The remaining members of ENHYPEN are letting their artistry and fans guide them as they navigate working as a band without former member HEESEUNG, who recently left the group to pursue a solo career.
In a candid interview with Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly, JUNGWON, JAY, JAKE, SUNGHOON, SUNOO and NI-KI open up for the first time about their bandmate going his separate way earlier this year. To start, JUNGWON emphasizes that he and the guys are spending a lot of time with each other as they adjust to this new chapter.
“These days, we’ve been busy preparing for our tour,” he says of ENHYPEN’s Blood Saga trek, which kicked off May 1. “We practice a lot and eat together often, and we’ve just been focused on how to put on the best stage possible.”
“We just all know that there’s a lot of people out there that are expecting a lot from us, especially in our performance,” JAKE chimes in. “Our ENGENEs, that’s what we try to focus on — putting on the best performance for our fans.”
BELIFT LAB announced March 10 that ENHYPEN’s lineup would no longer include HEESEUNG as he began his transition into a career as a soloist. “Through in-depth discussions with each of the members about the future they envision and the direction of the team, it became clear that HEESEUNG has his own distinct musical vision,” the company wrote at the time, later telling Billboard in a statement, “We concluded that allowing HEESEUNG to focus fully on his career as a solo artist, rather than pursuing solo activities within the team, would be the most fulfilling approach for both ENHYPEN and HEESEUNG.”
HEESEUNG also shared his own explanation at the time in a letter to fans — who expressed their mixed reactions over the news of his departure for weeks after — on Weverse. “Over time, I shared the work I had been creating with the company, and we spent a long time discussing with many people how it might best be presented,” he wrote. “After thinking deeply about it for a long time, I ultimately made a big decision in line with the direction that was discussed, in hopes of returning to you in a better way … I didn’t want my own ambitions to come before the team.”
About a month later, HEESEUNG launched his rebrand as EVAN, the new moniker he’s using for his solo trajectory. It’s unknown when he’ll begin releasing his own music, but BELIFT previously confirmed that he’s working on an album.
As for the future of ENHYPEN? “Honestly, we’re all working hard with only ENGENEs in mind,” SUNGHOON tells Billboard about what he wants fans to know as everyone moves forward. “Let’s make even more memories together.”
The remaining members are currently on tour in support of January mini-album The Sin: Vanish, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. They’re also hard at work on new music, which they discuss with with Billboard as well.
“As of right now, we can’t say too much,” JAKE teases. “But our next [project] is crazy, it’s another level. I said this at the start of the year, but 2026 is going to be a very big year for us.”
He goes on to acknowledge that things will be different regarding the new music and HEESEUNG’s absence. “There’s been changes, but there’s also been very good changes as well,” JAKE adds. “In terms of our music and next album … it’s going to be very good.”
Watch ENHYPEN’s full interview with Billboard above.
