Meet LNGSHOT: K-Pop's 5th Gen 'Shot Callers'

K-Pop rookies LNGSHOT had a lot to prove when they first debuted in January this year. As the first and only group to be formed by Korean American mogul Jay Park, who had been part of the K-pop / K-hip-hop industry for nearly two decades, via his record label MORE VISION, LNGSHOT was created with this youthful hip-hop mentality that also brought back K-pop's "romantic spirit" and "authenticity." For Park, the answer to K-pop's problems was LNGSHOT.

There's an irony to their name, which references the term "long shot," as in having a low chance of success, but still worth trying, as the group is very talented. The LNGSHOT members – Ohyul, Ryul, Woojin, and Louis – each have distinct voices that work well together. Critics and fans have praised their vocals, especially the youngest member, Louis, who is often compared to Justin Bieber. Many on the internet have called the 16-year-old French-Korean artist "The Justin Bieber of K-pop. " However, it's sometimes hard to believe that the baby-faced singer is actually physically a giant, standing at 6'3.

Their debut EP, Shot Callers, centered on the company's hip-hop and R&B foundations, with the lead single, "Moonwalkin'," paying homage to Michael Jackson's iconic dance move. The song debuted on the Billboard Global 200 chart and was named Billboard's K-pop Rookie of the Month in February. The group released another EP, Training Day, in March, and a collaboration mixtape, 4sho 4sho , with Jay Park in May. The group won several Rookie/New Artist awards, including Brand Customer Loyalty Awards, Weibo International Entertainment Awards, and the KM Chart Awards.

The group – whose ages range from 16 to 20 years old – hasn't gone without criticism. LNGSHOT faced backlash for breaking away from traditional idol practices, including sharing pre-debut images of the members holding their middle fingers up and dancing with female dancers in a music video. There have also been accusations of cultural appropriation, which Park has adamantly talked about throughout his career, as all four members grew up in Korea listening to hip-hop, R&B, and pop music. There have even been remarks about Park's deep involvement with the group, to which Park responded in jest.

"Next I will officially induct myself into LNGSHOT cause that has been my goal all along, and nobody can stop me cause I own the company and made the group [laughs]," Park wrote on his personal X account in June. "[I've] been [doing] this for 20 years. lol. Who [do] you think knows better? Me or [you]? All the narratives [y'all] paint online mean NOTHING in real life. Just enjoy the music and the ride. If not, watch from the sidelines. Peace and love. Have a blessed day."

Park notes that he worked hard in his career to create these opportunities. He has also been busy with his own music. While Park promotes his recent track ("Flirty" with Dayoung), LNGSHOT has been doing their own group appearances. They appeared at the NBA Rising Stars Invitational 2026 in Singapore in July, then at 88rising's Head in the Clouds (HITC) Music Festival this past month. During their HITC set, they performed for over 40 minutes, with " tens of thousands " in attendance.

Before their performance, the group met with the press to talk about their rookie year and performing at this year's HITC, especially without Park around. Woojin admits they feel like baby birds being pushed out of the nest to "learn how to fly."

"That's how I feel," Woojin says, in their green room before their performance.

The members are all seated, relaxing as they mentally prepare for their set. They've performed many times and have found their groove with each other, despite only working together for several months. Woojin jokes, "We [kinda] have to."

"We're a group," Louis states. "We have to do this for years. We have to get close."

Leader Ohyul says Park hand-selected them to form the group, adding, "We were all chosen for a reason."

Just because each has their own talent doesn't mean that they could vibe with each other. Ryul says they make it work because they like to joke around with each other. He turns to Louis and points out, "Because he's so young, I can joke with him."

The group breaks out in laughter. Louis, who looks confused, responds, "What does that even mean?!"

Woojin gets serious for a moment, revealing their age – they were all young when they first became trainees – and are still young. He shares, "All four of us are so innocent, and our hearts just click. Just because we're innocent, our hearts just clicked."

This makes Louis chuckle as the interpreter clarifies Woojin's statement, revealing that Woojin meant the members are calm and chill, which fostered trust between them. Ryul adds, "Since we spend every day together, we can't help but become close."

