SEVENTEEN: The Complete Guide from Debut to 2025

October 03, 2025

https://andytips.com/entertainment/seventeen-kpop-complete-guide-debut-to-2025/

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SEVENTEEN has 13 members. Not 17, despite the name.
13 members + 3 units + 1 team = 17 (SEVENTEEN)

Honestly, I wasn’t really into K-pop.
But I kept hearing these songs and realized—wait, this is SEVENTEEN?
I just kept playing their music on repeat, and suddenly I got curious and started digging deeper.

I hope what I’ve gathered here will be helpful for you too.

SEVENTEEN

SEVENTEEN is a 13-member boy group that debuted in 2015.
They’re under Pledis Entertainment.
The name comes from 13 members + 3 units + 1 team = 17.
At first, I thought there were 17 members too.

They’re divided into three units: Hip-Hop Team, Vocal Team, and Performance Team.
They’re famous as “self-producing idols” who create their own lyrics, music, and choreography. That’s their whole thing.

2012, SEVENTEEN TV

To understand SEVENTEEN’s story, we need to go back before their debut.

SEVENTEEN trainee days group photo - SEVENTEEN TV pre-debut members

Originally, Pledis was planning to create a 7-member boy group called “TEMPEST” after their senior group NU’EST.
But when Kim Yeon-soo joined as an executive, plans completely changed.
They started the SEVENTEEN project with 17 members averaging 17 years old.

Some trainees left, new ones joined, and eventually they settled on 13 members. The members had an average training period of about 3-4 years.

What’s unique is that they started an internet live broadcast called “SEVENTEEN TV” in December 2012.
Trainees who hadn’t even debuted yet were showing their faces to fans through broadcasts for 2 years.
It’s like YouTube content today, doing this in 2012 was pretty ahead of its time

SEVENTEEN TV was an internet live broadcast that ran on a platform called Ustream from December 2012 until their debut in 2015, for about 2 years.
These are precious archives showing the fresh faces of members who were in their mid-to-late teens at the time, though not much footage remains today.

They also appeared as cameos in their senior groups’ music videos and worked as backup dancers.
Through this pre-debut system, they essentially built their fandom in advance.

2015, SEVENTEEN Project: Shining Diamonds

On May 26, 2015, SEVENTEEN officially debuted through a reality show called “SEVENTEEN Project: Shining Diamonds.”

Their first album was called 17 CARAT.
All the members participated in writing lyrics for every song on this album.

1st Mini Album, 17 CARAT

In particular, member WOOZI was only 19 years old at the time but participated in writing 5 songs, composing and arranging 4 songs.
The choreography was created by the Performance Team, centered around Hoshi.

While there were idols who participated in song production before, SEVENTEEN was the first to have all members participate in production from their debut album.
The term “self-producing idol” was also coined at this time.

2nd Mini Album, BOYS BE

In December of the same year, just 7 months after debut, they held their first solo concert LIKE SEVENTEEN - BOYS WISH at Yongsan Art Hall.
They drew 3,700 people over 3 days, and due to seat shortages, they held an encore concert in February 2016.
Even with 5 times the capacity, it sold out completely.

2016, First Full Album - FIRST ‘LOVE&LETTER’

In April 2016, they released their first full album FIRST ‘LOVE&LETTER’. It sold 80,000 copies in the first week.
On May 4, they achieved their first music show win on Show Champion.
This was less than a year after debut.

SEVENTEEN FIRST 'LOVE&LETTER' album cover

1st Full Album, FIRST 'LOVE&LETTER'

In December that year, their third mini album Going Seventeen was released, surpassing 130,000 first-week sales.
They became the 4th boy group ever to exceed 100,000 first-week sales.
On December 16, they won their first terrestrial broadcast music show win on Music Bank.

It was quite a topic at the time that a rookie from a mid-sized agency achieved such results through pre-debut activities and self-production alone.

3rd Mini Album, Going Seventeen

In October, their official colors were also decided.
Rose Quartz and Serenity. Pink and light blue tones, expressing SEVENTEEN’s warmth and freshness.
It was for their 500-day debut anniversary.

2017, 2nd Full Album - TEEN, AGE

2017 seems to have been an important year for SEVENTEEN.

