When it comes to K-pop artists, branching out sonically and experimenting with new styles can usually be traced through the evolution of their singles. They might, for example, go from hip hop to pop, and then to dance. Rather than settling into one genre, sudden and sweeping shifts between eras and even from song to song is the norm. What makes the approach possible is that performance style plays such a big part in K-pop, and also because of the systematic, group-driven creative process, both of which allow for regular comebacks. In other words, K-pop’s boldest experiments don’t hide in the lesser-publicized tracks beyond the hit singles.

V8, SEVENTEEN’s sixth official subunit and composed of duo THE 8 and VERNON, pushes that idea another step further with their eponymous debut EP. The two idols challenged themselves to shape the entire album into a sound that could be described as underground club meets hyperpop. They set out to take modern dance music, a favorite genre of theirs, and then reckon with the sense of emptiness and confusion that lies behind the success they’ve earned. The values SEVENTEEN holds as a group act as a launch pad, but “V8” really reads like a diary written just for the two idols in a different style. SEVENTEEN became one of the most successful acts in K-pop history by capitalizing on the advantages of having so many members, producing their material themselves and sharing a bright, sunny message. V8 likewise puts artist-driven creation at its core, and the framing they explore is unquestionably from an idol perspective. So what exactly makes it different?

First, they make an effort to connect directly with underground producers working outside the typical agency-organized framework. THE 8 and VERNON personally reached out to some of their favorite producers who make electronic music and work outside the mainstream, both at home and abroad. The result is a lineup that stands out even when collaborations have become commonplace in K-pop: Germany’s Mechatok, 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady, and Korean Music Award-winning electronic musician KIRARA. Both KIRARA and musician Han Jung In worked on the track “mia,” and both posted on social media about the experience. “I’m going to be your friend now,” Han wrote. “That’s the only way I can write the song. When I, a total nobody, said that to him, a K-pop star, VERNON was open to it.”

Second, they organically embrace that they’re multicultural and express themselves as such. V8 doesn’t put out separate Chinese or English versions of their music, instead moving freely between Korean, English, and Chinese within a single song based on whatever conveys their message best. Here, the mix of languages isn’t localization or a sales strategy but a conscious choice to be faithful to their personal identities and ways of expressing themselves.

Third, there’s a shift in tone from the hopefulness of youth to what happens when it’s all been spent. For V8, youth is the bitter epilogue behind the mask of success, dealing with the vulnerability and sense of guilt. As they put it directly in an interview with “Dazed,” “We didn’t aim to put a really positive message into this, we just wanted to say, flat out, this is us.”

With eight tracks to show what matters most to them, V8 shows consistency but with amazing variety. Sometimes, the message you want to get across needs that much to be told in full. “rat race” is probably the clearest example of spent youth. Hyperpop artist Alice Longyu Gao, who worked on KATSEYE’s “Gnarly” and “ICONIC BY MISTAKE” with LE SSERAFIM and ILLIT, joins genre figurehead Brady from of 100 gecs on the track, which is a very direct song about the pressures of being a K-pop idol. VERNON sings about how he’s “tryna make a smash hit / Till I’m in the casket” under tense conditions where “if I make one mistake I’ll fall.” THE 8, meanwhile, sings in Chinese, “When my smile becomes a mask, is the me in the mirror still the real me?” There’s no twist, just a bare look at how every day is a rat race.

“singasong,” meanwhile, zeroes in on the excitement they’re looking to squeeze out of the genre. The collaboration with Mechatok forgoes a heavy message in favor of explosively playful release, relief, and a light synth-driven rhythm. VERNON even name-drops the German artist himself in the chorus (“I feel like Mechatok”). In fact, the whole chorus is built around words that rhyme with his name. The songwriting process was as free and loose as the final lyrics that came out of it. According to an interview with “The FADER,” his name started out as a placeholder in an early demo, but at some point became part of the final lyrics. VERNON had previously recommended Mechatok’s music in a 2022 interview, and for the new album, Mechatok sent over a folder full of beats. VERNON finished the song with Mechatok while he was in Seoul putting on a show. “Honestly, that’s how I’ve always worked with my friends,” Mechatok said. “It’s always, ‘What have you been making lately? Send over a folder.’ So when VERNON asked, it didn’t feel strange at all. Maybe in the context of K-pop it seems unusual, but to me it just felt like making music with friends.”

Then there’s “girlsnboys,” every aspect of which Pharrell Williams had a hand in, showing exactly the kind of status the V8 boys enjoy. The track puts Pharrell’s signature rhythmic drums and basslines on full display, but it’s not so much a driving banger as an early synthpop song, with all their cool, sensual vibes. It’s almost like stepping back into the Neptunes era. As pointed out in an interview with “Billboard,” the line about how the “boys and girls are so tired” was originally “I miss the girls and girls and more girls” in the demo version, showing it was changed to be about how there needs to be a little more love in the world. V8’s capable of taking bold swings while still knowing exactly what works within the expectations of K-pop.

The fact that VERNON and THE 8 each came into the project with their own vision comes through particularly clearly on their respective solo tracks. Both sought out other artists who could help write songs with a clear sense of the genres that suited their personal taste. VERNON’s song “mia,” a collaboration with KIRARA and Han Jung In, shaped up to be a striking event in 2026 in K-pop. All of them worked together toward the theme and on the inspirations the song drew from. The song is about a lost child (what “mia” means in Korean) searching for a version of themselves that they can’t quite find, which plays out to a buoyant energy that traces back to an EDM remix of “Song 2” by Blur. It’s an excellent example of dance music’s best-kept secret—that a song that sounds like simple fun on the surface can really be a text of self-reflection. And a friendship between a top K-pop idol and an underground musician amplifies the value in that even further.

THE 8’s solo track “8DM,” meanwhile, tells you right from the title that it’s going to be his take on EDM. The SEVENTEEN member fell for EDM hard in an underground club in Berlin during a trip for a Lollapalooza show two years ago, and what he wanted for “8DM” wasn’t a specific subgenre but something more all-encompassing. DPR CREAM and DPR ARTIC joined alongside Alice Longyu Gao in contributing to the track. The song sounds less like a standalone product and more like a foundation built for the dance floor. And no doubt THE 8 is itching to step into his DJ shoes and make the dance floor rumble with his music sometime.

Track by track, one thing’s for certain: By opening up their own contact lists and working directly with the musicians on their wish list, they wrote themselves into the history of modern electronic music, both as SEVENTEEN members and as individuals. Those musicians weren’t just lending their names to the album but bringing their signature sounds to the table. At the same time, VERNON and THE 8 didn’t borrow an unfamiliar sound and just drop it in—they thought hard about what would still feel at home in mainstream K-pop. Which is exactly why it would be a shame to credit the EP’s commercial success of more than half a million copies sold to their popularity alone. It’s knowing that THE 8 and VERNON took the lead on producing “V8” that really stands to impress. When people study artistic autonomy in K-pop, the chapter on V8 will be a must-read.