On July 1, K-pop trio BBGIRLS announced its 10th anniversary release, “Body Wave,” a single album marking the group’s first comeback in over a year. Since their debut as Brave Girls in 2011 and re-debut as BBGIRLS in 2016, the group has undergone massive changes over the years, resulting in one of the most surprising and deserved resurgences in K-pop. With their latest single slated to release on July 16, here’s a deeper look into the ups, downs, and redemption arc of BBGIRLS.

The group’s presence in the industry is traced back to 2010, when one of K-pop’s most prolific producers and songwriters – Brave Brothers – announced plans to launch a four-member hip-hop girl group. As a rapper, producer, and songwriter, Brave Brothers (real name Kang Dongchul) worked with YG Entertainment from 2004 to 2008, where he produced multiple songs for BIGBANG. After parting with YG, Kang founded his own entertainment company, Brave Entertainment, where he expanded his esteemed repertoire, producing for groups such as SISTAR, 4Minute, AOA, UKISS, After School, and many others. Pretty soon, Brave Brothers solidified a staple presence and sound in K-pop’s second-gen era that was impossible to ignore, making him a highly sought-after producer for groups outside of the Big 3.

Suffice it to say, by 2010, the concept of Brave Brothers debuting his own girl group was bold and highly anticipated. In March 2011, Brave Entertainment announced its first four members of Brave Girls: Eunyoung, Hyeran, Yejin, and Seo-a, all of whom had gained attention through other ventures such as modeling, dance rehearsal videos, or, in Eunyoung’s case, being the niece of popular Korean actor Shin Hakyun. The group’s fifth member, Yoojin, was also added to the lineup, and the quintet debuted in April 2011 with “Do You Know,” to a lukewarm reception.

Three months later, the group released its first mini-album, Back to Da Future, with the title track, “Easily,” featuring Korean reggae artist Skull. Commercially, the album peaked at number 14 on the Gaon Album Chart, selling 1,606 copies, with Brave Girls receiving the “Rookie of the Year” award at the 19th Korea Culture Entertainment Awards that December. In February 2012, the girl group released its second EP, Re:Issue, and its title track, “Nowadays You,” which achieved minor success, but still not the big break the group needed to make a splash in the industry. However, Brave Girls would not release another single for more than a year, with “For You” in 2013, before disappearing from the industry for another two-and-a-half years.

It wasn’t until 2016 that the group resurfaced, but under new circumstances and a new lineup of seven members instead of five. Only two of Brave Girls’ original members, Yoojin and Hyeran, stayed, while the five new members included Minyoung, Youjoung, Eunji, Yuna, and Hayun.

In February, the group released its first digital single as a septet titled “Deepened,” a moody R&B-infused track that differed from anything Brave Girls had released before. In the group’s 2011-2013 era, Brave Brothers had produced a myriad of mid-tempo heavy pop ballads, retro-inspired songs with a dance/club sound, and funk-driven bubblegum pop numbers. But with “Deepened,” the group began to steer away from the typical upbeat K-pop trends in favor of something darker and more hip-hop-inspired. Evidently, it resonated, with the track bringing in a new wave of fans and receiving praise for Hyeran’s rap section, which contrasted the song’s more melodic production. Additionally, “Deepened” placed number 18 on Billboard’s “20 Best Songs of 2016” roundup, with the outlet stating that "from the smoky opening, the ladies made heartbroken melancholy sound sexier than ever.”

In June 2016, Brave Girls released their third EP, High Heels, which included the title track of the same name and “Deepened” as one of the four additional tracks. While the latter was considered moody and sexy, “High Heels” was playful and sexy, with the single leaning more into funk-influenced basslines, further exploring the group’s more mature image. While the album received mixed-to-positive receptions, it would go on to become a cult classic among Brave Girls’ fanbase.

Following another digital single in September titled “Yoo Hoo,” the group would experience another change in its lineup. In January 2017, Brave Entertainment announced that Brave Girls’ last two remaining original members, Yoojin and Hyeran, would exit the group. While Yoojin’s decision was based on her desire to major in theater at Chung-Ang University, Hyeran would take a hiatus due to health concerns, though no specifics were shared. Nonetheless, Brave Entertainment confirmed that no new members would be added and that the group would continue as a quintet with Minyoung, Youjoung, Eunji, Yuna, and Hayun.

