The Hype Continues! ENHYPEN, NCT WISH, And NEXZ Join The Lineup For “ASEA 2025”

BELIFT LAB / SM Entertainment / JYP Entertainment / ASEA Organizing Committee

The 2nd Asia Star Entertainer Awards presented by zozotown (“ASEA 2025“), where music, stars, and fans come together as one, will be held on May 28 and 29 at K-Arena Yokohama in Yokohama, Japan. On March 24, the ASEA Organizing Committee officially announced that ENHYPEN, NCT WISH, and NEXZ will be performing.

ENHYPEN (JungWon, HeeSeung, Jay, Jake, SungHoon, Sunoo, and Ni-Ki) is a ‘global album powerhouse’ that recorded cumulative album sales of 5.45 million copies last year alone, thanks to its explosive global popularity. With their second full-length album, “ROMANCE : UNTOLD”, released in July last year, the group earned the title of ‘triple million seller’ for the first time since debut in February this year. This album ranked No. 2 on the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)’s 2024 Global Album Sales Chart and No. 4 on the 2024 Global Album Chart, achieving the highest ranking among K-Pop artists. In Japan’s Oricon Annual Ranking 2024, it ranked No. 9 in the Album Ranking and No. 10 in the Combined Album Ranking. ENHYPEN will also set a record as the fastest overseas artist to perform at Tokyo Ajinomoto Stadium in July and Osaka’s Yanmar Stadium Nagai in August.

NCT WISH (Sion, Riku, Yushi, JaeHee, Ryo, and Sakuya), who debuted in February last year, has rapidly risen as a representative ‘Gen Z icon’ in K-Pop, thanks to their refreshing visuals, diverse content, and trendy styling. After successfully making their debut performance at Tokyo Dome, they achieved nearly 2 million album sales across their debut single “WISH”, second single “Songbird”, and first mini-album “Steady” last year, setting the highest sales record for a debut artist in 2024. Their first full-length Japanese album, “WISHFUL”, topped the Oricon Daily Album Ranking for five consecutive days and won multiple rookie awards, solidifying their position as the ‘best new artist.’ NCT WISH is set to make a comeback with their second mini-album “poppop” on April 14.

NEXZ (Tomoya, Yu, Haru, So Geon, Seita, Hyui, and Yuki) is a new boy group introduced by JYP Entertainment six years after Stray Kids. Following their global debut in May last year, they officially debuted in Japan in August. Recognized for their exceptional performance skills, they have been dubbed the ‘next-generation powerhouse of performances.’ Their Japanese debut album “Ride the Vibe (Japanese Ver.) / Keep on Moving” topped the Oricon Daily Album Ranking, and their showcase tour, held across six shows in three cities—Fukuoka, Osaka, and Tokyo—completely sold out, proving their immense popularity in Japan. On March 12, they were honored with their first award, winning the ‘Best 5 New Artists’ category at the 39th Japan Gold Disc Awards. They are also set to embark on their first solo tour in Japan starting June 4.

Now in its second year, ‘ASEA’ is an awards ceremony where top stars from Asia gather to unite with fans worldwide through music. The inaugural “ASEA” held in April last year featured top-tier artists such as Stray Kids, who won three awards including the grand prize, as well as TXT, DAY6, TREASURE, SHINee’s TaeMin, and Creepy Nuts, thrilling music fans.

This year, top-class K-Pop artists and leading Asian singers who have achieved significant global success over the past year will participate in the event, presenting spectacular performances. The confirmed lineup includes aespa, &TEAM, ENHYPEN, HANA, NCT WISH, NEXZ, SKY-HI, THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE, timelesz, and Xdinary Heroes (listed in alphabetical order). The first day’s MCs will be THE BOYZ’s Juyeon and IVE’s Rei.

“ASEA 2025” is hosted by Newsen, South Korea’s leading entertainment and sports media outlet celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and @style, a star & style magazine marking its 13th anniversary, along with THE STAR I&M. The event is organized by the ASEA Organizing Committee and ZOZOTOWN.

Ticket sales for “ASEA 2025” will begin on March 25. Detailed information is available on the official website (www.asea.kr) and the special ZOZOTOWN page.

The artist lineup, award categories, and judging criteria for “ASEA 2025” will be announced sequentially on the official website.