KELT9b (켈트나인) is an upcoming five-member girl group under US Media Group. They will make their debut sometime in 2024.
Initially, the group was supposed to be divided into two sub-units: DMZα and DMZβ.[1] However, since then, ten trainees have left the group line-up and additionally their debut has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the group has been reformed with a new concept for debut.
History[]
2018–2019: Project D.O.V and forming DMZA[]
In 2018, US Media Group announced their plans to create and debut a fifteen-member girl group named Delta of Venu (D.O.V for short). This group was planned to consist of two subunits: Venus Bolero, the nine-member sub-unit, and Delta Baila, the six-member sub-unit. In January 2019, D.O.V uploaded their first dance cover as DMZA on their company's Youtube channel, revealing the group had a name change.[2]
On August 16, 2019, DMZA officially introduced their first member: Minju.[3] However, two other members were already known to the public without official introduction. The group account was following the personal accounts of two other members: Russian member Senia and Japanese member Hime.[4] On September 2, 2019, the second official member introduction took place. This time, they revealed Joonee through a solo vocal cover.[5] On September 11, 2019, Ayeon was introduced, followed by Chinese member Ginny on September 28. On November 19, 2019, Ruby was introduced, followed by Lasha on November 30, 2019, but her profile was deleted within the same day. Her performance video on their YouTube remained, however. As of January 2021, the video has been privated.
2020: New members, members departures[]
Sometimes in 2020, Ayeon, Ginny, Hime, Senia, Ruby, Gayoung, Hayan, Taeeun, Jimin, and Joonee have left the group lineup due to the delay of their debut which was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On February 29, 2020, Siyeon was introduced. On April 8, 2020, Youngchae was officially introduced.[6]
On December 29, 2020, they announced that Lasha and Siyeon had left the group due to unavoidable circumstances.
2021: Plans for debut, Jinseo's departure, new member[]
In an interview released on February 1, 2021, US Media Group revealed that their debut, which was initially planned for 2020, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they have now been confirmed to debut in the second half of 2021 with the remaining members while auditions are open for new members. The agency stated that they will plan to debut DMZA as a large girl group with many members and that they are preparing a concept that has not been seen in exiting girl groups yet.
On March 1, DMZA slowly began revealing member's official photoshoots, suggesting their debut date is near.[7]
Unfortunately ahead of their debut plans, member Jinseo left, leading to the reveal of Euijeong on March 26.[8]
On November 23, they revealed a new member, Sunwoo (later known as Lua).[9]
2022: New member[]
On November 28, they revealed a new member, Chaerin, through a dance cover video, releasing also her profile on the group's fancafe along with some pictures of her.[10]
2023: Group name reveal[]
On May 1, they revealed their official group name, KELT9b.[11]
2024: "Welcome To My World", Youngchae's departure[]
On February 2, it was announced that the group will release a pre-debut single, "Welcome To My World" on February 7.[12]
On February 8, US Media Group announced that Youngchae had left the group.[13]
Members[]
| Name | Position(s)[Notes 1] | Card | Year(s) active |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haeseo (해서; formerly Suhyun) | Vocalist | 3 clovers | 2019–present |
| Euijeong (의정) | Leader, Lead Dancer | 2 spades | 2021–present |
| Lua (루아; formerly Sunwoo) | Main Vocalist | 9 hearts | 2021-present |
| Minju (민주) | Main Dancer, Main Rapper | 5 spades | 2019–present |
| Chaerin (채린) | Sub-Dancer, Sub-Rapper, Maknae (2022-present) | 8 clubs | 2022–present |
| Pre-debut | |||
| Youngchae (영채) | Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Rapper, Maknae (2019-2022) | 7 diamonds | 2019–2024 |
| Ayeon (아연) | Dancer | N/A | 2019–2020 |
| Ginny (우지니) | Dancer | 2019–2020 | |
| Hime (히메) | N/A | 2019–2020 | |
| Ruby (루비) | N/A | 2019–2020 | |
| Hinata (히나타) | N/A | 2019–2020 | |
| Gayoung (가영) | N/A | 2019–2020 | |
| Hayan (하얀) | N/A | 2019–2020 | |
| Taeeun (태은) | N/A | 2019–2020 | |
| Lasha (라샤) | Rapper, Dancer | 2019–2020 | |
| Jimin (지민) | N/A | 2019–2020 | |
| Joonee (주니) | Vocalist | 2019–2020 | |
| Senia (세니아) | N/A | 2019–2020 | |
| Siyeon (시연) | Vocalist, Dancer | 2020 | |
| Jinseo (진서) | Vocalist, Dancer | 2020–2021 | |
Sub-units[]
- DMZα (2019-2020)
- DMZβ (2019-2020)
Discography[]
Digital singles[]
- "Welcome To My World" (2024) (pre-debut)
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Event | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | IMCF Awards in Korea | Rookie Korea Creator | Won |
Trivia[]
- DMZA's Japanese and Russian Instagram accounts were Hime's and Senia's old accounts.[14][15] Since Hime's departure, her account was returned to her.
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
(DMZA)
Miscellaneous[]
(DMZA)
(DMZA)
Notes[]
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References[]
Official links[]
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