CxM: Twin Flames

This article originally appeared in Hypebeast Magazine #36: The Platinum Issue

Over the last five years, K-pop has piqued unprecedented international interest and acclaim. Even at the time of writing, a K-pop film soundtrack sits atop the Billboard Hot 100, the industry’s most coveted chart placement. While K-pop artists have become the face of the world’s most exclusive fashion houses, throw ceremonial first pitches at major sporting events, and are synonymous with sold out stadium shows worldwide — the genre can hardly be considered a recent trend. Bands and artists debuting 2023 onwards are already considered part of the “fifth generation” of K-pop, a multi-decade, cultural movement that extends beyond just a sole genre of music and encompasses an aspirational lifestyle spanning multiple mediums of creativity and expression.

Thirteen-piece boy band SEVENTEEN debuted in 2015 with the mini-album 17 Carat, arguably in the middle of K-pop’s most competitive era: the “third generation” alongside industry heavyweights like BTS and BLACKPINK, following in the footsteps of some of the first K-pop tracks to crossover outside of the region. Upon debut, SEVENTEEN shot straight into stardom: impressive physical sales, a top 5 Gaon Album chart placement, and the only rookie artist to land Billboard’s “10 Best K-pop Albums of 2015” recognition. Their premiere release was a bonafide success.

An anomaly in every sense — a large group of thirteen performing as both a mega band and as three sub-units (hip-hop, vocal, and performance), self-producing their music and having a direct hand in their own choreography — SEVENTEEN offered a breath of fresh air in a genre sometimes critiqued for overly produced, borderline “manufactured” creativity. At the time of their debut, many K-pop groups released hip-hop inspired or hybrid hip-hop-electronic music, as reality TV shows like Show Me the Money and rap culture writ large reached a new level of popularity in Seoul, epicentered in Hongdae. Underground hip-hop DJ sets blending trap, boom bap, R&B, and pulsating 808s were a weekly experience.

Against that backdrop, SEVENTEEN came on the scene with a softer, wholesome “boys from the block” concept, incorporating school uniform inspired outfits in their first-ever music video for the nostalgic, groovy-pop banger “아낀다 (Adore U).” A sweet song about “adoring” one’s first love, “아낀다 (Adore U)” provided a sonic shift for listeners with its bright melody, funk guitar riffs, and infectious bassline.

It’s difficult to maintain this level of momentum, but SEVENTEEN has managed to do just that: they continue to release music that surprises and delights, refusing to box themselves into a singularly expected “sound” or genre. No two SEVENTEEN songs sound the same — “Rock with you” is a synth-laden, pop-punk rock. earworm; “손오공 (Super)” is an explosive anthem inspired by Jersey Club; “MAESTRO” infuses R&B atop a pulsating EDM beat and tempo changes — yet each song feels uniquely theirs.

They have also set industry precedents as the first Korean band to perform at Pa’l Norte in Mexico and Glastonbury in England, as well as the first Korean band to headline Lollapalooza Berlin. This February, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)’s annual music industry report named the group as the top selling band and third best selling artist of 2024, only behind Taylor Swift and Drake. For some, it’s a level of success that is shocking for a band that’s only been in the game for a decade. But to SEVENTEEN rapper and vocalist MINGYU, it has been an incremental process. He recounts each year as necessary steps where the group grew “little by little,” and notes the band’s history “has not come to an end, and is still ongoing.”

In the wake of their tenth anniversary and impending (or in progress) mandatory military service for several members of the band, SEVENTEEN sits at the precipice of its most interesting challenge yet: a true coming-of-age. Two members — S.COUPS and MINGYU (ages 30 and 28, respectively) — are forging ahead as a new sub-unit of SEVENTEEN under the moniker CxM, while all of SEVENTEEN concurrently prepares for an upcoming world tour, called [NEW_]. Both MINGYU and S.COUPS also perform as part of the SEVENTEEN hip-hop sub-unit, but the tracks offered up as the CxM duo deviate from a pure hip-hop focus, spanning musical influences across EDM, R&B, and dream pop. As MINGYU shares, the duo’s goal was to make “music that feels true to both of our voices,” so listeners can “discover new possibilities and fresh colors from us.”

In speaking with them, both showcase a sense of maturity as they reflect on growing up over the last decade, as well as a return to the beginner’s mindset that propelled them as trainees dreaming of a debut. Both show a deep reverence for their fans, dubbed CARATs, who have walked this journey with them; they use honorific speech when referring to CARATs and recognize their importance. As CxM, S.COUPS and MINGYU juggle the experience they’ve amassed over five studio albums as a thirteen-member band alongside the newfound hunger they have to showcase a different, grown side of their artistry. They carry a responsibility as veterans in a genre where artists debut as teens and a decade-plus of sustained experience is increasingly rare.

