OURBIRTHDAY debuts as 1st JYP-affiliated girl group in 4 years

From left, rookie K-pop girl group OURBIRTHDAY members Kuk Cho-rok, Kirara, Baby, Cho Hye-jin, U, Shin Hye-won and Achiraya pose during a press showcase at Blue Square in Seoul's Yongsan District, Wednesday. Courtesy of INNIT Entertainment

K-pop girl group OURBIRTHDAY made its official debut Wednesday with its namesake first single, "Our Birthday," ending a two-stage predebut rollout that split the seven members into separate units.

The group held a press showcase at Blue Square in central Seoul's Yongsan District just hours before the release, sharing their thoughts on the debut and future plans.

OURBIRTHDAY is the first K-pop girl group associated with JYP Entertainment since NMIXX debuted in 2022, and the first to launch under the company's subsidiary label, INNIT Entertainment. The group's name refers to the members' aim to treat ordinary days as if they were birthdays.

"This is a moment all of us have been waiting for, so we're excited," member Cho Hye-jin said. "We prepared hard through the predebut period, and it means a lot to finally be promoting as a complete group."

U said the team name shaped her expectations, noting, "When I first heard it, I thought every day would feel happy and special." Baby chimed in, adding the lineup only became real to her at that point.

"It didn't sink in that the seven of us were debuting as one team until I heard the name," she said. "It suits us."

K-pop girl group OURBIRTHDAY / Courtesy of INNIT Entertainment

The members acknowledged the weight of debuting in the shadow of JYP's earlier girl groups, a line that runs from Wonder Girls and Miss A through TWICE, ITZY and NMIXX.

"It would be a lie to say we feel no pressure, given how many accomplished senior artists there are," Achiraya said. "We want to use that as a driving force and show better performances and what makes us different."

U said producer Park Jin-young's advice to the group had been about the members' relationships rather than their music.

"He told us that getting along is what matters," she said. "Even when opinions clash, we try to respect one another and speak honestly so we can keep working together for a long time."

The single carries four tracks — "SQUEEZY," the eponymous "Our Birthday" and the two predebut releases "HUNGRY (Side A)" and "HUNGRY (Side B)." The label has described the group's sound as "whip-hop," a coinage combining hip-hop with a "free-form blend" of the seven members' charms, likened to whipped cream.

"It's a genre we came up with so that different personalities could meet and produce an atmosphere that belongs to us," Shin Hye-won said. "But we plan to take on other genres as well, not just 'whip-hop.'"

K-pop girl group OURBIRTHDAY members Kuk Cho-rok, Kirara, Baby, Cho Hye-jin, U, Shin Hye-won and Achiraya pose during a press showcase held to celebrate the group's debut at Blue Square in Seoul's Yongsan District, Wednesday. Courtesy of INNIT Entertainment

Before the debut, the group split into two units for the "HUNGRY" releases, with Cho, Baby and Achiraya on Side A and Kuk Cho-rok, Shin, U and Kilala on Side B, an unusual rollout in K-pop where groups typically launch as a complete lineup.

"Having fans in front of us was different from what we were used to and it gave us more energy onstage," Baby said of the unit promotions.

"SQUEEZY" is a funk-based dance track built on a repetitive hook. The label said the lyrics use the image of squeezing a squishy toy as a metaphor for working out stress.

"It puts a sweet, kitschy melody against an intense stage, so the energy of all seven of us comes through," Kuk said. "The bold choreography and the confident attitude expresses our own color."

Asked how the group wants to be remembered, Kuk said the goal was recognition on its own terms.

"More than any other label attached to us, we want to be remembered by our name," she said. "And we want to perform on more stages than we do now."