6 Talented Male K-Pop Groups That Are Hiding In The K-Pop World

Sadly there will always be more K-pop groups than we have the time to keep up with. But, in the masses of popular groups that everyone knows and loves, are there other groups that might have been missed? Below are just a few of the talented groups that also deserve a chance in the spotlight!

A new group that debuted this past May, AFOS are not the typical rookie K-pop group. They have been together and gaining performance experience for the past three years, performing at clubs, festivals, and other types of concerts. Made up of four members — Zett, Aknow, Hu, and Jooen — AFOS has recently released two music videos. Even though they just debuted with their album “Young Boyz,” this group already has a professional air about them. Not only is their music style hip-hop, they are charismatic rappers without the polished refinement that most K-pop idols have. In a music industry where idol rappers are often viewed differently, especially on shows like “Show Me The Money,” this group might be one of the first to embrace the two very different worlds of rappers and idols!

Check out their hip-hop music video “Turn It Up,” but be forewarned: these four intense performers are not afraid to grab your attention with their abs as well as their music!

If their first music video wasn’t enough, the AFOS members prove that they also have talent as vocalists in their second music video  “How’re You Doing.”

As you may have noticed in this group’s music videos, there is one member that appears to fit the idol image a little bit better than the others. Noticed for his shining visuals, Jooen, AFOS’s maknae, is even reminding fans of other Korean celebrities! At first I didn’t necessarily see the similarities between these celebrities and their new lookalike, but after seeing some photos I had to admit that he really does look like a cross between Yeo Jin Goo and iKON’s visual Junhoe.

Take a look at these photos yourself to see the startling similarities!

With their notable visuals and impressive image, we can only hope it won’t be long until AFOS sees stardom. In a constantly competitive world of performers, AFOS has something different and unique about them. They are certainly a group that is talented enough to make this list, and are a group to look forward to in the future.

KNK is a rookie idol group that consists of five members: leader Jihun, eldest Youjin, tallest Seungjun, entertainer Inseong, and the maknae Heejun. At first glance they appeared frightening during their debut because of their tall stature and dark image. KNK towers over most other groups; all of the members, except the maknae, actually stand taller than VIXX! Despite their intimidating stature, KNK has proven themselves to be quite playful and lovable off stage. Members Inseong and Seungjun trained with the members of BTS, so it is no wonder that they have very charming 4D personalities.

Debuting with their first single “Knock,” this boy group from YNB Entertainment has begun to gain recognition because of their first music video that now has over 1.5 million views.

They also had their first comeback on June 1 with the mini album “Awake,” releasing the music video of their title track “Back Again.” While the song is about experiencing a break up, Tinkerbells, members of KNK’s fanclub, are enjoying this track for an unusual reason. The retro sound and feel of this most recent music video is taking fans back to the era of Super Junior and SS501, and many are even saying that KNK reminds them of these classic groups! “Back Again” now has more than one meaning as this group takes us back to the sounds and visual elements that helped K-pop become a global phenomenon.

This group not only has intriguing choreography, but also amazing visuals. Every single member could be considered a visual, and it is practically impossible to decide who is the most attractive.

A group of five statuesque idols. Sounds perfect!

An older group than the two previous ones that were listed is MYNAME, and they debuted in October of 2011. They began to see popularity in Korea but spent a lot of their time promoting in Japan, until they had comebacks in 2013 and 2015 once they returned to Korea. Despite the members’ long absences from the Korean music market, their MYgirls are always happy to support them, and their newest music videos have around 1.5 million views.

With creative concepts, MYNAME doesn’t shy away from exploring some edgy ideas with their music! In 2015 they released their second mini album and a music video of their title track “너무 very 막” (“Too Very So Much”), which is an addictive and upbeat track that won over the hearts of many.

Further on in the year of 2015, they also released their fourth single with the edgy music video “Just tell Me.” A great dance track, MYNAME surprised with their new sexy concept that was evident in this music video.

However, don’t be deceived by their newest alluring concept; these boys are quite entertaining and fun-loving! They did all of the classics for rookies back in the day, including SBS MTV’s popular idol reality show “Diary,” where their playfulness has reminded us of other groups like VIXX and BTOB. They even proved that they understand the true hearts of fans in this hilarious clip where Seyong is helping the other members practice how they should respond to fan requests.

Seyong’s sense is to be commended, and the fans’ hands and feet have been destroyed from cringing too much! Still, it’s nice to know where the ownership of his abs lies if that is ever questioned!

LOEN Entertainment announced that they would be debuting their first male idol group in April of 2013, and we couldn’t be happier that they did! Composed of five members, Kyungil, Dokyun, Sihyoung, Jaeho, and Yijeong, History is always manly. Their leader Kyungil is over three years older than the rest of the members, and a member of the elusive group “Nuthang” that also includes G-Dragon and T.O.P. Numerous photos of him and T.O.P can be spotted on Kyungil’s official Instagram (_ilstagram). History also has a firm hierarchy which leads to perfected performances because of their exemplary teamwork. They are overflowing with charismatic charms, and all of their concepts have been masculine with remarkable choreography.

