iKON is coming back in a big way as YG Entertainment barred the new teaser images for the hip hop group. It seems that the boys will also be having new stage names along with their comeback.
According to a report by Soompi, some of the group members will retain their old stage names like Bobby, B.I, and Ju-Ne. But for the rest of the crew, there were some major changes. Jinhwan will now be reintroduced as Jay, Chanwoo's name has been shortened to Chan, Donghyuk's name has been abbreviated to the nickname DK while Yunhyeong will now be addressed by his family name of Song.
YG has not made an official statement as to why they would make such a drastic change for iKON, a group that has been around since 2015 and has enjoyed relative success in Korea and Japan. It is speculated that the change in the stage names could be related to "New Kids" concept of iKON's comeback album and could be a way for new fans to remember their shorter and catchier nicknames.
iKON's comeback entitled "New Kids: Begin" features title tracks "Bling Bling" and "B-Day" which is a true testament to the K-pop boy band's hip hop/ pop fusion style that has drawn many fans to the relatively young group. iKON also concluded the first part of this year's Japan Dome Tour to great success.
iKON is considered one of YG Entertainment's artists with the most potential since its members are very hands on with their music. iKON member B.I. and Bobby worked on the lyrics and arrangement of new track "Bling Bling" with Millenium while their second track "B-Day" was co-written by B.I. and Bobby. BI also worked on the composition and arrangements with AiRPLAY and Kang Uk Jin, YG Life reported.
iKONICs, the group's official fandom, have been eagerly anticipating iKON's comeback since early this year but YG has pushed back the release of the boy's album to make way for the relaunch of their brother group WINNER, without their main vocalist Nam Tae Hyun. However, early feedback for iKON's comeback has been good and both their tracks are expected to perform well in the charts like their predecessors. Prior to the comeback album, B.I and Bobby were also featured on PSY's comeback album "4 X 2 = 8" on the hip hop track "BOMB."
