| “ |
Smile like~ Kiwi! Hello, we are Kiwi Band! |
” |
| —Kiwi Band | ||
BarbieD (바비디), formerly known as Kiwi Band (키위밴드) and Kiwi Band M (키위밴드M), was a female band under Star Road Entertainment. Initially as a band and then as an idol girl group, they debuted under CMG Chorok Stars on December 12, 2014 with the single "Hakunamatata".
On September 7, 2018, they announced that the group would be continuing as a duo after the departure of several members. However, not long after this post, the remaining members Ruby and Saebin left the group, which unofficially confirmed their disbandment.[1]
History[]
2014-2015: Pre-debut, debut as Kiwi Band, Jiyeon's hiatus and return, Kiwi, lineup changes, fandom name, Bella's hiatus and return, "Restart", Hyesung's hiatuses and returns[]
In October 2014, teasers were released for CMG Chorok Stars' new female K-band named "Kiwi Band" consisting of Woo-U, Rosi, Hyesung and their maknae Jiyeon. Sometime before December 12, Rosi changed her stage name to Bella.
On December 12, BarbieD made their debut as a band with the digital single "Hakunamatata" under the name "Kiwi Band". The "Kiwi" in Kiwi Band meant "Korea Idol, World Idol". It also meant that they are a group with a refreshing image, just like kiwifruit itself.[2] Shortly after this release, Jiyeon presumably went on hiatus as she wasn't in any of the groups performances or social media posts.
On January 4, 2015, their company announced that their new pre-debut sub-unit, Kiwi, consisting of Woo-U and Bella, would be performing their digital single "Don't Shake My Heart" on the Lotte World Garden Stage.[3]
On January 26, Kiwi officially debuted with the digital single "Don't Shake My Heart". A few days after this announcement on February 9, Kiwi Band's official twitter account introduced the new bassist, Jenny.
On March 1, Jiyeon appeared in their Twitter posts for the first time since December 22, 2014, which ultimately confirmed her return.[4]
On March 3, Kiwi Band announced that their fandom name would be "KIST" which stands for "KIWI BEST".[5] Around this time, Jiyeon stopped attending their performances, which meant she was on hiatus.
On April 19, Jiyeon left Kiwi Band to focus on her studies and pursue her career as an actress.[6]
On June 12, they introduced their new bassist, rapper and maknae, Ellie.[7]
On June 24, Bella officially went on hiatus after a Twitter post.[8] A month after this post, Hyesung also went on hiatus to lose weight.[9] There was no post which clarified this but she later posted on their official Twitter account informing fans that she would return soon.[10]
On July 18, they introduced their new drummer, JD.[11] One month later, Hyesung announced that she would be returning to Kiwi Band and that she would perform with the group on August 28.[9]
Sometime later in August, Bella presumably went on hiatus as she was absent from the groups performances and fan meetings. Hyesung also stopped appearing, but she presumably went on hiatus once again.
In September, they announced that they would be making a comeback with the single album "Restart"[12]. A few days later, they announced that they would be performing and whoever would come to see would receive a free CD of their debut single. Bella and Hyesung also presumably returned from their hiatuses as a post on their official Twitter account included a photo with all of the Kiwi Band members. This made Kiwi Band a six-member band consisting of Woo-U, Bella, Jenny, Hyesung, JD and Ellie.
On October 8, they announced that Restart would be released in October. They also released their official lightstick.[13] A few days after this announcement, Bella presumably left the group and Hyesung also went on hiatus once again.
On November 5, they announced that Part 1 for the Let's Go Together music video would be released on November 6 in the afternoon.[14] A day later, they officially released their second single album "Restart" along with Part 1 of the Let's Go Together music video.[15] A few days after the release of Restart, their company announced that Hyesung would be returning after almost 1 month.[16], along with a performance with fellow member Jenny.[17]
On December 24, Kiwi Band introduced their new member, Saera. A few days after this announcement, Woo-U left the group. A few years later, she did an interview and later revealed that she had departed from Kiwi Band due to CMG Chorok Stars being an abnormal environment; the staff were related to gangsters, the girls were not provided appropriate accommodation and lived out of a jjimjilbang and neither were they provided practice rooms. She later stated that the CEO was a con artist and had no knowledge of entertainment companies.[18]
2016: Name change to Kiwi Band M, Sullin and Keen's additions and departures, additions of Eunbyeol and Kally[]
On January 6, 2016, Kiwi Band announced on their Twitter account that they will be replacing all current members of Kiwi Band with new members and stated that they will become a band of "true musicians".[19]
Throughout June and July, two new vocalists, Sullin and Keen joined the group. However, they weren't introduced and they presumably left the group a few months later.
