&TEAM is rapidly growing in North America, driven by Korean debut success, a Billboard 200 No. 52 entry, and strong U.S. live promotions.

&TEAM, which carried out its first activities in America, is expanding its fan base in North America as well, not limited to its success in Japan and South Korea. ◆Why the feat of “No. 52 on the U.S. Billboard main album chart” in a place where they have not yet debuted or toured? The Japan-origin nine-member global group &TEAM is rapidly increasing its presence in the United States, the world’s largest music market. It is said that the country growing the most right now in &TEAM’s fan community (Weverse) is the United States. Despite not having made a U.S. debut or a North American tour, over the one year from June 2025 to June 2026, the number of American fan registrations increased by about 1.6 times, and in terms of the number of increases, it surpassed even their home base, Japan. In terms of the number of active fans who visit the community on a daily basis, there were already periods when they had overtaken South Korea as well. This can be said to be proof that the expansion of the fandom is not just a passing boom, but is beginning to take root firmly in North America. Moving one step beyond their high popularity in Asia, they are establishing solid support in the North American scene. Behind their unstoppable momentum are three major milestones backed by a meticulous global strategy and reliable performance ability, as well as data showing an increase in core local fans. ◆The ripple effect on a global scale brought about by the Korean debut The major turning point was the full-scale Korean debut in October 2025. With this advance, the number of listeners worldwide on streaming services doubled. In particular, the title track “Back to Life,” compared with the previous work “Go in Blind (Moon Wolf),” saw the maximum number of listeners in the United States surge to about 2.4 times on Spotify and about 3.8 times on Apple Music. This leap did not escape the notice of local music media. The U.S. business magazine Forbes, in an article dated October 31, 2025, featured them under the title “&TEAM's Debut Korean Album Sells Over 1 Million Copies In 1 Day,” and along with the feat of becoming a first-day million-seller, described them as “one of the groups attracting the most attention right now.” Furthermore, mainstream media in various countries, including Associated Press (U.S.), ABS-CBN and Manila Bulletin (Philippines), Harper's BAZAAR Thailand, and Bandwagon Asia, reported on it all at once, and in the context of the global K-POP scene, their name suddenly rang out across the global scene. ◆A real fan base drew in the U.S. charts. The highest achievement in the history of Japan-origin boy groups Keeping the momentum gained from the previous work, the 3rd EP “We on Fire,” released in April 2026, recorded U.S.-bound shipments more than double those of the previous work. The figures themselves showed that the momentum was real. In addition, the work debuted at No. 52 on Billboard’s main album chart, the Billboard 200. Charting on Billboard is a first-ever feat for a Japan-origin boy group. Achieving this without even a precedent for a solo performance locally suggests that it was widely streamed across the United States, and it confirmed that a strong fan base, including fans with the enthusiasm to buy CDs, was beginning to take root in America. ◆&TEAM’s ability made U.S. Billboard call them a “performance monster” With these achievements in hand, in August 2026, &TEAM finally carried out its first local promotion in the United States. &TEAM’s memorable first stage in America was realized at the special event “Global Spin Live: &TEAM,” held on August 12 at the “Grammy Museum®,” established in Los Angeles by the Recording Academy, which hosts the Grammy Awards. Tickets sold out as soon as they went on sale, and on the day they performed all five songs, including “Big Suki” and “Go in blind (Korean ver.),” in front of an audience of 200. After the performance, Emily Mei, the moderator who has seen many artists, gave them the unusual praise of saying, “It was the best performance I have ever seen.” In addition, they made a surprise appearance at the street event “Random Play Dance,” hosted by The Hallyuverse. When the nine members appeared at this event, where K-POP fans dance improvisationally in the street, they performed together with participants amid loud cheers. The scene spread widely across various SNS, and attention also spread from fans of other artists. They also appeared at “KCON LA 2026” and, on the “ARTIST STAGE” at the LA Convention Center, performed all six songs including “Go in Blind (Moon Wolf),” as well as a special collaboration stage with HYBE’s Latin-pop group SANTOS BRAVOS. U.S. Billboard praised &TEAM, who appeared there, saying that they “proved why they are called a ‘performance monster.’” The U.S. music media InMusic also called the collaboration stage between SANTOS BRAVOS and &TEAM one of the best moments of the first day of “KCON LA,” and various U.S. media praised their overwhelming live performance ability. As a result of these activities, during their one-week stay locally, the number of people mentioning the group on English-language SNS reached the highest level ever observed. ◆A new form of global popularity that goes beyond conventional local expansion Without waiting for achievements such as a U.S. debut or a solo tour, &TEAM strongly burned its presence into the American music market. Their historic feat on the U.S. charts and the overwhelming ability they showed in local promotions—. As they leap from Japan to the world under the banner of “Japan to Global,” it seems we will not be able to take our eyes off the new territory they are stepping into from now on.