(G)I-DLE’s Rebrand as i-dle Begins a New Journey

Photo: i-dle Official X

The group formerly known as (G)I-DLE, i-dle, commemorated their new identity and seventh anniversary with the special EP We are i-dle earlier this month on May 2. A day before they released the EP, the group changed their social media handles and updated their logo: the lowercase name comes with a five-pointed asterisk at the end. Soyeon, Miyeon, Minnie, Yuqi, and Shuhua originally made their debut in 2018 under CUBE Entertainment and have since grown into one of the current top girl groups. 

Behind a Rebrand

Group rebrands often happen as a combination of factors: past name changes by other groups come influenced by events such as trademark battles and management changes. But after i-dle re-signed with CUBE Entertainment in December, they remain under the same company they debuted under. “Before we went on stage today, the five members decided to re-sign together. We five will continue to present good music together for a lifetime,” Soyeon said after i-dle received “Record of the Year” at the 2024 MelOn Music Awards. 

According to a Cube Entertainment press release, the removal of the “(G)” from i-dle’s name came with a renewed identity that “can’t be defined by any gender.” The “G” in (G)I-DLE stood for “girl” and in the group's Korean name they removed the Korean word “여자” (yeoja), which means “female.” While i-dle’s title tracks have often commented on society’s perceived gender roles of women, all kinds of audiences can take messages from i-dle. The group solidified this change with their “for (G)” trailer, which also teased their next comeback for May 19. i-dle crowded around a coffin to say their goodbyes. This coffin likely signified their old name, showing how they will move forward. 

Implications of We are i-dle

We are i-dle contains re-recordings of the fan song “i’M THE TREND” and title tracks released before the departure of former (G)I-DLE member Soojin. i-dle originally debuted as a six-member group with the EP I am and the title track “LATATA.” Soojin left in August 2021 after facing months of school bullying allegations. Soojin leaving meant that i-dle’s fourth EP, I Burn, signified the final six-member comeback. Though she has since built a solo career, there are no indicated plans to reintegrate Soojin back into the group.

In the years following, i-dle still saw massive success. Their first title track as a five-member group, “TOMBOY,” received a “Perfect All-Kill” (PAK) in March 2022, after maintaining the top spot on “real-time, daily, and weekly charts on all major South Korean music streaming platforms.” The streak continued with “Nxde,” “Queencard,” and “Fate,” totalling to four Perfect All-Kill achievements. With the continual group accomplishments and additional success of the members’ solo music careers, i-dle knows how to keep momentum.   

Edited by Clark Royandoyan