(G)I-dle rebrands in light of 7th anniversary, sparking mixed emotions from fans

There's no need to fret on whether the G in (G)I-dle is silent anymore — because there's no more G in it anymore.

In light of their seventh anniversary today (May 2) and contract renewal with Cube Entertainment, the girl group has officially gone through with their rebranding as i-dle. Interestingly, their new name aligns with what the group members initially wanted during their debut in 2018.

The girl group comprises of five members Soyeon, Miyeon, Minnie, Yuqi and Shuhua. They are the ones behind hit songs such as Queencard and Pop/stars.

Originally, the G in (G)I-dle stood for girl. In past interviews, leader Soyeon mentioned that the G was silent to symbolise that the group members were more than just girls in a girl group; instead, they are artistes first.

Fans took notice of the rebrand yesterday, when i-dle took to social media and began removing the G from all their social media handles.

The name change has ignited mixed feelings in many fans. Some feel (G)I-dle was a more memorable name. 

"(G)I-dle is more recognisable for a brand and memorable. Not sure why a brand would do this," said a fan on Reddit.

Another fan on X showed support for (G)I-dle's rebrand and returning to their roots, clapping back at a disapproving comment. They said, "Their name was literally supposed to be i-dle and now they've rebranded by going back to their roots."

On another end, fans speculate that the rebrand seems to reference the departure of former member Soojin.

With i-dle's new logo featuring a five-point asterisk, it is missing one point and fans are under the impression that one point is an "empty space for Soojin".

In March 2022, Cube Entertainment terminated its contract with Soojin following bullying allegations by former classmates against the artiste made in 2021. Later in September, Soojin refuted the allegations through her legal representatives. They stated that while she was involved in a school violence incident in middle school, she was found not guilty and was instead the victim.

In October 2023, Soojin made her solo debut, and her debut EP Agassy was released in November.

In view of Soojin and the rest of i-dle, fans are emotional about the potential meaning behind the rebrand's inclusion of the former member. Many hope for a reunion someday.

I-dle announced their upcoming album, for(G), with a special mini album releasing today, and their eighth mini album coming on May 19.

kristy.chua@asiaone.com

No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.

For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.