In May, their 4th mini album Al1 sold 190,000 first-week copies, and in November, their 2nd full album TEEN, AGE sold 210,000 copies.
Their digital performance was solid too.

4th Mini Album, Al1

Starting in July, they began their first world tour DIAMOND EDGE.
They drew 170,000 people across 13 cities including Seoul, Japan, North America, South America, and Asia.
A world tour in their 2nd year after debut… their growth speed was incredible.

2nd Full Album, TEEN, AGE

Intro. 新世界
CHANGE UP
Tipping the Hat
Clap
Shoot Me and Go
13th Month’s Dance
TRAUMA
Pinwheel
Flower
ROCKET
Hello
Campfire
Outro. 未完

The concept of the 2nd full album is about the story of youth standing at the border between the end of their teens and the beginning of their 20s.
From this album, SEVENTEEN began to fully explore the theme of youth.
And subsequent albums continued this flow.
This became an important turning point where SEVENTEEN’s musical identity was established with the “Teen, Age” theme series.
This album also featured sincere stories from each member who participated in writing and composing.

2018, Special Album - DIRECTOR’S CUT

In February 2018, the title track “Thanks” from their special album DIRECTOR’S CUT reached #1 on Melon, Korea’s music chart.
It was the best performance among SEVENTEEN’s title tracks at the time.

Special Album, DIRECTOR'S CUT

Thinkin’ about you
Thanks
I’m Looking for You Now
Falling For U
Intro. 新世界
CHANGE UP
Tipping the Hat
Clap
Shoot Me and Go
13th Month’s Dance
TRAUMA
Pinwheel
Flower
ROCKET
Hello
Campfire
Outro. 未完

“A-TEEN,” released as an OST for the drama A-TEEN, also topped the charts, and was the first and best-performing male idol OST after the chart reform.

On May 30, they officially debuted in Japan with their Japanese mini album WE MAKE YOU.
It reached #2 on the Oricon chart in just one day.
Their Japanese debut was also successful.

5th Mini Album, YOU MAKE MY DAY

Oh My!
Holiday
Come to Me
What’s Good
MOONWALKER
Our Dawn Is Hotter Than Day

2019, 3rd Full Album - An Ode

In January 2019, their 6th mini album YOU MADE MY DAWN surpassed 330,000 first-week sales.
They won 10 music show wins, achieving their first Grand Slam and Triple Crown.

6th Mini Album, YOU MADE MY DAWN

Good to Me
Home
Hug
Chilli
Shhh
Getting Closer

Digital Single, HIT

HIT is a continuation of SEVENTEEN’s “Teen, Age” series.
This song contains a message about facing fears and anxieties that youth experience head-on and moving forward courageously despite them.

Particularly in HIT, SEVENTEEN’s signature synchronized choreography and powerful performance are incredible.
The simultaneous movements of all members and formation changes are impressive, visually expressing the song’s powerful message.

3rd Full Album, An Ode

In September, their 3rd full album An Ode was released, selling 700,000 copies in the first week.
It sold more than double the previous album. They became the third boy group ever to achieve 700,000 first-week sales.
They also entered the Billboard 200 chart.

This 3rd album was when the members’ producing abilities, centered around WOOZI, reached their peak.
They established SEVENTEEN’s unique sound with all members participating in every track.
This album became the foundation for SEVENTEEN to become a million-seller group.

Now, beyond simple youth (Teen, Age), they show a mature attitude of facing fear, anxiety, and confusion head-on.
The contrast between Fear and HIT three-dimensionally portrays both sides of youth.

They also won Album of the Year at the AAA Awards.
It was their first Daesang (grand prize) in their 5th year after debut.

2020, Mini Album Heng:garae and Special Album

In June 2020, they released a mini album first.
A notable feature is that this album is SEVENTEEN’s first album composed entirely of group songs without unit songs, excluding the pre-release single HIT.
It’s a bright and upbeat synth-pop genre album, overflowing with SEVENTEEN’s signature synchronized choreography and fresh energy.

7th Mini Album, Heng:garae

2020 was a difficult time for the whole world due to the pandemic.
Through this album, SEVENTEEN wanted to deliver bright and positive energy during dark times.
It contains a message of hope that “we can overcome together,” meaning to support each other like “heng:garae” (Korean for lifting someone up).
This mini album shows SEVENTEEN’s diverse musical spectrum, departing from their previous intense concepts.

