On September 4, 2026, MONSTA X chose the stage of Music Bank, the popular music program broadcast on KBS2, to give the first televised performance of “MAGIC”, the title track from their new mini album The Phase.
This was more than the promotion of a new song. The group returned with a more mature and self-aware artistic identity, combining the power that has always distinguished them with a more elegant and controlled image. It was a highly anticipated comeback that confirmed MONSTA X’s identity while also revealing their evolution.
MONSTA X Return with
The Phase
Released on September 4, The Phase contains six tracks:
- “MAGIC”
- “Type X”
- “SURVIVOR”
- “Electric Heart”
- “That’s My Girl”
- “Sweet Night, Sweet Morning”
The album’s title suggests the beginning of a new chapter in the group’s career. A “phase” does not necessarily represent a break with the past. It can also describe a transformation: the moment when everything built over the years begins to take on a different form.
MONSTA X have not abandoned their energy, powerful sound or strong performance identity. In The Phase, however, these elements are presented with greater balance. The group appears more confident, less interested in impressing through excess and more focused on the quality of the music, interpretation and stage presence.
The members’ participation in the creative process makes the project particularly personal. Joohoney contributed to the lyrics and composition of four tracks, including “MAGIC”, and also worked on the arrangements of “SURVIVOR” and “Electric Heart”. Hyungwon wrote “Sweet Night, Sweet Morning”, confirming the increasingly important role played by the members in shaping the group’s musical identity.
“MAGIC”: An Attraction That Cannot Be Explained
“MAGIC” is built around the idea of an irresistible attraction. The magic evoked by the title does not belong to a fantasy world. It is the invisible force that develops between two people and cannot be completely explained through logic.
The song combines rhythmic guitar with a powerful beat, creating a sense of tension that gradually increases. The verses highlight the members’ different vocal colors, while the chorus releases a broader and more immediate energy. Joohoney’s rap changes and revitalizes the rhythm, adding the rough and powerful edge that has always been one of the defining features of MONSTA X’s sound.
The structure of “MAGIC” continually plays with contrasts: control and explosion, elegance and strength, mystery and confidence. This alternation makes the song particularly suited to a televised performance, as every musical change finds a visual counterpart in the members’ movements and expressions.
The First Performance on Music Bank
On the afternoon of September 4, only a few hours after the official release of The Phase, MONSTA X took to the Music Bank stage to begin the album’s promotional activities.
From the opening moments, the performance revealed a clear artistic direction. Instead of relying exclusively on aggressive choreography, the group built the stage through controlled movements, changes in intensity and carefully designed formations that followed the development of the song.
One of the choreography’s most recognizable gestures recalls the swinging motion of a pendulum. The members’ bodies appear to follow an external force, as if they were being attracted and guided by something impossible to resist. The movement visually translates the meaning of “MAGIC” and becomes one of the performance’s central elements.
The choreography alternates between moments of precise synchronization and sections that allow each member to express his individual character. The transitions are fluid, the formations change rapidly and the audience’s attention is guided from one performer to another without interrupting the continuity of the stage.
A Different Kind of Strength
MONSTA X built much of their reputation on physically demanding performances, powerful choreography and an image capable of combining strength with sensuality. All these qualities remain present in the “MAGIC” comeback, but they are expressed with greater restraint.
On the Music Bank stage, their power does not come only from the energy of the movements. It also comes from the confidence with which the members control their bodies, the space around them and the television cameras. Their gazes, pauses and smallest gestures become just as important as the choreography’s most dynamic moments.
Their sensuality also appears more mature. It is not created through forced movements, but emerges naturally from their attitude, elegance and years of experience. The result is an intense performance that never feels excessive.
The styling reinforces this image. The outfits feature elegant lines that enhance the members’ stage presence, supporting the concept of “MAGIC” without distracting from the music. The entire performance communicates refinement, tension and control.
The Experience of a Group Born for the Stage
The September 4 performance reminded viewers why MONSTA X are considered one of the most reliable live-performance groups in K-pop. Since their debut in 2015, they have developed a recognizable stage language based on energy, precision and direct communication with the audience.
Their years of concerts, world tours, festivals and television appearances can be seen in the way they approach every passage of the song. They do not need to fill every second with complicated movements. The members know when to stop, when to give space to the vocals and when to focus all the attention on an expression or a glance toward the camera.
This awareness allows the group to transform “MAGIC” into something more than a simple choreographed performance. Every element is connected to the meaning of the song, from the gestures to the formations on stage.
A New Chapter After Their Individual Projects
Before reuniting for The Phase, the members had the opportunity to explore different identities through solo activities and unit projects. These experiences allowed them to reveal their individual musical colors and expand their abilities as performers, singers, rappers and songwriters.
Their group comeback does not erase those experiences. Instead, it brings them together and transforms them into a new collective energy. Each member returns to MONSTA X with a deeper understanding of his role and a more clearly defined individual identity.
This is one of the most interesting aspects of The Phase. The album does not present the members as indistinguishable parts of a single unit. It allows their individual qualities to coexist within a shared identity.
Why the Music Bank Stage Matters
Presenting “MAGIC” for the first time on Music Bank held particular significance. The KBS show is one of South Korea’s best-known music programs and has represented a key stage in K-pop promotional activities for many years.
A comeback stage is not simply another performance. It is the moment when a new era is revealed to the audience in its complete form. Music, choreography, costumes, stage design, lighting and television direction must work together to communicate the album’s concept.
For MONSTA X, the September 4 stage represented the first live expression of the world of The Phase. The refined atmosphere, the musical tension and the movements inspired by irresistible attraction gave a concrete form to the group’s new direction.
One week later, on September 11, “MAGIC” won first place on Music Bank. The victory symbolically completed the journey that had started on the same stage: from the song’s first televised presentation to a trophy achieved with the strong support of MONBEBE.
The Magic of Continuing to Evolve
After more than eleven years together, MONSTA X prove that they do not intend to rely only on the achievements of their past. With “MAGIC”, they preserve their identity while presenting it from a more mature perspective.
Their strength has not disappeared: it has become control. Their sensuality is not exaggerated: it has become presence. The choreography is not used only to demonstrate technical ability, but becomes a means of telling the story of the song.
The September 4 comeback on Music Bank therefore marks the beginning of a phase in which experience and the desire to experiment can coexist. MONSTA X are not trying to recreate who they were at the beginning of their career, nor are they trying to erase that history. They are taking it with them and moving it forward.
Perhaps this is the group’s true “MAGIC”: the ability to change, grow and move through new phases without losing what makes them immediately recognizable.
