(G)I-DLE Ringtones

Cube Entertainment formed the South Korean female group (G)I-dle in 2018. There are five people in the group: Shuhua, Yuqi, Minnie, Soyeon, and Miyeon. Before Soojin departed the group on August 14, 2021, the group was initially a sextet. On May 2, 2018, (G)I-dle made their debut with the song “Latata” off their debut extended play (EP), I Am. On July 31, 2019, they made their debut in Japan under U-Cube alongside Latata. They are regarded as one of the most successful South Korean girl groups outside of the “big four” record labels since their debut.

(G)I-dle, especially Soyeon, who has written and produced the majority of the group’s songs, are actively involved in the music-making process, in contrast to most other K-pop girl groups. Numerous album tracks have also been co-written and produced by members Minnie and Yuqi. With their single album Dumdi Dumdi, which peaked at number two on the Circle Chart and became the second best-selling single album by a girl group ever, the group gained widespread recognition in 2020. Their subsequent single, “Tomboy,” from their debut full-length album, I Never Die, shot to the top of the Circle charts and stayed there for over two months. (G)I-dle became the only artist in 2022 to have two songs reach a PAK when their track “Nxde” topped the Circle Chart and was certified platinum by the Certification Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). They made history in 2023 by being the first act from an independent label to debut at number 40 on the US Billboard Pop Airplay chart with a non-English song and to rank 39 on Mediabase Top 40 Radio airplay charts.

Group leader Soyeon stated that she came up with the name “Idle” (아이들) while writing the “Idle Song” in an interview with The Star. She recommended it to Cube Entertainment, and following an internal competition, the name was decided upon. However, since “children” is what “아이들” (aideul) denotes and “idle” in English refers to someone who avoids work, the name has drawn conflicting emotions both in South Korea and abroad. The group was renamed (G)I-dle as a result, with “I” standing for individuality, the hyphen indicating that the name has been split into two pieces, and “Dle” (deul), the Korean plural form of “I,” signifying a meeting of six distinct personalities. The “G” in parenthesis is omitted when speaking the name out loud. After reuniting as a quintet, the group stated they preferred to be addressed as “I-dle” orally in an IDDP episode that aired on March 15, 2022 on 1theK Original.

Numerous genres have been explored in (G)I-dle’s tracks, such as boom bap (“Uh-Oh”), urban hip hop (“Oh My God”), Latin pop (“Senorita”), and moombahton (“Latata”, “Hann (Alone)”, and “Dumdi Dumdi”). With lyrics that relate one’s dignity to that of a lion, the group’s song “Lion” deviates from the norm of a normal female group song in the idol industry, which is overflowing with songs about love and goodbye. The group continued experimenting with hip-hop, urban, and EDM trap sounds in I Trust, a song that explored themes of self-love and self-trust. “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,” according to MTV’s Taylor Glasby, describes (G)I-dle tracks. The group’s varied musical style and the way their lyrics “push back” and “can be boring nonchalance or sharpening desire” were both commended by her. Kim Na-yul wrote for Herald Pop that only they can perform (G)I-dle’s music, and that they left a positive effect on the public. Melon’s magazine called the distinctive sound of (G)I-dle their “most powerful weapon.” Journalist Yoo Seong-woon of Korea JoongAng Daily praised the group for fusing ideas from various sources to create a novel and innovative look for the K-pop idol industry. Rolling Stone India’s Divyansha Dongre said that “deep symbolism and metaphors are a staple in (G)I-dle’s discography” and that the music would be “incomplete” without them. He talks about the analogies and symbolism in the music video for “Lion” and how “Hwaa[‘s] chronological advancement from winter to bloom and fire effortlessly symbolizes the journey of a heartbroken person who gradually opened up to the idea of love again.” It was said that “Dumdi Dumdi” had preserved the tradition of summertime tunes. The 2022 popular song “Tomboy” by (G)I-dle is a standout because of its simple lyrics, which perfectly capture (G)I-dle’s self-assured demeanor.

The group has also received recognition for its on-stage presence; examples of their versatility and skill as performers include their Cleopatra-inspired stage at the 2018 Melon Music Awards, their female-focused performance at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards, and their moving acting demonstration at Fan-dora’s Box. During (G)I-dle’s “Lion” performance on Queendom, a lion’s mane-adorned golden robe choreography, a backstory told by Minnie, and an outro featuring a procession of lion dancers trailing (G)I-dle to six thrones were all featured. The trio won multiple performance accolades, including at the Golden Disc accolades, and it was hailed as “world-class” and “legendary”.

With a high in the brand reputation index in September 2018 and a top spot in the “Girl Group Brand Power Ranking” released by the Korean Business Research Institute in June and September 2018, (G)I-dle has garnered attention for their marketing prowess and brand awareness. Billboard named them the top new K-pop acts of 2018, and they were labeled the “monster rookie” of the year. It was claimed that the success of (G)I-dle’s “Latata” and “Hann (Alone)” helped Cube Entertainment’s music sales rise by 58% to ₩8.8 billion in 2018.

2019 saw (G)I-dle make an appearance on Queendom, which helped her garner more public exposure. They topped the “Girl Group Brand Power Ranking” for two straight months in October and November of 2019 thanks to their performance of their closing song, “Lion,” which CTV News deemed one of K-pop’s biggest moments of 2019. Because it “[symbolizes] the fierce leadership, fighter and survivor instincts exhibited by women,” Rolling Stone India listed “Lion” as the third-best K-pop Feminist Anthems Perfect for Women’s Day and included it in their list of the 10 best K-pop music videos of 2019. The song topped the list of songs released in 2019 and was dubbed “one of the most visceral tracks of 2019” by Billboard.

Based on surveys conducted in January 2020 among several Korean music companies, broadcasting and program executives, composers, and popular music critics, (G)I-dle was chosen as one of the most anticipated musicians of 2020. The group ranked #1 in brand power in February with “Lion” and globe tour being the most talked about topics. Hyundai Motors Investment Firm reports that Cube Entertainment’s target shares surged by 36.67% during the coronavirus epidemic as a result of (G)I-dle’s success with “Oh My God”. The label revealed its earnings report for the second quarter of the year on August 13. Due to the success of their I-Land: Who Am I concert, I Trust, which sold 151,108 copies, and Dumdi Dumdi’s 98,587 sales, their record and broadcasting sectors saw a 349% (₩2 billion) increase in sales from a year ago. (G)I-dle became the first K-pop girl group of the fourth generation to reach 500 million Spotify plays in the same month. They were reportedly the first K-pop group to be interviewed by Forbes China, according to a report published on August 26. The label disclosed its 2022 complete earnings report on February 28, 2023. The popularity of “Tomboy,” “Nxde,” and its albums I Never Die and I Love, along with the group’s tour and commercials, caused the company’s consolidated sales to rise by 68% to ₦120.6 billion in total.

(G)I-dle is the number one artist on China’s annual NetEase Cloud Music chart in 2022. The artist has sold over a million copies of her two albums, I Never Die and I Love, and a whooping 20 million yuan (about 3.7 billion won in Korean money).

Female musicians including Yoon from STAYC, Park Subin from Dal Shabet, Yubin from the Wonder Girls, and Lola from Pixy have all mentioned (G)I-dle as an influence.