'Bad girl' group Sonamoo raises the ante

"Sonamoo" in their first album "Deja Vu" / Yonhap

New hip-hop girl group Sonamoo made its debut on Monday with its single “Deja Vu.” With the video released online, netizens and media outlets have expressed growing interest in the seven-member group led by Soomin, 21.

Some online newspapers noted on Tuesday the band’s “bad girl” image could set them apart from other K-pop girl groups.

TS Entertainment named the band Sonamoo ― “pine tree” in Korean ― hoping the girls would be lasting and unchanging, Soomin was quoted as saying.

After performing Déjà Vu at Ilchi Art Hall in Gangnam, southern Seoul, the group topped online search rankings.