K-pop's toughest stage comes after debut

Two K-pop acts have been making headlines in Korea this summer, and their stories are both triumphs of tenacity. Girl group Rescene × About group RESCENE RESCENE (리센느) is a five-member girl group under THE MUZE Entertainment consisting of WONI, LIV, MINAMI, MAY, and ZENA. The group debuted on March 26, 2024 with their first single album Re:Scene. Tap again to view profile → Close finally topped a music chart with "Love Attack," a song that had gone largely unnoticed for two years. Ateez × About group ATEEZ ATEEZ is an eight-member K-pop boy group known for powerful performances, intense choreography, and a strong global fanbase. Since debuting in 2018, they have built a reputation for cinematic concepts and commanding stage presence. Tap again to view profile → Close , a group long celebrated abroad but overlooked at home, cracked South Korea's own charts for the first time with its new single "Bad" — eight years into its career. Such reversals of fortune look glamorous from the outside. But they remain the exception, not