SEVENTEEN Has a New Unit. Vernon and The8 Debut June 29 as V8.
PLEDIS Entertainment confirmed on May 28 that SEVENTEEN members Vernon and The8 will debut as a two-person unit on June 29. The unit is called V8 - Vernon's "V," The8's "8" - with the name drawing on the eight-cylinder engine as a metaphor for the duo's combined momentum. Their first album drops June 29, followed by standalone concerts in Goyang and Hong Kong in July.
V8 is SEVENTEEN's sixth official subunit, following BSS (BooSeokSoon), Jeonghan & Wonwoo, Hoshi & Woozi, and others. The pairing is not arbitrary: both members have built reputations for creative work that runs parallel to the group's main output. Vernon became a Recording Academy voting member earlier this year - one of a small number of K-pop artists to hold that status - and has contributed regularly to SEVENTEEN's songwriting and production across the group's catalog. The8 has released solo work in China, including the 2024 EP Stardust, and has expanded into contemporary art through "The 8 Contemporary Art," a series combining music with dance and film. The two previously collaborated on "54321 (Lift Off)," a track from Stardust.
Both members are credited with participating in writing and composing V8's debut album, which PLEDIS has positioned as a project driven by the duo rather than delivered to them. Specific tracklist and title track details have not yet been released.
The promotional campaign has been running since late April. The "V8 HUNT" challenge - which asked fans to find and photograph the letters "V8" in everyday environments - ran for roughly a month beginning April 27 and generated substantial social media activity before the official announcement. The challenge established the unit's visual identity before the album details existed.
For context on where V8 sits within SEVENTEEN's current cycle: the group's New_ World Tour, which began in late 2025, concluded earlier this year. SEVENTEEN ranked No. 7 on Billboard's most recent biannual Top Tours chart - the highest position ever recorded for a K-pop act. V8 launches while the group is between touring cycles, which gives the unit room to operate without competing directly with a main group schedule.
The concert dates, officially titled "2026 VERNON THE8 [V8] LIVE":
July 11-12 - KINTEX Exhibition Center 1 Hall 1, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province
July 18-19 - AsiaWorld-Expo Hall 10, Hong Kong
Ticket details for both dates have not yet been announced. Additional cities have not been confirmed.
