The first group to debut is OURBIRTHDAY. According to Init Entertainment on the 5th, they will officially debut on the 19th with their first single, “OURBIRTHDAY,” which shares the same name as the group. Our Birthday is the first girl group JYP has unveiled in about four years since NMIXX, and it is also the first girl group produced and managed by Init Entertainment. The group name conveys the message that they will “deliver a special, heart-fluttering feeling every day, as if it were a birthday.”
“Our Birthday” consists of seven members: Jo Hye-jin, Baby, Archiraya, Kook Cho-rok, Shin Hye-won, Yoo, and Kirara. Among the members, Yoo and Kirara are from Japan, while Baby and Archiraya are from Taiwan and Thailand, respectively.
Ahead of their official debut, Our Birthday released their pre-debut track “HUNGRY” last month, marking their preliminary debut. They garnered attention by adopting a strategy to showcase their talent and individuality first through music show performances and performance videos, divided into two units. Jo Hye-jin, Baby, and Archiraya were the first to announce their imminent debut with the “Side A” version of the song, followed by Kook Cho-rok, Shin Hye-won, Yoo, and Kirara, who promoted with the “Side B” version of the same track.
TUID is the first group to be unveiled by ABD, a label specializing in girl groups established by HYBE. They will officially debut on the 24th with their first mini-album, “TUNE & PLAY.”
TUID consists of seven members: Seo-hee, Seo-yeon, Elena, Jia, Saki, Se-ah, and Lee Ha-nyu. Saki is from Japan, Elena holds dual Korean and U.S. citizenship, and Lee Ha-nyu holds dual Korean and British citizenship. In particular, Seo-yeon is known as the younger sister of TWICE’s Jihyo and has been drawing significant attention from K-pop fans even before her debut.
The group’s name is derived from “Tune the Tide,” which means “to harmonize the flow.” It embodies their aspiration to “experience and harmonize the diverse currents of the world to create new joy.” Master Professional (MP) Han Seong-soo, former CEO of Pledis Entertainment—the label that launched groups such as SEVENTEEN, After School, IZ*ONE, and TOURS—served as the album’s executive producer.
Like Our Birthday, Tued also drew attention for their unique pre-debut activities. On the 1st and 2nd, they held a preview event titled “PLAYGROUND” at Layer Studio 11 in Mapo-gu, Seoul, where they unveiled performances of all the album’s tracks in advance. By limiting filming to only audience members selected by lottery, they heightened curiosity about the group.
K-pop fans are already showing intense interest in Our Birthday and Twid. Various posts comparing the two groups’ lineups, visuals, and concepts are flooding social media channels and online communities.
Amid this buzz, the Instagram follower counts for Our Birthday and Tweed have surpassed 140,000 and 200,000, respectively. Our Birthday, which took the stage on music shows a step ahead of the others, has seen the “Side B” performance video for their pre-debut track “Hungry” surpass 10 million views on YouTube, while the “Side A” performance video has also exceeded 8 million views.
With the addition of Our Birthday and Tuid, competition among rookie girl groups is expected to heat up even further. Earlier this year, groups such as Hype Princess—the debut group from Mnet’s “Hip-Pop Princess”—AOMG’s first girl group Kibitz, Unchild from STAYC’s agency Highup Entertainment, and Heart of Woman from Blue Brown Records—founded by the late Hwi-sung and former dancer-turned-creative director Myung Sang-woo—made their debuts.
The head of a music promotion agency stated, “Rookie groups from major agencies have an advantage in securing a fanbase and generating buzz even before their debut, thanks to their official channels with large followings and diverse content.” He added, “Since Our Birthday and Tuid are debuting around the same time, we expect fans to be actively vying to gain the upper hand on digital and physical album charts.”
