Kep1er (케플러)

Kep1er is a seven-member South Korean girl group formed through Mnet's survival competition «Girls Planet 999», which brought together trainees from Korea, China, and Japan to compete for a spot in a new group. Kep1er debuted on January 3, 2022, under a joint management structure, with the name representing the idea of members «capturing» their dreams together as one unit — a name that also nods to astronomer Johannes Kepler.

The group's debut mini-album «FIRST IMPACT» and its title track «WA DA DA» introduced their energetic, hybrid pop sound, blending elements of hip-hop, R&B, and dance-pop with hooks designed for maximum impact. Kep1er quickly built a reputation for versatility, moving between bright, upbeat tracks like «Up!» and «Giddy» and more polished, mature concepts such as «MVSK» and «Galileo», the latter incorporating strings and a driving beat that showcased a more cinematic side of the group.

Over time, Kep1er has continued to explore different sonic directions, touching on rock-influenced production and electronic textures alongside their pop foundation. Songs like «Shooting Star» and «THE GIRLS (Can't turn me down)» reflect the group's effort to diversify its catalog while maintaining a strong visual and performative identity, a hallmark of groups that emerge from survival-show formats. Kep1er remains one of the more prominent fourth-generation K-pop girl groups to come out of the 2021-2022 wave of competition shows.