From RESCENE to HyoRiSoo, self-produced content emerges as K-pop's newest strategy

A video featuring RESCENE leader Woni’s “Geoje Yaho” moment has gone viral. YouTube capture

It was supposed to be a clash of titans, a dazzling contest of comeback shows among Aespa, NMIXX and Le Sserafim, reflecting a big-budget battle among SM, JYP and HYBE.

But that battle cry largely remained muted and unheard. Instead, at the center of the Korean social media spotlight stood a girl, calling out an odd-sounding phrase with disarming innocence.

“Geoje, yaho!”

Having debuted under a small entertainment agency in 2024 and now entering its third year, RESCENE is seeing its star-making moment.

The meme started in late March, when RESCENE leader Woni uploaded an episode of her self-produced YouTube content titled “Learning About the Gyaru Attitude.” In the video, Woni and Japanese member Minami appear dressed in a “gyaru” concept, a Japanese fashion and youth subculture known for bold styling and playful confidence.

When, Woni, a native of Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, joked, “If you go to Geoje looking like that, you’re going to get in trouble with the people there,” Minami then replied with a cheerful, oddly memorable shout: “Geoje, yaho!” In Japan, “yaho” is used not only as a call while hiking, but also as a light greeting among young women.

The seemingly innocent moment did not stay hidden. After the clip went viral, it sent the channel soaring.

Woni’s three “gyaru” series videos alone have drawn a combined 10.7 million views. Another video, which features Woni speaking in a thick Gyeongsang dialect with fellow member Zena, who is from Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, reached 4.2 million views. A second dialect video, uploaded on May 29, surpassed 3.3 million views in just five days.

Even the rest of the channel has been traveling at unusual speed. Videos on Woni’s four-month-old channel have drawn an average of 2 million views each, an impressive feat compared with self-produced content from many other girl groups, which often tops out in the six digits, unless they are top-tier acts.

Her subscriber count surged as well. The channel had about 300,000 subscribers on May 24, but more than doubled in 10 days to 650,000 as of Wednesday.

RESCENE / Courtesy of The Muze Entertainment

K-pop has seen its share of sudden miracles, moments when a ray of light breaks through the clouds and lands on a small, relatively unknown idol group. But many of those miracles fade quickly, leaving groups at risk of being remembered for one song and one song only. RESCENE, however, appears to be doing things differently, in ways that could lead to a different result.

Instead of relying on carefully packaged content designed by an agency to project a certain image or satisfy fans, the RESCENE members are uploading videos that show their everyday lives, unfiltered charm and unscripted reactions. In the process, they naturally reveal the kind of wit, personality and chemistry that can turn casual viewers into fans. The machinery is smaller, but the spark is harder to fake.

The content is unusual in another way. It is made, managed and uploaded on members’ personal channels, not the group or agency’s official channel. RESCENE’s agency, The Muze Entertainment, said it wanted to “let the charms of Woni and the other members be introduced naturally through a different approach to content from that of the official channel.”

Thanks to the popularity of the group’s YouTube content, attention is now spilling over into its music. “Love Attack,” a track from RESCENE’s first EP released in 2024, climbed to No. 25 on Melon’s daily chart on Tuesday, its highest position ever. The song had already seen a brief chart resurgence last year.

The song was also named by Grammy.com as one of the “10 K-pop songs that electrified 2024.” “Scenedrome,” the EP that includes “Love Attack,” was also named by Billboard as one of the year’s best K-pop albums, earning critical praise. The group’s offstage charm, in a sense, has helped listeners rediscover its music.

HyoRiSoo, a self-proclaimed “emerging comedy group,” appears on Hyoyeon’s YouTube channel. The unofficial unit was created by Girls’ Generation members Hyoyeon, Yuri and Sooyoung through self-produced content. Captured from Hyoyeon's YouTube channel

Meanwhile, another girl group is drawing attention outside the usual comeback battles through self-produced content. This time, however, the group is not an official idol act — or even a real one.

HyoRiSoo is an unofficial girl group jokingly created by Girls’ Generation members Hyoyeon, Yuri and Sooyoung as a playful rival to TTS, the group’s official subunit composed of members Taeyeon, Tiffany and Seohyun.

The joke began last year on Hyoyeon’s YouTube channel, “Hyo’s Level Up,” during the mockumentary series “Fake Kim Hyoyeon,” when Hyoyeon boldly told Tiffany she would form a new unit.

What pushed HyoRiSoo further into the spotlight was a video uploaded in February titled “The birth of HyoRiSoo’s main vocalist, who may or may not be approved by Taeyeon.”

In the video, which has surpassed 4 million views, the three members deadpan their way through exaggerated belting, cracked notes and self-deprecating jokes, including one about how “my mom didn’t even know I was on stage” because they had so few parts during Girls’ Generation performances.

With perfectly straight faces, they call themselves an “emerging comedy group.” Fans have cheered the trio for stepping out of the mystique and flawless image of their Girls’ Generation years and showing something looser, funnier and more natural.

From left, Hyoyeon, Yuri and Sooyoung of Girls’ Generation appear as HyoRiSoo, an unofficial unit they created through self-produced content. Captured from Hyoyeon's Instagram

Smaller agencies have seen their room to maneuver shrink in recent years, as K-pop has increasingly become a battle among major agencies bankrolling elaborate comeback campaigns. That, in turn, has raised the importance of self-produced content.

Pop music critic Kim Do-heon said that in such a lopsided environment, where smaller agencies struggle to make their music known, self-produced content offers one of the few opportunities to promote their groups and turn things around.

“The recent trend in this kind of content is to show each member’s natural, free-spirited charm and authenticity,” he added.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.