GFriend continued their commercial success the next year with their third EP,Snowflake, whose lead single "Rough" won first place on numerous music shows. They released their first studio album,LOL, in 2016 as well. In 2017, GFriend returned with their fourth EP,The Awakening, for which pre-orders exceeded 100,000 copies.[4] The same year, the group released their fifth EP,Parallel, which was re-issued one month later under the titleRainbow.
In 2018, GFriend released their sixth EP,Time for the Moon Night, and the special EPSunny Summer. They also made their official Japanese debut with the compilation albumGFriend 1st Best, held their first concert,[5] and embarked on their first Asian tour.[6] In 2019, GFriend released their second studio album,Time For Us, and their seventh EP,Fever Season. The group's final releases were part of the "回" series in 2020, which included two EPs and their third studio album. That year, GFriend became the first-ever girl group to be interviewed for theGrammy Mini Masterclass.[7] The group was disbanded on May 22, 2021, after all members left Source Music upon the conclusion of their contracts. Eunha, SinB, and Umji later formed the groupViviz in 2022, after signing withBPM Entertainment.
In September 2024, it was announced that the group would reunite in 2025 in celebration of their tenth anniversary. The group's reunion project, a single album entitledSeason of Memories, was released on January 13, 2025, to be followed by a concert tour.
On January 15, 2015, GFriend released their five-track debut extended play (EP),Season of Glass.[8] The lead single "Glass Bead" was composed by Seo Yong-bae and Iggy, and the album debuted at number twelve on Gaon's weekly chart.[9][10] The group began album promotions on January 16 onKBS'Music Bank.[11] According toYouTube, the music video for "Glass Bead" ranked number nine on their list of the ten "Most Viewed K-Pop Videos Around the World in January 2015".[12] On January 28, 2015,Billboard named GFriend one of "Top 5 K-Pop Artists to Watch in 2015".[13]
GFriend released their second EPFlower Bud and the music video for lead single "Me Gustas Tu" on July 23. GFriend began promoting on the same date as the album release onMnet'sM Countdown.[14] The group garnered international attention after a fan-taken video of the members continuing a performance of "Me Gustas Tu" despite the slippery stage went viral in September. GFriend was praised for their professionalism, especiallyYuju, who fell five times and suffered a twisted finger during the performance.[15][16] They were the only girl group nominated in the2015 MTV Europe Music Awards "Best Korean Act" category alongside boy groupsB1A4,BTS,Got7, andVIXX.[17] "Me Gustas Tu" entered the Gaon Year-End Top 100 chart as the 38th best selling song of 2015.[18] "Me Gustas Tu" and "Glass Bead" were also ranked 18th and 44th, respectively, in the 2015 Bugs Year-End Top 100.[19]
2016:Snowflake, first music show wins,Showtime andLOL
On January 25, 2016, GFriend released their third EP,Snowflake, with led by the single "Rough". "Rough" was the last song in GFriend's high school concept trilogy, along with "Glass Bead" and "Me Gustas Tu". GFriend began promotions forSnowflake on January 26 onSBS MTV'sThe Show.Snowflake debuted at number ten on heBillboard World Albums Chart,[20] and the music video of "Rough" onYouTube ranked at number three in the top ten "Most Viewed K-Pop Videos Around the World in January 2016".[21]
GFriend on stage duringKCON16 LA, on July 30, 2016.
