The underdog tale of Brave Girls is legendary in K-pop — the girl group that debuted in 2011 but only became known to the public in 2021. Three members of the quartet are now set to begin a new chapter with a new name, BB Girls, as well as a new single for the new year.

“Love 2” is actually the second single to come from BB Girls, but it is the first new music for its three-member lineup — Minyoung, Eunji and Yuna. It is also the first since the singers signed a contract with their new agency, GLG, on Dec. 11, 2024. Former member Yujeong did not sign with GLG and left the group.


The first single by BB Girls was released on Aug. 3 but struggled to climb charts amid the harsh competition among K-pop summer songs, making “Love 2” a “truly new beginning” for the members.

“It feels like a new beginning for us because honestly, not many people know about us yet,” leader Minyoung said. “We released a song last year but we would like to think of this as a new beginning for us. We used to focus on releasing summer songs, so we hope to take this opportunity into the summer season of this year.”

Jan. 9 was the coldest day in Seoul so far this year, with a harsh minus 12 degrees Celsius at its lowest that only climbed to minus 8 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. The three members of BB Girls appeared for an interview in southern Seoul on the cold day. And despite the icy weather, bright smiles and a hint of nervousness were the only things visible on the singer’s faces when they talked about their latest single and their “new” career chapter.

“Love 2” is a bright and warm dance track that gives an emotional vibe to listeners, especially when accompanied by the music video. The music video is themed around the “strings” of the relationship between the three members and BB Girls’ fans. The string motif is often used in Eastern culture to symbolize how people, who are meant to be together, are connected by strings that eventually bring them together.

The intimate relationship between the three members was readily visible not only through the music video but also through the way the trio shared the story of their hardships, triumphs and ongoing battles.

“We’ve been together for more than 10 years now and we feel like we’re just reading each other’s minds when we look into each other’s eyes,” Minyoung said. “In fact, I feel like we’ve grown stronger and closer together through everything. We really tried to get that across in the music video as well. The song is about love, but it’s not just about romance. It’s about our bond and the excitement of starting anew together.”

“We feel a sense of great pressure to start with just the three of us, but it’s a good kind of pressure that motivates us and also makes us look forward to the future,” added Yuna.

The story of Brave Girls is a rare example where a K-pop group’s song was forgotten immediately after release but surfaced again years later thanks to the mysterious power of online algorithms. This phenomenon led thousands of viewers to the group's 2017 dance track “Rollin’” in 2021.

Dubbed yeokjuhaeng in Korean, which literally means driving in the other direction, the phenomenon also took place with girl group EXID and rock band DAY6. Brave Girls soared to the top of the charts thanks to “Rollin’” and yeokjuhaeng, but failed to seize the moment with the following albums — which were deemed not as refreshing as the meteoric song.

“We all had a lot on our minds,” Yuna said. “Good things did happen to us, but we kept questioning why bad things kept repeating themselves. But the more we talked about them, the more we became determined only to think about the good things that happened to us. We had no choice but to stick together and just kept believing that everything would turn out for the better for us. It was difficult, but we learned that everything can be overcome.”

“Being in this industry does require skills, but quite frankly, you need to be lucky,” Eunji said. “Just as we had our lucky moment, I believe that moment comes for people at least once in their lives — as long as you hold on and stick to it. I know it’s hard, but you just have to hold on to that bond and that dream so that you can grab the chance when it comes your way."

For 2025, BB Girls’ goal is to become known as the “phoenix-dol” — "dol" referencing the word idol, as many singers are known in Korea's music industry.

“We want to show that we will never die and that we will keep active as a veteran girl group,” Minyoung said. “There aren’t many girl groups active from the third generation K-pop era, and we want to become a symbol of hope for people and show that hard work really does pay off. I’m just happy to be able to keep on doing what I’m good at and love. So this year, we will keep being confident and sing until more and more people listen to our music.”

To other K-pop artists who are struggling in their careers, BB Girls sent a message of encouragement and support — and even a chance to send them DMs on Instagram.

“I honestly can’t say that everything will be better because I know how those things meant nothing to me when I was down,” Yuna said. “But I know that you always have to be prepared so that when the moment comes, you’re ready to jump straight into the opportunity. But please, eat well and stay healthy. I know it’s hard, but the most important thing is to take care of yourself.”

“And if you’re really struggling and need to hear anything from anyone, please don’t hesitate to call me or message me. My account is always open. I don't think I'll be able to make everything go away, but I can listen over a beverage,” added Minyoung.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]