First Impact is the debut extended play (EP) by South Korean girl groupKep1er, a project group formed through the 2021 Mnet reality competition show Girls Planet 999. The album was released on January 3, 2022, by WakeOne.[1] It is available in three versions: "Connect 0", "Connect -" and "Connect 1", and contains six tracks with "Wa Da Da" as its lead single.
Kep1er was formed through the Mnet reality survival show Girls Planet 999, which aired from August 6 to October 22, 2021. The show brought 99 contestants from China, Japan and South Korea to compete to debut in a multinational girl group.[2] Out of initially 99 contestants, only the top nine would be in the final debut lineup.[3]
Kep1er was originally scheduled to debut on December 14, 2021, with their first EP First Impact, with pre-orders beginning on November 29.[4] However, it was announced that the group's scheduled debut had been delayed to January 3, 2022, due to one of their staff members having tested positive for COVID-19.[5][6] On December 14, it was revealed that group members Mashiro and Xiaoting tested positive for COVID-19.[7] On December 26, Kep1er's agency announced that Xiaoting and Mashiro have fully recovered from COVID-19.[8]
On January 3, 2022, Kep1er released their debut EP First Impact with "Wa Da Da" serving as the lead single.[9][10]
Gladys Yeo from NME gave the extended play three out of five stars, calling the EP an energetic six-track project record that makes for an enjoyable listen but falls short in fleshing out Kep1er's identity as an act. She commented how individually, the songs on the EP can be enjoyable and how this allows the group members to show off their vocal abilities, but falters when it comes to cohesion and establishing the group's identity.
^Kim, Hyo-jin (June 8, 2021). "'걸스플래닛999', 8월 첫 방송 확정→여진구 MC 발탁" ['Girls Planet 999' first broadcast confirmed in August → Yeo Jin-goo selected as MC]. Top Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^Park, Se-yeon (July 6, 2021). "Mnet '걸스플래닛999' 8월 6일 첫방 확정" ['Girls Planet 999' first aired on August 6th confirmed]. Star Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^Choi Ji-yoon (December 5, 2021). "케플러, 데뷔 연기…스태프 코로나 확진 여파". Newsis via Naver (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
^Lee Jae-hoon (December 8, 2021). "케플러, 내년 1월3일 데뷔…'2021 MAMA' 출연 취소" [Kep1er to debut on January 3 next year... Cancellation of '2021 MAMA' appearance]. Newsis via Naver (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
^"Kep1er 코로나19 확진 관련 안내" [Kep1er information on COVID-19 confirmation]. Daum (in Korean). December 14, 2021. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
^Kim, Won-kyum (November 26, 2021). "케플러, 샤오팅‧마시로 코로나19 완치→1월 3일 데뷔 프로모션 재개[공식]" [Kep1er, Xiaoting and Mashiro recover from Corona 19 → Debut promotion resumes on January 3 [Official]]. Spotv News (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
^Im, Seong-gyun (January 3, 2022). "케플러 '2022년 최대 기대주'[★포토]" [Kepler 'the most anticipated stock in 2022' [Photo]]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
^"2022년 02주차 Album Chart" [Week 2 of 2022 Album Chart] (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. January 2–8, 2022. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Gaon Chart.