''First Impact'' is the debut
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. (EP) by South Korean
girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...
Kep1er
Kep1er (; ) is a South Korean girl group formed through the Mnet reality survival competition show '' Girls Planet 999'' in 2021 and managed by Swing Entertainment and Wake One Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Kim Chae-h ...
, a project group formed through the 2021
Mnet reality competition show ''
Girls Planet 999''. The album was released on January 3, 2022, by Wake One Entertainment. It is available in three versions: "Connect 0", "Connect -" and "Connect 1", and contains six tracks with "
Wa Da Da" as its lead single.
Background and release
Kep1er was formed through the
Mnet reality survival show ''
Girls Planet 999'', which aired from August 6 to October 22, 2021. The show brought 99 contestants from
China,
Japan and
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
to compete to debut in a multinational girl group. Out of initially 99 contestants, only the top nine would be in the final debut lineup.
Kep1er was originally scheduled to debut on December 14, 2021, with their first EP ''First Impact'', with pre-orders beginning on November 29. However, it was announced that the group's scheduled debut had been delayed to January 3, 2022, due to one of their staff members having tested positive for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...
.
On December 14, it was revealed that group members Mashiro and Xiaoting tested positive for COVID-19. On December 26, Kep1er's agency announced that Xiaoting and Mashiro have fully recovered from COVID-19.
On January 3, 2022, Kep1er released their debut EP ''First Impact'' with "Wa Da Da" serving as the lead single.
Critical reception
Gladys Yeo from ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' gave extended play three out of five stars, calling the EP an energetic six-track project record that makes for an enjoyable listen but falls short in fleshing out Kep1er's identity as an act. She commented how individually, the songs on the EP can be enjoyable and how this allows the group members to show off their vocal abilities, but falters when it comes to cohesion and establishing the group's identity.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:First Impact
Kep1er albums
2022 debut EPs
Korean-language EPs
Genie Music EPs
Wake One Entertainment EPs