In March 2017, Brave Girls would release its fourth EP, Rollin’, and its eponymous title track steeped in dance-pop and tropical house. Conceptually, both the album and single would push the group’s sexy image even further, featuring a 19+ rated music video and lyrics that KBS deemed unfit for broadcast. In response, Brave Entertainment stated it would modify the lyrics and resubmit “Rollin’” for evaluation, and release a choreography version of the MV that would not warrant an age restriction. Despite the single failing to chart on any major Korean charts, the song was still loved among fans and received a rearranged version in 2018 as a thank-you to fans of the original release. Shortly after, Hayun announced her break for health reasons, and Brave Girls would continue promoting as a four-member group.

However, another three years passed before the group resurfaced again in August 2020 with the digital single, “We Ride.” At this point, they’d already had three separate hiatuses with several members leaving between each one – how are they supposed to maintain a consistent presence in the industry when they come and go every few years with a different lineup? Regardless of the internal issues, Brave Girls carried on, this time with a new city pop sound in “We Ride.” Although the song initially failed to enter the Gaon Digital chart, it took almost seven months to debut at number 115, before slowly rising and peaking at number 4. This was the first indication that Brave Girls was steadily gaining momentum and being discovered by a new audience.

By 2021, the floodgates opened up, and the quartet became an overnight sensation. In February, a compilation video of Brave Girls performing “Rollin’” for the South Korean military was posted on YouTube and quickly went viral, providing a sudden resurgence in popularity and becoming a sleeper hit. After rising to the top of Korea’s real-time music charts, “Rollin’” soon achieved a “perfect all-kill,” becoming the first song by a K-pop group to do so in 2021. In response to the surprising resurgence, Brave Entertainment announced the group would do another round of promotions for the song and perform on music shows. On March 22, "Rollin'" topped all charts simultaneously for 198 hours, making Brave Girls the girl group with the most perfect all-kills in history – breaking TWICE's previous record of 197 hours, which the group had accumulated across four different songs. Brave Girls achieved it with one.

It was a redemption arc seen like no other – a group that was on the verge of disbandment after failing to make an impact and experiencing many internal changes ultimately came out on top and dominated the charts thanks to sheer word-of-mouth and fancams. Throughout 2021, Brave Girls continued to ride the wave of their newfound stardom, releasing a special version of "High Heels" in collaboration with shoe brand Elcanto, a promotional single titled "Red Sun" for Lotte Department Store advertising campaign, as well as their fifth EP, Summer Queen, and its coinciding lead single, “Chi Mat Ba Ram.” The tropical house song would become the group’s third top-five hit after “Rollin’” and “We Ride,” and their highest-charting song since “Rollin’’.

Following the release of their fifth EP, After We Ride, in August 2021, Brave Entertainment announced Minyoung would temporarily suspend her activities due to poor health conditions in January 2022. That March, Brave Girls dropped their sixth EP, Thank You, before going on their first U.S. tour in July.

Unfortunately, in February 2023, the agency confirmed Brave Girls would disband, with all four members deciding not to renew their contracts. Their farewell song, “Goodbye,” was released on the same day, but Minyoung assured fans that the disbandment was only temporary, and they planned to reunite in the future.

Two months later, all four members signed with Warner Music Korea and shortly rebranded to BBGIRLS. In August, the quartet released its first single album, One More Time, and a greatest hits compilation album, Brave Girls Best Album. Interestingly, this is the only album to feature all 10 members (past and present) from 2011 up until 2023.

Nine months later, in April 2024, Warner Music Korea announced the termination of its contract with BBGIRLS following the one-year expiration. Additionally, Youjoung would part ways with the group, and the remaining members would promote as a trio under their own independent label, BB Girls Company. However, on December 11, BBGIRLS signed an exclusive contract with GLG Entertainment.

That brings us to 2026, with the group announcing its first single in over a year (they previously released the single “Wish List” in May 2025), with “Body Wave,” just in time for the K-pop summer rush. Given BBGIRLS’ popular tropical house sound they’ve cemented since “Rollin’,” this is a very fitting choice for the group, whose fans already consider them to be one of K-pop’s quintessential “summer queens.” Now with Eunji, Minyoung, and Yuna returning to the scene, it should be yet another interesting and celebratory chapter in their careers as BBGIRLS enters its 10th anniversary. After a decade of lineup changes, hiatuses, and near-disbandments, BBGIRLS are still here – and for a group that spent years being overlooked, that's perhaps the most successful thing of all.