About gugudan
Hometown
Seoul, South Korea
Formed
June 2016
Genre
K-Pop
The first girl group for Jellyfish Entertainment, Korean octet Gugudan channels the classic K-pop sounds of forebears like Girls' Generation and Wonder Girls, crafting bright dance anthems elevated by rich vocal harmonies and occasional rapping. Originally formed in 2016 as a nine-piece, the group issued a series of EPs starting with Act.1: The Little Mermaid, maintaining their Top 10 chart presence until the end of the decade while also branching off into a pair of sub-units and making inroads into the Japanese market.
Gugudan is comprised of leader Hana, Mimi, Haebin, Nayoung, Sejeong, Sally, Soyee, and Mina, with original member Hyeyeon parting with the group in 2018. The group was announced by Jellyfish in June 2016 and, ten days later, they released their debut EP, Act.1 The Little Mermaid, which peaked at number two on the Korean charts. While 2017 follow-up Act 2: Narcissus charted a spot below at number three, it was a sales peak for the group. That year, in addition to some brief activity from sub-unit Gugudan5959 -- formed by Mina and Hyeyeon -- the girls also issued Act.3: Chococo Factory. 2018's first offering, the electro-R&B-washed Act. 4: Cait Sith, was Hyeyeon's last with Gugudan; after first taking a break for health reasons, she eventually parted ways with Gugudan toward the end of the year. In the meantime, a second sub-unit, Gugudan SeMiNa, was formed with Sejeong, Mina, and Nayoung at the helm. Gugudan also made their initial moves into the Japanese market with the "Stand By" single, which was followed in Korea by Act. 5: New Action, a Top Ten release that continued their sleek, electro-dance evolution. ~ Neil Z. Yeung