Although the members were chosen individually, the boys feel comfortable around each other, teasing one another – like teenagers do – about some members' answers. At one point, Louis tells Woojin, who just answered a thought-provoking question, in Korean, "I don't get what you're saying." Woojin responds, snickering, "You know what I mean!"

Though they are young, the members have impressive resumes even before debuting, having written, composed, and arranged tracks from their EPs. Ohyul trained for five years as a More Vision trainee and former KOZ Entertainment trainee. Ryul was just 17 when he appeared as a contestant on the survival show, RAP:PUBLIC, nearly making it to the final round. Woojin trained for six years under More Vision and BigHit Music. Louis became a trainee after trying out for More Vision's 2023 Global Audition. Before their debut, Ohyul and Louis co-wrote the lyrics to Park's song, "Remedy." Park chose them because he just "followed his instincts" and found the guys different from other idol groups.

Throughout the conversation, the group's goal was to be "authentic" and focus on making music that makes people feel different and "real emotions." Though the group does have pretty catchy songs, everything had to gave a deep meaning to it – and their natural vocals.

"The songs that I listened to in the past placed a lot of emphasis on lyricism, depth, and emotions," Woojin explains. "But a lot of the music today is just 'ear candy.' So I want to bring more feeling back into it."

He adds, "It's more important [to focus on the music] now [more than ever] because of AI and everything that is emerging right now. It's more important to put meaning into our music. We're just more natural."

LNGSHOT doesn't have concepts or a plan for their music. Louis says they all "go with the flow." Ohyul emphasizes that it is the group's style: "just write what we feel." For many of them, it's the music they grew up with (also, with Park's help) and felt inspired by, as well as the current music acts the boys listen to, such as Fakemink and Nettspend. Many of their songs on their EP range from old-school ("Saucin")to new-age hip-hop (Ryul's "For Us") and old-school R&B in the vein of New Edition ("Vanilla Days") to current pop ballads ("Never Let Go" and Louis' solo track, "Good Girls"). Even their music videos also have a bit of an old-school feel to it – from both older K-pop groups ("Moonwalkin'" giving TVXQ's "Mirotic" vibes) and American boybands ("Facetime" screams 2000s era Backstreet Boys, but New Edition's '90s sound).

The group also doesn't forget they are part of the Zalpha generation – younger Gen Z and early Alpha. They like to add their own style and spin to their performance. As part of the next generation of K-pop/K-hip-hop stars, the group thought a lot about it. Sure, they have great vocals and great choreography, but they also want to bring the energy. If they could bring something to K-pop concerts, it would be mosh pits.

"The fans always gotta stay lit," Louis emphasized. "You can't only have calm songs when you make the setlist. That's what we thought about the most. It goes from energetic songs, then the calm ones, then back to the energetic songs."​

Woojin admits, "We all have ADHD."

LNGSHOT are excited to perform for the first time in the US at Head In The Clouds Festival because they've heard American fans are very different, especially learning that Western audiences bark at artists.

"American fans are lit," Louis emphasizes. Ryul begins to gesture, 'come over here' when it comes to the barking. He says, "Yes. We want it. It'll be great."

As for now, they are prepping for the promotions for their next EP, SWISH , and performing as special guests for Park's upcoming World Tour. As for their EP, the guys hinted that some tracks will sample known songs.

"With this album, we just want to show how much we developed as artists compared to our first album," Louis explains.

Ohyul and Woojin added, "Swish! Swish!"

When asked if they ever expected this sort of fame – especially given the meaning of their name — they couldn't believe it.

"Honestly, none of us thought we would have this much success," says Louis. "In the pre-debut era, we had like 7000 followers on Instagram.​

"700," Woojin corrects him.

Louis shares, "We didn't even have a Spotify account yet."

Ryul adds, "We didn't expect it."

They express how much they appreciate Park and their fanbase, SHOTTIES. Louis says, "We are so grateful. It doesn't feel real."

LNGSHOT joins Jay Park for his 2026 World Tour: Serenades & Body Rolls this month.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com