WayV for Life: What the New Era Looks Like for NCT’s Chinese Subunit

2026 has been a rough year in K-pop. Danielle officially leaving NewJeans NewJeans K-POP GROUP NewJeans is a five-member girl group known for their fresh Y2K-inspired style, smooth vocals, and viral hits. at the end of December 2025 resonated with fans into the new year following the group’s legal issues, Heeseung’s sudden departure from ENHYPEN ENHYPEN K-POP GROUP ENHYPEN is a six member boy group formed through I-LAND, known for powerful performances, storytelling concepts, and global popularity. in March left many fans reeling, and Mark Lee’s choice to conclude his contract and all activities with SM Entertainment in early April triggered questions about the end of the contracts of his fellow NCT NCT K-POP GROUP NCT is a South Korean boy group formed by SM Entertainment with a unique multi-unit concept. There are 6 units within NCT; NCT 127, NCT DREAM, NCT WISH, WayV, NCT U, NCT DOJAEJUNG. members. Within the week of Mark leaving, WayV found itself in a similar predicament.

Being the only subunit not based out of Korea, WayV debuted as a seven-member Chinese subunit of NCT NCT K-POP GROUP NCT is a South Korean boy group formed by SM Entertainment with a unique multi-unit concept. There are 6 units within NCT; NCT 127, NCT DREAM, NCT WISH, WayV, NCT U, NCT DOJAEJUNG. on January 17, 2019. The group originally comprised members Kun, Ten, Winwin, Lucas, Xiaojun, Hendery, and Yangyang. Since then, two members have departed from the group—Lucas in 2023, and more recently, Winwin in early July, following an announcement on Weverse. However, this wasn’t a shock to those following WayV’s activities as Winwin had been absent from the majority of the group’s appearances since 2021 after he began focusing on his solo career in China.

The announcement came around the time many NCT NCT K-POP GROUP NCT is a South Korean boy group formed by SM Entertainment with a unique multi-unit concept. There are 6 units within NCT; NCT 127, NCT DREAM, NCT WISH, WayV, NCT U, NCT DOJAEJUNG. contracts were reaching their term limits. In April, it was announced that Thai-Chinese member Ten would be ending his exclusive contract with their agency, SM Entertainment. However, according to the announcement on Weverse, he would still “participate in WayV and NCT NCT K-POP GROUP NCT is a South Korean boy group formed by SM Entertainment with a unique multi-unit concept. There are 6 units within NCT; NCT 127, NCT DREAM, NCT WISH, WayV, NCT U, NCT DOJAEJUNG. activities, where possible.” For now, this seems to include mini-albums, but not the comeback promotions themselves.

On July 19th, WayV announced their 8th mini-album, ‘Vision Wings’, which was released on August 10th. Ten’s inclusion in the music video trailer and concept photos ahead of the release confirmed his participation in the album, but he was missing from the tour announcement.

The ‘2026 WayV CONCERT TOUR [BORN THIS Way]’ was announced on the group’s Weverse on July 26th, with only 2 stops currently announced: Seoul for two days in September, and Yokohama for two days in the new year. The announcement highlighted that “this tour will feature KUN, XIAOJUN, HENDERY, and YANGYANG”, making it unlikely that Ten will make an appearance.

Ten’s absence from recent comeback promotions and the tour lineup has fans wondering how many activities he’ll be a part of in this new era of WayV.

Under the reposted tour announcement in the subreddit dedicated to WayV (r/WayV_for_Life), fans expressed surprise that Ten isn’t scheduled to participate in the concert tour and noted that it was against the norm. With examples like Wheein of MAMAMOO MAMAMOO K-POP GROUP MAMAMOO is a South Korean girl group known for powerful vocals, stage presence, and genre-blending hits. and I.M of MONSTA X MONSTA X K-POP GROUP MONSTA X is a South Korean boy group formed through the survival show No.Mercy under Starship Entertainment. They debuted in 2015 and are known for powerful performances, strong rap and vocal lines, and a global fanbase. , it’s been proven possible for one member to leave the company and still be active in their group. However, the situation is complicated as Ten moves to do additional solo work with similar timing as the announced tour. This is particularly the case since he opened his own company/label, Illimnt (a stylization of the word “element”). Wheein did solo work, but didn’t open her own company, and I.M left Starship Entertainment while MONSTA X MONSTA X K-POP GROUP MONSTA X is a South Korean boy group formed through the survival show No.Mercy under Starship Entertainment. They debuted in 2015 and are known for powerful performances, strong rap and vocal lines, and a global fanbase. was on a promotional break. Ten leaving SM to launch Illimnt and do more solo activities came only a few months before WayV started promotions for their comeback, inopportune timing for a group navigating its own uncertainty.

An artist leaving their company to open their own while still participating in group activities isn’t unheard of, though. Fellow Thai K-pop artist, Lisa of BLACKPINK BLACKPINK K-POP GROUP BLACKPINK is one of the most influential K-pop girl groups in the world, known for their powerful performances, global chart success, and distinctive blend of pop, hip-hop, EDM, and rap. Formed by YG Entertainment, the g did the same in 2024 with the establishment of her company LLOUD. However, it came at a time when BLACKPINK BLACKPINK K-POP GROUP BLACKPINK is one of the most influential K-pop girl groups in the world, known for their powerful performances, global chart success, and distinctive blend of pop, hip-hop, EDM, and rap. Formed by YG Entertainment, the g was on hiatus while the members focused on solo activities. In Ten’s case, his temporary withdrawal creates a vulnerable period for WayV, which is having to promote without arguably their most popular member internationally.

Without Ten, who originally debuted in NCT NCT K-POP GROUP NCT is a South Korean boy group formed by SM Entertainment with a unique multi-unit concept. There are 6 units within NCT; NCT 127, NCT DREAM, NCT WISH, WayV, NCT U, NCT DOJAEJUNG. U (a Korean subunit of NCT NCT K-POP GROUP NCT is a South Korean boy group formed by SM Entertainment with a unique multi-unit concept. There are 6 units within NCT; NCT 127, NCT DREAM, NCT WISH, WayV, NCT U, NCT DOJAEJUNG. ) in 2016, who is a member of the all-star group SuperM, and who carries popularity with both Korean and Southeast Asian markets, some in the subreddit doubted WayV’s ability to carry out international concerts solely with members who were introduced through the Chinese subunit. They considered WayV’s diminished reach with Ten being absent from activities and expressed concerns for the group’s financial prospects.

 
However, WayV is looking to their future with hope.

YANGYANG regarding the album in an interview with WWD: “What we want to tell the fans is that no matter how hard or how many obstacles there are in front of you, we’re gonna fly together like the bird, like an eagle through the sky.”

Despite any lingering uncertainty, WayV is making a statement with their new album. The mini-album’s Chinese name is ‘鳶’ (pronounced yuān), which is the Mandarin word for "black kite”. It’s a bird of prey built for precision pivoting, and known for gliding effortlessly through the air and navigating around obstacles without losing momentum. That’s exactly what WayV seems determined to do despite the shakeups this year: fly high.