Almost 11 months later on November 5, they announced that they will be rebranding into an "EDM band" and that the band was renamed into "Kiwi Band M".[20] One day later, they introduced the new drummer and main vocalist, Eunbyeol.[21] The new drummer and rapper, Kally, was also added into the group and she was introduced with a drum practice.[22] Kiwi Band M continued as a duo consisting of Kally and Eunbyeol for a few months.
2017: Lineup changes, April showcase, Gayeon, comeback with "Re-Fresh"[]
On January 19, 2017, the new DJ and rapper, Danwoo, was introduced as a member of the band.[23] The group also announced that a new member would be introduced.[24]
On January 21, Saebin was introduced as the new vocalist, DJ and percussionist. The new lineup now consisted of Saebin, Kally, Eunbyeol and Danwoo.
On February and March 10, they introduced the new keyboardists and vocalists, Gayeon and Jisoo. By this time, Kally presumably left the group as she didn't perform with the group and wasn't included on the group's social media posts. Danwoo also left the group sometime after Kally.
Throughout April 1 and 3, their company began releasing profiles on X which featured facts about the new members.[25][26][27][28]
On April 15, Kiwi Band M announced that they would be doing a showcase on the 29th of the same month.[29]
Sometime in April, Gayeon, Eunbyeol and Jisoo left the group, leaving Saebin as the only member.
On May 5, Jiyeon, who left the group in 2015, rejoined Kiwi Band M under the stage name Ruby. She was made the DJ and the rapper of the group. They also introduced the new member Sieun, the rapper and the maknae.[30][31]
On September 4, they announced that they would be making a comeback with a digital single described as a "rare Korean style song with a funky rhythm and soulful disco arrangements".[32]
On September 7, Kiwi Band M released their first digital single titled "Re-Fresh" with the lineup consisting of Saebin, Ruby and Sieun.
2018: Sieun's departure, name change, disbandment[]
In early 2018, Sieun left the group, leaving Kiwi Band M as a duo.
On September 8, Kiwi Band M announced that they have changed to a girl group and that they would be going under the name "BarbieD" which is a compound word that contains the meaning of "big stature and sexiness like a Barbie doll".[1] Ruby was also appointed the new maknae.
However, not long after the announcement, they presumably disbanded due to all members leaving.
Aftermath[]
- Woo-U debuted as a soloist on December 8, 2017 under her real name with the mini album "My Name Is Han Minju".
- Saebin debuted as a soloist on March 11, 2019 with the digital single "Some Night". She also has a YouTube channel where she uploads covers.
- Bella debuted as a soloist on July 2, 2017 with the digital single "Blue Ocean".
- Jenny joined the J-pop girl group BlooDye on October 26, 2019. She later graduated from the group on August 18, 2020.
- Hyesung pursued her career as an actress and also became a pilates instructor.
- Ellie joined the survival show Produce 101 representing CMG Chorok Stars. However, it was announced that she had left the show by the third episode. On May 31, 2017, it was announced through H.U.B's V Live that Hyosun has joined the group. Later in October 2017, she joined another survival show, The Unit and was eliminated in the 13th episode, ending in 19th place. She then went back to her activities with H.U.B. They later presumably disbanded sometime in 2019 due to inactivity.
- The rest have appeared to have left the entertainment industry completely.
