It’s the second single from the same group but with different members from a different country. And there’s going to be 30 more of them.

Girl group Blingone released its second single “Bubble Gum” on Wednesday, eight months after its first single “Kiss & Call” was released in June last year with three Peruvian members. This time, it’s six Chinese members with a completely new look and feel — but with the goal of spreading Chinese pop, or C-pop, through this opportunity.


“This is a good opportunity for us not just personally, but also as a Chinese citizen,” said Cassie at a showcase held Wednesday in central Seoul, who spoke in Chinese. “I think this will be a good chance to show the true color of China to the world. We ask for your love and support.”

The members of the second group were selected through the “Click the Star” Chinese audition program last year, with the winning members being trained by professionals at the World K-pop Center. The World K-pop Center is a K-pop education institute that normally focuses on the global expansion of the genre, but has been acting as the agency for the Blingone groups so far.

“Click the Star” is planned to take place in 32 countries, which means that there will be 30 more “Blingones” to come. Each new Blingone will debut in Korea and their respective countries. Other Blingone units set to debut include those from Indonesia and Mongolia later this year.

“I found out about ‘Click the Star’ through the internet, and I thought it was a great opportunity,” Junee said. “I’ve loved K-pop since I was little, and I think it will be a great chance for us to absorb the pros of K-pop and take that to spread the charms of Chinese culture.”

“Bubble Gum” is, put simply, a mixture of everything “trendy” in K-pop: hip-hop, electronic synth sounds and a hint of classical music in the background. The lyrics are mostly in English, with the occasional Korean in between, which is also to be expected in contemporary K-pop.

Korean and Chinese versions of “Bubble Gum” were also included in the compilation.

“We’d like to become a bridge that connects both Korean and Chinese cultures,” Chloee said. “We were put together by ‘Click the Star’ in China and so it would be great it we could become the Chinese honorary ambassadors in a way. We’ll try to bring K-pop and C-pop closer together through our activities.”

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