HYBE Girl Groups Under One Roof...Strategy of Using Algorithms [HT Focus]

HYBE is making an unusual move. HYBE girl groups LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT, and KATSEYE will release the digital single 'ICONIC BY MISTAKE,' in which they came together to participate, on the 12th at 1 PM.

When the news was announced, fans poured out heated reactions such as “I am so excited for the first collaboration between HYBE girl groups” and “Next, please do a TWS X CORTIS X ENHYPEN collaboration too.” The reason fans are enthusiastic about collaborations does not simply stop at the fun of seeing chemistry with other groups. The expectation that the colors each team has can come together to create an entirely new genre attempt, as well as the strong bond the three groups have built, are both at work.

In fact, even before this collaboration, the three teams had already shown solid solidarity. Recently, LE SSERAFIM released 'CELEBRATION,' ILLIT released 'It's Me,' and KATSEYE released 'PINKY UP' side by side. All three songs share the common point of being based on Techno, which finely breaks down strong beats around 150bpm. In addition, the three teams continued what could be called a “challenge exchange,” filming short-form videos together in an elevator and supporting one another’s challenges. By taking turns doing KATSEYE’s 'PINKY UP,' ILLIT’s 'It's Me,' and LE SSERAFIM’s 'CELEBRATION' challenges, they naturally raised fans’ expectations for synergy among the three teams.

It is also notable that, just as the three teams each have genres in which they are strong, the countries where they stand out also differ from one another. LE SSERAFIM confirmed the breadth of its global fandom by ranking No. 1 in both the U.S. and Japan sections on Hanteo’s weekly Album Chart and Hanteo’s country-specific chart for the 3rd week of May. ILLIT ranked No. 1 in the U.S. section of Hanteo’s country-specific chart for the 5th week of April, and since then, starting with occasional No. 3 rankings in the Japan section, has continued to maintain a strong presence near the top of the Japan section to this day. KATSEYE, in line with its identity as a U.S.-localized group, has built recognition by appearing on well-known local broadcasts one after another, and has achieved notable results in the U.S. market, including consecutive wins at the American Music Awards.

This move by HYBE naturally brings “SMTOWN” to mind. The so-called “family album” culture, in which artists under one agency come together to release a joint track, has established itself as a traditional grammar that cannot be left out of K-POP history. What is interesting is that every time idol generations change, the form and purpose of this culture have also evolved together according to structural changes within agencies.

The sense of belonging known as having the “same blood,” or the so-called “pink blood” sentiment, can find its original form in SM Entertainment’s “SMTOWN.” Afterward, the genealogy continued through YG Entertainment’s “YG Family” and the way JYP Entertainment and STARSHIP grouped their artists together through a single digital single. Furthermore, SM Entertainment expanded the format beyond simple joint tracks into independent project groups by launching the global project group “SuperM” and the theme-based unit “GOT the beat.”

HYBE’s latest attempt can also be read as an extension of that lineage. However, the difference is that LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT, and KATSEYE, the main players of this collaboration, are teams that have grown while building their own colors within independent labels, and that unlike before, the strategy will be to use different algorithms. Expectations are gathering over what kind of synergy the three teams, who are under the same roof but have different genre identities, will create on one stage, and what kind of genre experiment 'ICONIC BY MISTAKE' will contain.