WayV Teases Fourth EP ‘Phantom’

“I survived the WayV drought,” a fan tweets as teasers of C-pop group WayV’s forthcoming comeback takes over social media platforms. Following the release of their March 2021 EP Kick Back, WayV are set to return with their fourth EP Phantom on December 9th, 2022. The release will mark the long-awaited return of the “Love Talk” hitmakers after nearly a year and six months

The EP artwork blends luxurious tones of deep red and silver with a sleek golden masquerade mask taking the center spot. On the other hand, the teaser image plays on anticipation as silhouettes dot the widths of the photograph. Though visually hazy, the image shows six members as opposed to WayV’s original seven-member lineup.

By the looks of the image, it seems like the group’s rapper Lucas — who was embroiled in allegations involving cheating and gaslighting former romantic partners — will be absent from this comeback. Members Kun, Ten, WinWin, Xiaojun, Hendery and YangYang will be promoting this EP as a six-member group. Following the allegations, Lucas announced his hiatus from group activities. ” I will make sure that something like this does not occur again, and I will halt all of my scheduled activities to take time to reflect on myself,” the rapper announced on social media via a handwritten letter on August 25th, 2021. The immediate effects of this saw SM Entertainment pull the plug on Lucas and Hendery’s unit release “Jalapeño” that was scheduled to release in August 2021.

Following Lucas’ hiatus announcement, the members pursued individual and unit projects. Vocalist Ten appeared on the dance reality show Great Dance Crew (GDC) in China where he served as a judge and mentor. Thereafter, he paired up with his bandmate YangYang for the Thai food reality show Food Truck Battle 2 where Ten was seen as the host of the show and YangYang as a participant. The duo also released a dance-pop anthem “Low Low” in August 2021. Earlier this month, Ten also released the sultry NCT Lab single “Birthday.” WayV’s leader Kun, YangYang and fellow NCT member Taeil came together on the July 2022 NCT Lab release “Rain Day” — the first official track where Kun helmed a project to completion as a songwriter and composer. Vocalist WinWin stepped into the shoes of an actor in China and worked on multiple drama projects. Aside from these projects, WayV performed as a group at various festivals, including SM Entertainment’s family concerts, and released the hypnotic English track “Miracle” as part of NCT 2021’s album Universe.