On February 2, GFriend received their first music show win for their song "Rough" onThe Show. They went on to win another fourteen awards on the music shows, including their first triple crowns onM Countdown,Music Bank,Show Champion, andInkigayo. With a total of 15 wins, they placed second in the number of wins for girls groups, behindApink who recorded a total of 17 wins with "Luv".[22][23] The song "Rough" also placed first in Gaon Chart's First Half of 2016 chart rankings.[24]
On June 15, it was announced that GFriend would star alongsideMamamoo in a new season ofShowtime. On June 29, Source Music began preparations for the release of the group's first studio album,LOL, which stands for both "Laughing Out Loud" and "Lots of Love".LOL was released on July 11 with the lead single "Navillera", having accumulated more than 60,000 pre-orders worldwide.[25] On July 19, GFriend earned their first music show win for "Navillera" onThe Show.[26]
At the end of the year, YouTube revealed the top 10 K-pop MVs most beloved by South Koreans in 2016; "Rough" and "Navillera" were ranked second and tenth, respectively.[27][28][unreliable source?] "Rough" and "Navillera" were also ranked second and eleventh, respectively, in the 2016 Bugs Year-End Top 100.[29] "Rough" ranked 13th inBillboard's 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2016: Critic's Picks.[30] At the end of the year show2016 KBS Song Festival, the peak viewer ratings for the whole show were recorded during GFriend's "Rough" performance at 10.3%.[31] "Rough" also became the most downloaded song in 2016, according to Gaon Chart's 2016 Year End Download Chart.[32]
2017: First fan-meeting,The Awakening,Parallel andRainbow
On February 23, 2017, Source Music announced that GFriend would make a comeback on March 6.[33] On February 27, it was revealed that their fourth EP would be titledThe Awakening with lead single "Fingertip".[34][35]The Awakening global pre-orders exceeded 100,000 copies, a new personal record.[4] Additionally, the album debuted at fifth onBillboard's World Albums chart.[36]
In April, GFriend held their first fan meeting, "Dear Buddy".[37]
On August 1, GFriend released their fifth EP,Parallel, with lead single "Love Whisper".[38] In September, they released the repackaged version of the albumRainbow with the lead single "Summer Rain".[39]
2018: First solo concert,Time for the Moon Night, Japanese debut,Sunny Summer and "Memoria"
GFriend opened the year with their first solo concert, "Season of GFriend", on January 6 and 7, 2018.[40] GFriend signed withKing Records.[41][42]
Their sixth EP,Time for the Moon Night, debuted on top the Download, Album & Social charts onGaon,[43][44][45] selling more than 84,000 copies in domestically.[46] The following week, it was reported that the group tied withGirls' Generation andTwice as the girl groups with the most entries in the Top 10 of theBillboard World Albums Chart, with five each.[47] In the second week of album promotions, GFriend won six awards on music programs, making "Time for the Moon Night" the first song of 2018 to win all prizes at musical programs.[48][49]
In late May, the group promoted their compilation albumKyō Kara Watashitachi wa ~ GFriend 1st Best ~ in Japan, which was released on May 23.[50][51] GFriend Japanese debut album peak at number 10 on the Oricon weekly album chart.[52]
On July 19, GFriend released a summer EP,Sunny Summer.[53] they made a debut inBillboard's Social 50 chart at number 30, one week after the release of the album.[54]
On October 10, GFriend released their first Japanese single album, "Memoria /夜 (Time for the moon night)".[55] It debuted at number six on the Oricon weekly singles chart and five on theBillboard Japan weekly top singles sales.[56][57]
2019:Time for Us, back-to-back Japanese singles,Fever Season andFallin' Light
GFriend during the showcase ofTime for Us on January 14, 2019.
On January 14, 2019, GFriend released their second studio album,Time for Us, with lead single "Sunrise".[58][59] It became the group's highest selling Korean album, with more than 86,000 copies sold on Gaon.[60] On February 13, the group released their second Japanese single album, "Sunrise (JP ver.)/La Pam Pam".[61] On March 13, they released their third Japanese single album, "Flower/Beautiful".[62]
On July 1, GFriend released their seventh EP,Fever Season, with lead single "Fever". The EP consisted of eight tracks, including an instrumental version of their lead single.[63] The group also promoted in Japan by collaborating with Japanese pop group Sonar Pocket and released Japanese single albumOh Difficult – Sonar Pocket×GFriend on July 3.[64]
On November 13, GFriend released their first Japanese studio album,Fallin' Light, with a lead single of the same name.[65] The album also contained all of their previous Japanese songs since "Memoria", as well as new tracks.
