“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” – This Korean saying means “a newborn puppy is not afraid of a tiger”. However, with the energy of tigers in 2022, these “newborn” idols will boldly take on challenges.
We could realize the power of KPOP, which reached its peak, in 2021. While KPOP artists are expected to write new histories again in this new year, super rookies with various charms are ready to spread their wings.
In 2021, boy groups stood out with impressive global performances. BTS, MONSTA X, P1Harmony, Verivery, etc. held face-to-face concerts in the U.S despite the pandemic situations, proving the global popularity of KPOP. In 2022, numerous girl groups are expected to make their debuts.
Kep1er (Choi Yu-jin, Shen Xiaoting, Mashiro, Kim Chae-hyun, Kim Da-eyon, Hikaru, Huening Bahiyyih, Seo Young-eun, and Kang Ye-seo), which was formed through Mnet’s audition program “Girls Planet 999: The Girls Saga”, has already exceeded 200,000 album pre-orders. It’s already an unusual achievement for a girl group to record more than 100,00 pre-orders even before their debut. Kep1er is expected to show their energetic and lovely charms through their title song “WA DA DA”.
GLG (Grandline Group), which is currently managing Stella Jang, GIGGS, Ja Mezz, etc., heralded a new challenge via the debut of their first girl group H1-KEY. Although it is not an idol agency, it is known that they have recruited professionals from various fields to focus on producing their first girl group.
H1-KEY is an “all-rounder” girl group consisting of 4 members: Riina, Sitala, Yel, and Seoi, who appeared in Mnet’s “Produce 48”. They are expected to show off their talents in various fields, including singing, dancing, rapping, and acting. Their first single “Athletic Girl” will be released on January 5th.
Big companies, also known as the BIG4, have also drawn keen attention from global fans as they also planned to launch new girl groups.
In February, JYP Entertainment will introduce a new girl group for the first time after 3 years since ITZY’s debut in 2019. Through the new girl group project “JYPn”, 7 members, including Jinny, Jiwoo, Kyujin, Sulyoon, BAE, Haewon, Lily, have already shown high popularity as videos on their official Youtube channel exceeded 1 million views. With no information about their debut disclosed in July, the girl group’s debut album “Blind Package” pre-ordering recorded more than 60,000 copies, proving the great public’s attention on them as a “JYP’s Girl Group”.
Hybe, which is the agency of BTS, Tomorrow X Together, and Seventeen, will present a girl group under the new independent label ADOR (All Doors One Room), led by CBO (Chief Brand Officer) Min Hee-jin. CBO Min’s new girl group to be showcased at Hybe will focus on members selected through the 2019 Plus Global Audition. They are in the midst of preparing for their debut in 2022, and the line-up and debut schedules are shrouded in veil.
YG Entertainment is also preparing a new girl group to succeed BlackPink. As Blackpink becomes most famous as a group and solo artists in the global music industry, the birth of a new girl group is raising high expectations. Although the group’s name, debut date, and member lineup have not been confirmed, the debut of a new group has been predicted as YG Entertainment has registered the name ‘Baby Monster‘ as a trademark. As a result, various speculations are emerging among global fans about the group’s lineup and the timing of their debut.
TRENDZ (Habit, Leon, Yunwoo, Korea, Rael, Eunil, Yechan), as the first boy group of Interpark Music Plus, will debut on the 5th of next month. The debut album ‘Blue Set Chapter 1: Tracks’ includes a total of 5 songs, with the title track ‘TNT’. Even though it’s the first album, all the members participated in writing lyrics and performed to the best of their ability. Meanwhile, TAN (Changseon, Taehoon, Jisung, Sunghyuk, Jaejun, Hyunyeop, Jooan), the group formed from MBC ‘Wild Idol’, is also preparing to officially debut in 2022. Wild Idols struggled with 0% ratings, but expectations are high on whether they will be able to make a turnaround through their debut in the K-pop industry.