Members[]
| Name | Position(s) | Member of: | Year(s) active |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bella (벨라) | Main Vocalist | Kiwi Band | 2014-2015 |
| Woo-U (우유) | Leader, Guitarist, Vocalist | 2014-2016 | |
| Hyesung (혜성) | Drummer, Maknae (Mid 2015) | 2014-2016 | |
| Jenny (제니) | Bass | 2015-2016 | |
| JD (제이디) | Drummer | 2015-2016 | |
| Ellie (엘리) | Bass, Rapper, Maknae (2015-2016) | 2015-2016 | |
| Saera (새라) | Vocalist | 2015-2016 | |
| Sullin (설린) | Vocalist | Kiwi Band M | 2016 |
| Keen (킨) | Vocalist, Maknae (Early 2016) | 2016 | |
| Eunbyeol (은별) | Drummer, Main Vocalist, Maknae (Late 2016-Early 2017) | 2016-2017 | |
| Kally (캘리) | Drummer, Keyboardist | 2016-2017 | |
| Danwoo (단우) | Rapper, DJ | 2016-2017 | |
| Gayeon (가연) | Keyboardist, Sub-Vocalist | 2016-2017 | |
| Jisoo (지수) | Keyboardist, Lead Vocalist, Maknae (Early-Mid 2017) | 2016-2017 | |
| Sieun (시은) | Rapper, Maknae (Mid 2017-Early 2018) | 2017-2018 | |
| Saebin (새빈) | Vocalist | Kiwi Band M and BarbieD | 2017-2018 |
| Ruby[n 1] (루비) | Keyboardist (2014-2015), DJ, Rapper, Maknae | Kiwi Band, Kiwi Band M and BarbieD | 2014-2015 2017-2018 |
Sub-units[]
- Kiwi (2015)
Discography[]
Digital singles[]
- "Hakunamatata" (as Kiwi Band) (2014)
- "Restart" (as Kiwi Band) (2015)
- "Re-Fresh" (as Kiwi Band M) (2017)
Trivia[]
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
.png "Kiwi Band pre-debut profile photo (1).png (445 KB)")
(L-R: Hyesung, Woo-U, Rosi, Jiyeon)
.png "Kiwi Band pre-debut profile photo (2).png (431 KB)")
(L-R: Hyesung, Woo-U, Rosi, Jiyeon)
.png "Kiwi Band Hakunamatata promotional (2).png (639 KB)")
.png "Kiwi Band Restart group promotional photo (2).png (837 KB)")
.png "Kiwi Band Restart group promotional photo (3).png (788 KB)")
(L-R: Saebin, Danwoo, Eunbyeol, Kally)
(Before Kally's departure)
.png "Kiwi Band 2017 group profile photo (2).png (1.17 MB)")
(L-R: Saebin, Danwoo, Eunbyeol)
(After Kally's departure)
(Color ver.)
(Top L-R: Eunbyeol, Gayeon
Bottom L-R: Jisoo, Saebin)
(Color ver.)
(L-R: Eunbyeol, Jisoo, Gayeon, Saebin)
(Black & White ver.)
(L-R: Jisoo, Eunbyeol, Saebin, Gayeon)
(Black & White ver.)
(L-R: Gayeon, Saebin, Eunbyeol, Jisoo)
(L-R: Ruby, Saebin, Sieun)
Miscellaneous[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Before Ruby rejoined the group, she went by the stage name Jiyeon (지연).
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 @KiwiBandM on Twitter (September 7, 2018)
- ↑ (KR) WeeklyToday: [카톡★닥독인터뷰] 키위밴드! 여자 씨엔블루를 꿈꾸는 버스킹 직캠 대세녀들
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (January 4, 2015)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (March 1, 2015)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (March 3, 2015)
- ↑ Kiwi Band CMG: Jiyeon is not a part of Kiwi Band anymore. She will be focusing on her studies and will debut as an actress soon!
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (June 12, 2015)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (June 24, 2015)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 @KiwiBandM on Twitter (August 7, 2015)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (August 3, 2015)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (July 18, 2015)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (September 22, 2015)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (October 23, 2015)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (November 5, 2015)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (November 6, 2015)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (November 29, 2015)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (December 2, 2015)
- ↑ (KR) Daum News: [인터뷰] 한민주 "방탄소년단 RM과 컬래버 하고 싶어요"]
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (January 6, 2016)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (November 5, 2015)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (November 6, 2015)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (November 11, 2016)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (January 19, 2017)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (January 20, 2017)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (April 1, 2017)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (April 2, 2017)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (April 2, 2017)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (April 3, 2017)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (April 15, 2017)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (May 5, 2017)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (May 5, 2017)
- ↑ @KiwiBandM on Twitter (September 4, 2017)
Official links[]
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