On February 3, 2020, GFriend released their eighth EP,回:Labyrinth, with lead single "Crossroads".[66][67] It marked the group's first Korean comeback since the acquisition of Source Music byBig Hit Entertainment in 2019.[67]
On October 14, the group released 回:Labyrinth ~Crossroads~, containing Japanese versions of "Crossroads" and "Labyrinth". It was followed by 回:Song of the Sirens ~Apple~ on October 21, containing Japanese versions of "Apple" and "Tarot Cards".[69][unreliable source?] GFriend's third studio album,回:Walpurgis Night, was released on November 9, with lead single "Mago".[70]
On May 22, 2021, all six members left Source Music upon the end of their contracts and the group officially disbanded.[71][72] Eunha, SinB, and Umji later formed the groupViviz in 2022, after signing withBPM Entertainment.[73]
2024–present: Reunion for tenth-anniversary project
On September 24, 2024, Source Music confirmed that the members of GFriend would be reuniting in January 2025 for a special project in celebration of their tenth anniversary.[74]
Sowon performed GFriend songs at her first solo Asia fan meeting on October 26. Ahead of her fan meeting, Sowon characterized the group’s reunion through a video on her YouTube channel: “Whatever it may be, a reunion… we never really disbanded. I’ve been waiting for four years to perform on stage again, so I’m really happy.”[75]
In November 2024,Ilgan Sports reported that January 2025's "special project" would be an album, but the size and concept had yet to be determined.[76]
Season of Memories, a special album celebrating GFriend's tenth anniversary, was announced on December 2, 2024. The album was released on January 13, 2025, preceded by the pre-release single of the same name on January 6.[77] The group also held three concerts atOlympic Hall, Seoul on January 17 to 19, and will also hold four other concerts in Asia in March.[78][79][80]
In 2019,Shopee Indonesia named GFriend their 2019 Global K-Market Ambassador. The group contributed greatly to the brand's K-Wave net shares, helping achieve an eightfold increase in their Korean sales on the platform and earn first place for Indonesia and seventh place worldwide in the Best Brand Category of the 2019 Top Brand Buzz Awards.[82]
The two concerts held in Japan were called "Summer Live in Japan 2018" due to their Japanese debut promotions. The concerts were part of their Asia Tour.[117][118]
Their first music show win was onThe Show with "Rough" on February 2, 2016, after which the group went on to receive a total of 15 music show wins during the song's promotion. During their "Navillera" promotions they got a total of 14 music show wins, making them the girl group with most wins gained within a year with a total of 29 wins.[125]
The group's third extended playSnowflake single "Rough" won the group several awards between late 2016 to early 2017, including Song of the Year – January at the 7th Gaon Chart Music Awards. The single also won the Best Dance award and Digital Bonsang award at the 2016Melon Music Awards, the2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards and the 31st Golden Disc Awards, respectively. In 2020, Dingo Music has given them a "Special Grand Prize" trophy for their exemplary contribution for the Original Contents created by the channel throughout the years.[126]
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^Jeong Hee-yeon (May 18, 2021)."여자친구 계약종료...각자 길 간다 [공식입장]".Sports Donga (in Korean).Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. RetrievedMay 18, 2021.
^Lee, Seung-gil (September 24, 2024)."[공식] 여자친구, 4년만에 재결합 한다...쏘스뮤직 "데뷔 10주년 기념 프로젝트" (전문)" [[Official] GFriend reunites after 4 years... Source Music "10th Anniversary Debut Project" (Full Text)] (in Korean). MyDaily.Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. RetrievedSeptember 24, 2024 – via Naver.
^Seo, Seung-ah (December 2, 2024).""해체한 적 없다"...여자친구, 내년 1월 완전체 컴백과 동시에 콘서트 개최" ["Never disbanded"... GFriend to hold concert with full group comeback in January next year].Top Star News (in Korean). RetrievedDecember 3, 2024.
^Kim, Ji-hye (November 12, 2024)."러블리즈·여자친구 '청순돌'이 온다...가요계는 '고인돌 잔치' [줌인]" [Lovelyz·Girlfriend 'Innocence Doll' is coming... The music industry is 'Doldol Feast' [Zoomin]].Ilgan Sports (in Korean). RetrievedNovember 12, 2024.
^Jeon, Min-gyeong (December 2, 2024)."여자친구 돌아온다...10주년 앨범→콘서트 확정 "내년 1월 개최" [공식입장]" [Girlfriend is back... 10th Anniversary Album → Concert Confirmed "To be Held in January Next Year"].Xsports News (in Korean). RetrievedDecember 1, 2024.
^Lee, Jae-hoon (December 2, 2024)."'4년 만에 재결합' 여자친구, 내달 10주년 기념 스페셜앨범·콘서트" ['Reunited after 4 years' GFriend, 10th anniversary special album and concert next month].Newsis (in Korean). RetrievedDecember 3, 2024.
