(G)I-dle partners with Republic Records for US push

K-pop girl group (G)I-dle has partnered with Republic Records to officially enter the North American market, the band’s agency said Thursday.

Republic Records is a major US music label under Universal Music Group, home to high-profile artists including Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. It is making a big push into K-pop more recently, having established partnerships with K-pop groups Twice and TXT.

“We are excited to be teaming up with the multi-talented girl group (G)I-DLE as they make their highly anticipated debut into the US marketplace,” said Avery Lipman, chief operating officer and co-founder of Republic Records, in a statement. “I Trust launches the group stateside as we endeavor to accelerate their trajectory towards global stardom.”

The six-piece act released its third mini-album on Monday with “Oh My God,” a dynamic urban hip-hop single written and composed by bandleader Soyeon, as its title track.

The track has been on top of various streaming charts since its release, while its music video has been breaking records, accruing 17 million views on YouTube within a day and 30 million views in two days.

The album also topped iTunes album charts in 39 countries. In the US, it topped the iTunes’ pop album chart as well as K-pop album chart, and ranked third in the overall albums chart category.

Since debuting under Cube Entertainment in May 2018 with first EP “I Am” and single “Latata,” the group has witnessed a steady rise and received praise from global fans for their unique concepts and outstanding performances.

The sextet, consisting of members from Korea, China, Thailand and Taiwan, is one of the few girl groups to send both their debut single and album to the Billboard charts.

“We are very happy to partner with Republic Records, a leading US label, and hope that the two companies will work closely together to write new history in K-pop through (G)I-dle,” said Ahn Woo-hyung, CEO of Cube Entertainment.

By Kwon Yae-rim (kyr@heraldcorp.com)