In their debut 6-track mini-album HYPE VIBES, which was released on September 29th, 2025 through PLEDIS Entertainment, a subsidiary of HYBE, the two members swap roles; S.COUPS, normally the leader of SEVENTEEN, recounts how he views MINGYU as the leader of CxM. He adds, though, that “when our two sides came together, it balanced out. That’s why this album reflects both our thoughts and contemplations, but still manages to feel fun, uplifting, and enjoyable for listeners.” Both share macro reflections on a society they view as ever-fragmented — from concerns around how an overuse of cell phones is destroying creativity and human connection, to the role they believe music can play as a healthier release for negative emotions like anger and rage that seem to be on the rise in the world. Above all, they bring a desire to let loose and embrace the “free-spirited vibes” of their new project.

MINGYU AND S.COUPS, BOTH OF YOU ARE PART OF SEVENTEEN’S HIP-HOP SUB GROUP AS WELL AS THE FULL BAND. YOU ALSO RECENTLY RELEASED SOLO TRACKS ON THE BAND’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY ALBUM. HOW WAS IT WORKING AS A DUO, CXM, FOR THE FIRST TIME?

MINGYU: From the start, we worked hard not to limit ourselves strictly to the hip-hop genre. This album is full of songs we wanted to make together. Music that feels true to both of our voices. I think listeners will realize, “Oh, MINGYU and S.COUPS can make this kind of music too,” and hopefully discover new possibilities and fresh colors from us.

S.COUPS: I sometimes carry a more serious energy, even a slightly negative one at times. MINGYU, on the other hand, has a brighter energy. When our two sides came together, it balanced out. That’s why this album reflects both our thoughts and contemplations, but still manages to feel fun, uplifting, and enjoyable for listeners. I think working on this album also served as an opportunity that can support me in terms of my entire career. The sheer amount of time that went into recording for this album was about ten times, maybe twenty times, longer than it’s taken in the past. We tried to bring out the best in each other and gave feedback to each other.

HOW DOES CXM STAND OUT AMONGST THE OTHER SEVENTEEN SUBGROUPS?

S.COUPS: First off, the biggest difference is that HYPE VIBES has a long tracklist and is the first mini album out of all SEVENTEEN sub-units. So we tried to make sure none of these songs are redundant and offer a diverse style of music. Usually, when the general public or CARAT see us, they see us as a strong hip-hop unit, but this
album has its charm in that it sort of overturns that thought. Both of us prefer being honest and natural rather than overly polished or staged. That’s how we try to live our daily lives, too. With this album, we wanted to show more of our everyday, free-spirited vibes.

MINGYU: Rather than making the music difficult, we wanted to make music that you could enjoy in every moment.

WOULD YOU SAY YOU HAVE A SEPARATE PERSONA AS A MEMBER OF SEVENTEEN VERSUS AS A MEMBER OF CXM?

S.COUPS: For me, the biggest difference was that I thought MINGYU was the leader for this unit whereas I normally serve as the leader of SEVENTEEN.

MINGYU: I felt a greater sense of responsibility. We have a lot of ambition and I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. I wanted to do our best during each moment of making this album.

I GOT TO LISTEN TO THE ALBUM AHEAD OF THIS INTERVIEW, AND THE CXM MUSIC SOUNDS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU’VE RELEASED AS SEVENTEEN OR AS PART OF SEVENTEEN’S HIP-HOP SUB GROUP. THE ALBUM IS CALLED HYPE VIBES. WALK ME THROUGH WHAT THAT MEANS.

MINGYU: The title speaks for itself. It’s literally “hype vibes” — when we were working on the album or when we were shooting the music video, we were literally always hyped up and we tried to reflect that in our album. While we were working on this album, we thought a lot about concerts and the live experience, and I was inspired a lot by festivals.

S.COUPS: Our hope is that people can be as true to themselves as possible, to let themselves fully feel their present emotions. And we’ve been lucky to have had multiple opportunities to participate in festivals over the past few years. We thought about how it would look when the two of us were on stage and how people would jump and dance with us when we are performing onstage. That’s sort of the mindset we had while working on this album.

WHAT CONSIDERATIONS WENT INTO THE VISUAL DIRECTION FOR THE ALBUM? WHAT ROLE DOES FASHION PLAY IN THE OVERALL CONCEPT?

