Ko1keyz debuts in Korea and Japan with new single

New boy band Ko1keyz, formed through the Japanese version of the Korean audition program "Produce 101" (2016-2019) debuted Wednesday in Korea and Japan, its agency Lapone Entertainment said.

Its first single titled “Ko1keyz” has been released in both Korean- and Japanese-language versions.

Along with the album's namesake title track, the single will also feature four other tracks: “Koigame,” “Key of Story,” a Korean-language “Shinsekai” and “Celebrate.” Koigame translates to “love-game” and shinsekai translates to “new world.”

Ko1keyz was formed through the audition program “Produce 101 Japan Shinsekai” — the fourth season since the first aired in 2019.

The group’s name reflects its ambition to be a “key” that connects it with fans. It also draws on the Japanese word koi, meaning love, which gives a nod to support from fans and producer Sekai. 

Ko1keyz consists of 12 finalists selected from 101 trainees entirely by fan vote. The members are: K.Daiki, Shinhaeng, Ryuji, Kosuke, Issa, Towa, Siyoung, Yoshiki, Keito, Ryoga, Yura and Yuki.

Ahead of its official debut, the members released a digital track of “Ko1keyz” on Aug. 17 in Japan. Its music video has since surpassed 7 million views.

The group held sold-out fan meet-and-greet events in Tokyo in August and Kobe in September. It is set to meet Korean fans through four fan event sessions at Blue Square in central Seoul on Nov. 7 and 8.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]