Kakao Entertainment is gearing up to showcase a new lineup of K-pop rookies this year, including Starship Entertainment’s girl group KiiiKiii and SM Entertainment’s British boy band dearALICE.

Kakao Entertainment oversees multiple K-pop labels, including Starship Entertainment and Antenna, and is collaborating with SM Entertainment and U.S. music label gamma on dearALICE. Its parent company, Kakao, holds a combined 41.02 percent stake in K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment.


"Kakao Entertainment aims to enhance its multi-label system and focus on securing intellectual property with global influence through collaborations with various partners in order to solidify its position as a key player in the global K-pop market," it said in a press release.

"To do so, the company plans to continue discovering talented new artists and introduce them to the global stage, as well as further diversifying the global activities of its existing artists while strengthening its international fan base."

KiiiKiii will be Starship Entertainment’s first girl group since IVE, which debuted in 2021.

“KiiiKiii will introduce a fresh direction in K-pop, backed by distinctive visuals, multi-platform optimization and stylish, unique music,” Starship Entertainment said. The group’s debut date and lineup remain undisclosed.

Boy band dearALICE is set to debut this month with its single “Ariana,” an electro-pop dance track about longing for an unattainable woman, according to Kakao Entertainment.

The five-member group — Blaise Noon, James Sharp, Oliver (Olly) Quinn, Dexter Greenwood and Reese Carter — was formed through the BBC’s six-part series “Made in Korea: The K-pop Experience.” The group performed “Ariana” for the first time at “SMTOWN Live 2025 [The Culture, The Future] in Seoul” in January.

Another KaKao-affiliated act, Antenna’s rookie rock band Dragon Pony, which debuted in September, is expanding globally.

The four-member band — lead vocalist Ahn Tae-gyu, bassist Pyun Sung-hyun, guitarist Kwon Se-hyuk and drummer Ko Gang-hun — performed at one of Thailand’s biggest music festivals, Big Mountain Music Festival, in December and will appear at Taiwan’s Emerge Fest 2025 on Feb. 22. It is also scheduled to perform at The Glow 2025 on March 29 in Goyang, Gyeonggi.

Meanwhile, SM Entertainment is preparing to debut an eight-member girl group, Hearts2Hearts. Its debut single, “The Chase,” will be released on Feb. 24.

“While strengthening the global activities of leading artists, we plan to continuously discover talented new artists across various genres and introduce them to the global stage, further enhancing the global competitiveness of our music business,” Kakao Entertainment said.

“Through this, we aim to introduce diverse genres of K-pop to the global music industry and establish an even stronger influence.”

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]