GFriend (stylized in

all caps In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in ...

; ) was a South Korean

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

formed by

Source Music Diegetic music or source music is music in a drama (e.g., film or video game) that is part of the fictional setting and so, presumably, is heard by the characters. The term refers to diegesis, a style of storytelling. The opposite of source m ...

in 2015. The group consisted of six members: Sowon, Yerin, Eunha, Yuju,

SinB Hwang Eun-bi (born June 3, 1998), better known by her stage name SinB, is a South Korean singer, dancer and actress. She is known for being a former member of South Korean girl group GFriend and a current member of the trio Viviz. Early life S ...

, and

Umji Kim Ye-won (; born August 19, 1998), better known by her stage name Umji (), is a South Korean singer and dancer. She is a former member of the girl group GFriend, and a current member of the trio Viviz. Early life Umji was born on August 19 ...

. They debuted with the

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) '' Season of Glass'' on January 15, 2015 and won several female rookie awards, garnering momentum early on despite being from a small company. GFriend continued their commercial success the next year with their third EP, ''Snowflake'', whose lead single " Rough" won first place on numerous music shows. They released their first studio album, ''

LOL LOL, or lol, is an initialism for laughing out loud and a popular element of Internet slang. It was first used almost exclusively on Usenet, but has since become widespread in other forms of computer-mediated communication and even face-to ...

'', in 2016 as well. In 2017, GFriend returned with their fourth EP, ''The Awakening'', for which pre-orders exceeded 100,000 copies. The same year, the group released their fifth EP, ''Parallel'', which was re-issued one month later under the title ''Rainbow''. In 2018, GFriend released their sixth EP, ''

Time for the Moon Night ''Time for the Moon Night'' is the sixth extended play (EP) by South Korean girl group GFriend. It was released by Source Music on April 30, 2018, and distributed by kakao M (formerly LOEN Entertainment). The album contains six songs, includi ...

'', and the special EP '' Sunny Summer''. They also made their official Japanese debut with the compilation album ''GFriend 1st Best'', held their first concert, and embarked on their first Asian tour. In 2019, GFriend released their second studio album, ''

Time For Us ''Time for Us'' is the second studio album by South Korean girl group GFriend. It was released by Source Music on January 14, 2019, distributed by kakao M. The album contains thirteen songs, including the lead single "Sunrise" and its instrumenta ...

'', and their seventh EP, '' Fever Season''. The group's final releases were part of the "回" series in 2020, which included two EPs and their third studio album. That year, GFriend became the first-ever girl group to be interviewed for the Grammy Mini Masterclass. They disbanded on May 22, 2021, after all members left Source Music upon the conclusion of their contracts.

History

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

On January 15, 2015, GFriend released their five-track debut extended play (EP), ''Season of Glass''. The lead single "

Glass Bead Glass bead making has long traditions, with the oldest known beads dating over 3,000 years. Glass beads have been dated back to at least Roman times. Perhaps the earliest glass-like beads were Egyptian faience beads, a form of clay bead with a ...

" was composed by Seo Yong-bae and Iggy, and the album debuted at number twelve on Gaon's weekly chart. The group began album promotions on January 16 on KBS' ''

Music Bank Music Bank may refer to: * ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS **''Music Bank World Tour The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show '' Music Bank'' by the Korean Broa ...

''. According to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

, the music video for "Glass Bead" ranked number nine on their list of the ten "Most Viewed K-Pop Videos Around the World in January 2015". On January 28, 2015, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' named GFriend one of "Top 5 K-Pop Artists to Watch in 2015". GFriend released their second EP ''

Flower Bud In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be speci ...

'' and the music video for lead single " Me Gustas Tu" on July 23, 2015. GFriend began promoting on the same date as the album release on

Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

's ''

M Countdown ''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. Bro ...

''. The group garnered international attention after a fan-taken video of the members continuing a performance of "Me Gustas Tu" despite the slippery stage went viral in September 2015. GFriend was praised for their professionalism, especially Yuju, who fell five times and suffered a twisted finger during the performance. They were the only girl group nominated in the

2015 MTV Europe Music Awards The 2015 MTV EMAs (also known as the MTV Europe Music Awards) were held at the Mediolanum Forum in Assago, near Milan, Italy, on 25 October 2015. This was the third time the awards have taken place in Italy, second time Milan has been the host ...

