GFriend

GFriend

GFriend in January 2017
Background information
Origin Seoul, South Korea
Genres
Years active 2015 (2015)–present
Labels Source Music
Website facebook.com/gfrdofficial
Members
Korean name
Hangul 여자친구
Hanja 女子親舊
Literal meaning Girlfriend
Revised Romanization Yeoja Chingu
McCune–Reischauer Yŏcha Chingu

GFriend (Hangul: 여자친구; RR: Yeoja Chingu; stylized as GFRIEND) is a six-member South Korean girl group formed by Source Music in 2015.[1] The group consists of Sowon, Yerin, Eunha, Yuju, SinB, and Umji. They made their debut with the EP Season of Glass on January 16, 2015. GFriend won several 2015 female rookie awards and has garnered momentum since their debut, despite coming from a small company.[2] In 2016, they continued their success with their third EP Snowflake and won first place on many music shows with the title song "Rough". They released their first full-length album LOL in July 2016.

History

2015: Season of Glass, Flower Bud, and rise in popularity

GFriend in 2015

On January 15, 2015, GFriend released their five-track debut EP Season of Glass.[3] The promotional track "Glass Bead", composed by Seo Yong-bae and Iggy, debuted at number twelve on Gaon's weekly chart.[4][5] The group started promotions for their album on January 16 on KBS's music program Music Bank.[6] According to YouTube, the M/V of "Glass Bead" ranked number nine in top ten "Most Viewed K-Pop Videos Around the World in January 2015".[7] On January 28, 2015, Billboard named GFriend as one of "Top 5 K-Pop Artists to Watch in 2015".[8]

GFriend released their second EP Flower Bud and the music video for title track "Me Gustas Tu" on July 23, 2015.[9] GFriend started their group promotions on the same date as the album release, July 23, 2015 on Mnet's M Countdown.[10]

The group garnered international attention after a fan-taken video of Gfriend members continuing and completing a performance of "Me Gustas Tu" despite continuously falling on a slippery stage went viral in September 2015. The group was praised for their professionalism, especially Yuju, who fell a total of eight times and suffered a twisted finger during the performance.[11][12]

On September 17, 2015, GFriend made headlines again as the only girl group to be nominated in the 2015 MTV Europe Music Awards "Best Korean Act" category alongside boy groups B1A4, BTS, Got7, and VIXX.[13]

"Me Gustas Tu" was named the longest charting song by an idol group on Melon Top 100 with 63 weeks. "Me Gustas Tu" and "Glass Bead" were also ranked 18th and 44th respectively in the 2015 Bugs Year-End Top 100.[14]

2016: Snowflake, first music show wins and LOL

On January 25, 2016, GFriend released their third EP titled Snowflake with the title track "Rough". "Rough" is the last song to complete GFriend's high school concept trilogy along with "Glass Bead" and "Me Gustas Tu". During their fan-meeting after the EP's showcase release, GFriend announced their fandom name to be "Buddy". GFriend started the promotions for Snowflake on January 26 on SBS MTV's music program The Show. The album debuted at number ten on Billboard's World Albums Chart,[15] and the music video of "Rough" on YouTube ranked number three in top ten "Most Viewed K-Pop Videos Around the World in January 2016".[16]

GFriend on stage during KCON16 LA, on July 30, 2016.

On February 2, GFriend received their first music show win for their song "Rough" on The Show. They subsequently won another fourteen awards on the music shows including winning their first triple crowns on M Countdown, Music Bank, Show Champion, and Inkigayo. With a total of 15 wins, it placed second with the number of wins for girls groups, behind Apink who recorded a total of 17 wins with "Luv".[17][18] Their song "Rough" was also ranked first in Gaon Chart's First Half of 2016 chart rankings.[19]

On June 15 it was announced that GFriend will star alongside Mamamoo on a new season of Showtime. On June 29, Source Music started teasing for GFriend first studio album LOL, signifying at the same time "Laughing Out Loud" and "Lots of Love". LOL was released on July 11 with the title track "Navillera", and reportedly had more than 60,000 pre-ordered copies worldwide.[20] On July 19, GFriend earned their first music show win for the album's single "Navillera" on The Show.[21]

