Welcome to our new series, “Korea Unheard”, a space dedicated to spotlighting underrated artists from across Korea’s diverse music scene.
In this edition, we’re highlighting eight artists spanning indie, rock, and R&B, each bringing their own distinct sound and perspective.
Current monthly listeners: 8.3K
Catch The Young (캐치더영) is a five-member pop-rock boy band under EVERMORE ENTERTAINMENT, consisting of Sani, Jungmo, Kihoon, Namhyun, and Junyong. They made their debut on November 1, 2023, with their first EP, Catch The Young : Fragments of Youth.
Since their debut, they have consistently released music. We first discovered them in 2024 after hearing their single “Dream It”, released on August 8, 2024. On January 19, 2026, they marked a major milestone with the release of their first full-length album, EVOLVE.
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Current monthly listeners: 190.4K
off the menu (오프더메뉴) is a South Korean rock/alternative band consisting of Ahn Jungjun, Lee Hyeongsub, and Lee Seungmin. Former member Kim Hanyoung departed the group on April 23, 2023.
The band made their debut on February 19, 2019, with their self-titled release off the menu, featuring the singles “The Wall” and “Calendar.” Both tracks were later included on their debut EP Contact, released on January 20, 2020.
We discovered off the menu in 2023, and since their debut, they’ve continued to build a consistent and evolving discography. That same year, they collaborated with oceanfromtheblue on the track “Shell,” released on October 4, followed by their first full-length album, *Every Point of View,* on October 11, 2023.
After taking a break from releasing in 2024, the band returned on March 29, 2025, with the single “Love is a shade of blue”, which is one of our favourite tracks from their catalogue. The song served as a pre-release for their sophomore album, Concrete Valley, which was released on March 17, 2026.
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Current monthly listeners: 11.6K
W24, short for World 24 Hours, is a four-member rock boy band under JARMY Entertainment. The group consists of Yunsoo Kim (leader/guitar), Jonggil Kim (drums), Howon Cheong (vocals), and Aaron Park (keyboard). They made their debut on March 8, 2018, with the EP Singing Dancing.
Howon Cheong was born in Chile and lived in South America for 19 years. His fluency in Spanish and English has helped the band gain fans worldwide. In 2018, W24 performed at Chile’s National Festival, Teleton, and in 2020, they won the reality show Asian Top Band. Most recently, in November 2025, they completed a European tour with shows in London, Berlin, and other cities.
The band has consistently released music since their debut, but we discovered them recently after the release of their single “mustard seed” on February 27, 2026.
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Current monthly listeners: 5K
sonlmor (손을모아), meaning “Let’s get together!” or “Pray,” is a rock band that debuted on September 26, 2023, with the single “Crappy Romance.” The group consists of five members: Im Joongwon, Park Jinyoung, Kim Yeonghei, NEUT, and Min Jongmin. They released their debut album, Wish, Hopes, Desire, on November 14, 2024.
We discovered sonlmor on November 27, 2025, following the release of their single “To J,” which quickly became one of our favourite tracks by them. The song was a pre-release for their sophomore album, Latch or Hatch, released on February 22, 2026.
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Current monthly listeners: 160.6K
siso (시소) is a K-Indie, R&B, soul, and folk-pop singer-songwriter who made her debut on January 29, 2020 with her first single, “Dawn (새벽)”. Since then, she has consistently released music and has contributed to Korean drama soundtracks, including “Secret Door” for HIDE and “If You Remember” for Sorry Not Sorry.
We discovered siso following the release of her single “Dear Joy” on June 5, 2025, which was later included on her debut EP, Dear Nobody. Most recently, on March 15, 2026, she released her latest single, “1972.”
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Current monthly listeners: 143.4K
Jiselle (지젤) is an R&B singer-songwriter signed to Million Market, a subsidiary of SM Entertainment. She made her debut on February 2, 2019, with the single “Missed Call,” featuring Chancellor.
Since her debut, Jiselle has consistently released music while collaborating with a range of artists across the Korean R&B scene. Notable collaborations include “Problem” with pH-1, released in December 2019, and “Enemy” with GEMINI in May 2023, which is the track we first discovered her with.
Most recently, she released her latest single, “Baby Blue,” on September 7, 2025.
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Current monthly listeners: 48.4K
Hwang Se-hyeon, known by his artist name h3hyeon, is a rapper who debuted under Daytona Entertainment in 2021. He first gained attention through his appearance on High School Rapper 4.
He officially debuted on May 10, 2021, with his debut album, A STORY GOES ON AND ON. Since then, he has continued to build his discography, releasing two additional albums, two EPs, and several singles.
We discovered h3hyeon in April 2023 following the release of his single “How Did U Did That,” which remains one of our favourite tracks of his. Most recently, on January 10, 2026, he released his latest project, the EP NO NAME YET.
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Current monthly listeners: 92.5K
JEY, formerly known as Jung Jinhyeong (정진형), is an independent R&B singer and songwriter. He is part of FA Crew and made his debut on July 31, 2017, with the single “Calling You” under S.F.R Entertainment.
He has collaborated with artists such as Sik-K on “Tru,” released on October 15, 2017, and with both Sik-K and pH-1 on “Lies,” released on December 19, 2020.
JEY released his debut album Whimsical on May 30, 2021. Since then, he has consistently put out new music and continues to build his presence within the Korean R&B scene. In 2024, he joined GEMINI on tour, performing tracks from his album POV, released on October 11, 2024, which is also one of our favourites.
His latest single, “If you do,” was released on March 13, 2026.
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