Following the success of their most recent mini album, girl group sensation (G)I-DLE have announced their upcoming studio album, named 2, to be released on the 29th January.
(G)I-DLE have been one of the most successful Korean bands in recent years, the group composing of five members: Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi, and Shuhua. They released their debut EP, titled I Am, in May of 2018, which soon after peaked at number 5 on the Billboard World Albums Chart. While their music spans many genres, the group often explores EDM (electronic dance music), and urban hip hop. Their sound has been recognised as unique, in comparison to typical expectations of female Korean artists. Taylor Glasby of MTV describes their songs as “steeped in their very essence—a girl’s complex, internal house of mirrors constantly being broken, assessed, understood, and remade, where one style or sound is never enough to reflect who they are.” The quintet has received great praise for being a “self-producing” group, with member Soyeon producing and writing the majority of (G)I-DLE’s music. Coming from an independent company, as opposed to a long-established agency, the group has worked hard to reach their level of fame, and yet they have not lost their bold messages. Many of their songs, “NXDE” and “Tomboy”, for instance, focus on societal issues within Korean culture, often surrounding topics of gender.
Their sound has been recognised as unique, in comparison to typical expectations of female Korean artists.
So, what can we expect from this new album?
2 will be the group’s second ever full-length release, following their first studio album I Never Die, released in March 2022. In December of 2023, (G)I-DLE’s agency Cube Entertainment announced, “(G)I-DLE is preparing for a comeback with the goal of releasing their new full-length album in January of next year”. At the time of writing, the group has only shared mysterious teasers via their Instagram and Twitter accounts, including a track list released on the 18th of January, and an audio snippet released on the 19th. The track list displays 8 song names, all of which written or produced by a member of the group.
At the time of publication, (G)I-DLE’s new album will be fully released, and I for one am incredibly eager to hear it. Many questions are surrounding this comeback, such as whether the group will continue their urban sound, or move toward the ever-growing pop genre.
