The UK boy band dearALICE launched in 2024 with a documentary series aired on BBC - “Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience”. (A collaboration between Moon&Back Media, SM Entertainment, and SM & Kakao Entertainment America. The six-part series follows Blaise, Dexter, James, Oliver and Reese as they are put through the K-pop training process with the goal of launching a new boy band on the global stage.)
Their 2025 EP ‘bitterSWEETsummer’ includes the singles ‘Ariana’, ‘Sweet’ and ‘Drums’.
Things have been pretty quiet since their October 2025 UK tour, but they’re currently teasing that their comeback is imminent.
I’ve loved everything they’ve done so far and I’m really ready for something new, I hope they finally get a breakthrough moment of some kind as for me, they’re the best new boyband of the last couple of years.
I suspect this is normal for K Pop adjacent acts but the lack of action feels like they’ve just been in limbo since the last release. I’m sort of rooting for them but also.. they could have had about two EPs out by now so it’s a real missed opportunity not to be nurturing a fanbase.
It certainly seems like changes have been going on behind the scenes. Reese went on Twitch recently and mentioned some things that, reading between the lines, makes it seem like they could be fully independent now… such as someone “running off with our YouTube password, but we’ve got it back now” and how they’re really going to need the fans to get behind the next EP and push it hard for them.
James’ absence in most of their posts from this year was like an elephant in the room, but he has appeared in some more recent posts! I’m wondering if it’s a case of four of them living in London and maybe during this downtime James hasn’t been?
James didn’t feature in any TikToks for a while but then reappeared in some earlier this year (which couldn’t have been filmed previously, given one was a lipsync to I Just Might by Bruno Mars), so fairly sure he’s still in the band. Jay’s theory is a good one, could also be some kind of reasonable adjustment for him given his neurodiversity too (for those who didn’t watch Made in Korea, his autism diagnosis was a significant part of one of the episodes).
Yeah the limbo has been concerning. I think elsewhere it was mentioned that their management company has dissolved or something? Not sure where that leaves them with their label Gamma. It would be good if they could make it work independently but the odds are stacked against them without being bankrolled.
In both of those new dance clips on IG James is in the back of the formation, really looking like he doesn’t want to be there. And at a performance in Vietnam (being posted currently) James is not present. Firmly in their mess/flop era. Hoping for the best for them but I think the ship has sailed.
