Kakao Entertainment (hereinafter referred to as Kakao Enter) is drawing attention by announcing plans for various new artists' activities in 2025.
Following last year's active global activities, including world tours of representative artists like IU and Ive, which expanded the global influence of its music business, this year, the company is generating excitement by previewing the activities of various new artists, including the rookie girl group KiiiKiii from Starship Entertainment (hereinafter referred to as Starship) and the British boy group dearALICE, introduced by Kakao Enter and SM Entertainment's (hereinafter referred to as SM) North American subsidiary.
Kakao Enter is focusing its capabilities on securing mega IPs with global influence through systematic support and the advancement of a multi-label system, as well as collaboration with various partners, aiming to firmly establish itself as a key player in the global K-pop market. To this end, it plans to continuously discover capable new artists and present them on the global stage. Additionally, it aims to diversify the global activities of existing artists and further solidify its global fandom.
Starship has recently announced the debut plans for the girl group KiiiKiii, attracting significant interest. This will be the first girl group launched by Starship in four years since the debut of Ive in 2021, and expectations are high for the 'sister group' of Ive, which has established itself as an 'MZ wannabe icon' not only in Korea but worldwide.
In fact, KiiiKiii has been releasing different content on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok, developing organic storytelling across channels, and generating more interest by announcing the birth of a group filled with 'Gen Z beauty' from their first promotion. Even before specific debut plans are revealed, the group has already received praise for its outstanding visual creativity through its stylish photos and videos. Starship is focusing on solidifying a multi-producing system and a segmented management system starting in 2024, aiming to enhance comprehensive support for each artist.
The organization is structured into three divisions: Division 1 (K.Will, MONSTA X, Ive), Division 2 (WJSN, CRAVITY), and Division 3 (KiiiKiii), aiming to maintain the unique colors of each artist while promoting active activities that transcend domestic and global boundaries and creating synergy among the teams.
Additionally, SM, which is closely collaborating with Kakao Enter, is also drawing attention by revealing plans for new artists. They plan to introduce a new eight-member girl group called Hatz to Hatz. Hatz to Hatz is set to officially debut with their first single 'The Chase' on February 24. SM's male trainees, SMTR25, are also participating in the SMTOWN LIVE global tour this year, quickly forming a fandom with their proven skills even before their debut, generating excitement.
Kakao Enter stated, “While strengthening the global activities of major artists, we plan to continuously discover new artists with exceptional skills across various genres and present them on the global stage, thereby enhancing the global competitiveness of our music business,” adding, “Through this, we will introduce various genres of K-pop to the global music industry and build a more solid influence.”
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
