For almost a decade, KARD occupied a space in K-Pop that few groups have been able to claim. BM, J.Seph, Somin, and Jiwoo debuted in 2017 as one of the industry’s rare co-ed groups, building their identity around hip-hop, EDM, tropical house, and Latin influences. Now, nine years after their official debut and almost ten years after the project began, KARD are entering their final chapter. On July 6, 2026, DSP Media announced that the group would conclude its activities after completing their first full-length album and accompanying world tour. Three weeks later, on July 28, KARD released Where To Now? (Part.2): NOWHERE, their first full-length album and final release under their current contracts, which are set to expire at the end of 2026.
That knowledge inevitably followed the audience into Frankfurt’s Batschkapp on September 2. Yet for a concert marking the end of the group’s journey, the atmosphere was surprisingly far from sombre.
By the time the lights went down, the Batschkapp was already in the mood for KARD. Their songs had been playing through the venue before the show, giving the crowd plenty of time to sing along and build up the anticipation. As the room suddenly fell completely dark, the noise rose almost instantly. “Oh NaNa,” the song that first introduced KARD to the world, opened the concert before giving way to “Don’t Recall,” “Rumor,” and “Hola Hola.” Starting with their earliest releases, the opening immediately turned into a look back at where it all began.
Behind the members, colourful visuals changed with every song, shifting from bright and playful to darker and more intense. Hearing those early songs nearly a decade after their release changed their meaning. What once represented the beginning of an unusual experiment in K-Pop now sounded like the foundation of an entire career. The audience reaction made that history tangible, with fans singing along to songs that had been part of KARD’s catalogue for years.
The choreography was equally central to the group’s live appeal. A lot was happening on stage, with the four constantly switching places, crossing paths, and interacting, yet nobody ever appeared to be waiting for the next cue. After years of performing together, they seemed to know exactly where the others would be without looking. At the same time, each member had a recognisable way of moving: BM’s laid-back, smooth hip-hop style gave even controlled movements a relaxed, sexy edge, while J.Seph brought sharper lines and a cooler attitude. Somin performed with confidence and plenty of bold hip movements, while Jiwoo threw herself into every routine with seemingly endless energy. The differences were obvious, but the four fit together naturally when they performed as a group.
The VCR offered a lighter break, with BM taking on the role of an English teacher for the other members. He introduced Somin, Jiwoo, and J.Seph to internet slang such as “yapping” and “unc,” turning what should have been a language lesson into a comedy segment. It was the kind of silly interlude that gave the audience a glimpse of the four outside the intensity of the performances.
“Dímelo,” “Hold On,” “Red Moon,” and “You In Me” then took the concert through a series of contrasting moods. “Dímelo” brought a playful edge, “Hold On” gave the vocals more space and the audience time to catch their breath, and “Red Moon” and “You In Me” leaned further into the group’s darker, more sensual side. Rather than relying on elaborate production changes, the songs themselves shifted the atmosphere, with the members changing their expressions, movements, and energy to match each one.
That history was visible not only in the music but also in the audience. KARD last visited the Batschkapp in 2023, and the three years since then became tangible when the members started asking how long people had been fans. First, they asked about one year, then two, with more and more people raising their hands. When they reached five years, hands remained raised throughout the venue. The members paused to take in the response, and the moment made it clear that many of the people in front of them had followed KARD through several eras, rather than discovering them only with the latest release.
The solo stages offered another change of pace. J.Seph took the stage for “Easy,” followed by Somin’s “Backseat,” Jiwoo’s “Mutual,” and BM’s “Body Moving.” With the four temporarily separated, each performance had room to highlight a different side of their personalities. “Easy” was relaxed and catchy, while “Backseat” gave Somin space to lean further into her confident stage presence. Jiwoo brought a more playful energy to “Mutual,” and BM’s “Body Moving” was one of the night’s most commanding solo moments.
When the group reunited for “Signal,” “Armor,” and “At Least,” the concert settled back into its group format before moving into “ICKY” and “CAKE.” These songs showed a more mature side of KARD than the music that opened the night, with a darker and more provocative edge. During “ICKY,” the screen turned an intense green, washing the venue in the same eerie hue as the song’s music video and pulling the audience into its dark, seductive aesthetic.
The playful side of KARD returned during their interactions with the audience. At one point, Somin joked that they did not want to make their fans cry during the final tour, only for BM to immediately turn the sentiment into classic KARD humour, replying that if they did not make fans cry from their eyes, they might make them cry “from between their legs.” The comment sent the members and audience into laughter, cutting through the more emotional context of the tour with the kind of cheeky exchange that felt very true to KARD.
The setlist then moved into “Back To Life,” the title track from NOWHERE. Placing the song near the end of the concert gave it added weight. Rather than presenting a completely new version of KARD, the track looked back towards the sound that defined their early years, with references to the tropical and dancehall influences that shaped songs such as “Oh NaNa” and “Hola Hola.” All four members participated in writing the lyrics, which centred on supporting one another and finding a way forward after difficult times. Within the context of the final album, the song became both a reflection on KARD’s journey and a “thank-you” to the fans who had accompanied them along the way.
The encore brought “Signal” and “Back To Life” back once more before “Dumb Litty” sent the concert out on a final burst of energy rather than a quiet farewell. By this point, the Batschkapp was completely on its feet, with everyone jumping along and rapping the chorus back at the members. The energy only escalated as the four started a spontaneous water fight, grabbing their bottles and emptying them over the audience. People in the front rows threw their hands up to catch the water while the members laughed and continued performing, turning the final song into something closer to a party than a traditional concert finale.
That was what made the ending in Frankfurt bittersweet without turning the entire concert into a goodbye. The circumstances surrounding the tour were impossible to ignore, but KARD did not spend the night dwelling on them. Instead, the setlist let their history speak for itself. “Oh NaNa,” “Don’t Recall,” “Rumor,” “Hola Hola,” “Red Moon,” “ICKY,” “CAKE,” and “Back To Life” placed almost a decade of music side by side, allowing the audience to hear how much had changed while also recognising the sounds that had remained unmistakably KARD.
After nine years, the group’s final tour felt less like an attempt to provide closure and more like an opportunity to look back at what they had created. There was nostalgia, especially in the early songs, but there was just as much laughter, energy, and sheer enjoyment throughout the night. In Frankfurt, KARD left their audience not with a solemn goodbye, but with one final reminder of what made the group so distinctive in the first place: four very different performers, a catalogue that never quite fit the usual K-Pop mould, and almost a decade of music that brought them back to the same stage together one more time.