RaNia (라니아; short for Regeneration Idol of Asia) was a girl group under DR Music. They debuted on April 6, 2011 with the digital single "Teddy Riley, The First Expansion In Asia".
From 2016 to 2018, they promoted as BP RaNia (short for Black Pearl RaNia).
The group presumably disbanded in 2020 as member Hyeme announced that she would start anew as a part of BLACKSWAN.
History[]
2010–2011: Pre-debut[]
The group was originally set to debut in mid-2010 as the third generation of Baby V.O.X. The original lineup consisted of Saem (later known as Yina), Joy, Jooyi, Sarah, Riko, Di, T-ae, and Xia.
Due to concerns, the group's debut was postponed at the beginning of January. Sarah decided to leave the group and was replaced by Chinese trainee Yijo. Before the addition of Yijo, Korean-Thai trainee Data (Song Daeun) and Korean-Canadian trainee Minhee (Moon Minhee) were set to take Sarah's place. However, Minhee left due to parental disapproval due to her age (at the time she was 15), and Data left due to homesickness (her family resided in Thailand).
2011: Debut and line-up changes[]
RaNia made their debut on April 6, 2011 with the digital single "Teddy Riley, The First Expansion In Asia" as an eight-member line-up consisting of Saem, Joy, Jooyi, Yijo, Riko, Di, T-ae, and Xia. However, Yijo was not present during promotions and was later revealed that she has problems with her visa. She left the group shortly after.
The group performed "Dr. Feel Good" on M Countdown. However, the music video caused controversy in Korea and the viewers had told them to change their outfits. Despite announcing plans to debut in America, the agency made no advancements.
On November 17, 2011, RaNia released their first mini album Time to Rock da Show, with "Pop Pop Pop" serving as the album's title track.
2012–2013: "Style", Just Go, planned U.S debut[]
On September 12, 2012, RaNia released the digital single "Style" which was produced by Yang Hyun Suk of YG Entertainment. It is the first time that he produced a single for an artist that is not part of YG. Epik High's Tablo also participated in the lyrics.[1]
On October 26, it was announced that RaNia would be making their U.S debut after signing an exclusive contract with EMPIRE for distribution and Fireworks for management. They were expected to visit the U.S in early November for their first promotions.[2]
On March 8, 2013, the group returned with a new mini album Just Go. The album was produced by the team KNS who has produced songs for American artists such as Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and 50 Cent.[3] That same day, DR Music announced that member Riko would be taking a temporarily hiatus from promotions to focus on her studies.[4] She would eventually leave the group in 2014.
On March 28, DR Music revealed RaNia would be managed by Adam Lieber and Britney Spears's manager Larry Rudolph for their U.S promotions, which was expected to begin in mid-May after the conclusion of their "Just Go" promotions.[5] On April 2, it was announced that American rapper Snoop Dogg would be featured on their U.S debut track.[6]
On July 5, the group released the single "Up" as a free download for registered members on their fan cafe.[7]
2015: Demonstrate, Alex's addition[]
On October 30, 2015, RaNia announced that they would be making their first comeback in two years with a new album titled Demonstrate.[8] On November 3, it was revealed that Saem and Jooyi had left the group and Seulji and Hyeme would be joining as new members.[9] The following day, DR Music announced the addition of Alex (Alexandra), who is African-American and Swedish, which would make her the first Black woman to debut in a Korean group.[10]
2016–2017: Renaming as BP RaNia, Start A Fire, Refresh 7th, Yina and Alex's departures[]
On October 27, 2016, DR Music announced that RaNia would be undergoing lineup changes after it was reported the group was performing at events with different members. In addition to the original members, seven trainees were training hard and DR would pick the best amongst them to join the group.[11]
