The right age for trainees to debut as K-pop idols has become a topic of discussions among fans and netizens, as many idol groups these days consist of members who are incredibly young. While many K-pop groups debut with one or more underage members, there are still several groups whose members were all 18 or older when they were launched.
In this article, we'll focus on the fourth-generation K-pop groups that debuted with all its members considered as adults.
Note: The artists' ages are by international reckoning.
8 4th-Gen K-pop Groups Whose Members Were All Adults When They Debuted (18 or Older)
(G)I-DLE
Initially consisting of six members, (G)I-DLE debuted in 2018 as the first girl group of CUBE Entertainment in three years since CLC in 2015. At that time, their group's youngest member or maknae, Shuhua, was already 18 years old.
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aespa
aespa is also a 4th-gen K-pop group that debuted with all its members deemed as adults. SM Entertainment launched aespa in 2020, becoming the company's first girl group in six years since Red Velvet in 2014. The four-member act dropped their debut digital single "Black Mamba" in November, almost one month after Ningning turned 18.
AB6IX
Originally a five-member boy group, AB6IX debuted in 2019 as the agency's first idol group. Lee Daehwi is the maknae and he was 18 years old at the time they released their first EP "B:Complete" in May 2019.
ATEEZ
All the members of ATEEZ are also considered adults at the time they first stepped in the music industry. The group's debut mini-album "Treasure EP.1: All to Zero" came out on Oct. 24, just 12 days after the youngest member, Jongho, turned 18.
READ MORE: 9 K-pop Groups With Numbers in Name That Don't Align With Quantity of Members
EVERGLOW
EVERGLOW is another 4th-gen K-pop group that debuted in 2019 with all its members aging 18 or older. Their first single album "Arrival of EVERGLOW" arrived on March 18, nearly three months after their maknae, Yiren, celebrated her 18th birthday.
OnlyOneOf
Next, we have OnlyOneOf, who started their career as a group in 2019. Their debut took place in May with their first mini-album "Dot Point Jump," which is five months after the group's youngest member became 19 years old.
TEMPEST
TEMPEST is one of the newest 4th-gen K-pop groups on our list. They are Yuehua Entertainment's first boy group in eight years since UNIQ in 2014. Composed of seven members, TEMPEST debuted in March 2022 with their maknae, Taerae, being 19 years old at the time.
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ATBO
Our list ends with ATBO, the first boy group to be formed by IST Entertainment in six years since VICTON in 2016. ATBO was launched in July 2022, and the group's youngest member, Won Bin, was 18 at the time.
These are just some of the 4th-gen K-pop groups whose members were 18 or older when they debuted. So if you know other groups, comment down below!
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Written by Maria Scott
