CIX: Masters of the Series

Having a series is one of the best ways to build a fanbase and give them confidence in their expectations for the future. This is true in film, in music, in video games, and especially in television. Announcing a new release is part of a per-existing series gives fans a certain idea of what that new experience is going to be like. Occasionally, that can create issues if the new thing strays too far from those expectations or lacks the quality found in earlier entries of the series, but as long as creators play their cards wisely, a series can be quite effective.

 

 

Of all K-pop, it seems like CIX understands the power of series the best. Almost everything the group has put out has been tied to some kind of series, and they have found a dedicated and enthusiastic fanbase for it. The group’s name means “Complete in X” with X meaning the unknown (not the Roman number ten). The five members are those unknown factors, as they were separate in their talents until CIX brought them together. They debuted under C9 Entertainment in 2019. Many of the members had prior experience in the entertainment industry, such as Jinyoung competing on Produce 101 and winning a spot in Wanna One.

 

 

As mentioned previously, the group makes great use of series to share their music with fans. Even before they debuted, CIX was the feature of a reality show focused on their training, preparation, and journey to debut. The show was called Hello CIX (which would become relevant later), and had ten episodes.

 

 

The “Hello” part of the name for that show would go on to feature heavily in the rest of the group’s branding. The first four EPs released by CIX (as well as their planned tour) were all under the series Hello.Having the four EPs titled Hello Stranger; Hello, Strange Place; Hello, Strange Time; and Hello, Strange Dream alongside their chapter numbers allowed for a sense of continuity between the different releases, and everything from their debut EP in 2019 to their music in 2021 was connected together, making for a much more cohesive experience for fans.

 

 

That cohesion continued with the next group of releases. After the Hello series had run its course, CIX released their first full-length album, titled OK Prologue: Be OK, which kicked off the OK series for the next several years. A new series after years with consistent branding signaled that this was a big deal. To have the change come at the same time as the release of their first album also indicated that this was to be a new experience for both the group and fans alike. Because CIX had been so effective with their use of series for the first few years, they were able to take advantage of changing directions more effectively than most groups.

 

 

So far in 2024, the group has been relatively quiet as far as output, but that’s probably because they’ve been touring for much of the year. It still has yet to be determined if the OK series is here for a bit longer or if something new is taking its place. Either way, we’re looking forward to wherever CIX decides to take us!