Sorry about the sizable gap between entries. Real life kinda got in the way π
I would be remiss if I failed to talk about the super rookie group that took 2022 by storm. Yes friends, I'm talking about Starship Entertainment's sensational rookie girl group IVE (μμ΄λΈ: Aibeu).
Debuting on December 21, 2021, IVE consists of Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz, and Leeseo. At first glance, you already have quite the 1-2 punch here, with 2 members of IZ*ONE bannering the team. Given her valuable veteran experience, Yujin suddenly finds herself thrust into the leadership role, and Wonyoung brings that star power as the group's center. This in no way belittles the others, as they also have much to bring to the table. Being the eldest unnie, Gaeul gives off that sexy sophisticated vibe in a cute package. Rei is the group's main rapper (its always the Japanese ones π ), Liz has been a revelation as a vocal powerhouse, and Leeseo is an all-rounder maknae.
They kicked things off with their debut single ELEVEN, and boy, it sure didn't disappoint..
When I first heard the opening bars, I immediately knew this would be something different. It had this east asian or mid-eastern vibe to it that I couldn't put a handle on. Anyways, it was such a vocal masterpiece, and the song set a kind of dreamy atmosphere that I found absolutely unique and addicting.
I guess that's why they wound up with 13 wins for this promotional cycle. including triple crowns from all three public broadcast music shows (Music Core, Inkigayo and Music Bank). Not too shabby for a debut. πππ Their winning streak began on December 8, 2021, and extended all the way up to February 18, 2020 (source).
The single album consisted on only two songs, and this trend would continue until their third release, but quite frankly, it didn't seem to matter.
A few months later, they came out with their next release called LOVE DIVE, an obvious tribute to their fandom called DIVE. This second single album also contained only two songs. LOVE DIVE and ROYAL.
LOVE DIVE would eventually go on to rack up 10 wins, with yet another pair of triple crowns from Inkigayo and Music Bank. This win streak would again last 3 months from April to July 2022. Then came August..
For their third single, IVE decided to ride the retro wave sweeping K-Pop and put out the "I Will Survive" sampled After LIKE, thus cementing its place as a definitive song for the coming new year.
After LIKE had that retro disco funk that I really loved, and I guess the Korean general public liked it as well, as they were able to get another 14 music show wins! True to form, their win streak lasted 3 months, from August to October 2022, but the song resonated well into the new year.
IVE's styling has been pretty consistent thus far, and they have coined the term "chaebol crush" to describe their concept (source).
So there you have it, 3 single albums, for a grand total of 6 songs (plus one Xmas remake of After LIKE as seen on Spotify). I certainly hope they are not going the Blackpink route of music scarcity, but at least they have been releasing at a fairly constant pace. They have had their fair share of controversies from the get-go, mainly targeting Wonyoung for one reason or another. I won't go into specifics anymore so as to not give those controversies further mileage. I like them as a group, and I like their music, so I will be supporting them with each new release (unless they happen to overlap with STAYC π). Will I be joining up as a DIVE though? Not a chance. π They won't need me anyway, seeing as they already have enough loyal fans. π I shall be content in enjoying their music when it takes my fancy.
- B. Oppa
