January 2016

Funny enough, our constellation remained almost the same for the past two years. Sure, a few faces came and went, but they settled on debuting only five of us. It marked the beginning of individual promotions. Jennie starred in GD's music video for "That XX" in 2013, while Lisa made an appearance in Taeyong's "Ringa Linga" during the same year. She even became the face of the street-wear brand Nona9on last year. Jisoo ventured into acting and played Bobby's love interest in his video for "I'm Different." As for Chaeyong, now going by the stage name Rosé, she had the fantastic opportunity to feature in GD's song "Without You."

Given my background in producing songs back in Paris with my dad, YG offered me a chance to produce some songs, collaborating with Teddy and working solo. My inclination toward RnB didn't align with YG's focus on hip-hop, so they explored selling my creations to other companies. To my surprise, one company bought my demo, and they liked my voice so much that they retained me as a feature. I added some ad libs, and now credited as "? from YG New Girl Group." This status remained until our official debut.

Typically, companies promote their artists within their label, but this collaboration was significant. YG kept the group's identity a secret until they released the song in November last year. Initially just an outro version, the full-length track was set to release in May. The response was overwhelming, and it kept people buzzing about YG's upcoming girl group.

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BTS - House of Cards feat. ? from YG New Girl Group

BTS, an emerging group that defied the odds and rose to prominence, earned my admiration for their undeniable talent and unwavering resilience. Although I hadn't had the chance to meet them in person, arrangements were in place for me to surprise the audience at their tour stop in Seoul come October. The prospect of our paths crossing on various music shows added an extra layer of anticipation to the unfolding chapters of our journeys.

Now, we're fully immersed in preparations for our debut in August—song selection, new choreography, show outfits, and more. We've already recorded three songs and chosen "Boombayah" and "Whistle" for our debut. "Boombayah" is a lively EDM-like track with a fun theme for the upcoming music video. Meanwhile, "Whistle" is a cool hip-hop track, my personal favorite among the recordings. Despite facing some resistance due to its simplicity, I'm thrilled the label decided to release it. The journey to our debut continues with excitement and anticipation.