Special Album, Semicolon

During the pandemic, when everyone was isolated…
Bodies apart but hearts closer…
Wise quarantine life online random gathering episode!

2021, All Members Re-Sign Contract

On June 18, 2021, their 8th mini album Your Choice was released.
It sold 1.36 million copies in the first week, achieving quadruple million seller status with 4 consecutive million sellers.

But something even more important happened on July 19.
All 13 members renewed their contracts.
And they did it early, even though time remained on their existing contracts.

This was the first case of a large boy group with 10 or more members, including Chinese members, successfully renewing contracts with all members.
According to what members revealed later, the renewal process wasn’t easy.
The fact that 13 people discussed sensitive topics like money, profit distribution, and contract periods together… that’s incredible teamwork.

2022, 4th Full Album - Face the Sun

On May 27, 2022, their 4th full album Face the Sun was released. 2.06 million first-week sales!

Following BTS, they became the second artist in Korean music history to surpass 2 million first-week sales.
They also achieved a peak of #7 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Starting in June, they began their first world tour in 3 years, BE THE SUN.

2023, MAMA Awards, Album of the Year

2023 was a legendary year for SEVENTEEN.

On April 24, their 10th mini album FML was released.
4.64 million pre-orders, 4.55 million first-week sales.
First in Korean music history to surpass 4 million first-week sales!
By June, it exceeded 5.2 million copies, becoming the best-selling album in Korean music history.
It also peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200.

The title track “Super” set a record with 467 consecutive days on Melon’s daily chart.
It also ranked #29 on the 2023 annual chart.

In August, they released their Japanese best album ALWAYS YOURS. It sold 510,000 first-week copies, setting another record.
On October 23, their 11th mini album SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN was released.
5.09 million first-week sales! First in Korean music history to surpass 5 million first-week sales.

They sold an incredible 16 million copies in 2023 alone.
SEVENTEEN was the artist with the highest first-week sales globally in 2023, after Adele.

In November, they were the first K-pop artist to be assigned a solo session at the UNESCO Headquarters Youth Forum, where they gave a speech and performed.
On November 28-29, they won Album of the Year at the MAMA Awards.

2024, Best Album - 17 IS RIGHT HERE

On April 29, 2024, they released their best album 17 IS RIGHT HERE.
The title track “MAESTRO” incorporated elements from 7 past hit songs.

In May, they drew 140,000 people over two days at Nissan Stadium.
They became the second Korean artist after TVXQ to perform at this stadium, the first 3rd generation K-pop idol.

On June 28, they became the first K-pop act to perform on the Pyramid Stage at the UK’s Glastonbury Festival.
Foreign media gave them perfect scores.

In November, they won both Artist of the Year and Album of the Year at MAMA.

2025, 5th Full Album - HAPPY BURSTDAY

On May 26, 2025, marking their 10th debut anniversary, they released their 5th full album HAPPY BURSTDAY.

From May 23-25, they held a ‘B-DAY PARTY’ event at Seoul’s Jamsugyo Bridge.
They were the first K-pop act to perform at Jamsugyo Bridge.
352,000 people visited over 3 days, with 206,000 people coming on the 25th alone.

As someone who lives in Seoul, I couldn’t believe 200,000 people gathered at Jamsugyo Bridge. In that narrow space…

Wrapping Up…

And so we’ve traced SEVENTEEN’s footsteps from 2015 to 2025.

From 80,000 first-week sales to 5.09 million. From 3,700 people at Yongsan Art Hall to 200,000 at Jamsugyo Bridge. Just looking at the numbers shows their incredible growth.

A rookie from a mid-sized agency starting with self-production and leaving their name in K-pop history. The teamwork of 13 members together for 10 years. This is the real story of SEVENTEEN.

What I felt while researching is that this group has gone beyond being idols who just sing and dance well. The way members create their own music, how all 13 stayed together for 10 years, and how they break records every year while remaining humble was impressive.

K-pop is a market that changes so fast. New groups keep debuting, trends constantly change. Lasting 10 years in that environment must not have been easy.

Which SEVENTEEN album is most memorable to you? Or do you have a story about how you first discovered SEVENTEEN? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments!