SMTOWN Live 2025, SM Entertainment’s 30th anniversary global tour, officially kicked off with a series of concerts in Seoul on January 11th and 12th.
During the two-day event, an impressive lineup of idols took the stage, from first-generation legends to current K-pop sensations. The highlight came when SM finally introduced the highly anticipated new male trainees of the pre-debut team, SMTR25, sparking a wave of excitement from fans.
Currently, there are 25 trainees, who graced the stage to show off their moves while covering hits like SHINee’s “Lucifer,” EXO’s “Growl,” among others.
While member profiles have yet to be officially revealed, eagle-eyed fans have recognized some of the familiar faces on the roster, like JJ, who is best known for almost making his debut with Big Hit Music’s Trainee A.
READ ALSO: Here are the 7 current members of Trainee A, a pre-debut group ready to launch under Big Hit Music
Justin Jay Takagi/JJ
– January 27, 2006
– Japanese/American
– 4 time Dance Alive Hero winner and crowned champion in 2021
– former hybe intern / part of the intern in a project
– former member of the Amezari Red Star Dance crew pic.twitter.com/gUpD3MuRGx— H2H DEBUT FEBRUARY (@2heartsoffcl) January 11, 2025
JJ, a Japanese-American, formally formed HYBE in March 2021. They were supposed to become BTS’s younger brother, but split in 2023
Since then, little information was known about what happened to JJ, until speculation sparked in February last year when he was spotted with other SM trainees.
Despite the rumors, this is the first time he has been seen on stage since Trainee A’s first street concerts in Los Angeles, confirming that he is now under SM Entertainment.
Aside from JJ, more familiar faces were seen, including Japanese trainees Kassho and Haruta, who were initially known to have joined the group. NCT Universe: LastartSM’s audition program, which created NCT Wish.
Charlie, Fifa and Pipo were also spotted as part of the pre-debut group. They are former Thai trainees of YGMM, a collaborative label formed under the partnership of YG Entertainment and GMM Grammy.
RELATED ARTICLE: SM Entertainment’s 30th Anniversary Video Hint at New Trainee: ‘She Reminds Me of Karina’