S.COUPS: We wanted to look cool, but not too polished for the stage. So in our meetings, we brought pictures of more ordinary, daily looks rather than looks that were too flashy or stage-inspired.

MINGYU: I paid attention to every detail. It’s also just my personality, I don’t like missing anything. Maybe it was a bit ambitious, but I wanted to be involved in everything from the album concept photos, to the outfits, to the music video. Even the way the footprints on the album cover connect is a fun detail, and I wanted to carefully build this narrative, step by step. Our biggest style reference was our own Instagram accounts. We have a natural look in our daily lives so we wanted to reflect that in our styling for the album. But going forward, I think we can be a bit more glitzy and glamorous.

I’M CURIOUS TO SEE THAT AESTHETIC EVOLUTION; I’M SURE YOUR FANS WILL LOVE IT. SO, THERE’S A WIDE RANGE OF MUSICAL STYLES ACROSS THIS PROJECT. FOR INSTANCE, I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR “EARTH” — AN EDM-LADEN STADIUM ANTHEM — AND HIP-HOP TRACK “WORTH IT” ON THE SAME ALBUM. BUT, AS YOU SAY, THEY BOTH HYPE UP THE LISTENER. WHAT WERE YOUR MUSICAL INSPIRATIONS FOR THIS PROJECT AND HOW DID YOU BOTH LAND ON THIS CONCEPT?

S.COUPS: We became each other’s inspiration. We already talk about music a lot in daily life as bandmates, so working together on this project felt natural. There wasn’t discomfort in choosing songs or during the [album creation] process. It actually made me realize how well we fit musically. The whole process of working and filming was comfortable and enjoyable.

MINGYU: I really believe music comes full circle. Because something is familiar, it might sound predictable, but that familiarity can make it sound even better. Our lead single is an example of that. It’s our way of reinterpreting vintage old pop in our own color, as juniors paying respect to what came before us. It was an honor
for us, and we hope that someday our music might be carried forward by others, too.

WHAT LED TO THE INCORPORATION OF THE ICONIC “OH, PRETTY WOMAN” INTERPOLATION IN THE LEAD SINGLE, “5, 4, 3 (PRETTY WOMAN) (FEAT. LAY BANKZ)”?

MINGYU: By chance, that song was playing on my cell phone one day and I thought I’d like to try it as a hip-hop stylized version. So we and [producer] BUMZU started working on it right away and in just 30 minutes, the track was finished. And when I was listening to it I immediately knew this had to be the lead single of this album.

ARTISTS OFTEN HAVE A FAVORITE SONG ON EACH PROJECT. WHAT’S YOUR STANDOUT TRACK ON THE ALBUM?

S.COUPS: For me, my favorite song is “Worth it,” which is the last track we finished working on, right after we filmed a music video for the lead single. If “Worth it” was made before the lead single, I would have had a lot of conflict with MINGYU over choosing the lead single!

MINGYU: I personally like all the songs on the album and am really satisfied with how they all came out. If I had to choose one song, it would be “Young again.” The moment I heard “Young again,” I could actually envision us standing on the stage together performing it. If fans came to a future concert and sang along, it would be
really great.

SHIFTING GEARS A LITTLE BIT — S.COUPS, I KNOW YOU HAD AN ACL INJURY BACK IN 2023. DURING YOUR RECOVERY, YOU SEEM TO HAVE GOTTEN INTO PHOTOGRAPHY. WERE THERE ANY OTHER CREATIVE OUTLETS THAT YOU TOOK ON FOR THE FIRST TIME AS YOU WERE RECOVERING? HOW DID THOSE CREATIVE PROJECTS SHOW UP IN THE PROCESS OF RECORDING HYPE VIBES?

S.COUPS: As a result of my injury, I wasn’t able to join the band on stage for some time. I’d always wanted to experience a SEVENTEEN concert as an audience goer, and I had the chance to watch SEVENTEEN’s live concert in Japan [at Tokyo Dome] in 2023. Watching this concert motivated me greatly to recover so I could get back on stage. During that time, I also found inner peace and felt more relaxed, which also gave me the strength to stand back up again. So rather than having a big jump in skills or technique during that break, I would say the break allowed me to find a peaceful mindset so I could bring good vibes to this new project.

WERE THERE ANY UNEXPECTED OR MEMORABLE BEHIND THE SCENES MOMENTS FROM RECORDING THIS ALBUM FOR THE TWO OF YOU?