"Best Korean Act" category alongside boy groups

B1A4 B1A4 () is a South Korean boy band formed by WM Entertainment. The group debuted on April 23, 2011 with the single "O.K" from the EP ''Let's Fly'', after being introduced to the public through a webtoon. They have released nine studio albums (fo ...

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produ ...

, Got7, and

VIXX VIXX ( ko, 빅스 pronounced "vicks"; acronym for "voice, visual, value in excelsis") is a South Korean boy band formed by Jellyfish Entertainment through the 2012 reality show ''MyDOL''. Originally a sextet, the group is presently composed of fi ...

. "Me Gustas Tu" entered the Gaon Year-End Top 100 chart as the 38th best selling song of 2015. "Me Gustas Tu" and "Glass Bead" were also ranked 18th and 44th, respectively, in the 2015 Bugs Year-End Top 100.

2016: ''Snowflake'', first music show wins, ''Showtime'' and ''LOL''

On January 25, 2016, GFriend released their third EP, ''

Snowflake A snowflake is a single ice crystal that has achieved a sufficient size, and may have amalgamated with others, which falls through the Earth's atmosphere as snow.Knight, C.; Knight, N. (1973). Snow crystals. Scientific American, vol. 228, no. ...

'', with led by the single " Rough". "Rough" was the last song in GFriend's high school concept trilogy, along with "Glass Bead" and "Me Gustas Tu". GFriend began promotions for ''Snowflake'' on January 26 on

SBS MTV SBS M is a South Korean pay television music channel owned by SBS Medianet, a division of SBS Media Holdings. It features South Korean pop artists, international music, news, and a few reality and variety programs. It was launched in 2001 as t ...

's '' The Show''. ''Snowflake'' debuted at number ten on he ''Billboard'' World Albums Chart, and the music video of "Rough" on

ranked at number three in the top ten "Most Viewed K-Pop Videos Around the World in January 2016". 20160730-P1000885 (28352591423)

On February 2, GFriend received their first music show win for their song "Rough" on ''The Show''. They went on to win another fourteen awards on the music shows, including their first triple crowns on ''

'', ''

Show Champion ''Show Champion'' (Korean: 쇼 챔피언) is a South Korean music television program broadcast live by MBC M every Wednesday at Bitmaru Broadcasting Center in Ilsan. Hosts * Shindong (February 14, 2012 – December 25, 2012) * Hahm Eun-jung ...

'', and ''

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...

''. With a total of 15 wins, they placed second in the number of wins for girls groups, behind

Apink Apink ( ko, 에이핑크, ja, エーピンク) is a South Korean girl group formed by IST Entertainment (formerly Play M Entertainment, A Cube Entertainment, and Plan A Entertainment). The group debuted on April 19, 2011, with the extended play ...

who recorded a total of 17 wins with " Luv". The song "Rough" also placed first in Gaon Chart's First Half of 2016 chart rankings. On June 15, it was announced that GFriend would star alongside

Mamamoo Mamamoo (, stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote ...

in a new season of ''Showtime''. On June 29, Source Music began preparations for the release of the group's first studio album, ''

'', which stands for both "Laughing Out Loud" and "Lots of Love". ''LOL'' was released on July 11 with the lead single " Navillera", having accumulated more than 60,000 pre-orders worldwide. On July 19, GFriend earned their first music show win for "Navillera" on ''The Show''. At 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 second and tenth, respectively. "Rough" and "Navillera" were also ranked second and eleventh, respectively, in the 2016 Bugs Year-End Top 100. "Rough" ranked 13th in ''Billboard''s 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2016: Critic's Picks. 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%. "Rough" also became the most downloaded song in 2016, according to Gaon Chart's 2016 Year End Download Chart.

2017: First fan-meeting, ''The Awakening'', ''Parallel'' and ''Rainbow''

On February 23, Source Music announced that GFriend would make a comeback on March 6. On February 27, it was revealed that their fourth EP would be titled '' The Awakening'' with lead single "

Fingertip A finger is a limb of the body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of most of the Tetrapods, so also with humans and other primates. Most land vertebrates have five fingers ( Pentadactyly). Chambers ...

