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| yna@yna.co.kr 2026-08-20 09:31:57
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- "I'm so excited because I think every day will feel happy and special, like a birthday," said Yu of rookie girl group OURBIRTHDAY.
The group said it was "very nervous" but visibly excited about its debut at a showcase held Wednesday at Blue Square in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to mark the release of its first single, "Our Birthday."
Leader Jo Hye-jin said, "We're excited and looking forward to this moment we've been waiting for together as members. We prepared for our debut by working extremely hard, and we'll work hard to promote ourselves with our own performances and music."
OURBIRTHDAY is the first girl group launched by Init Entertainment, a subsidiary of JYP Entertainment, and the first girl group to debut under JYP in four years since NMIXX.
The group's name reflects its goal of redefining ordinary daily life in its own colors while embracing the energy of enjoying every moment as if each day were a birthday.
The seven-member group consists of Jo Hye-jin, winner of KBS 2TV's "The Ddanddara," Shin Hye-won, a former contestant on JTBC's "R U Next?," as well as Guk Chorok, Yu, Baby, Achira, and Kirara.
Jo Hye-jin, Baby and Achira were introduced to the public first through the group's pre-debut activities and began promoting as a full group following its official debut.
Achira said, "There is pressure from being the girl group coming out of JYP after four years," but added, "We'll use that pressure as motivation to work even harder and show good performances and our own charm."
Yu said, "Producer Park Jin-young advised us to get along well with one another. We're also respecting and considering each other when our opinions differ so that we can promote together for a long time."
The group's first single, set for release at 6 p.m. Wednesday, features the title track "SQUEEZY," a funk-based dance song with an addictive melody that carries a message of letting go of complicated emotions and stress.
The debut single contains four tracks, including "SQUEEZY," "Our Birthday" and "HUNGRY."
Known for its strength in dance, OURBIRTHDAY showcased intense, technically challenging performances of "SQUEEZY" and "HUNGRY" at the showcase.
"'SQUEEZY' is a song that expresses the freedom and energy of the seven members," Guk Chorok said. "I think it captures our confident attitude and powerful performance well."
Asked what descriptors they would like to hear about the group in the future and who their role models are, the members said they had none.
Guk Chorok explained, "Our goal is to show OURBIRTHDAY's own individuality and performance. Rather than being remembered by another descriptor, we want to be remembered simply as OURBIRTHDAY."
Shin Hye-won added, "There are so many artists I admire that it's difficult to name one particular role model."
As for the group's goal, the members emphatically said, "We want to work hard and win a rookie award."
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