Recently, YG Entertainment confirmed that a 5-member boy group will debut in September, marking YG's first new boy group after 6 years since TREASURE.
The information quickly attracted the attention of Kpop fans, because YG is famous for debuting few groups, but each group has its own unique colors.
Managing producer Yang Hyun Suk said: "Previously, we talked about the plan to launch a new boy group in the fall, currently heading to September. Many people are curious about the number of members, and the number will be 5".
At the same time, YG continued to "teaser" a new girl group project, often called "Next Monster", succeeding Baby Monster. On the same day, the company announced the 3rd member Kayci, after introducing Evelli and Chanya earlier.
Kayci is described as a Korean-Chinese trainee, possessing comprehensive ability in both rap and singing - "all-rounder" is very popular in the context of Kpop increasingly emphasizing versatility.
According to Korean media, the simultaneous deployment of a new boy group and gradually revealing members of a new girl group shows YG's rather bold "two-pronged" strategy.
The company seems to be positioning both groups as successors to icons like Big Bang and Blackpink - 2 famous groups that contributed to bringing Kpop to global reach.
Reactions online show great expectations. Many fans are excited to see both the male and female rookie groups of YG being promoted at the same time.
With TREASURE and Baby Monster already operating, YG's latest move shows efforts to refresh the artist lineup and maintain growth momentum in the increasingly competitive global Kpop market.
Meanwhile, Blackpink currently only has group operating contracts with YG. All 4 members - Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, Lisa - have terminated personal contracts with YG from December 2023.
For Big Bang, Seungri announced his departure from YG and left the group in 2019 after the "Burning Sun scandal". Following that, 3 members T.O.P, Taeyang, Daesung successively ended their contracts with YG in 2022.
Leader G-Dragon left YG at the end of 2023. After T.O. P announced his departure from the group, Big Bang is currently active with 3 members.
This year, Big Bang is expected to reappear on the occasion of their 20th anniversary of debut. The group's global tour schedule is still managed by YG.
