"NO. MERCY" Survivors to Debut as MONSTA X This Year

Starship Entertainment has announced that they have determined the final seven members of their new male group MONSTA X through the survival program “NO. MERCY.”

The final seven members of the group, Jooheon, Shownu, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Wonho, Minhyuk, and I.M, were determined through the 3:3:3 debut mission on the last episode of “NO. MERCY” that aired on February 11. The Starship trainees finally met an end to their intense competition that had lasted for 10 weeks.

For the final debut mission, nine of the remaining members had to form three groups of three. Mad Clown, Junggigo, SISTAR’s Hyorin and Dasom, Rhymer, Yella Diamond, Jooyoung, and Crybaby appeared for their final mission to cheer the members on.

Jooheon, Hyungwon, and I.M also released their song “Interstellar” on February 12. This special rapper unit was produced by Yella Diamond, who is currently one of the most popular producers in the hip-hop scene. “Interstellar,” true to its name, is a hip-hop song that contains cyber cords, reminding the listener of the famous sci-fi movie. In the song, each member has his own unique flow, keeping a perfect balance between individuality and cooperation.

Starship Entertainment said, “Their group name MONSTA X contains the double meaning of monsters conquering the K-pop scene and my star (MON means “My” in French). X symbolizes an unknown existence.”

Meanwhile, “NO. MERCY” has been the center of attention after their featured songs, “Coach Me” and “Pillow,” dominated music charts. Korea’s most prominant hip-hop crews such as Just Music and Grand Line also participated to raise the bar of the quality.

Starship Entertainment said, “Several advertising agencies have shown their interest in MONSTA X, and foreign countries have also shown their strong attraction. Using such attention as a momentum, we are planning to debut the group during the first half of this year.”