A dance prodigy has grown up — and she is now part of Unchild, a rookie girl group that has made a noticeable entry into the scene.

“I have a lot of name tags at home, which I got from appearing on various TV programs before as a ‘dance prodigy,’” said member Haeun during a press showcase for the girl group’s debut single, “We Are Unchild,” in central Seoul on Tuesday.

Many Korean entertainment and reality programs offer hosts and guests name tags so that audiences, both old and new, can easily identify them.

“But the moment I got my first name tag as ‘Unchild’s Haeun,’ I had a flashback to everything I had learned so far, and it felt like I had arrived at my final destination,” Haeun continued.

Unchild debuted on Tuesday under Kakao Entertainment-backed Highup Entertainment, the company’s second K-pop act following girl group STAYC’s launch in 2020. The group’s name, Unchild, signifies its determination to remain undefined and unrestricted by expectations, with the members aiming to become rule-breakers who can shake up the industry, according to the agency.

The sextet consists of Yeeun, Heekie, Tina, Ako, Evon and Haeun. Yeeun, Heekie, Evon and Haeun are from Korea; Tina is from China; and Ako is from Japan.

Haeun, in particular, first gained attention after appearing on SBS variety TV show “Star King” (2007-16), where she earned the nickname “dance prodigy” in 2013. Since then, she has steadily built an online presence by posting dance content on social media platforms, including YouTube.

She joined SM Entertainment as a trainee in 2022 but left the company to join Highup in 2024.

“I had always been alone [...] so it was my dream to dance with other people,” she said. “Though it would be a lie to say that I didn’t feel any pressure [from my reputation], that also motivated me to work harder to make a new impression on people as an idol.”

Yeeun may also be a familiar face to some K-pop fans, as she competed on Mnet’s audition program “I-Land2: N/a” (2024), which formed the girl group izna.

“I remember crying a lot after being eliminated from ‘I-Land2,’” said Yeeun, adding that her bandmates helped her move past the setbacks.

“The biggest difference between my past and present self is that I can now ‘hop over my fears,’ just like the lyrics of our song say,” she said.

Unchild’s debut single, “We Are Unchild,” features two songs: the lead track “Unchild” and the B-side “Energy.”

The lead track serves as a confident introduction to the group. The intense and fast-tempo electronic dance-pop song opens with the verse, “We are Unchild.”

Yeeun described the track as “an invitation [...] to Unchild’s introduction.”

According to the members, their senior labelmate, STAYC, has strongly supported them ahead of their debut.

“Yoon from STAYC told us about how she wished that she had seniors when she was a rookie and that it’s O.K. for us to rely on her,” said Yeeun, sharing that the STAYC member wrote a heartfelt letter to the group and even sent a coffee truck during the filming of a music video, a common trend in which fans — and even celebrities — send food and beverage trucks to show their support.

Now standing at the starting line, the group says that it hopes to leave a lasting impression, citing winning a “rookie of the year” award as one of its goals.

Quoting a line from the group’s debut song, leader Heekie declared, “What I hope that people will say after our debut is that Unchild has ‘put an exclamation mark on the world.’”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]