(G)I-dle
(G)I-dle (Korean: (여자)아이들; RR: Yeoja Aideul; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by Cube Entertainment in 2018. The group consists of five members: Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi, and Shuhua.[2] The group was originally a sextet, until Soojin left the group on August 14, 2021.[3] (G)I-dle debuted on May 2, 2018, with the single "Latata" from their first extended play (EP) I Am. They debuted in Japan under U-Cube[4] with Latata on July 31, 2019. Since their debut, they have been considered one of the most successful South Korean girl groups outside of the "big four"[a] record labels.[5][6]
Not to be confused with Gidle.
(G)I-dle are directly involved in the creation of their music; in particular, Soyeon who has written and produced the majority of the group's songs.[7][8] Members Minnie and Yuqi have also co-written and produced numerous album tracks.[9][8] The group's single album, Dumdi Dumdi (2020), became the second best-selling single album by a girl group at the time.[10] (G)I-dle rose to domestic fame with their next single "Tomboy", from their first full-length album, I Never Die (2022); it topped the Circle charts and was certified platinum by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA).[11] Their next single, "Nxde", also topped the Circle Chart and made (G)I-dle the only artist to have two songs achieve a perfect all-kill in 2022.[12]
(G)I-dle's next extended play, I Feel (2023), produced the single "Queencard" and marked the group's third number-one single in South Korea. It became their first record to sell over one million copies in the country, and sold two million copies worldwide in 2023 according to the IFPI. During the same year, they became the first act from an independent label to appear on Mediabase Top 40 Radio airplay charts and to debut on the US Billboard Pop Airplay chart with a non-English song.[13] The group's second studio album, 2 (2024), was also met with commercial success and sold over one million copies in South Korea. It produced top-ten lead single "Super Lady" and yielded the number-one song "Fate", which found success despite not being released as a single.
Name[edit]
In an interview with The Star, group leader Soyeon revealed that the name "Idle" (아이들) came to her when she was composing the "Idle Song". She suggested it to Cube Entertainment, and the name was finalized after undergoing internal competition.[14][15] However, the name received mixed reactions in South Korea and internationally since "아이들" (aideul) means "children", and "idle" in English refers to someone who avoids work.[16][17] Accordingly, the group was renamed (G)I-dle, with the "I" standing for individuality, the hyphen showing that the name has been divided into two parts, and "Dle" (deul) as the plural form of "I" in Korean to indicate a group of six different personalities gathering together.[18][19] When the name is stated aloud, the "G" enclosed in parentheses is not included.[20] Following their return as a quintet, on an episode of 1theK Original's IDDP released on the March 15, 2022, the group confirmed they would like to be referred to verbally as "I-dle".[21]
Other ventures[edit]
Ambassadorship[edit]
Seoul Metropolitan City appointed (G)I-dle as the city's goodwill ambassadors, alongside Yura, Park Jin-hee, and eight other nominees on December 6, 2018. The group held the title "City Ambassadors" for two years.[288] At the tenth annual Children's Diabetes Celebration Festival held at Lotte World Underground Kingdom on June 8, 2019, in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, they were named the new ambassadors for Korean Children's Diabetes Association.[289]
Endorsements[edit]
In 2019, (G)I-dle began endorsing Kaja, a beauty brand by Sephora and Memebox to create a new form combining K-beauty and K-pop.[290] The reality TV series To Neverland and the "Senorita" music video were released through the partnership.[291] In 2020, Akiii Classic selected (G)I-dle as new models to reinforce the sensitivity of Gen Z's culture and trends pioneering the brand image.[292] In early April 2020, the group was revealed as promotional models for South Korea's largest contact lens brand, LensMe. A representative from LensMe explained that the group's unique music and charismatic stage performances matched well with their "Basic, Trendy, Easy" company image.[293][294] When choosing (G)I-dle as their models, the high fashion brand LipHop—emerging among young people predominantly in South Korea, United States, Thailand, and Japan—stated that they considered the group to be "global artists who boast confident music and attractive visuals".[295] In July 2023, (G)I-dle became the main model of Samyang Foods' global advertising campaign for their buldak-flavored instant noodles, "Play Buldak".[296]
Philanthropy[edit]
On April 22, 2020, (G)I-dle donated 30,000 bottles of hand sanitizer worth ₩100 million through Holt Children's Services for children and their families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea.[297] For the release of Dumdi Dumdi in August 2020, (G)I-dle took part in Naver's Happybean Good Action event. Donations collected through the campaign were used to support psychological and mental health counseling treatment, snacks and nutritional kits for medical staff through Sports Doctors during the pandemic.[298][299]
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