'Gen Z美' group KiiiKiii (KiiiKiii: Jiyu, I-sol, Sui, Ha-eum, Kiya) showed clear global influence this year.
Today (11th), according to Google's year-end data analysis project Year in Search, KiiiKiii appeared in the rankings of the 2025 global 'Breakout' search terms in the 'KPop Debuts' category. A 'breakout search' refers to a topic whose search volume surges by more than 5,000% in a short period compared with the previous year. Among the top six K-pop rookies with the largest increases in search volume on Google this year, KiiiKiii's inclusion suggested that their debut and activities this year left a strong impression on the global K-pop market.
KiiiKiii, who officially debuted in March, not only combined solid skills and five distinct personalities, but also drew daily attention by developing visual creativity that targeted public tastes. Unusual attempts such as a music video released as a surprise without member information and a website where fans could enjoy diverse teasing content drew attention, and KiiiKiii immediately became a 2025 act to watch as they received intense interest from domestic and international K-pop fandoms.
In particular, KiiiKiii's debut song I DO ME, carrying the autonomous message 'I will be myself,' delivered an addictive melody, witty lyrics and the members' free-spirited charms, winning praise from listeners. The music video reached No. 1 on YouTube's trending videos 12 hours after its pre-release, and after the song's release it reached No. 1 on Spotify's Viral 50 Korea chart, No. 3 on the Melon Hot100 (based on 30 days after release) and No. 10 on the Top100 chart, among other chart successes.
Riding that momentum, KiiiKiii claimed the No. 1 spot on terrestrial music shows just 13 days after debut with I DO ME on MBC's Show! Music Core. They expanded their influence into various fields including fashion, beauty, finance and dining, were selected as models for numerous brands, ranked No. 1 in rookie idol group brand reputation for four consecutive months, and won the top spot in the rookie girl group category at the 2025 Brand Customer Loyalty Awards, repeatedly setting records.
KiiiKiii's continuous variety of challenges since debut are also meaningful. They continued to take on challenges at home and abroad by appearing at various festivals and university festivals as well as on global stages. They participated in Kansai Collection 2025 A/W at Kyocera Dome Osaka in August and captivated local fans with their distinctive 'Gen Z美,' and in November they were the only K-pop girl group to perform at Music Expo Live 2025 at Tokyo Dome, delivering a standout stage and appearing on popular Japanese music shows and major local media outlets, solidifying their global influence.
Not stopping there, KiiiKiii recently starred as the protagonists in Kakao Entertainment's collaborative web novel Dear. X: The me of tomorrow to the me of today and released the OST To Me From Me (Prod. TABLO) (To Me From Me), creating synergy between the web novel and music and continuing their diverse challenges. Having recently been named No. 1 in the December 2025 rookie idol group brand reputation rankings, their influence was further proven, and expectations are rising for KiiiKiii's trajectory as they added a meaningful record through Google's Year in Search.
Meanwhile, KiiiKiii won two awards at the recently held 10th AAA 2025, taking home the rookie award AAA Rookie of the Year and AAA Best Performance, becoming a two-time winner and bringing their total rookie awards this year to seven.
[Photo] Starship Entertainment
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