entertainment introduced Shohei, Eunseok, and Seunghan as part of their SM Rookies lineup. In November 2022, it was announced that they would star in the reality show ‘Welcome to NCT Universe,’ hosted by Shotaro and Sungchan.
The first mentions of SM’s new boy group came on February 3, 2023, when SM released a video detailing the company’s future plans with SM 3.0. The video explained that the group would debut in the fourth quarter of 2023, led by SM Entertainment COO Tak Young-jun. On May 24, 2023, SM announced that Shotaro and Sungchan would leave NCT to join the new group, and that Eunseok and Seunghan would debut, while Shohei would not.
On July 11, it was reported that the seven-member boy group was filming their debut music video for a projected September debut. In response to media reports about Yoon Sang’s son Anton Lee joining the group, SM stated that they would begin revealing information about the group on August 1. On July 31, SM confirmed that the group would debut as “Riize” in September. On August 1, the member profiles of all seven members were revealed, alongside the group’s Instagram.
On August 7, 2023, SM Entertainment announced that the group would debut on September 4 with their first single album, ‘Get a Guitar.’ The album sold over a million copies in its first week, earning the second most first-week sales of a rookie group’s debut album. On August 19, Riize released the web novel ‘Rise & Realize’ ahead of their debut, in collaboration with Kakao Entertainment. Ahead of its release, Riize performed “Memories” and “Siren” at KCON LA on August 20. Riize released their pre-release single “Memories” on August 21.
On September 4, SM Entertainment announced that Riize had signed a contract with RCA Records for their promotion and activities in the United States. At the debut showcase “RIIZING DAY: RIIZE Premiere,” Riize announced their official fan club name as SUNZ, which was later changed to BRIIZE due to potential negative interpretations of the name “SUNZ.” On September 7, the group made their official broadcast debut on Mnet’s M Countdown, performing “Get a Guitar,” “Memories,” and “Siren.”
On October 22, it was announced that Riize would have their first comeback with the single “Talk Saxy” on October 27. However, on November 22, SM announced that Seunghan would be put on indefinite hiatus due to rumors surrounding him. SM stated that they plan to submit a complaint to the police and are considering taking further legal measures against those who spread false information to intentionally cause misunderstandings.
On January 5, 2024, Riize released their single “Love 119,” achieving their first music show win on the January 18 episode of Mnet’s M Countdown, as well as the January 21 episode of SBS’ Inkigayo. The group also released a Japanese version of the single on January 24, marking their Japanese debut. Riize released the full version of their pre-debut teaser “Siren” on April 3. The single is part of their first EP ‘Riizing,’ set to be released in June. They have released four more singles ahead of the EP’s release: “Impossible” on April 18, and “9 Days,” “Honestly,” and “One Kiss” on April 29. The group also announced dates for their fan-con tour ‘Riizing Day,’ with shows scheduled between May 4 to August 31 across nine countries.
Riize has also been selected as ambassadors and models for various brands. On August 16, 2023, they were chosen by the Korean online fashion store Musinsa as its new ambassador. On August 25, domestic skincare brand UIQ selected Riize as its exclusive model. On December 11, luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton selected Riize as its house ambassadors. On March 25, 2024, the Korean cosmetics brand Etude House selected Riize as its new models for “Overglow Tint.” On April 18, 2024, The Coca-Cola Company’s beverage brand Fanta selected Riize as its new brand model.
Riize is known for focusing on the “Emotional Pop” genre, a unique style that expresses a variety of emotions through songs, capturing inspiration from everyday experiences in music.
