Today, Channel-Korea will give you a rundown of K-Pop groups that have been formed after the members appeared on a survival show. So, stay tuned!
I.O.I
Ideal of Idol, or better known as I.O.I, is a girl group that was formed after the members survived the first season of the sensational survival show Produce 101. I.O.I consists of 11 girls: Lim Na-young, Kim Chung-ha, Kim Se-jeong, Jung Chae-yeon, Zhou Jieqiong, Kim So-hye, Yoo Yeon-jung, Choi Yoo-jung, Kang Mi-na, Kim Do-yeon, and Jeon So-mi. The members come from various entertainment companies, from big companies to small companies, such as JYP Entertainment, Pledis Entertainment, MBK Entertainment, Jellyfish Entertainment, MNH Entertainment, and many others. I.O.I officially debuted on May 4th, 2016, with the release of their first album titled Chrysalis and a music video titled “Dream Girls.” On the next day, the group held their debut stage on Mnet’s M! Countdown and performed their title track as well as the song “Knock Knock Knock.” On the same day, the group also held their debut showcase and fan meeting at Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul. The group was actively releasing songs, such as ‘Very Very Very,” “Crush,” and even made a subunit that performed a song titled “Whatta Man.” They also released a remake of the Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics theme song titled “Hand in Hand” that was originally sung by Koreana. The group later disbanded on January 31st, 2017. From January 20th until January 22nd, the group held their final concert Time Slip – I.O.I, which was held in Jangchung Gymnasium, where they had held their debut showcase. Before their official disbandment, the group also released a song titled “Downpour” which won Inkigayo’s final January 2017 trophy with no live broadcast due to the Lunar New Year’s Day.
I.B.I
I.B.I was a five-member girl group that was formed by LOEN Entertainment in 2016. The members of this group are former participants of Produce 101 who didn’t make it as the final members of I.O.I. The name has a meaning of il-ban-in which means “normal people” in Korean, but also stands for “I Believe It.” The group was managed by LOEN Entertainment while the members remained under their own agencies. The members of I.B.I are Lee Hae-in, Kim So-hee, Yoon Chae-kyung, Lee Su-hyun, and Han Hye-ri. I.B.I officially debuted by releasing their digital single album titled Molae Molae on August 18th, 2016. On the same day, the group held their debut showcase as well as performing their debut stage on Mnet’s M! Countdown. Not only performing at a music show, but I.B.I also held a guerilla concert Run to You on August 19th, 2016, at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. On the concert, they performed their single track “Molae Molae” and singles from Produce 101, such as “When the Cherry Blossoms Fade” and “Pick Me.”
Fromis_9
Fromis_9 is a girl group that was formed through a survival show called Idol School by CJ E&M in 2017. The group consists of nine members: Lee Sae-rom, Song Ha-young, Jang Gyu-ri, Park Ji-won, Roh Ji-sun, Lee Seo-yeon, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-gyung, and Baek Ji-heon. The group’s name was suggested by netizens through the Idol School website and chosen by CJ E&M, which means “to keep their promise (to viewers) to be the best girl group.” Later, the group decided to add 9 in their name to be Fromis_9. Fromis_9 officially debuted with their first extended play (EP), To. Heart, released on January 24th, 2018, along with its lead single titled “To Heart” under Stone Music Entertainment. The EP debuted at number 4 on the Gaon Album Chart issued on January 27th, 2018. On May 10th, it was revealed that Fromis_9’s member Jang Gyu-ri entered Produce 48 as a contestant, which made Fromis_9 release their second EP To. Day as an eight-member group. The group went back to being a nine-member group after Jang Gyu-ri was eliminated in the 3rd elimination round of Produce 48.
UN.B
UN.B is a boy group that was formed through a survival show called The Unit. The group itself consists of nine members: Euijin, Feeldog, Daewon, Marco, Go Ho-jung, Ji Han-sol, Jun, Chan, and Kijung. Before their participation in The Unit, the members actually already had experience in the entertainment industry, as the program was aimed to give the participants a fair chance to demonstrate their talents that they might not have been able to show before. On April 7th, 2018, UN.B officially made their debut by releasing their first EP titled Boyhood. The EP features two title tracks, “Feeling” and “Only One.” The group held their debut stage on You Hee-yeol’s Sketchbook that was aired on KBS. UN.B ended their activities on January 27th, 2019.