Just one example of their many good music videos is “Might Just Die,” which is also the title track of their 4th EP, “Beyond The History,” that was released mid 2015. Yes, every member of this group has abs; and yes, they were happy to show them to us!

If someone said that a K-pop group could perform a complete choreography while they were unable to see nobody would believe them, but History did just that in this amazing dance practice of “Might Just Die” where they are all wearing blindfolds!

Another reason to fall in love with this group is because of leader Kyungil and maknae Yijeong’s adorable friendship. For all of the fans who enjoy a little bromance, here is a new set of friends to ship, and these two are so strong that they can only be compared to Markson! (Mark and Jackson of GOT7) These two are obviously close, and it is refreshing to see the leader looking after the maknae despite the large age gap between them.

The best part is that this charismatic leader proved he knows what’s up in the fan world with these hilarious Instagram posts. One of which he removed later, but it showed a FMV of Kyungjeong, while the remaining post even bears the hashtag #kyungjeong!

A photo posted by I’M ILL (@_ilstagram) on May 27, 2015 at 1:13am PDT

The ship is sailing strong with these two and we couldn’t love it more if we tried!

This group has endless charms, and continues to show new talent every time they appear. History deserves a lot more popularity than they have received and hopefully their fan base will grow drastically with their newest comebacks.

MADTOWN is the largest group on this list and they have as much talent as they have members! When these seven ambitious members, Moos, Daewon, Lee Geon, Jota, Heo Jun, Buffy, and H.O, debuted back in 2014, they were J. Tune Camp’s second male group after MBLAQ. Sadly, they have not seen the same success that MBLAQ saw in their rookie days, but they continue to promote as a group. Their most recent single “OMGT” has begun to get more love, and reached over 1.8 million views. However, their title track music video “New World” from their second mini album is their most addictive song to date! Not only does this song have an appealing vibe, but it also showcases all of the members’ individuality with the varying vocal and rapping portions.

If one of the idols in the music video seemed familiar, it might be because he is appearing in “We Got Married.” MADTOWN’s Jota, who made a name for himself on “Cool Kiz on the Block,” is now virtually married to Kim Jin Kyung, a popular model, and everyone is loving their sweet romance. You won’t regret watching these two, as Jota proves himself to be a thoughtful gentleman and Jin Kyung can’t help falling for him!

This group was set up for success, and their agency J.Tune Camp even had the help of other popular idols to tease for their original debut!

#매드타운 #MADTOWN #방탄소년단 #BTS pic.twitter.com/USpghcZTRc

— jtunecamp (@JTune_official) September 22, 2014

#매드타운 #MADTOWN #씨스타 #SISTAR pic.twitter.com/jWH15XzDLp

— jtunecamp (@JTune_official) September 22, 2014

#매드타운 #MADTOWN #지오디 #god pic.twitter.com/B5WSAAu4Tt

— jtunecamp (@JTune_official) September 22, 2014

#매드타운 #MADTOWN #빅스 pic.twitter.com/G8sOSLnIOe

— jtunecamp (@JTune_official) September 23, 2014

Let’s hope that the publicity from “We Got Married” and the group’s addictive music will help these talented boys see more of the spotlight they deserve!

The final entry that has not gained as much attention as they deserve, is Royal Pirates! Together since 2009, this trio, singer Moon, bassist James, and drummer Sooyoon (EXSY), are actually a Korean-American rock band. Moon and Sooyoon got their start covering popular songs on Youtube, many of which ended up going viral. After they appeared on a few Korean television programs, James joined the group and they released their first music video in 2010. Surprisingly, they did not officially debut in Korea until mid 2013, and it was their first EP “Drawing The Line” and its music video that has garnered the most attention.

Unlike their usual rock style, as they are classified as a rock band, this music video is full of upbeat fun and retro class in every way. Careful; “Drawing The Line” will have you coming back for more of this captivating band!

Sadly misfortune befell Royal Pirates in June of 2015, when James Lee suffered a life-threatening injury that has made him unable to play the bass. He was entering a restaurant when the glass door and metal frame fell on him, injuring his left arm and wrist. Given the choice of losing his hand and having a prosthetic one, or possibly living with nerve pain from the damage; James refused the prosthetic hand because he wanted to continue being a musician.

Proving his determination and resolve, James plays the keyboard now instead of the bass in their long-awaited comeback music video “Run Away” from their EP “3.3.” All six of the tracks on “3.3” were composed by the members themselves as they are embarking on the next leg of their journey as artists. Check out this music video where the members desperately ask someone to stay; leading people to wonder if they are calling out to their fans in this powerful video.

The conclusion is simply that this world will always need more K-pop fans to support all of these accomplished artists! For now we can always try our best to find these talented idols and appreciate their efforts to pursue their dreams; and continue to spread the news of the varieties to be found in the immense K-pop world!

Have you heard of these K-pop idols, and if not, will you be looking up any of these unique groups?

t0ky0nights is K-pop enthusiast, whose interests include many forms of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean entertainment. She can be found dancing or writing articles, and lyrics, most of the time. You can find her on Instagram here.