On December 23, a teaser image featuring the silhouettes of seven members was released, with four new members to join the group. On December 24, teaser images of Hyeme and new member Jieun were released,[12] followed by Seulji and new member Yumin on the 25th,[13] Alex and new member Ttabo on the 26th,[14], and former member Saem, who had rejoined the group under the new stage name Yina, on the 27th.[15] On December 27, a teaser video was released for their mini album titled Start A Fire, to be released on the 30th.[16] The following day, DR Music announced the group had changed their name to BP (Black Pearl) RaNia and would continue its new leap forward.[17]
During their promotions for their b-side track "Make Me Ah", DR Music announced that Alex would be taking a temporary hiatus after receiving an acting offer from a well-established production company. Their agency assured fans that Alex is still a member and would rejoin group schedules once she returns to Korea.[18]
On June 8, 2017, Yina announced on her Instagram that she was leaving the group with DR later confirming that she was leaving to focus on her acting career.[19] On August 2, BP RaNia announced that they would be coming back with a new song titled "Beep Beep Beep" as a six-member ensemble.[20] On August 12, their comeback mini album Refresh 7th was released. On August 19, DR Music announced that Alex was no longer a member and that the group would continue to promote as five.[21] On September 12, BP RaNia announced that they would continue promotions with the song "Breathe Heavy" from Refresh 7th. A special performance video for the song was released on September 19.[22][23]
2018: Line-up changes and planned comeback[]
On May 30, 2018, DR Music announced Yumin's departure from the group. It was also announced that RaNia was preparing for a June comeback. The album was to include three new songs and five remakes of their previous songs. They would also travel to Malaysia and Brazil for promotions and was planning to release a best album in August.[24] Later that same day, Namfon was introduced as the group's newest member.[25]
2020: Renaming as BLACKSWAN[]
On June 26, 2020, member Hyeme announced through their SNS that she was the only member left in the group, so it would be strange to release an album under the name RaNia, arguing that due to this the group would start fresh under the name BLACKSWAN and that they would soon be releasing a new album, with new members.[26]
Members[]
| Name | Position(s) | Year(s) active |
|---|---|---|
| Former | ||
| Yijo (이조) | Main Dancer | 2011 |
| Joy (조이) | Lead Dancer, Vocalist, Visual | 2010–2011 |
| Riko (리코) | Leader (2010–2011), Main Vocalist | 2010–2014 |
| Jooyi (주이) | Main Vocalist | 2010–2015 |
| Yina (이나)[n 1] | Leader (2011–2015), Lead Dancer, Vocalist | 2010–2014[n 2] 2016–2017 |
| Sharon (샤론) | Vocalist, Visual | 2014–2015 |
| Di (디) | Leader (2015–2016), Main Dancer, Lead Rapper, Vocalist | 2010–2016 |
| T-ae (티애) | Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Rapper | 2010–2016 |
| Xia (시아) | Main Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Maknae (2011–2015) | 2010–2016 |
| Alex (알렉스) | Main Rapper, Co-Leader (2016–2017) | 2015–2017 |
| Yumin (유민) | Vocalist, Visual | 2016–2018 |
| Ttabo (따보) | Main Rapper, Lead Dancer, Vocalist | 2016–2018 |
| Zi.U (지유)[n 3] | Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Face of the Group | 2015–2019 |
| Jieun (지은) | Leader (2016–2019), Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist | 2016–2019 |
| Namfon (남폰) | Maknae (2018–2020) | 2018–2020 |
| Hyeme (혜미) | Main Vocalist, Maknae (2015–2018) | 2015–2020 |
| Youngheun (영흔) | N/A | 2019–2020 |
| Larissa (라리사) | N/A | 2019–2020 |
| Seunghyun (승현) | N/A | 2019–2020 |
| Pre-debut | ||
| Kukhwa (국화) | N/A | 2010 |
| Park Sori (박소리) | N/A | 2010 |
| Sarah (세라)[n 4] | N/A | 2011 |
| Data (데이터)[n 5] | N/A | 2011 |
| Minhee (민희)[n 6] | N/A | 2011 |
Discography[]
Mini albums[]
- Just Go (2013)
- Demonstrate (2015)
- Start A Fire (2016)
Digital mini albums[]
- Time to Rock da Show (2011)
- Refresh 7th (2017)
Compilation albums[]
- RaNia Legends (2017; unreleased)
Digital singles[]
- "Teddy Riley, The First Expansion In Asia" (2011)
- "Masquerade" (2011)
- "Style" (2012)
- "Up" (2013)
OSTs[]
- "Happy Sisters OST Part.1" ("Look At Me") (2017)
Trivia[]
- RaNia was the first K-pop girl group to have a (half) Black member.
- Ttabo was a member of the Chinese girl group MissMass under the stage name Double.
- Jieun was a member of the trot girl group LPG.
- Di, T-ae and Xia were set to debut in the girl group Ela8te following their departures in 2016. However, the group never debuted.