S.COUPS: What’s most memorable to me from this process is that I think we were truly able to go back to the initial working flow we had in the earliest stages of our band. At the start of our journey, we used to gather together and work closely, discussing each part of the art together. But now, due to everyone’s busier schedules, we don’t have as much time to discuss everything as a whole group. It was really nice to go back to that initial mindset, I found that to be quite meaningful. And I think my English pronunciation got a lot better! I didn’t have the chance to record this much in English in the past, so I was able to receive direction and learned how to properly pronounce certain words.

MINGYU: When we record a project as SEVENTEEN, because there are thirteen voices, it’s important that they all harmonize well. So we keep recording until the producer is satisfied. But this time around, we kept recording until both of us were personally satisfied. For this album, we had the chance to go to Los Angeles and Hawaii. It was the first time for the both of us to record in Los Angeles, and meeting new people in a new space gave new energy and a good vibe.

WITH HYPE VIBES, YOU’RE ALSO HOPING TO FOSTER CONNECTION IN A WORLD THAT FEELS MORE AND MORE FRAGMENTED. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ISSUES IN THE WORLD THAT YOU THINK WE SHOULD BE MORE AWARE OF? AND HOW DO WE COME TOGETHER AS A SOCIETY AGAIN? DOES MUSIC PLAY A ROLE IN THAT?

MINGYU: Well, I think we all look at our phones too much. Granted, that’s how I was able to work on the song “5, 4, 3 (Pretty woman) (feat. Lay Bankz),” because the song that inspired it, “Oh, Pretty Woman,” started playing on my phone. But in reality, people spend too much time on their phones. I had this realization while we were working in LA and Hawaii, where there were so many things to enjoy outside and connect with emotionally. I personally like to choose music that best soundtracks and suits the present. For instance, certain songs better fit the occasion, whether it’s at a party, when you wake up in the morning, when the sun sets, or when the sun rises. I think the six tracks in our mini-album suit different situations and moods. Hopefully, people who listen to our mini-album can find the right song for their current situation.

S.COUPS: Among the different feelings that we all have — like rage and anger — I’m not saying these feelings are bad, but I think there are good ways to release those emotions. You can release your anger by listening to or vibing with music. I think that’s the power of music. I wish that people could release these negative emotions in a better manner through music, rather than through violent ways.

ALSO, I WANTED TO SHARE A BELATED CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY AS A BAND. HAS YOUR DREAM CONTINUED TO STAY THE SAME SINCE YOU STARTED THIS JOURNEY 10 YEARS AGO, OR HOW HAS IT EVOLVED?

S.COUPS: My goal has changed a bit. Before, my main goal was to become successful through music. These days, my goal is to truly enjoy the present and where we are — making and performing music with my bandmates and soaking it all in. I want to focus on being happy and creating music without any negative thoughts.

MINGYU: My dream is growing. When I was a trainee, my goal was to debut; after debut, my goal was to succeed. That’s how I spent the last ten years. There are still things I’d like to achieve, but I don’t think there’s an end to my dream.

SO IT’S LIKE A BEGINNER’S MINDSET, BUT WITH A HUNGER TO DO MORE.

MINGYU: Exactly.

DO YOU FEEL ANY PRESSURE TO REPRESENT KOREAN CULTURE WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN “THE FIRST” IN SEVERAL WAYS?

S.COUPS: I think when the word “the first” is used to describe us, it is always exciting. Rather than pressure, I feel a sense of pride. And like our sunbaenims [seniors] who paved the way for us, I hope we can continue to pave the way for ourselves as well as those who come after us.

K-POP HAS EVOLVED INCREDIBLY OVER THE LAST THREE DECADES. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE A PART OF THE EVOLUTION AND TO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO IT? WHERE DO YOU THINK K-POP IS HEADED NEXT?

S.COUPS: Lately, I feel that K-pop has been expanding far beyond just music. It’s now connected to fashion, animation, and so many different genres and formats. I think the ways that people experience K-pop will continue to grow and diversify. We also want to keep experimenting in different areas, while leaving a positive impact as artists.

MINGYU: Well, I’m really pleased that all of our members stayed healthy and that we’ve stayed on such good terms over the last ten years. Of course, it’s nice to become successful, but more than that, I’m happy that we’re consistent in our work. I’m really grateful that we can serve as a role model for people and influence others. K-pop keeps expanding, and I think it’s now more than just a genre. It’s a culture. I want to believe we are also artists who have contributed to that movement. With that comes a responsibility to keep pushing ourselves to take on more diverse, wide-ranging challenges, as well. One day, I hope we can carry K-pop forward beyond its label, and unite through music to connect more freely with other genres and cultures.