XngHan's First Mini Album 'Glow' Drops April 27 With Fanmeeting, Full Xoul Crew

RIIZE's former member XngHan (승한) releases his first mini album "Glow" on April 27, 2026 at 6:00 PM KST through SM Entertainment, turning a long, messy post-departure reset into the clearest solo test of his career so far. The five-track EP arrives under the XngHan&Xoul artist-crew brand he launched with dancers Kyohong and Yul, and it follows the July 2025 single "Waste No Time," which moved past 50,000 copies according to Hanteo data cited in fan chart tracking. SM Entertainment's April 3 release details, cited by ChosunBiz, say the title track "Glow" leans into pop house and rhythmic R&B while framing the project around the light and lift of a new beginning. Pre-orders opened the same day in multiple physical versions, including Glow Ver and XngHan Ver editions, and the rollout now leads straight into a Seoul fanmeeting on April 26.

From RIIZE to XngHan&Xoul: The Rebrand That Rewrote the Narrative

XngHan's path to this mini album is one of K-pop's most closely watched reinventions. He debuted as a member of RIIZE in September 2023 with "Get a Guitar," only to be placed on indefinite hiatus two months later after private photos circulated online. For nearly a year, his career existed in limbo. Then in November 2024, SM Entertainment confirmed he would pursue a solo path, and by June 2025 he had rebranded entirely. The name "XngHan" incorporates an "X" to symbolize limitless potential and creative crossover, according to SM's announcement. Rather than positioning him as a conventional soloist, SM built XngHan&Xoul as a collaborative performance brand with professional dancers Kyohong and Yul forming the core crew. It was a deliberate move to give him an identity completely separate from RIIZE.

"Glow" Tracklist and Sound Direction

The mini album contains five tracks with the title song "Glow" leading the set. The Chosun Ilbo reported on April 23 that the title track is a pop house genre song built around hopeful, youthful energy. XngHan himself described "Glow" as a track that "conveys the meaning of shared moments and sparks an inner dance appeal," per the outlet's interview. The sonic palette expands from the synth-pop and rhythmic R&B foundation established by "Waste No Time" into something more dance-driven and communal. SM has positioned the album's overarching theme around self-discovery and the internal light that emerges after a period of reflection, a narrative thread that resonates with XngHan's own public journey. The full tracklist has not yet been publicly revealed beyond the title track, but the album's five songs reportedly explore different facets of the "glow" concept across tempo and mood.

The "Let's Glow" Fanmeeting at XSCALA Seoul

One day before the album drops, XngHan&Xoul will host "2026 XngHan&Xoul Fanmeeting [Let's Glow]" on April 26 at XSCALA in Jung-gu, Seoul, confirmed by SM Entertainment through the project's official channels. The venue will host two sessions at 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM KST, and the March 26 event notice said tickets would go through Melon Ticket. That matters because the fanmeeting is not a side event. It is the emotional front porch for the whole comeback. Fans get the first live encounter with the new era before the album officially lands, which is a smart way to turn curiosity into commitment when an artist is still building a post-group identity from scratch.

What "Waste No Time" Proved

His July 2025 debut single "Waste No Time" quietly validated the entire experiment. The single album surpassed 50,000 sales, an impressive number for what was essentially a test run for a rebranded artist with no group safety net. The MV, directed by hanbago (whose credits include Jennie's solo work), demonstrated that SM was investing real production resources. On Reddit's r/kpop, fans noted the debut "looks like it has more budget than some groups' debuts." The critical reception was warm. XngHan told The Hollywood Reporter in his debut interview: "I'm going to try my hardest to burn the soloist XngHan into your brain." Nine months later, "Glow" is the album that tests whether that promise can scale.

Fan Community Split and the Road Ahead

We've been tracking this comeback since the concept photos dropped on April 15, and the fan response has been genuinely split in ways that make this release interesting beyond the music itself. On one side, XngHan&Mate are fiercely loyal, having supported him through the hiatus and the rebrand. On the other, sections of the RIIZE fandom (particularly the vocal OT6 segment on X) remain conflicted about his departure. A thread on r/kpoprants captured the tension: "Seunghan has a cult following and a brand new concept that hasn't been done in a long time. I'm sure he's gonna do great." That assessment might be accurate. The XngHan&Xoul model of an artist crew is genuinely novel in a K-pop landscape dominated by either full groups or traditional solo acts. If "Glow" hits, it could prove out a template other artists and labels take seriously.

The album arrives at a productive moment for SM Entertainment's roster. With RIIZE confirmed for their 2nd mini album in June and XngHan establishing his own lane, both the group and the former member are building momentum simultaneously. "Glow" drops April 27 at 6:00 PM KST on all major streaming and retail platforms.