The First Record Under a Label He Co-Founded

In three lines

• TEN's single 'OUTWEST' arrived at 1pm on September 4. Two tracks.
• It is the first record released under ILLIMNT, the label he co-founded in July.
• He oversaw the whole process from planning to production, and is credited as writer and composer on both songs.

What we confirmed

Item	Detail
Artist	TEN
Single	'OUTWEST' (2 tracks)
Title track	'OUTWEST'
B-side	'IRL'
Release	September 4, 1pm
Running times	'OUTWEST' 3:18 · 'IRL' 2:42
Label	ILLIMNT — launched July 6, 2026, co-founded by TEN

The first record after founding a label

ILLIMNT launched on July 6 this year. It is a creative company spanning music, culture, visual art, fashion, original content and brand partnerships, and TEN took part as a co-founder.

The rights line on this single reads '℗ 2026 ILLIMNT'. That means it is the first record to come out under the label's name. TEN ended his exclusive contract with SM Entertainment this April, ten years after his debut, and in July he first released a Thai-language special single, 'If You Don't Mean It', marking his tenth anniversary.

Overseeing the entire process from planning to production is a first for him as a solo artist. It means the name of the person making it goes inside the song. He is credited as writer and composer on both tracks, so this time that name is TEN.

A title that heads out west

The title track 'OUTWEST' is a performance track moving between hip-hop, tech house and R&B. The B-side 'IRL' goes the other way, bright and warm.

The title track holds a desire to keep moving toward unfamiliar places and new experiences; 'IRL' holds thanks to the people who stayed beside him for the past ten years.

'Out west' means beyond the west, and 'IRL' means in real life. One song goes outward, and one comes back to the people who were already there.

The two titles on the first record under his label's name are leaving and returning. That fits too well to be coincidence.

Stages and a tour

He performed on MBC's 'Show! Music Core' on September 5 and SBS's 'Inkigayo' on the 6th. From October 17 in Seattle he tours 14 US cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston and New York on a solo showcase tour — his first solo US tour since debut.

Discovery notes

Listen to 'OUTWEST' first, then 'IRL' straight after. How the outward song and the returning song differ is the first thing to check.

Then watch the music video. It is a 3:32 film posted on his own channel rather than SMTOWN's.

Last, read the credits. The name in the writing and composing line is the heart of this single.

Just give it a listen, trust me.