3 Small Agency Girl Groups Who Are Blowing Up Right Now
Seeing groups from smaller K-Pop agencies become famous is always refreshing to see. Not only does it delight fans who would have never expected such success, but it also changes the dynamics of the industry for the better.
Take BTS, for example, they became the biggest boyband in the world without necessarily being backed by a huge company. BIGHIT MUSIC (then known as BigHit Entertainment) was only small back when BTS debuted, and we all know the rest of the story.
Girl groups have also had similar success stories, for instance, STAYC, and it’s amazing to see this trend continue to grow with these three small agency girl groups gaining a lot of attention right now.
1. TripleS
The 24-member girl group brought a unique spin to K-Pop by claiming they aim to be the world’s first decentralized K-Pop idol group. They were formed by MODHAUS, a new South Korean record label founded by Jaden Jeong. TripleS is their only group, and the project is extremely ambitious.
TripleS introduced a new system where fans are responsible for the group and its activities. The members will rotate between group, unit, and solo promotions as chosen by fans through NFT photo cards.
Thankfully, the uniqueness of their concept seems to have worked as TripleS have received a lot of attention from fans, tripling their first-week sales. The group also received a lot of praise on social media for its concept, music, and content.
[HT] #tripleS (triplescosmos) 1st Week Sales
Assemble ㅡ 41,740 🆕️
Acid Angel from Asia [ACCESS] ㅡ 17,760— KOREAN SALES (@koreansales_twt) February 21, 2023
2. LIMELIGHT
143 Entertainment girl group LIMELIGHT shocked everyone when they became the 6th girl group with the highest debut sales.
The group is made up of 3 members, MiU, Suhye, and Gaeun. They have released two mini-albums, their pre-debut release LIMELIGHT, and their official debut mini-album Love & Happiness.
Love & Happiness sold 35,961 units within 24 hours, meaning LIMELIGHT saw a 307% increase from their pre-debut sales. This success proves that in today’s K-Pop scene, every group has a chance to succeed.
LIMELIGHT’s debut mini album ‘LOVE & HAPPINESS’ has sold 35,664 copies (still counting) 1st day
It’s an increase of over 307% from their pre-debut mini album’s total sales
— nugu promoter (@nugupromoter) February 17, 2023
3. FIFTY FIFTY
The newly debuted girl group was part of the GRAMMYs list of 10 K-Pop Rookie Girl Groups To Watch In 2023. They come from a label just as new as the group, ATTRAKT, and are made up of four members, Aran, Keena, Saena, and Sio.
FIFTY FIFTY debuted on the 18th of November last year, with their mini-album The Fifty. Despite being fairly new to the scene, the GRAMMYs had plenty of praise for the quartet’s sound.
They called the four tracks that make up the album “dazzling” and were not shy of complimenting each of them.
‘Tell Me’ starts the journey in what could be the perfect indie movie soundtrack, moving swiftly to the synthpop of pre-release ‘Lovin’ Me’ and title track ‘Higher.’ By the time that edgy closer ‘Log In’ arrives, you are already sold on Fifty Fifty’s magical appeal.
— GRAMMYs
The group has also received a lot of love from fans on online platforms.
so many kpop groups have “interesting” or just downright grating vocalists it’s so different to hear this kind of clear sound and tone thank you fifty fifty pic.twitter.com/uczJY9LhxT
— mimi (@orbitskika) February 23, 2023
The success of these newly debuted girl groups from smaller record labels is likely to inspire more trainees and staff to keep fighting toward success, no matter the size of the agency, and we’re all here for it.
