Kep1er (케플러)

Kep1er (케플러) is a South Korean girl group which was formed through Mnet’s survival show, Girls Planet 999, managed by WAKEONE. The group debuted on January 3, 2022, and consists of seven members: Yujin, Xiaoting, Chaehyun, Dayeon, Hikaru, Huening Bahiyyih and Youngeun. Past members Mashiro and Yeseo left the group on July 3, 2024– the original end date of the group’s original two and a half year contract.

The group’s name stands for capture and one. ‘Ke’ rhymes with ‘capture’ and it represents how the members were able to ironically capture their dreams, while number 1 for how they got together and became the unity. The name is rumored to also be a reference to a German astronomer, mostly known for his laws of planetary motion, Johannes Kepler.

Kep1er was originally set to make their debut on December 14, 2021, but due to the complications concerning the group’s staff being infected with COVID-19, it was postponed to January 3, 2022, along with the release of their first mini-album, FIRST IMPACT, supported by the title track “WA DA DA.” which gave earned three music show wins, while mini-album sold over 150K copies on the Hanteo Chart. Kep1er participated in the second season of Mnet’s Queendom, placing fifth.

The group would go onto release their second a third mini-albums, DOUBLAST in June, featuring “Up!”, then Troubleshooter in October, featuring “We Fresh”.