". ''The Awakening'' global pre-orders exceeded 100,000 copies, a new personal record. Additionally, the album debuted at fifth on ''Billboard''s World Albums chart. In April, GFriend held their first fan meeting, "Dear Buddy". On August 1, GFriend released their fifth EP, ''

Parallel Parallel is a geometric term of location which may refer to: Computing * Parallel algorithm * Parallel computing * Parallel metaheuristic * Parallel (software), a UNIX utility for running programs in parallel * Parallel Sysplex, a cluster of ...

'', with lead single "

Love Whisper "Love Whisper" (; : "If you listen carefully") is a song recorded by South Korean girl group GFriend for their fifth extended play ''Parallel'' (2017). The song was released by Source Music on August 1, 2017, as the EP title track. It has sold o ...

". In September, they released the repackaged version of the album ''Rainbow'' with the lead single " Summer Rain".

2018: First solo concert, ''Time for the Moon Night'', Japanese debut, ''Sunny Summer'' and "Memoria"

GFriend opened the year with their first solo concert, "Season of GFriend", on January 6 and 7, 2018. GFriend signed with King Records. Their sixth EP, ''

'', debuted on top the Download, Album & Social charts on Gaon, selling more than 84,000 copies in domestically. The following week, it was reported that the group tied with

Girls' Generation Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ensembl ...

and

Twice Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaey ...

as the girl groups with the most entries in the Top 10 of the ''Billboard'' World Albums Chart, with five each. In the second week of album promotions, GFriend won six awards on music programs, making "Time for the Moon Night" the first song of 2018 to win all prizes at musical programs. In late May, the group promoted their compilation album '' Kyō Kara Watashitachi wa ~ GFriend 1st Best ~'' in Japan, which was released on May 23. GFriend Japanese debut album peak at number 10 on the Oricon weekly album chart. On July 19, GFriend released a summer EP, '' Sunny Summer''. they made a debut in ''Billboard'''s Social 50 chart at number 30, one week after the release of the album. On October 10, GFriend released their first Japanese single album, " Memoria /夜 (Time for the moon night)". It debuted at number six on the Oricon weekly singles chart and five on the ''Billboard'' Japan weekly top singles sales.

2019: ''Time for Us'', back-to-back Japanese singles, ''Fever Season'' and ''Fallin' Light''

On January 14, GFriend released their second studio album, ''

Time for Us ''Time for Us'' is the second studio album by South Korean girl group GFriend. It was released by Source Music on January 14, 2019, distributed by kakao M. The album contains thirteen songs, including the lead single "Sunrise" and its instrumenta ...

,'' with lead single "

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...

". ''Time for Us'' became the group's highest selling Korean album, with more than 86,000 copies sold on Gaon. On February 13, the group released their second Japanese single album, "Sunrise (JP ver.)/La Pam Pam". On March 13, they released their third Japanese single album, " Flower/Beautiful". On July 1, GFriend released their seventh EP, '' Fever Season'', with lead single "

Fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...

". The EP consisted of eight tracks, including an instrumental version of their lead single. The group also promoted in Japan by collaborating with Japanese pop group Sonar Pocket and released Japanese single album ''Oh Difficult – Sonar Pocket×GFriend'' on July 3. On November 13, GFriend released their first Japanese studio album, '' Fallin' Light'', with a lead single of the same name. The album also contained all of their previous Japanese songs since "Memoria", as well as new tracks.

2020–2021: "回" series and disbandment

On February 3, 2020, GFriend released their eighth EP, 回:''Labyrinth'', with lead single "

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

". It marked the group's first Korean comeback since the acquisition of Source Music by

Big Hit Entertainment Big Hit Music (; formerly Big Hit Entertainment) is a South Korean music label established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk. It was re-branded and re-structured into an independent label under Hybe Corporation (formerly Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd.) ...

in 2019. Their ninth EP, 回:''Song of the Sirens'', was released on July 13 with the lead single "Apple". On October 14, the group released 回:''Labyrinth ~Crossroads~'', containing Japanese versions of "Crossroads" and "Labyrinth". It was followed by 回:''Song of the Sirens ~Apple~'' on October 21, containing Japanese versions of "Apple" and "Tarot Cards". GFriend's third studio album, 回:''Walpurgis Night'', was released on November 9, with lead single " Mago". On May 22, 2021, all six members left Source Music upon the end of their contracts, and the group officially disbanded.