- Hyeme, Youngheun and Larissa, the latter under the name Leia, re-debuted in DR Music's fourth girl group BLACKSWAN.[27] However, all three members ended up leaving the group; Hyeme in November 2020,[28] Youngheun in July 2022,[29] and Larissa in July 2023.[30]
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
.png "RaNia Demonstrate group promo photo (1).png (9.62 MB)")
.png "RaNia Demonstrate group promo photo (2).png (4.92 MB)")
.png "RaNia Demonstrate group promo photo (3).png (1.59 MB)")
.png "RaNia Demonstrate group promo photo (4).png (4.7 MB)")
.png "RaNia Demonstrate group promo photo (5).png (5.96 MB)")
.png "RaNia Demonstrate group promo photo (6).png (4.84 MB)")
.png "BP RaNia Start A Fire group promo photo (1).png (1.95 MB)")
.png "BP RaNia Start A Fire group promo photo (2).png (1.32 MB)")
.png "BP RaNia Start A Fire group promo photo (3).png (3.02 MB)")
.png "BP RaNia Start A Fire group promo photo (4).png (834 KB)")
.png "BP RaNia Start A Fire group promo photo (5).png (965 KB)")
.png "BP RaNia Start A Fire group promo photo (6).png (2.93 MB)")
.png "BP RaNia Refresh 7th group promo photo (1).png (1.46 MB)")
.png "BP RaNia Refresh 7th group promo photo (2).png (1.22 MB)")
.png "BP RaNia Refresh 7th group promo photo (3).png (932 KB)")
.png "BP RaNia Refresh 7th group promo photo (4).png (893 KB)")
Miscellaneous[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Yina previously went by another stage name: Saem (샘) from April 2011 to November 2015
- ↑ Inactive since late 2014 until she officially left in November 2015
- ↑ Zi.U previously went by another stage name: Seulji (슬지) from November 2015 to late 2016
- ↑ Birth name: Wang Huizi (王卉子) / Sarah Wang
- ↑ Birth name: Darancharas Sukheviriya (ดารัญจรัส สุขเฮวิริยะ) / Song Da-eun (송다은)
- ↑ Birth name: Moon Minhee (문민희)
References[]
- ↑ Soompi:RaNia Releases MV for Comeback Single “Style”
- ↑ Soompi: RaNia to Debut in the US in November
- ↑ Soompi: RaNia Makes Comeback with “Just Go” MV + Making of Video
- ↑ Soompi: RaNia’s Riko Unable to Join Promotions of “Just Go” Due to School
- ↑ Soompi: RaNia to Work with Britney Spears’ Manager for Their U.S. Debut
- ↑ Soompi: RaNia Joins Hands With Snoop Dogg for U.S. Debut
- ↑ Soompi: RaNia Drops MV for New Single, “Up” Free for Fans
- ↑ Soompi: RaNia Reveals Teaser for First Comeback in Two Years
- ↑ (KR) Sports Kyunghyang: 라니아, 팀 멤버 2명 교체…팀 재편 후 제2의 라니아, 다크호스 또 있다
- ↑ (KR) Xportsnews: 라니아, 美 흑인 래퍼 알렉산드라 합류 '화려한 이력'
- ↑ Soompi: RANIA To Undergo Member Additions For Upcoming Comeback
- ↑ Soompi: RANIA Teases Comeback With 4 New Members
- ↑ Blackswan Official on Twitter (December 25, 2016 tweet)
- ↑ Blackswan Official on Twitter (December 26, 2016 tweet)
- ↑ Blackswan Official on Twitter (December 27, 2016 tweet)
- ↑ Soompi: Watch: BP RANIA Wows In Teaser For “Start A Fire”
- ↑ Soompi: Watch: BP RANIA Gets Ready To “Start A Fire” With Revamped Group In Comeback MV
- ↑ Soompi: BP RANIA’s Alexandra To Take Temporary Hiatus From Promotions To Pursue Acting
- ↑ Soompi: BP Rania Announces Yina Will Not Take Part In Next Comeback
- ↑ Soompi: BP Rania Announces Plans For Comeback With 6 Members
- ↑ Soompi: DR Music Announces Departure Of Alexandra From BP Rania
- ↑ Soompi: BP Rania Announces Plans For Comeback
- ↑ Soompi: Watch: BP Rania Returns With Alluring MV For “Breathe Heavy”
- ↑ Soompi: Rania Announces Yumin’s Departure And June Comeback
- ↑ Allkpop: RaNia introduce Thai member Nampon!
- ↑ RaNia on Facebook (June 26, 2020 post)
- ↑ Allkpop: Black Swan drop dramatic debut MV for 'Tonight'
- ↑ Soompi: Former Black Swan Member Hyeme Shares Letter About Her Retirement And Recent Fraud Accusations
- ↑ Soompi: BLACKSWAN Announces Judy And Youngheun’s Departure From Group
- ↑ @nugupromoter on Twitter (July 31, 2022)
Official links[]
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