The girl group (G)I-DLE has lost its identity.

According to Ten Asia, (G)I-DLE (comprising Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi, and Shuhua), synonymous with "feminine charm," has released numerous hit songs to date. However, the public and fans are expressing disappointment with the overly sexy style that has continued since the group's full album "2."

Since their debut, (G)I-DLE has become famous for their feminine, independent, and captivating image.

Notably, (G)I-DLE removed the word “(G)”, meaning “women”, from the cover of their debut full-length album and declared, “We will create music that breaks the boundaries and stereotypes associated with girl groups.” Influenced by this statement, (G)I-DLE’s fandom has a higher proportion of female fans than male fans.

The group's hit songs, such as "Latata," "Queencard," "Nxde," and "Tomboy," are popular with the public and all feature lyrics that express the "self" of women.

In “Queencard,” the group depicts the process of regaining their self-esteem. In “Nxde,” they express strong self-love. And in “Tomboy,” they portray escaping a bad relationship and proudly enjoying life alone. The public has given positive feedback on (G)I-DLE's lyrics.

However, their popularity has been affected by controversies surrounding the boldness of their second full-length album “2” and their seventh mini-album “I Sway,” which the group released this year.

Controversial scene in the music video. — Controversial scene in (G)I-DLE's "Klaxon" music video. Photo: Cube

In the title track "Klaxon" from "I Sway," (G)I-DLE caused controversy for shaking their hips close to the screen in bikinis. Even the group's fans were upset with Cube Entertainment for allowing (G)I-DLE to be so revealing.

The lyrics of the pre-release single "Wife" from the earlier album "2" also became a subject of controversy, due to the inclusion of sexual allusions throughout the song. The song was banned from broadcast by KBS because of its inappropriate lyrics.

Ten Asia suggests that the ongoing controversy since January may have contributed to (G)I-DLE's weaker musical performance this year compared to 2022-2023.

(G)I-DLE was the first Kpop girl group to achieve a Perfect All-Kill (topping all Korean digital music charts on iChart) with four consecutive comebacks (the songs "Tomboy", "Nxde", "Queencard", and "Fate").

However, in the case of the album "I Sway," despite being released 10 days ago, the title track "Klaxon" is still outside the Top 10 of the Melon Top 100 chart (as of 10 PM on July 18).

According to Ten Asia, the main reason for (G)I-DLE's declining popularity is the group's fading identity.

In "Klaxon," compared to the revealing outfits, the music is not at all daring.

(G)I-DLE once impressed with their unique music. Photo: Cube

Their previous work, "Super Lady," became a hot topic thanks to its unique high-pitched vocal performance in the first half of the song. "Tomboy" received positive reviews for its inclusion of a "beep" sound, symbolizing swearing. "Queencard" delivered an intense rock rhythm—uncommon for girl groups.

But “Klaxon” is different. Perhaps because they wanted to fit the trend of easy-listening songs, (G)I-DLE's unique melody is absent, and the song genre is typical pop. Furthermore, it has a smooth rhythm lacking the power of their previous summer hit, “Dumdi Dumdi.”

(G)I-DLE returned with the goal of creating a "second Sistar" vibe – the group dubbed the "Summer Queens" of Kpop. But the results weren't what they expected.

Source: https://laodong.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/nhom-nhac-nu-gi-dle-danh-mat-ban-sac-1368458.ldo