HYBE’s multinational boy band &TEAM is on a roll, clinching their first Korean music show trophy with a win on SBS M’s "The Show."
On the Nov. 4 broadcast, the nine-member act took No. 1 with "Back to Life," the title track from their first Korean mini-album.
“Just standing among the nominees felt surreal, and winning our first award since debuting in Korea makes it even more meaningful. We were able to do this thanks to LUNÉ. Thank you so much,” the group said.
The momentum has been building since their Oct. 28 Korean debut. Back to Life sold 1,139,988 copies on day one, topping Hanteo Chart’s daily ranking, and moved 1,222,022 units in its first week (Oct. 28-Nov. 3), cementing &TEAM’s status among K-pop’s top-tier on its home turf.
Before that, their third Japanese single "Go in Blind" surpassed one million in sales (per RIAJ’s Gold Disc certification as of July). &TEAM is the first Japanese act to notch million-seller milestones in both Korea and Japan.
Their footprint in Japan remains formidable: "Back to Life" debuted at No. 1 on Oricon’s Weekly Album Ranking (dated Nov. 10) and Billboard Japan’s Top Album Sales (tracking Oct. 27?Nov. 2). It’s the first Korean-language album by a Japanese act to top both tallies.
Beyond the stage, &TEAM has been winning over viewers with a flurry of content, from "Studio Choom" and "Idol Human Theater" to "The Return of Superman" and "ON YOUR ARTIST." On Nov. 4, they even popped up as guest weather anchors on "YTN News": EJ led the on-site report, while K and HARUA shared styling tips for fall temperature swings and health reminders, wrapping with the group’s signature wolf pose.
Formed through HYBE’s 2022 global boy-band project "&AUDITION - The Howling," &TEAM is a nine-member group. Leader EJ is Korean, NICHOLAS hails from Taiwan, and the other seven members are Japanese.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
