Who Or What Is MIDNATT? Unmasking HYBE's Mysterious New Project

At HYBE, the agency behind BTS, many new projects are in the works, some more controversial than others.

BOYNEXTDOOR, an upcoming boy group presented by HYBE and KOZ Entertainment, recently generated buzz following the release of its first teasers.

BOYNEXTDOOR Official Logo Motion

See you in May!

🔗 https://t.co/dFqS3lwACE #BOYNEXTDOOR

— BOYNEXTDOOR (@BOYNEXTDOOR_KOZ) April 16, 2023

This has led some fans to wonder if HYBE is also planning to debut another idol group in the near future, MIDNATT.

boynextdoor and MIDNATT 2 groups in the same month???? https://t.co/FGHdIPJYrg

— 🤓 (@9ningning) May 1, 2023

hybe is really going into it… boynextdoor new bg & midnatt WHAT GOING ON?! pic.twitter.com/UQxdWflk51

— angi ❥ | zerose ! (@socyuz) May 1, 2023

On May 1, HYBE dropped a 20-second logo motion video for MIDNATT, captioned “Guess who?” on Twitter. “In addition to the dictionary meaning of ‘midnatt’ (Swedish),” HYBE stated. “[MIDNATT] contains the artists’ aspirations to awaken a new life at the moment of a new boundary.”

Now, HYBE has released a new teaser for MIDNATT ‘Masquerade’ Official Concept Film – Sensitive moments, which will be released on May 15. Is “Masquerade” a new song? Who or what is this mysterious MIDNATT?

MIDNATT 'Masquerade' Unveil
2023.05.15 0AM ET | 1PM KST#MIDNATT #미드낫 #Masquerade pic.twitter.com/Is6CsoBEkK

— BIGHIT MUSIC (@BIGHIT_MUSIC) May 3, 2023

MIDNATT is, in fact, HYBE’s previously announced AI project, code-named “Project L” at the time. It was created using HYBE’s recently acquired voice-cloning technology, Supertone.

Currently we’re running some small-scale projects with this company, and one of them is scheduled to be published and rolled out in May. Inside our company we call it Project L.

— Bang Si Hyuk

Though details about the project remain scarce, Bang Si Hyuk has said that MIDNATT will combine music and technology, bringing something new to fans.

The rise of AI in art spaces, including K-Pop, is a divisive issue. Given that many fans were hoping for a new non-AI group to stan, it is unclear how MIDNATT’s debut will be received when it hits speakers.