War to become next K-pop queen to intensify with debut of HYBE's new girl group
HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, center, poses with Kim Chae-won, left, and Sakura, the members of soon-to-debut girl group Le Sserafim. Captured from Instagram
By Dong Sun-hwa
HYBE is mostly known as a record label behind some of the most celebrated K-pop boy groups like BTS, Tomorrow X Together (TXT) and Enhypen. But it now seeks to expand its footprint in the world of girl groups.
The company will debut its first-ever girl group, Le Sserafim, in May, which will include Sakura and Kim Chae-won of IZ*ONE, a now-defunct project group that was created through Mnet's popular audition program “Produce 48” in 2018. Le Sserafim is an anagram for the team's motto, “I'm fearless,” according to HYBE.
K-pop girl group aespa / Courtesy of SM Entertainment
“The name reveals the members' determination to proceed without being disturbed by the judgment of others,” the company explained. “HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk will serve as the executive producer of Le Sserafim's debut album, with creative director Kim Sung-hyun ― who has been working with BTS and TXT ― joining the production team.”
Although details about Le Sserafim have been kept under wraps, it is expected to be another game changer in the K-pop universe, not only because it is represented by HYBE but also because Sakura and Kim already have solid fan bases across the globe thanks to the remarkable success of IZ*ONE, which rolled out a string of chart-topping hits such as “Panorama” (2020).
In fact, the competition to become the next queen of K-pop already started with the emergence of acts like aespa, IVE, Kep1er and NMIXX. Achieving instant stardom was not a walk in the park in the past, but these days, a growing number of K-pop newcomers are basking in their early success and notching the top spots on music shows or on streaming charts only a few months ― or even days ― after their debut.
K-pop girl group IVE / Courtesy of Starship Entertainment
The singers' musical talent and personal magnetism did play a crucial role, but the fact that most of them had ardent supporters from the beginning is often picked as a big contributing factor.
Among them, aespa is a group launched by SM Entertainment ― one of the most influential entertainment companies in Korea along with YG and JYP Entertainment ― which gave birth to numerous superstars like TVXQ, Girls' Generation, EXO and Red Velvet. Being a new SM star, aespa has grabbed extensive attention since its debut in 2020 and rose to prominence with its unusual concept involving virtual avatars and metaverse. The quartet has swept several rookie-of-the-year awards with its releases of “Black Mamba” (2020), “Next Level” (2021) and “Savage” (2021). “Next Level,” in particular, reigned atop multiple music streaming charts including Melon and its music video surpassed 200 million views on YouTube as of Thursday.
K-pop girl group Kep1er / Courtesy of Wake One Entertainment, Swing Entertainment
IVE, which also includes former IZ*ONE members Ahn Yu-jin and Jang Won-young, is another hot item. After debuting under Starship Entertainment last December, the six-member group ranked first on MBC M's music show “Show Champion” with its track “Eleven,” only seven days after its debut.
K-pop girl group NMIXX / Courtesy of JYP Entertainment
Similarly, Kep1er, consisting of nine winners from Mnet's audition program “Girls Planet 999” (2021), also nabbed the No. 1 spot on a Korean music show with its song “Wa Da Da” just 11 days after debuting, and its debut album “First Impact” racked up 200,000 pre-orders ― a notable performance for any K-pop act.
JYP Entertainment, home to A-list girl groups like TWICE and ITZY, has also joined the competition, debuting NMIXX in February. The septet is currently gaining global traction at an unprecedented pace, as evidenced by its album sales. It sold more than 220,000 copies of its debut album “Ad Mare” and the music video of its debut track, “O.O,” has exceeded 55 million hits as of Thursday.
YG Entertainment, which houses big-name stars like BIGBANG and BLACKPINK, will throw its hat in the ring, too. The record label is planning to debut a new girl group later this year, although the details have not been disclosed.