SMTR25: SM Entertainment Welcomes New Trainees, Including Ex-HYBE Trainee A's JJ

SMTOWN Live 2025, SM Entertainment's 30th-anniversary global tour, officially kicked off with a concert series in Seoul on January 11-12.

At the two-day event, an impressive array of idols took the stage, from first-generation legends to the current K-pop sensations. The highlight came when SM finally introduced the highly-anticipated new male trainees under the pre-debut team, SMTR25, sparking a wave of excitement from fans.

Currently, there are 25 trainees, who graced the stage to showcase their moves as they covered hits like SHINee's "Lucifer" and EXO's "Growl," among others.

Although details on the members have yet to be officially revealed, keen-eyed fans recognized a few familiar faces among its roster, such as JJ, who is best known for almost debuting under Big Hit Music's Trainee A.

READ ALSO: Here are the 7 Current Members of Trainee A, Pre-Debut Group Set to Launch Under Big Hit Music

JJ, a Japanese-American, formally trained in HYBE in March 2021. They were set to become a part of BTS' brother group but parted ways with the organization in 2023.

Since then, little information was known about what happened to JJ, until speculations ignited in February last year when he was spotted with other SM Entertainment trainees.

Despite the rumor, this is the first time he was seen on stage after Trainee A's initial busking gigs in Los Angeles, confirming that he's now under SM Entertainment.

Aside from JJ, more well-known trainees were spotted, including Japanese trainees Kassho and Haruta, who were initially known for joining NCT Universe: Lastart, SM's audition program, which created NCT Wish.

Charlie, Fifa, and Pipo were also spotted to be part of the pre-debut group. They are former YGMM Thai trainees, a collab label formed under YG Entertainment and GMM's Grammys partnership.

RELATED ARTICLE: SM Entertainment's 30th Anniversary Video Hints At New Trainee: 'She Reminds Me Of Karina'