4 interesting facts about K-pop group Pentagon

Pentagon, who made their debut in 2016 with Cube Entertainment, is one of the last K-pop groups of what is now referred to as the "third generation". Despite the implication of the name, they used to be a ten-member group.

Jinho, Hui, Hongseok, Shinwon, Yeo One, Yan An, Yuto, Kino, Wooseok, and E'Dawn (now Dawn) were part of the original lineup, with the latter exiting the group (and company) in 2018.

Recently, five members of the K-pop group did not renew their exclusive contracts with Cube. After much hullaballoo among fans on social media, Yeo One, Yan An, Yuto, Kino, and Wooseok confirmed that they had no intention of breaking away from Pentagon, but would continue as a nine-member group while being a part of different companies.

Note: This article contains spoilers for the idol reality show Pentagon Maker.

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Pentagon Maker, releasing a song that might be about social distancing in 2019 and other fascinating facts about Pentagon you ought to know

1) The K-pop group is one of the many to be formed by an idol reality show

From the get-go, Pentagon Maker proved that this was a group that would draw eyes for its visuals, vocals, and performance. Cube Entertainment was known to produce some fantastic groups then, such as BTOB, 4Minute, Rain, CLC, and more, and K-pop enthusiasts were already anticipating their debut.

Despite being called a survival show and eliminations (E'Dawn, Shinwon, and Yan An) taking place, eventually, all ten members of the MNet reality show made their debut on October 10, 2016, with their self-titled EP.

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2) Their popularity in Japan increased within a year since their debut

When the group released their first Japanese EP, Gorilla, in March 2017, they perhaps never realized how much love and attention this would get them in the country. K-pop groups have always been popular in Japan, but some have been slow to gain prominence in their domestic market.

The Hikari group, however, managed to reach number 3 on the Oricon Daily chart and number one on the Japan Tower Records chart with their debut mini-album in the country. Their first-ever mini-meet/concert in Japan also got sold out, with over 5000 fans registering for a 4000-seat venue.

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3) Their first studio album released in 2020 with the members' self-written music and lyrics being a part of it

After many EPs and singles, Pentagon finally released a full-length album in 2020. Titled Universe: The Black Hand, it featured eight members of the group, apart from Yan An.

Jinho, the eldest, along with Hui, Wooseok, Yuta, and Kino participated in songwriting and/or composing, and the album was much anticipated by fans of the group, Universe. In fact, in a surprising decision, the music video for the title track was released hours before it was meant to.

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4) Humph went viral during the COVID-19 pandemic because of it lyrics

The pandemic was an extremely difficult period for all people around the world. Some people found art, such as books, movies, and music, to be a healing balm in tough times. In one such instance, Pentagon's 2019 release Humph received a lot of attention in 2020 because the lyrics resonated with many stuck at home in terrifying circumstances.

No one knows how the K-pop group had the forethought to write a song seemingly referencing social distancing, but with lyrics such as "You can't come closer, you can't come closer now", they certainly made an impact. While the song was actually written about a relationship ending and staying away for a clean break, this unique interpretation increased the views of the song on YouTube too.

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Pentagon recently celebrated its seventh anniversary. Their recent song, Promise (With UNIVERSE) seems to reassure fans that they will continue to work as one group despite not being under Cube Entertainment together.