^Lee, Jung-ha (November 2, 2016)."'여자친구가 사랑한 유럽' 제작발표회 개최" (in Korean). Ajunews.Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. RetrievedJanuary 29, 2017.
^Kang, Seo-jung (May 8, 2020)."여자친구, 오늘(8일) 'GFRIEND's MEMORIA' 마지막회 공개..4주 여정 마무리" [GFRIEND reveals the last episode of'GFRIEND's MEMORIA' today (8th).. Finishing the 4 week journey] (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. RetrievedApril 6, 2021.
^Ji, Min-kyung (September 11, 2020)."여자친구, 오늘 '양양 갯마을 해변 편' 최종회 공개..여름 피크닉 만끽" [GFRIEND unveils the final episode of'Yangyang Gaet Village Beach' today... Enjoy a summer picnic] (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. RetrievedApril 6, 2021.
^Kim, Eunae (December 4, 2020)."여자친구, 마지막까지 게임 열정 폭발..'MEMORIA 가평 한옥마을 편' 7편 여정 마무리" [GFRIEND, the game's passion explodes until the end..'MEMORIA Gapyeong Hanok Village Edition' 7th episode ending] (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. RetrievedApril 6, 2021.
^Han, Hae-son (December 25, 2020)."여자친구, 'GFRIEND's MEMORIA in 버디 고등학교 편' 최종회 '추격전'" [GFRIEND 'GFRIEND's MEMORIA in Buddy High School' final episode 'chase battle'] (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. RetrievedApril 5, 2021.
^Ahn, Byung-gil (January 2021)."여자친구, 새해맞이 홈파티 연다" [GFRIEND's New Year's Home Party] (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. RetrievedApril 5, 2021.
^Hwang, Ji-young."여자친구, 일일 요리사 변신...버디 위한 요리쇼" [Gfriend transform into daily chefs... Cooking Show for Buddys] (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. RetrievedApril 5, 2021.
^"여자친구, 오늘(29일) 자체 콘텐츠 첫 공개...탐정단 변신" [GFRIEND, today (29th), reveals their own content for the first time... Detective Transformation] (in Korean). January 29, 2021.Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. RetrievedApril 3, 2021.
^Ahn, Byung-gil."여자친구, 숙소 라이프 2탄...취미에 빠지다" [GFRIEND's Dorm Life Part 2... Getting into hobbies] (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 1, 2021. RetrievedApril 3, 2021.
^"걸그룹 여자친구, 데뷔 1년만에 시즌그리팅 출시" [Girl group GFRIEND releases Season's Greetings after 1 year of debut] (in Korean). December 4, 2015.Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. RetrievedApril 20, 2021.
^"여자친구, 2017년 시즌그리팅 출시...'소녀감성 여전'" [GFRIEND, 2017 Season's Greetings released... 'Girls' emotions still'] (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. RetrievedApril 20, 2021.
^"여자친구 2018 시즌그리팅 출시" [GFRIEND 2018 Season's Greetings released] (in Korean). December 5, 2017.Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. RetrievedApril 20, 2021.
^Lee, Mi-sook (March 6, 2019)."음반판매순위 1위 '키', 2~10위 여자친구, 저스투, 키, 아이즈원, 라비, 강민경, 하성운, 장동우, TXT" [Album sales ranking 1st place'Key', 2~10 place Gfriend, Just2, Key, IZone, Ravi, Minkyung Kang, Sungwoon Ha, Dongwoo Jang, TXT] (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. RetrievedApril 21, 2021.
^Han, Sang-hyung (April 25, 2019)."음반판매 1위 뉴이스트, 2~9위 방탄소년단(BTS)·트와이스·엑소·뉴이스트·여자친구·손동운·잔나비·배진영" [Album sales No.1 NU'EST, 2nd~9th place BTS, TWICE, EXO, NU'EST, GFRIEND, Son Dong-woon, Jannabi, Bae Jin-young] (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. RetrievedApril 21, 2021.
^"여자친구 예린, 뾰로통 표정도 마냥 예뻐 '눈빛에 푹 빠질 듯'[SNS★컷]" [GFriend Yerin's sulky expression is just as pretty,'I'm going to fall in my eyes' [SNS ★ cut]] (in Korean).Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. RetrievedApril 21, 2021.
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