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Get caught in our net! Hello, we are BRITOMARTIS!! |
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| —BRITOMARTIS | ||
BRITOMARTIS (브리토마르티스) is a five-member girl group under Olympic Records. They debuted on November 19. 2010 with the EP BRITOMARTIS: THE DEBUT.
History[]
2005-2010: Formation & Pre-Debut[]
Discussions regarding the debut of a new girl group initially began in 2005 following the disbandment of Mountain Peak Plaza's popular girl group, Snowfall. It was identified that, with the group no longer active, there was a large area of the market that the company was failing to hit with their remaining artist B.O.S.S. The theoretical debut of a girl group was put on hold, however, as Project O was given priority of both company effort and resources. Though the project itself referred to the company's rebranding with new CEO Shin Mae-Geun assuming creative control and a shift in overall creative direction, it also encompassed the debut of a new boy group. As Shin Mae-Geun aligned her focus primarily with the rebranding and crucial boy group debut, discussions of a new girl group were delayed.
Instead, during January to May 2007, the newly named Olympic Records produced a reality talent show titled The Girls in the City!. The premise was to have eighteen of their female trainees compete in a series of missions in order to find nine who would become DSSD, promoting for two and a half years. The intention of the show was to not only provide an insight into the planning side of K-Pop with Shin Mae-Geun hoping the openness would draw people in, but to also expose the public to girls they would hope to later debut in different ventures. After the show's initial runtime of four months, nine girls were selected; Min Da-Rae, Lee No-Eul, Roxanne Kim, Seol Hyun-Young, Sang Ji-Eun, Kim Yeon-Ah, Maeng Bo-Hyun, Hwang Soo-Jung and Elsie Bun. With the show and DSSD itself proving to be highly popular, Olympic was optimistic that upon the group's disbandment in December 2009, they would have nine fully ready trainees to place in other projects.
Upon the disbandment of DSSD in December 2009, conversations regarding a new girl group returned. Initially the prospect of extending DSSD's contracts was discussed, however as no agreement could be reached, the notion was abandoned in favour of a completely new girl group. Formally, the company created Team ORNGG - a collection of trainees shortlisted as being candidates for the next girl group debut. Initially, all nine members of DSSD were placed into the team with formal plans to cement the new girl group as an extension of the original team later in their career. By mid-2010, however, four of the girls (Darae, Noeul, Roxy and Jieun) had pulled from the line-up citing differing aspirations; Darae and Roxy were placed on the soloist trainee track, Noeul debuted as an MC and Jieun left the industry to continue her studies. Following these departures, Olympic Records began to post media of the remaining five girls - Hyunyoung, Yeona, Bohyun, Soojung & Elsie - and marketed the girl group as a sub-unit of DSSD. The five girls would later frequent in HERCULES' music videos and were colloquially nicknamed BRITOMARTIS; a name netizens found Olympic had trademarked.
In August 2010, Hyunyoung, Yeona and Bohyun renegotiated their trainee contracts and were switched to the actress track, leaving only Soojung and Elsie as the prospective debut members. Trainees Byun Soo-Rin and Kim Mi-Kyung were added to the lineup; the former under the recommendation of Olympic's rap trainer and the latter for constantly performing well in the internal trainee evaluations. In September 2010, Olympic added trainee Pyo Ah-Ri to the line-up, marking the team's final debuting number at five. It was around this time that media stopped being produced for the girl group that defined it as connected to DSSD.
2010: Debut with BRITOMARTS: THE DEBUT[]
After six months of online campaigning as Olympic's pre-debut group, Team ORNGG was announced on October 1 to be debuting under the name BRITOMARTIS with a mini-album, BRITOMARTIS: THE DEBUT, that would be released on November 14. From a period of five weeks following the announcements, each member was revealed alongside their positions and, in the case of Lyra and Soolyn, their stage-names. Throughout the member reveals, it was announced that each member would be represented by a particular species of fish, intended for both an anticipated lore for the group and promotional merchandise in the future.
BRITOMARTIS formally debuted on November 14 following the release of BRITOMARTIS: THE DEBIT. The group's debut received commendable attention; the lead single, "B8", peaked at #9 on the Gaon Digital Singles Chart whilst accumulating 5 million views on the music video within the first week. The album generated 50k physical sales within the first month of release. Critics praised the explosive debut of the group, remarking that it made a statement but criticised the company's indecisiveness when it came to changing a part of the choreography deemed inappropriate for broadcast. It was also noted that, despite containing two members of the virally popular DSSD, BRITOMARTIS' initial impact left much to be desired.
The result of a solid debut were fruitful; BRITOMARTIS was nominated for several best rookie awards in the successive various award shows. Despite not accruing any wins, the girls noted they were thankful to be nominated and that being recognised alongside some of the other groups were victories in themselves.
