SEVENTEEN's V8 (The 8 & Vernon) drop debut mini-album with 8 tracks, concerts set for July

SEVENTEEN unit V8, consisting of The 8 (디에잇, Shiming Hao, 28) and Vernon, released their debut mini-album V8 on June 29 across online music platforms.

Eight tracks total. singasong leads the project. The concept: "consumed youth"—a thread running through confusion, recovery, and growth. Korean, English, and Chinese weave through the lyrics, each language tied to how the members prefer to express themselves. Both The 8 and Vernon wrote, composed, and created visuals for the album.

Producers on the credits: Pharrell Williams, Mecatok, Kirara, Dylan Brady. Mecatok built singasong around a hyperpop-electronic foundation, the kind of sound he's known for in the European electronic music scene.

A pre-listening party happened June 27 at Grain House in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The singasong MV teaser dropped the same day on Hive Labels' YouTube and SEVENTEEN's official accounts.

The 8 summed it up in one word: "growth." Vernon picked "challenge"—and took on mixing duties himself to nail the sound he wanted. "We chose a new direction rather than a familiar method," Vernon said. The 8 added context: "Since we each have distinct preferences and individuality, we went through a lot of conversation and coordination to find a middle ground."

The 8 has been solo since 2019. Dreams Come True, 那幕 (Falling Down) (2020), Side By Side (2021), 海城 (Hai Cheng) (2022), and EP STARDUST (2024) came before this. His self-composed hyperpop single 부지엔러 (不见了, Love is gone) arrived April 30. An earlier track, 사월적표류 (四月的漂流, April Drift), topped Chinese search terms and music charts. He performed at MIDOU MUSIC FESTIVAL in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China on May 1-2.

V8 has tour dates locked in: July 11-12 at Goyang Kintex in South Korea, then July 17-19 in Hong Kong, under the banner 2026 VERNON THE 8 [V8] LIVE.