K-pop girl group ILLIT / Courtesy of HYBE
Following the dazzling success of K-pop girl groups like NewJeans, IVE, Le Sserafim and aespa, a wave of new female acts are set to arrive this year, seeking to bring a breath of fresh air to the scene.
K-pop powerhouse HYBE, home to the Grammy-nominated boy band BTS, plans to debut a five-member group, ILLIT, on March 25. It consists of Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee and Iroha — the winners from the 2023 audition show, "R U Next?" which was co-produced by HYBE and cable channel JTBC. It gathered viewers from more than 180 countries, according to HYBE.
ILLIT is the third girl group to be launched by HYBE, following NewJeans and Le Sserafim, who started their careers in 2022. But all three of them are represented by different sub-labels. ILLIT, for instance, is managed by Belift Lab, home to high-profile boy band Enhypen.
"ILLIT is the combination of the phrase, 'I will' and the word, 'it,'" HYBE said in a statement. "As its name implies, ILLIT is a group that boasts the potential to become anything it wants."
The quintet's debut album, "Super Real Me," will be released in two different versions: "Real Me" and "Super Me." HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk reportedly took part in the album's creative process.
"We are so happy and thrilled to make our much-desired debut," ILLIT members said through HYBE. "We will continue to display our growth, so please give us your support and love."
Idol trainees of The Black Label / Captured from an internet forum
The Black Label, an associate company of YG Entertainment that gave birth to K-pop sensation BLACKPINK, is also scheduled to unveil a new girl group in the first half of this year. The Black Label was founded by producer Teddy Park, who was behind the success of numerous K-pop hits such as "Whistle" (2016) and "Shut Down" (2022) by BLACKPINK.
Although The Black Label said details will be disclosed later, speculation is rife that a granddaughter of Shinsegae Group Chairwoman Lee Myung-hee — the youngest daughter of late Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chull — will be joining the new team.
The speculation surfaced after she was spotted in a series of photos showing The Black Label's idol trainees. The pictures, which immediately went viral, also feature American model Ella Gross and dancer Bailey Sok — who crafted the choreography for girl band aespa's songs "Savage" (2021) and "Illusion" (2022) — at a place that appears to be a dance practice room.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, K-pop behemoth SM Entertainment is poised to present a new girl group, approximately four years after creating aespa in 2020. SM CEO Jang Cheol-hyuk said on YouTube in May that the label was preparing to produce a multi-member group.
Whether Na Ha-eun, a YouTube creator who signed an exclusive contract with SM in 2022, will be part of the new team is of utmost interest among K-pop fans worldwide. Na used to upload dance cover videos on her channel, "Awesome Haeun," but she is inactive these days. Her channel, however, still has more than five million subscribers.