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C-Pop Group WayV Released Latest Comeback: ‘Kick Back’

WayV members (left to right): Xiaojun, Yangyang, Winwin, Lucas, Kun, Ten, and Hendery.

Kick back now, and check out the latest bangers lighting up the C-pop scene!

One of the biggest names in the Chinese idol industry recently returned with its highly anticipated comeback. WayV (威神V or WeiShenV), the fourth and only Chinese sub-unit of the popular K-pop boy group NCT, revealed their explosive extended play (EP) Kick Back.

The record serves as the latest project to follow the commercial success of their first full-length studio album Awaken the World, which earned a top-three entry to China’s Tencent Music UNI Chart and South Korea’s Gaon Album Chart, as well as entries in the Billboard World Album Chart and Japan’s Oricon Albums Chart, upon its release in June 2020. 

Kick Back itself has also made waves on its own. Since its debut, the mini-album has peaked on the Worldwide iTunes Album Chart and sold over 120,000 physical albums, according to Korean music sales tracker Hanteo. This surpasses their previous record of 45,000 sold under WayV’s second EP Take Over the Moon.

WayV has made Kick Back available in two versions: Stranger and Hitchhiker. It features six new tracks, with an electrifying lead single of the same name taking the helm. Other songs in the list include “Action Figure,” “Horizon (天空海),” “All for Love (梦尽),” “Good Time,” and a Korean version of “Kick Back (秘境).” The entire extended play is mostly described to fall under the R&B category, marked with several influences stemming from both the hip hop and pop genres. 

 

Kick Back album cover in two versions: Stranger (Left) and Hitchiker (Right).

 

Opening to great fanfare, WayV made sure to keep the countdown to their EP alive by hosting an hour-long online showcase on local and international platforms Weibo, YouTube, and VLive. The event not only premiered the first live performance of “Kick Back” but also provided new stages of other hit songs released in the past. It also included a pre-listening session to the Kick Back mini-album. 

 

 

Although a full replay of the showcase is not currently available, fans can still check out a behind-the-scenes clip of WayV’s exciting preparations for the comeback here:

 

 

“Kick Back” MV

 

According to official sources translated by Twitter user @buiingbang, “Kick Back (秘境)” is purposefully characterized as “a progressive R&B dance song [that] combines a vibrant vocal and a calm flow of rap. The lyrics convey the message of ‘gathering together in a secret place that only belongs to us, enjoying freedom, and planning the future together.’” 

As of this writing, the “Kick Back” music video has successfully garnered more than 5.7 million views — a number that is sure to increase as promotions move forward across the South Korean entertainment stage. Though WayV releases Chinese content to its loyal and appreciative fans, the group is actually managed by Label V, a subsidiary label of top Korean entertainment agency SM Entertainment. As a result, the Chinese boy group is currently based in Seoul. WayV will continue promoting on several South Korean programs throughout this comeback period.

Check out their most exciting stages of “Kick Back” here: 

 

Music Bank

 

M Countdown

 

Inkigayo

 

Mnet Relay

 

 

Want to dive into other C-pop groups? Check out the hottest Chinese idols of the moment in our article right here!

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