Towards the end of the year, YouTube revealed the top 10 K-pop MVs most beloved by South Koreans in 2016. "Rough" and "Navillera" were ranked 2nd and 10th respectively in that list.[22][23] "Rough" and "Navillera" were also ranked 2nd and 11th respectively in the 2016 Bugs Year-End Top 100.[24] "Rough" was also ranked 13th in Billboard's 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2016: Critic's Picks.[25] At the end of the year show 2016 KBS Song Festival, the peak viewer ratings for the whole show were recorded during GFriend's "Rough" performance at 10.3%.[26] "Rough" also became the most downloaded song in 2016 according to Gaon Chart's 2016 Year End Download Chart.[27]

2017–present: The Awakening and Parallel

On February 23, 2017, Source Music announced that GFriend is set to make a comeback on March 6.[28] On February 27, 2017, it was revealed that their fourth EP will be titled The Awakening with the title track "Fingertip".[29][30] The Awakening global pre-orders exceeded 100,000 copies, which is higher than their past album LOL at 60,000.[31] Additionally, the album also debuted at No. 5 on Billboard's World Album chart.[32]

On 1 August 2017, GFriend released their fifth mini album, Parallel, with the title track "Love Whisper".[33]

Members

Discography

Videography

GFriend has released seven music videos.

Year Title Director
2015 "Glass Bead" Hong Won-ki (Zanybros)[35][36]
"Me Gustas Tu"
2016 "Rough"
"Wave"
"Navillera" Kim Seong-uk[37]
2017 "Fingertip" Hong Won-ki (Zanybros)[38]
"Love Whisper"

Filmography

Reality shows

Year Title TV Network Note
2015
 GFriend! Look After Our Dog Skytv 12 episodes[39]
One Fine Day MBC Music Filmed on Cebu island, Philippines, 4 episodes[40]
2016
 GFriend - Where R U Going?! iMBC, V app, MBCkpop Filmed on Jeju island, 7 episodes[41]
MAMAMOO x GFriend Showtime MBC Every 1 8 episodes[42]
GFriend Loves Europe skyTravel Filmed in Austria, Hungary, and Slovenia, 8 episodes[43]

Concerts

Showcase

Mini concert

Awards and nominations

They won their first award, "Best New Female Artist", on November 7, 2015 at Melon Music Awards.[44] Their first music show win was on The Show with "Rough" on February 2, 2016, after which the group would go on to receive a total of 15 music show wins during the song's promotion. During their "Navillera" promotions they got a total of 14 music show wins, making them the girl group with most wins gained within a year with a total of 29 wins.[45]

