The "Avengers" are not only beloved for the individual superheroes that come together in the action series, but also for the way the characters work together to create something the world's never seen before.
SuperM is hoping to have a similar effect on society. Introduced last year as "the Avengers of K-Pop," the music group SuperM features seven of the biggest K-pop stars from four of its biggest bands. The result? A supergroup that was designed to have an immediate global impact.
The K-pop stars made their "Good Morning America" debut on August 20 with a performance of their new single "100," marking the first time the song is performed on television. But before you go "100" with SuperM, let's break down the numbers behind the impressive act.
SuperM is made up of seven superstar members from four top-tier groups that are all stars in their own rights.
The most senior of the bunch, Taemin, has been active in the K-pop scene since 2008 with his boy band SHINee. They are known for their soulful R&B-pop performances and eventually conquering genres, including funk, deep house, and EDM. Taemin has also released several chart-topping solo albums that have put his Michael Jackson-esque dance moves on full display.
Both Baekhyun and Kai come from EXO, one of Korea's best-selling groups, which even represented the country during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Active since 2012, EXO also set early records for K-pop acts in America when their albums began ranking impressively on the Billboard charts thanks to catchy, trendy songs like "Growl" and "Monster."
MORE: K-pop stars take part in Black Lives Matter movementTaeyong and Mark are both members of NCT, the ambitious boy band project from Korean label SM Entertainment, whose goal is to have an unlimited number of members organized and mixed into different sub-groups. "GMA" remembers both guys showed off their impressive rap skills with NCT 127 -- the Seoul-based unit of NCT -- as the group premiered the single "Superhuman" live on the show last year.
And we can't forget Ten and Lucas of WayV, the China-based boy band that also operates inside the NCT universe. Both Thailand native Ten and Hong Kong-born Lucas are expanding the definition of what it means to be a K-pop star. Having them in a group like SuperM further shows the exciting evolution of the K-pop industry.
SuperM comes together as a project from SM Entertainment, one of Korea's longest-running and most influential entertainment agencies on the market.
Launched in 1989 by its founder and namesake Soo Man Lee, the SM brand has launched more than a dozen successful groups and created a string of beloved stars with appeal in Asia and beyond. The SM family includes names like H.O.T, BoA, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, Red Velvet and many more that you have likely come across on YouTube or Twitter.
SuperM was created as a joint project between SM and Capitol Records, the U.S. label that's also home to Katy Perry, Halsey, Sam Smith and NCT 127. As stated in the group's introduction last summer, their goal when they started the group was to create an exciting K-pop group that could make an explosive start in America -- home of the largest music industry in the world -- from the get-go. This was a risky and unusual goal, as K-pop acts usually spend time developing and growing in Korea first before expanding into overseas markets.
MORE: K-pop fans become an unexpected ally to American protestersThe risk paid off: SuperM's debut truly was explosive with their self-titled debut EP soaring straight to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Upon its Oct. 2019 release, SuperM earned 168,00 album-equivalent units in its first week out, as well as praise for its arena-sized single "Jopping." As intended, the SuperM album and plan proved that this group had major power both to excite listeners and sell a lot of records.
MORE: Deaths of Goo Hara and Sulli highlight tremendous pressures of K-pop stardomThe group's first full-length album, "Super One," drops next month. Their lead single, "100," is already out now with a second single, "Tiger Inside," coming ahead of the full 15-song LP on Sept. 25.