2011: The Aegean Trilogy & breakthrough[]
On February 18, it was announced that the group would be returning with their second mini-album, the HUNT on March 28. From a period of two weeks, teasers for the members were released. On March 10, a video teaser was released that confirmed that the release would be the first in The Aegean Trilogy. Olympic Records later confirmed that BRITOMARTIS would make a further two comebacks within the year. On March 28, the album was released alongside the music video for the title track "Dream." The comeback proved to be popular with "Dream" quickly going viral. Both the single and its album topped real time charts and saw the girls receive seven wins on various music shows. The success of the album saw a spike in how often the girls promoted on various variety shows and led to the debut of Lyra as an actress and the resurgence of maknae Mikyung's works.
On June 1, it was announced that the group would be making their second comeback of the year with their third mini-album, the CAPTURE, scheduled for release on July 5. Both the company and members were optimistic that the second instalment of the trilogy would build on the success of the previous one, eager to ascertain and cement BRITOMARTIS' place as a leading girl group. The release continued the electropop/EDM sound found in the previous releases. As intended, commercially the comeback performed better than the first instalment of the trilogy. The title track, "Pearl Shimmer" would peak at #1 on all real-time charts, earning the group their first PAK for the album on the third day of its release. The album saw peak first week sales at 100k whilst "Pearl Shimmer" earned eight music show wins.
On December 17, The Aegean Trilogy was concluded with the release of the group's 3rd mini-album the RELEASE. Continuing to strengthen the group's proclivity with electropop, the conclusion of the trilogy saw Olympic Records' first attempt at lore building being well received by the public. The members mentioned that they had given input in how the story was to end and each had filmed small trailers for a hypothetical movie based on the trilogy's story, albeit these have yet to be released as of 2023. The mini-album saw new records be established for the girl group, selling 250k copies and the title track, "Tsunami", earning twelve music show wins. Additionally, the RELEASE established BRITOMARTIS' international popularity, primarily in Japan and North America.
2012: Japanese Debut with BRITOMARTIS: THE JAPANESE DEBUT, Twilight Storm & Damsel & The Dolphin[]
On January 10, it was announced that BRITOMARTIS would make their Japanese debut within February. On February 8, the group made their formal Japanese debut with the mini-album BRITOMARTIS: THE JAPANESE DEBUT; a collection of Japanese remakes of their most popular Korean hits.
It was announced on March 28 that the group would be making their Korean comeback with their first studio album, Twilight Storm on May 10. Although the title track, "My Night Tonight," failed to garner the same immediate success as the preceding Aegean Trilogy lead singles, it was a sleeper hit that enabled the members of BRITOMARTIS to keep appearing on variety shows months after its release. Netizens criticised the musical direction, specifically arguing that whilst the group was becoming known for their electropop sound, "My Night Tonight" failed to capture any of the group's charm. Peaking at #6 on music charts and accruing no music show wins, it was vowed by the members and management alike that they'd seek to replicate the prior year's success. During the era, members Ahri and Mikyung experienced spikes in popularity as the former made her acting debut and the latter appeared on more variety shows.
On September 15, it was announced that BRITOMARTIS would be making their return with their fifth mini album, The Damsel & The Dolphin, on October 27. Eager for success for their flagship girl group once more, Olympic Records approached "Dream", "Pearl Shimmer" and "Tsunami"'s producer in hopes of replicating the early success. As hoped, the mini album's title "Mermaid" was more aligned with what fans had come to expect from BRITOMARTIS and peaked quickly at #1 on the various music charts. With another push in activities not too dissimilar to what Olympic had done during the popularity of the year prior, BRITOMARTIS had their name re-established as a rising rookie once more.
2013: Beachside Love & Tidal Storm[]
It was announced on January 3 that the group would be making their comeback with the mini-album Beachside Love on February 10. The album's lead single, "Crush," continued the upwards momentum from the year prior and topped real-time charts shortly after its debut. The music video for "Crush" held the record for most number of views in twenty-four hours for the group. Earning seven music show wins and accumulating 250k in album sales, the comeback was considered a huge success. Netizens remarked, during this era, that BRITOMARTIS' popularity was beginning to look more like one would imagine a sub-group of DSSD to look.
On July 18, the group made their comeback with the single album Tidal Storm. Marketed more as a celebratory single as opposed to something being heavily promoted, the group enjoyed considerable success despite shortened promotions. The lead track, "Airplane," garnered three music show wins and became one of the most digitally downloaded songs of the year.
Following the conclusion of promotions for Tidal Storm on August 8, Olympic Records announced that BRITOMARTIS would be focusing on their Japanese comeback, indicating that the market would be the main priority for the first half of 2014.