References

  1. ↑ "New Rookie Group GFriend Makes Debut with ′Glass Bead′ MV". Mwave. January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  2. ↑ "GFriend Spills on SNSD Comparisons, Role Models and More". Newsen. January 31, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  3. ↑ "여자친구, 데뷔앨범 하이라이트 메들리 공개..'소녀감성'" (in Korean). Chosun. January 14, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  4. ↑ "여자친구, 오늘 데뷔 앨범 발표 '풋풋함 물씬'". SBS. January 15, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  5. ↑ "South Korea's Gaon weekly chart for January 11-January 17, 2015" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. January 17, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  6. ↑ Kim Ha-jin. "여자친구, 데뷔곡 '유리구슬' 티저+뮤비 유튜브 조회수 20만 돌파 '대박'". Herald Economy (in Korean). Herald Corporation. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Most Viewed K-Pop Videos in America & Around the World: January 2015". February 11, 2015.
  8. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (January 28, 2015). "Top 5 K-Pop Artists to Watch in 2015".
  9. ↑ "GFriend reveals their new song "오늘부터 우리는" on Mnet M Countdown". StarNews. July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  10. ↑ "GFriend reveals new song "오늘부터 우리는" on Mnet M Countdown". StarNews. July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  11. ↑ Regan, Helen (September 7, 2015). "This Video of a K-Pop Singer Falling 8 Times in 1 Song Will Inspire You to Keep Going No Matter What". Time. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  12. ↑ Jang Mi-ran. "GFriend′s Yuju Talks About Viral Video of Her Falling on Stage". Mwave. CJ E&M Corp. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  13. ↑ "여자친구, MTV EMA 韓최우수 가수 부문 후보..'걸그룹 유일'" (in Korean). September 17, 2015.
  14. ↑ "2015 벅스 연말 종합 TOP100". 벅스PD. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  15. ↑ "GFriend moves into Top 10 of Billboard World Album Chart with ‘Snowflake’". February 3, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Most Viewed K-Pop Videos in America, Around the World: January 2016". February 11, 2016.
  17. ↑ Park Se-jin (March 2, 2016). "G-Friend dominates Korean music scene". Aju Business Daily. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  18. ↑ jhkim@ktimes.com (March 2, 2016). "It's GFriend Time". koreatimes.co.kr. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  19. ↑ Jackson, Julie (July 17, 2016). "GFriend dominates Gaon Chart in first half of 2016". The Korea Herald. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  20. ↑ Kim Yu-young (June 30, 2016). "GFriend releases teaser photos for new album". koreaherald.com. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  21. ↑ Lee Gyu-yeon (July 20, 2016). "[화보] 여자친구, '너 그리고 나'로 컴백 후 첫 1위…'눈물 펑펑'" [[Pictorial] GFriend, first number one after 'You and I' comeback... "crying tears"]. Sports Hankook (in Korean). Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  22. ↑ Kim Mi-hwa (December 8, 2016). "트와이스, 2016 유튜브 韓인기 뮤비 1위..여자친구 2위" (in Korean). StarNews. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  23. ↑ "2016 최고 인기 뮤직 비디오 (국내)". YouTube Rewind (한국). December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  24. ↑ "2016 벅스 연말 종합 TOP100". 벅스PD. December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  25. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff; Oak, Jessica (December 22, 2016). "20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2016: Critic's Picks". Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  26. ↑ Jang Kyung-suk (December 30, 2016). "KBS '가요대축제' 시청률 6.5%, SBS '가요대전' 시청률 살짝 못 미쳐" (in Korean). NAVER Corp., MoneyS. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  27. ↑ "2016년 Download Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  28. ↑ "GFriend to release new EP next month". Yonhap News Agency. February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  29. ↑ "GFriend gears up for triumphant return". Yonhap News Agency. March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  30. ↑ ""리즈 경신"..컴백 앞둔 여자친구, 컴백 티저 깜짝 공개" (in Korean). star.mt.co.kr. February 27, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  31. ↑ Min, Susan (March 6, 2017). "GFriend′s ′The Awakening′ Sells Over 100,000 Copies in Pre-Sales". mwave.interest.me. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  32. ↑ "GFriend Earn First Top 5 Entry on World Albums With 'The Awakening'". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  33. ↑ "GFriend drops new EP, joins summer music chart battle". Yonhap News Agency. August 1, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  34. ↑ 최, 진실 (February 14, 2015). "여.친.소① 여자친구를 소개합니다". tenasia.hankyung.com (in Korean). Korea Entertainment Media. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  35. ↑ Kim Byung-kwan (January 25, 2016). "[Photo] GFriend Steals Hearts at Comeback Showcase". CJ E&M enewsWorld. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  36. ↑ Yoon So-won (April 29, 2016). "여자친구, 여름 시즌송 UN '파도' 리메이크…MV 티저 오픈" [GFriend, Summer season song UN 'Wave' remake..MV teaser open]. TV Daily (in Korean). Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  37. ↑ Oui Kim (July 10, 2016). "Girlfriend "NAVILLERA" / music video". Vimeo. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  38. ↑ Seon Mi-kyung (March 2, 2017). "'컴백 D-4' 여자친구, 이번에도 킬링 파트 있다..'탕탕탕'" ['Comeback D-4' GFriend, this time also has a killing part.. 'Tang tang tang']. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  39. ↑ "여자친구, 데뷔 2달 만에 단독 리얼리티 출격 ‘강아지를 부탁해’" (in Korean). heraldk.com. March 22, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  40. ↑ "'여자친구의 어느멋진날' 여자친구 숙소 방송 '최초' 공개" (in Korean). news.zum.com. November 17, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  41. ↑ "여자친구, 몸빼 바지 입고 제주도 감귤 소녀로 변신 ‘어디 감수광’" (in Korean). pop.heraldcorp.com. February 2, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  42. ↑ "‘쇼타임’ 마마무X여자친구, 소녀들의 상큼함이란 이런 것" (in Korean). entertain.naver.com. July 1, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  43. ↑ 이정하 (November 2, 2016). "'여자친구가 사랑한 유럽' 제작발표회 개최" (in Korean). ajunews.com. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  44. ↑ Chung Joo-won (20 November 2016). "BTS, EXO, TWICE top 2016 Melon Music Awards". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  45. ↑ "[뮤직톡톡]'걸그룹 새 역사'…여자친구, #29관왕 #트리플 #더블텐" (in Korean). entertain.naver.com. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
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