Amid the buzz around Recirene, hailed as "the miracle of a small-agency group," HYBE and JYP Entertainment are going head-to-head, each unveiling a new seven-member girl group. Excitement is building as two of South Korea's leading entertainment companies debut seven-member rookie groups at nearly the same time, while setting themselves apart with different music and concepts.
With SM Entertainment's Hearts2Hearts and Starship Entertainment's KiiiKiii, both of which debuted last year, and YG Entertainment expected to join next year, the rivalry over each company's pride is drawing attention.
JYP Entertainment's label Init Entertainment goes first, debuting the seven-member girl group OURBIRTHDAY on the 19th. HYBE's girl-group-focused label ABD will unveil its seven-member group TUIDE on the 24th. The two debut dates are just five days apart. Though both are seven-member groups, their musical colors and strategies are markedly different. OURBIRTHDAY is building its rookie image around a fresh, kitschy visual style and its own genre, while TUIDE emphasizes the individuality of its seven members through music and performances that cross genres.
OURBIRTHDAY will release its first single, "Our Birthday," on the 19th. Even before debuting, the group has been widening its contact with fans through differentiated content such as unit pre-debut activities and animation. Musically, it puts forward its own genre called "WHIP-HOP." Combining "WHIPPED" — meaning a free vibe like the whipped cream on a cake — with intense hip-hop performance, the genre reflects a strategy to bind the individuality of all seven members into a single musical color.
TUIDE makes its official debut on the 24th with its first EP, "TUNE & PLAY." The title track is "SUN KISS," which has a bright and free mood. The group has put forward as its core identity the concepts of "TUNE," meaning to harmonize different musical languages into one rhythm, and "PLAY," meaning the joy found within it. In "Meet my GRLS, TUIDE," released before its debut, the group emphasized showing each member's individuality by moving freely between solo, unit and group choreography, while blending together as one team. Its choreography, which combines house, hip-hop and soul, along with freestyle movements, is another distinctive feature.
TUIDE has drawn particular attention because Han Sung-soo, a master professional, is serving as overall producer. Han has established himself as a global K-pop leader, successfully developing acts including SEVENTEEN — one of the K-pop idol groups to surpass 10 million in cumulative album sales — as well as After School, IZ*ONE and TWS.
The competition between the two is expected to influence not only the rookie matchup but also the direction of the girl-group market in the second half of the year. With SM's Hearts2Hearts and Starship's KiiiKiii already competing, YG has followed HYBE and JYP by gradually revealing members of a four-member girl group, "Next Monster" (working title), signaling a debut next year. With Recirene, which has been surging recently, also raising its profile, the competition between major agencies and smaller ones has become a point to watch.
