Psy's Girl Group and Teddy's Chaebol Idol Compete as YG Prepares for Debut

Baby DONT Cry and ALLDAY PROJECT Make Their Debut on the 23rd

Group Baby DONT Cry is performing on stage at the press conference for the single "F Girl" held on the 23rd at Blue Square in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Psy and Teddy, who previously worked together at YG Entertainment in the 2000s, both introduced new rookie idol groups on the same day.

Psy's company, P Nation, unveiled the girl group Baby DONT Cry for the first time on the 23rd. While P Nation previously debuted the boy group TNX in 2022 through the SBS audition program "Loud," this marks the company's first launch of a girl group.

Baby DONT Cry is a four-member group consisting of Lee Hyun, Kumi, Mia, and Benny, all born between 2006 and 2008. Their debut single, "F Girl," was produced by Jeon Soyeon of (G)I-DLE.

At the debut showcase held at Blue Square in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 23rd, Lee Hyun explained, "'Baby' does not represent something cute or fragile, but rather means facing the world with strong and pure energy." Mia said, "CEO Psy advised us to genuinely enjoy being on stage. We will do our best to empower the audience." Benny added, "He gave us advice during practice so that we wouldn't get exhausted, and he always encourages us to perform on stage without regrets."

The agency described "F Girl" as "a track characterized by an upbeat guitar riff, conveying an attitude of boldly confronting rigid standards such as grades or numbers." They also stated, "We aimed to break the fixed images expected of young girls." However, after the release of the music video teaser, some scenes were criticized for sexualizing minors. In response, the agency announced, "To prevent misunderstandings and controversy, we have decided to remove those scenes from the final version. We apologize to anyone who may have felt uncomfortable or concerned."

When related questions arose at the event, host Park Kyunglim blocked further inquiries by saying, "Please refer to the official statement released by P Nation." Baby DONT Cry expressed their ambition, stating that their goal is to win the Rookie of the Year award and become a group loved by everyone.

On the same day, The Black Label, led by Teddy, also introduced the co-ed group ALLDAY PROJECT. Teddy, who oversaw the production, is a producer known for creating hit songs for major girl groups such as 2NE1 and BLACKPINK during his YG days, and this time he is taking on the new challenge of a co-ed group.

ALLDAY PROJECT released their debut single on the 23rd. The Black Label

At 6 PM on the 23rd, ALLDAY PROJECT released their debut single "FAMOUS" along with the double title track "WICKED." The agency explained, "'FAMOUS' is a song themed around the emotions and self-expression of the global Generation Z, while 'WICKED' is a track that maximizes the individuality of each of the five members."

ALLDAY PROJECT (Annie, Tarzan, Bailey, Woochan, Youngseo) held only a photocall in Gangnam, Seoul, ahead of the album release and skipped the press conference. Annie (real name Moon Seoyoon) is well known as the granddaughter of Shinsegae Group Chairwoman Lee Myunghee and the eldest daughter of Shinsegae President Chung Yukyung. Her father is Moon Sungwook, Vice President and Head of Division at Shinsegae International. Youngseo previously left the team just before debuting with ILLIT under HYBE, and Jo Woochan appeared on Mnet's "Show Me the Money 6."

YG Entertainment is also preparing to launch a new girl group. Executive Producer Yang Hyunsuk recently announced that two new boy groups and two new girl groups are in the works. Practice videos of trainees such as Belly, a 15-year-old from Australia, and Chanya, a 14-year-old from Thailand, have been released one after another, with some videos surpassing 10 million views within a week of being posted.

Since the first half of this year, major entertainment agencies have been launching new groups one after another, signaling a generational shift in the idol market. Starting with JYP Entertainment's seven-member boy group Kickflip in January, followed by SM Entertainment's eight-member rookie girl group Hearts2Hearts in February, and now with new debuts announced by P Nation, The Black Label, and YG, competition for market leadership in the post-fourth generation era is intensifying.