No more (G): i-dle rebrands, roars back with 'We are'

The members of K-pop girl group i-dle pose during a press event for the group's new album release at a hotel in Gangnam District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

By Pyo Kyung-min

• Published May 19, 2025 7:14 PM KST

K-pop girl group i-dle, formerly known as (G)I-DLE, is starting a new chapter with its latest album "We are," out Monday, marking its first release since the group renewed contracts with its agency and officially changed its name.

The five-member act — Soyeon, Minnie, Yuqi, Miyeon and Shuhua — debuted in 2018 with the breakout hit "LATATA." Now in its eighth year, the group reaffirmed its future with all members renewing their contracts with Cube Entertainment last year.

Then, on May 2, the band sent another wave through the K-pop landscape by announcing it would drop the "(G)" from its name in time for its seventh anniversary.

"The group will no longer be defined by 'girl,' 'gender' or any other label," Cube had said in a statement, promising "limitless" music and concepts moving forward.

The members say the change was long overdue. Miyeon recalled during a press conference at a hotel in Seoul's Gangnam District, just hours before the album's release on Monday, that the members had long discussed the name change.

"From the start, we were all a bit confused about why the '(G)' was there. We used to say that once our name became more widely known, we'd ultimately remove it," she said.

"It really feels like we've finally found our true name. I'm so happy we get to start fresh as i-dle. A lot of people were unsure whether to pronounce the 'G' or not, so I hope they'll just call us i-dle from now on. It feels like a weight off our shoulders."

Yuqi added, "We used the old name for seven years, so when I speak in English or other languages, I still sometimes slip and include the 'G.' We're getting used to it, too. We'd appreciate it if fans could just comfortably call us i-dle," her honesty inducing a light chuckle from the crowd.

The new album "We are" marks what the members describe as "another leap forward." It features a total of six tracks, including the title song "Good Thing" and the prereleased single "Girlfriend."

Each member also contributed creatively: Yuqi produced "Love Tease," Minnie worked on "Chain," Miyeon composed "Unstoppable" and Shuhua participated in "If You Want."

The lead single "Good Thing" is built around confident, cool-headed lyrics — a signature of the group, but what stands out most is its heavy use of autotune inspired by K-pop of the early 2010s.

Soyeon, who once again took the lead in producing the title track, said the sound was a deliberate callback.

"Autotune brings back memories for people who are used to old K-pop and for younger listeners, it sounds fresh," she said. "That's why I decided to use it."

The song also takes the group into new lyrical territory.

"I wanted to try something we hadn't done before," Soyeon said. "It's about going to confront a cheating lover in person. I experimented with a lot of new ways of expressing things. It's meant to be fun, and I hope people enjoy it."

I-dle has long built its brand on confident, assertive messaging, evident in hits like "Tomboy," "NXDE," "Queencard" and "Super Lady." But in Korea's image-conscious entertainment industry, that edge has occasionally sparked backlash or misunderstandings.

Soyeon, the member behind much of i-dle's songwriting and production, however, says the intention behind their music is often simpler and less serious than many listeners might assume.

"I never go into making music with the goal of teaching anyone anything. I just work on what I think will be fun at the time," she said.

"When I write songs that fit our members best, they naturally come out confident and bold — that's just who we are. But I don't feel pressured to create strong messages. I focus more on what I'm personally interested in at the moment."