Members

* Sowon () — leader * Yerin () * Eunha () * Yuju () *

() *

()

Discography

Korean albums

*''

'' (2016) *''

'' (2019) * 回:''Walpurgis Night'' (2020)

Japanese albums

*'' Fallin' Light'' (2019)

Ambassadorship

In 2019, Shopee Indonesia named GFriend their 2019 Global K-Market Ambassador. The group contributed greatly to the brand's K-Wave net shares, helping achieve an eightfold increase in their Korean sales on the platform and earn first place for Indonesia and seventh place worldwide in the Best Brand Category of the 2019 Top Brand Buzz Awards.

Filmography

Reality shows

DVDs & Blu-Ray

* ''GFriend - Where R U Going? (2016)'' * ''2016 Season's Greetings'' * ''2017 Season's Greetings'' * ''2018 Season's Greetings'' * ''2018 GFRIEND 1st Concert "Season of GFriend" (2018)'' * ''2019 Season's Greetings "Be In Full Bloom"'' * ''2018 GFRIEND 1st Concert ENCORE "Season of Gfriend" (2019)'' * ''GFriend 1st Photo Book "여자친구" (2019)'' * ''2020 Season's Greetings'' * ''2019 GFRIEND ASIA TOUR in Seoul Go Go GFRIEND! (2020)'' * ''GFriend 2nd Photo Book (CHOICE) (2020)'' * ''2021 Season's Greetings''

Concert and tours

Headlining concert & tours

* GFriend 1st Asia Tour: Season of GFriend (2018) * GFriend Spring Tour 2019: Bloom (2019) * GFriend 2nd Asia Tour: Go Go GFriend! (2019) * GFriend Online Concert: GFriend C:ON (2020)

Concert participation

's New Year's Eve Live Concert (2020)

Showcase

* GFriend L.O.L Showcase (2016) * GFriend Premium Showcase in Japan (2018)

GFriend 1st Asia Tour: Season of GFriend

* The two concerts held in Japan were called "Summer Live in Japan 2018" due to their Japanese debut promotions. The concerts were part of their Asia Tour.

GFriend Spring Tour 2019: Bloom

GFriend 2nd Asia Tour: Go Go GFriend!

Awards and nominations

GFriend got their first-ever major award for their debut extended play '' Season of Glass'', released in January 2015, as the "Best New Female Artist" at Melon Music Awards on November 7, 2015. The group also won several new artist awards between late 2015 to early 2016, including at the 5th

Gaon Chart Music Awards The Circle Chart Music Awards (), formerly known as the Gaon Chart Music Awards, are a major music awards ceremony that is presented annually in South Korea by the Korea Music Content Association primarily based on the commercial performance of t ...

, the 30th

Golden Disc Awards The Golden Disc Awards (, formerly spelled the Golden Disk Awards before 2015) is an annual South Korean major music awards ceremony that honors achievements in the local music industry. The awards ceremony was founded with the purpose to promo ...

and the 25th

Seoul Music Awards The Seoul Music Awards (; SMA) is a major South Korean music awards show presented by the newspaper ''Sports Seoul''. The award winners are selected based on a combination of criteria, including music sales, popular votes, and expert judges' op ...

. The group received their first Grand Prize (Daesang) award at the 2016 Korean PD Awards. Their first music show win was on '' The Show'' with "Rough" on February 2, 2016, after which the group went 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. The group's third extended play ''

'' single " Rough" won the group several awards between late 2016 to early 2017, including Song of the Year – January at the 7th Gaon Chart Music Awards. The single also won the Best Dance award and Digital Bonsang award at the 2016 Melon Music Awards, the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards and the 31st Golden Disc Awards, respectively. In 2020, Dingo Music has given them a 'Special Grand Prize' trophy for their exemplary contribution for the Original Contents created by the channel throughout the years.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Musical groups established in 2015 Musical groups disestablished in 2021 K-pop music groups South Korean dance music groups South Korean girl groups 2015 establishments in South Korea 2021 disestablishments in South Korea MAMA Award winners Melon Music Award winners King Records (Japan) artists Hybe Corporation artists