"Gen Z beauty" group KiiiKiii (KiiiKiii: Ji-yu, Lee Sol, Su-i, Ha-eum, Ki-ya) closes out 2025 by proving the exceptional achievements they made in their debut year with continued praise from foreign media.
On the 29th (local time), U.S. entertainment outlet The Hollywood Reporter (THR) released The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2025, ranking KiiiKiii's debut song I DO ME.
THR introduced I DO ME as the most dynamic girl group debut song, praising it as a highly polished track that showcases the essence of pop, and lauded it as a pre-release before their official debut that set a new standard for girl group debut songs and symbolized a change in K-pop sound.
With this, KiiiKiii, following recognition from Billboard in the U.S. and NME and DAZED in the U.K., was highlighted by THR as one of 2025's best K-pop acts, once again proving that KiiiKiii's debut and musical achievements this year exerted powerful global influence.
KiiiKiii, who officially debuted in the music industry on March 24 with I DO ME, announced a powerful entrance by delivering a free and self-determined message of "I will be myself." In particular, their promotion—surprising audiences with a pre-release of the music video and using Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and a dedicated website differently to develop organic storytelling across channels—presented a new direction in K-pop sensibility and captivated the public day after day.
KiiiKiii's I DO ME rose to No. 1 on YouTube's trending videos, and 13 days after their official debut they took first place on MBC's Show! Music Core, their first win on terrestrial music shows. They worked as brand models across diverse fields such as fashion, beauty, finance and dining, ranking No. 1 in rookie idol group brand reputation for four consecutive months. In addition, KiiiKiii secured first place in the rookie female idol category at the 2025 Brand Customer Loyalty Awards, cementing their presence.
KiiiKiii's "Gen Z beauty" continued with the digital single DANCING ALONE, released in August. They once again presented distinctive visual creativity and communicated with fans and the public beyond music through content, showing a cheerful team color unconstrained by any setting—dancing and playing against backdrops of nature and schools—while singing about "friendship," which resonated with many people.
Amid this musical expansion, KiiiKiii also expanded their activities on various domestic and international stages. They appeared on various global stages including KCON JAPAN 2025, ASEA 2025, Kansai Collection 2025 A/W and 2025 MUSIC BANK Global Festival in Japan, meeting more fans, and notably in September they were the only K-pop girl group to perform at the Music Expo Live 2025 stage at Tokyo Dome, appearing on popular Japanese music shows and in major local media and newspapers, solidifying their global influence.
KiiiKiii's relentless activities bore fruit at numerous awards ceremonies held this year. KiiiKiii showed formidable presence by winning a total of seven rookie awards at earlier ceremonies, and alongside a Best Performance award they also took the year's music video award for I DO ME, finishing 2025 with a dazzling record of 13 trophies within one year of debut across award shows and music programs.
Having cemented their presence from their debut year with such overwhelming achievements, KiiiKiii was recently named among the 10 new acts to watch in 2026 released by U.S. magazine Stardust. They plan to continue their activities as a "global rookie" in 2026 with new releases and various promotions.
Meanwhile, KiiiKiii plans to finish a perfect year by decorating year-end stages on the three major terrestrial broadcasters, performing today (the 31st) on the 2025 MBC Gayo Daejejeon after appearing at the 2025 SBS Gayo Daejeon and KBS 2TV's 2025 MUSIC BANK Global Festival in Japan.
[Photo] Provided by Starship Entertainment
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