RIIZE returns at midnight KST on October 26 with “Insomnia,” a digital single that trades the group’s usual high-energy choreography for acoustic pop, according to Soompi and Korea Daily. For fans outside Korea, that moment lands at 15:00 UTC on Sunday, October 25, with a drama-style music video set to premiere on SM Entertainment’s SMTOWN YouTube channel.

Key facts

• Release: “Insomnia,” RIIZE’s digital single, arrives at 12:00 AM KST on October 26, 2026, per KPOP OFFICIAL and RIIZE’s schedule post on X.
• Video: a drama-style MV is planned for the same moment on SMTOWN, per Korea Daily. A teaser went up on the channel on October 25 KST.
• Sound: the group’s first attempt at acoustic pop, built around the six members’ vocals (Korea Daily).
• Lyrics: veteran lyricist Kim Eana wrote them, per Hype Malaysia, which sourced its report from The Korea Herald.
• Next: RIIZE’s second full-length album, “EMOTIION,” is set for spring 2027, as Soompi reports.

What RIIZE Is Releasing With “Insomnia”

“Insomnia” is a digital single with one listed track, per KPOP OFFICIAL, and it follows the group’s second mini album, led by “Do Your Dance” in June. That release gave RIIZE its fourth million-selling record, as covered in our report on RIIZE’s mini-album “II” milestone.

The comeback announcement began with a teaser video and image posted on RIIZE’s official X account on October 18, and the full schedule followed a day later. Since then, SM Entertainment has rolled out its promotion in stages: character side stories, member images and a video teaser.

Soompi’s coverage lists a full set of member images for Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Sohee and Anton, added on October 25 KST. The same article mentions the group’s second full-length album, “EMOTIION,” due in spring 2027.

Insomnia Release Time and Where to Watch

The single drops on major domestic and international music platforms at midnight KST, and the video goes live on SMTOWN at the same time, Korea Daily reports. Here is what that means in common time zones:

• Seoul (KST): 12:00 AM, Monday, October 26
• UTC: 3:00 PM, Sunday, October 25
• US Eastern (EDT): 11:00 AM, Sunday, October 25
• US Pacific (PDT): 8:00 AM, Sunday, October 25

Streaming links for Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube Music are gathered on KPOP OFFICIAL’s release page. The video will be on SM Entertainment’s official channel, as Hype Malaysia notes.

The Teaser and the Drama-Style MV, Explained

SM Entertainment’s teaser, uploaded to SMTOWN at 15:00 UTC on October 24, is fronted by a thumbnail of a member lying on a bed in violet light. At about 11:50 UTC on October 25, YouTube’s channel feed showed the clip with 193,949 views.

The full video will follow a dramatized format that portrays people who cannot sleep, per Sports Kyunghyang. Korea Daily adds that all six members play characters with visual transformations suited to their roles, and that SM Entertainment announced the format on October 22.

Before the premiere, the group released short character stories on October 23 and 24, according to Korea Daily. The story was written by Chun Seon-ran, a prominent Korean science-fiction author, with illustrations by an artist known as Nomi.

Sports Kyunghyang adds that Shotaro cut his hair short and tried special effects makeup for the first time. An acting coach also helped the members find the emotional anchor for their scenes.

Credits, Sound and What the Members Say

Hype Malaysia reports that Kim Eana wrote the lyrics. The same article lists her past credits as IU’s “Good Day” and “You & I,” IVE’s “I Am,” NCT Doyoung’s “Memory” and BOYNEXTDOOR’s “Ruin My Life.” No composer or arranger has been named in the sources we reviewed.

The lyrics describe thoughts of another person that grow clearer as the night deepens, per Sports Kyunghyang. Korea Daily describes a quiet, lonely melody with understated vocals, and notes that the group is skipping its signature performance so listeners can focus on the six voices.

In Sports Kyunghyang’s English-language interview roundup, translated from Korean, Shotaro said: “I hope you can feel another side of our charm!” Sungchan said the group wanted to finish the song carefully, with the line “I really want to complete this properly with the members.”

Sohee singled out the guitar sound. Eunseok called the members’ harmonies the standout, and Anton picked Wonbin’s first verse as a highlight because of the shift when the beat enters. The members also took vocal lessons to practice blending their voices, the same report says.

Chart and Record Context

“Insomnia” has not been released at the time of writing, so there are no streaming or chart figures yet. The context it enters is strong. RIIZE’s first full-length album, “Odyssey,” sold more than 1.79 million copies in its first week in May 2025, per Hype Malaysia.

The same article says Billboard included “Odyssey” in its list of the 25 best K-pop albums of 2025. For more of the group’s work outside its own releases, see our earlier story on RIIZE and aespa’s anime soundtrack feature.

We will look at first-day and first-week numbers once platforms and charts report them. A sales-driven record such as the “Do Your Dance” mini album is not directly comparable to a digital single, which is measured by streams and downloads.

How Fans Are Reacting

Reaction so far centers on the format change. A fan account, @riizefolder, responded to the announcement of the title and the midnight KST release with a single word of excitement: “woooow.” We did not review comment sections beyond that, so treat this as a snapshot rather than a survey.

The video numbers give a firmer signal. The teaser sat at 193,949 views roughly 21 hours after upload when we checked, while the October 23 and 24 short clips on RIIZE’s own channel had between about 32,000 and 42,000 views each, per the channel feed.

The fan club is called BRIIZE, according to Sports Kyunghyang. A quiet acoustic concept gives them something different to discuss compared with the group’s dance-driven releases, and the drama format invites theories about each member’s character.

The side stories were built for that kind of speculation. Each of the six members received a character, and the full video is expected to connect them. Whether that happens depends on the premiere, so we are holding off on any reading of the story until the video is out.

Because the teaser and character clips are short, the premiere is the first chance to hear the full vocal arrangement. Listeners can then compare how the harmonies Eunseok described come across against the dance-heavy tracks the group is best known for.

What’s Next for RIIZE

Two dates are confirmed. RIIZE performs at the Melon Music Awards on November 14 and is nominated in three Mnet Asian Music Awards categories: Album of the Year, Best Dance Performance – Male Group and Fans’ Choice, as Hype Malaysia reports.

After that, “EMOTIION,” the second full-length album, is scheduled for spring 2027, per Soompi. No specific date has been announced.

FAQ

What time does RIIZE’s “Insomnia” come out?

It comes out at 12:00 AM KST on October 26, 2026, which is 3:00 PM UTC on October 25, per KPOP OFFICIAL.

Where can I watch the “Insomnia” music video?

The video is planned for SM Entertainment’s official SMTOWN channel on YouTube, according to Korea Daily. The teaser is already available there.

Who wrote “Insomnia”?

Kim Eana wrote the lyrics, per Hype Malaysia. We have not found an official composer credit.

Is “Insomnia” part of a new RIIZE album?

Hype Malaysia describes it as a pre-release single, and Soompi reports the group’s second full-length album, “EMOTIION,” is set for spring 2027.