Ahead of their official debut, THIS girl group is already gaining the favor of pop culture critics. Who are they?
Keep on reading to know!
Next BLACKPINK? Pop Culture Critic Says People Should Pay Attention To THIS Rookie
According to the Korean media outlet Citizen Daily (Simin Ilbo), analysts say that the Korean Wave music craze, which has drawn attention from around the world starting with BTS is an "inflection point" rather than a "peak."
The Korea International Cultural Exchange Agency announced in its handbook of the 2022 Global Hallyu Trend that:
"...the Korean Wave phenomenon has not peaked, but has reached an inflection point."
According to the agency, the Hallyu Wave index rose in most of the 18 surveyed countries except for some. This index is an indicator that reflects the degree to which Korean pop culture is accepted by foreign consumers and its growth or decline trend.
BTS tops this trend, but due to its declaration, of temporary hiatus to focus on solo careers, concerns have been raised if how the Hallyu industry will maintain its wave.
In this regard, pop culture critic Ji Seung Jae said:
The area of Korean Wave music, which peaked as BTS, is spreading further. In particular, along with BLACKPINK, Red Velvet, aespa and IVE, a new concept girl group development system tailored to the characteristics of the MZ generation, which will lead the new Hallyu craze, has been successful one after another, and is rapidly emerging as a hot issue in the music industry"
Fortunately, the power of girl groups is growing rapidly. However, there are various opinions on the next generation of girl groups that will captivate music fans around the world following BLACKPINK and aespa have become hot topics.
The critic continued:
"The girl group industry is also rapidly evolving in line with the digital era. More and more cases are making their debut based on securing a fandom layer using SNS based on proven skills, not a formal process such as selecting members, training camp, and releasing debut songs."
Among the rookie girl groups these days, the critic selected A.iRiD as one with the most anticipation from them and explained:
"It is necessary to pay attention to the girl group A.iRiD, which was recently introduced by ONO Entertainment. A.iRiD has released its pre-debut song in Korean and English versions without an official stage, and is receiving favorable reviews from overseas fans."
A.iRiD K-pop Profile 2022: Members, Debut, Single
If you are not familiar with A.iRiD, the girl group is comprised of four members: Ari, Bell, Day and Echae. They are set to debut under ONO Entertainment in October 2022.
The members were first introduced in July, and their name was shortened term for "iridescent" meaning "rainbow color that changes depending on the angle of view," as well as "I lead" which means girls leading a new trend.
On September 1, they dropped their pre-debut single, "First Flight" on various music sites. They also released dance performance videos. K-pop enthusiast who saw the clip commented on their incredible visuals, singing skills and dance abilities that is outstanding for a rookie girl group.
The first uploaded videos amassed 68k views in two weeks, while the other video gained 124k views 13 days after it was uploaded. It is particularly gaining attention from overseas fans particularly from Turkish and Azerbaijani.
In particular, the group is comprised of three Koreans (Echae, Day and Ari)and one foreigner member Bell. She is the first Turkish-Azerbaijani K-pop idol to debut.
READ MORE: 10 Fourth-Gen K-pop Idols From Southeast Asia: NewJeans Hanni, TEMPEST Hanbin, More!
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Written by Eunice Dawson.
