MADEIN’s Anticipated Debut Generates Mixed Reaction
Three-member girl group LIMELIGHT has rebranded and re-debuted as the seven-member group MADEIN. After much anticipation, Mashiro, MiU, Suhye, Yeseo, Gaeun, Serina, and Nagomi released their EP RISE on September 3. The addition of two former Kep1er members and two former PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS contestants made many tune in for the debut. MADEIN’s title track “UNO” also drew negative attention through its controversial music video, which caused a swift apology from the group’s management.
MADEIN’s Journey to Debut
With the exception of Gaeun, MADEIN’s current lineup is mostly composed of former survival show contestants. Their roots started with Mnet’s Girls Planet 999 in 2021: Former JYP Entertainment trainee Mashiro and former Busters member Yeseo joined the show as 143 Entertainment trainees, and future LIMELIGHT member MiU joined as independent trainee Ito Miyu. Mashiro and Yeseo secured placements in the project group Kep1er, whose original contract lasted 2.5 years under WAKEONE and Swing Entertainment.
In the following months, 143 Entertainment scouted MiU and Suhye, who participated in MBC’s My Teenage Girl between November 2021 and January 2022. On January 3, 2022, Kep1er released their debut EP FIRST IMPACT. That September, MiU, Suhye, and Gaeun released a pre-debut EP as LIMELIGHT, a group with no set member lineup. LIMELIGHT officially debuted on February 17, 2023. Saito Serina and Abe Nagomi participated in PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS, which aired between October and December 2023. Serina and Nagomi made their first public appearance as groupmates at KCON JAPAN 2024.
In January 2024, LIMELIGHT announced plans to add new members moving forward, with their then-upcoming EP LAST DANCE acting as their final three-member release. Kep1er, on the other hand, renewed their contract as a seven-member group in May. Mashiro and Yeseo stayed as part of Kep1er until the group’s 2024 Japan concert, Kep1going, on July 15. The two returned to their original company and within weeks, LIMELIGHT officially rebranded into the seven-member group MADEIN.
The “UNO” Music Video and its Controversy
The music video for MADEIN’s title track “UNO,” a house song that features a catchy hook spoken in Spanish, released on September 3. However, what garnered the most attention online was not the song itself, nor the group’s restructured lineup, but the video’s use of generative AI. Many viewers suspected scenes, including scenery and members’ solo shots, featured AI renders. This negative backlash elicited a quick response from 143 Entertainment’s CEO, rapper Digital Masta. Within 24 hours, he announced in an Instagram story that the video would be re-released “in a few days without any VFX.”
A “natural version,” without AI-generated shots of the members, came out on September 9. It includes a larger focus of the video’s storyline, where Mashiro sends a letter to a boy she has a crush on. The ending credits remain unchanged, which does not list all the professionals who helped with the AI aspects.
According to RISE’s page on streaming platform Bugs!, Polish AI film production specialist Maciej Żemojcin served as the original video’s AI supervisor. His website says he provides consultation for “human-centric AI for film and TV production.” Polish film director Martinez Swystun, known mononymously as Martinez, was credited as the video’s AI artist. Swysturn previously directed Electronic Light Orchestra’s “Yours Truly from 1988 to 2022” music video, which won multiple global awards. Despite help from international artists and South Korean film director John H. Lee, who directed the “UNO” music video, the original video’s reception has quickly become infamous.
Edited by Clark Royandoyan