Who Is the Main Vocalist of Each K-Pop Group?

Who is the main vocalist of aespa? What about IVE, BABYMONSTER or Stray Kids?

It sounds like a simple question. In K-pop, the answer depends on whether you mean an official title or a musical role.

K-pop fans often describe members through positions such as main vocalist, lead vocalist, sub-vocalist, main dancer and rapper. Some current official profiles do not list these titles; that omission alone does not establish that a group has no official positions.

That means there are really two questions:

Who is officially designated the main vocalist?

and

Who performs the musical role traditionally associated with a main vocalist?

Here is KPOP MAGAZINE's guide. The tables combine familiar main-vocal descriptions with editorial selections of prominent singers, not a verified list of official titles. Unconfirmed entries are marked, and lineup information is current as of October 4, 2026 (KST).

Girl Groups

aespa — Ningning and Winter

aespa is a good example of why the old position system can be misleading.

Ningning is most commonly identified with the traditional main-vocal role, particularly through her range, sustained notes and climactic vocal passages. Winter, however, carries a substantial amount of aespa's demanding vocal material as well.

In practical musical terms, aespa operates with a Ningning–Winter vocal axis rather than depending on a single singer.

IVE — Liz and Yujin

IVE's official Japanese profile lists Yujin, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz and Leeseo with vocal roles, without assigning a "main vocalist" title. Rei is listed as both a rapper and a vocalist. Sony Music Japan

Musically, however, Liz frequently occupies the role listeners traditionally associate with a main vocalist, while Yujin is another major component of IVE's vocal core.

This distinction — official title versus musical function — is important when reading group profiles.

NMIXX — Lily and Haewon

Few current groups make the idea of a single main vocalist harder to apply than NMIXX.

Lily and Haewon form one of the group's central vocal pairings, although JYP's current official NMIXX profile lists the members without individual vocal positions. Nmixx

NMIXX's arrangements also distribute technically demanding vocal passages across several members, making vocal line a more useful description than simply naming one main vocalist.

BABYMONSTER — Rami, Ahyeon and Rora

BABYMONSTER provides another example of the distinction.

YG's official profile lists all seven members but does not assign traditional positions. YG 엔터테인먼트

Rami has repeatedly been highlighted by YG for her vocal ability, while Ahyeon's high-register singing has become an important part of the group's recordings. YG's recording notes for "DRIP," for example, specifically discussed Rami's studio performance and Ahyeon's three-stage high note. YG 엔터테인먼트

Rora is also a substantial part of BABYMONSTER's vocal line.

These examples describe musical contributions. Neither the profile's omission of positions nor the recording report establishes which members hold an official main-vocalist title.

Boy Groups

Stray Kids — Seungmin

Seungmin has become the clearest center of Stray Kids' vocal line.

But again, JYP's current official profile simply lists Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N without publishing conventional member positions. Stray Kids

That matters because Stray Kids' music frequently blurs the distinction between rapper, vocalist and producer more than the traditional K-pop position system suggests.

ATEEZ — Jongho

ATEEZ provides one of the clearest examples of the traditional main-vocal role.

Jongho regularly handles the group's most demanding high-register passages and vocal climaxes.

The current official Japanese profile confirms Jongho as one of ATEEZ's eight members, although it similarly does not display a formal position beside each member's name. ATEEZ JAPAN OFFICIAL SITE

SEVENTEEN — DK and Seungkwan

SEVENTEEN is better understood through its established Vocal Team structure.

SEVENTEEN’s official profile describes its three-unit structure; the individual profiles place DK and Seungkwan in the Vocal Team.

Within it, DK and Seungkwan are the two singers most strongly associated with the group's main-vocal function, while Woozi, Joshua and Jeonghan contribute different colors to SEVENTEEN's vocal arrangements.

This is another case where asking for a single name misses how the group's music is actually constructed.

Why Do Official Profiles Not Always List Vocal Positions?

A profile and a performance answer different questions.

Traditional position labels offer a shorthand for describing a group:

Some official profiles omit these labels.

Musical roles can also vary from song to song.

A member may sing the chorus on one track, rap on another and deliver the climactic high note on the next. Producers can distribute parts according to tone, concept and song structure rather than a permanent hierarchy.

BABYMONSTER's official profile, for example, doesn't tell visitors who the vocalist, rapper or dancer is. Neither does NMIXX's current profile. YG 엔터테인먼트

Even ENHYPEN's current official profile introduces its members without traditional performance positions. ENHYPEN OFFICIAL SITE

When discussing musical function rather than an established title, it can be useful to move from:

Main Vocalist

to:

Primary Vocalist / Vocal Line / Vocal Core

So Who Is the "Best Singer"?

That's a different question entirely.

Being a group's main vocalist does not automatically mean being the objectively "best" singer.

K-pop vocals involve several different qualities:

range, pitch stability, breath control, registration, tone, agility, projection, live consistency and emotional delivery.

A producer may choose one singer for a high note and another for the chorus simply because the second voice fits the record better.

The more useful question isn't always:

Who is the main vocalist?

It may be:

How does this group use its different voices?

Listening to those differences can reveal more than a position label alone.

Sources & credits

Adapted from S.I.Q.’s corrected main-vocalist manuscript, retaining its group tables and explanatory structure. Source and image-license review: October 4, 2026. Musical-role descriptions and listening prompts are editorial analysis, not an official ranking or an exhaustive technical assessment. Historical lineups are identified where relevant.

• F&F Entertainment statement via Newsen: UNIS activities
• MODHAUS / KOCCA: tripleS Aria introduction
• Sony Music Japan: IVE profile
• JYP: NMIXX profile
• YG: BABYMONSTER profile
• YG: DRIP recording report, January 10, 2025
• BELIFT LAB: ENHYPEN lineup notice
• WAKEONE: ZEROBASEONE profile
• Weverse Magazine: Sungho debut interview
• JYP: Stray Kids profile
• ATEEZ Japan: official profiles
• ENHYPEN Japan: official profile

Videos: NMIXX / JYP Entertainment and BABYMONSTER / YG Entertainment via official YouTube players; video rights remain with their owners. No video frames were copied. Photograph credits and licenses appear beside each image. Original explanatory layouts and listening prompts: KPOP MAGAZINE. Read more explainers →