2014: Japanese comeback with The Seven Seas, International virality with Hook and Throw & Thrown and Caught[]
On April 18, the group made their Japanese comeback with the full album The Seven Seas. The album, comprised of new Japanese singles, was highly conceptual in nature in which inspiration was drawn from Western artists such as Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, as well as the many sects of Harajuku fashion. The album followed months of preparation and studying of the culture of Harajuku's various styles, all of which was shown in behind the scenes videos that accompanied the promotion from the album. The album - and the research and preparation that had gone into it - was received well by the Japanese audience and saw a stable fanbase grow within the country, solidifying BRITOMARTIS' potential within the Japanese market beyond importing their Korean title tracks. The album sold an accumulated 110k copies, hallmarking it was a noticeable debut by a Korean girl group in the Japanese market.
Ahri, who emerged as the most popular member in Japan, was allocated various spots on Japanese variety shows in the following months.
CEO Shin Maegeun confirmed on May 2 that BRITOMARTIS would be making their Korean comeback with the full album Hook and Throw within the month of June. Reeling off the great success in establishing themselves in the Japanese market and the domestic expectation to elevate their sound without going too astray, the members of BRITOMARTIS understood the importance of the comeback. Members Elsie and Soolyn spoke frequently about the pressure they put themselves under, firmly believing that, without it, they would become too relaxed and not live up to the standard they had set for themselves. On June 5, the MV for the lead single "Anything" was released alongside its album. "Anything" topped charts upon its release, however failed to capture the full interest of the Korean market initially, suggesting initial success based on the BRITOMARTIS name alone. In other markets, however, the song proved to be viral: "Anything" topped Japanese music charts, becoming the first of the the group's Korean tracks to do so; the single renewed the Chinese public's interest within the group; "Anything" trended in various South-East Asian countries for its catchy hook and addictive dance and, in the West, reached virality in part due to its success on Vine. "Anything" became the group's first song to be played on Western radio stations. Upon seeing the global reaction to "Anything," the Korean public finally took true interest in the single in the name of 'national pride;' leading it to chart for several months following its release. As a whole, Hook and Throw generated 529k sales and earned five music show wins and was prolifically known for being a 'digital behemoth,' as a result of International interest.
The group made their surprise comeback on August 9th with the repackage of Hook and Throw - Thrown and Caught. The lead single, "Look At Me," was a slight departure from the typical BRITOMARTIS sound with the group aiming to bring some of the versatility they had experienced in the Japanese market to their domestic audience. "Look At Me" dominated in the domestic market where, initially, "Anything" couldn't; it topped real-time charts and trended for serval weeks. It was during this comeback that the group was first bestowed the epithet "Mermaid Queens" or "Summer Princesses," on the account of their popular summer songs. The repackage only generated 105k sales, however the digital sales of "Look At Me" surpassed "Anything" domestically. The song also outperformed on music shows, generating eleven wins.
For the remainder of 2014, the group divided their time between solo activities and endeavours and performing at various festivals across Asia.
2015: Japan Focus & Seafoam[]
In mid-January, Ahri revealed on her Japanese variety show that the group would be primarily focusing on the Japanese market in 2015, eager to further cement their popularity and explore the types of music were capable of producing. She later clarified that the decision had been the members', wanting to give back to their Japanese fanbase. When asked about the concept of the singles on a radio show, Elsie revealed that each season would get their own song and that BRITOMARTIS was aiming to create 'a year full of happy memories.'
On March 27, the group released the digital single Dazie Daisy. The single, once again more conceptual than their Korean releases, was received well by the Japanese public. The single marked the first instance wherein Olympic Records outsourced the production of the song to the target market's top producers and writers, as opposed to using their own in-house staff, which would later become a hallmark of BRITOMARTIS' overseas releases. As a result of this, the single itself retained a Harajuku-esque concept whilst being more palatable for the general public, allowing the group's general popularity in Japan to increase and stabilise. The single generated 110k sales, going platinum digitally.
On June 3, the group released their second Japanese digital single, Angel Wings. A bubbly summer song, Angel Wings cemented that the group's Japanese releases had their own distinct sound thanks to the Japanese production team. Though the song was well-received in Japan - topping charts and accumulating 150k sales - fans of the group criticised the musical sound of the comeback, believing it to be at the expense of members Lyra and Soolyn who had vocalised their difficulties in performing overly cutesy, hyper-pop songs. Some of the more fanatical stans tried to argue that it was a sign that Olympic Records had begun to not care as much with the group, before both Lyra and Soolyn revealed on livestreams that they didn't mind the song too much.
On July 20, it was announced that BRITOMARTIS would be making their Korean comeback with the single album Seafoam on August 10. The lead single, "Pattern," was an experimental single for the group, intending to try and incorporate their early electric/EDM sound through a different means. At the showcase, leader Lyra expressed that the use of electric guitar was 'to send a love letter to early BRITOMARTIS whilst looking ahead.' The song peaked at #2 on Korean charts, generated 345k sales and only accrued two music show wins - a noticeable dip from the virality of "Anything" and "Look At Me" from the year prior. The song picked up traction, however, after fancams of the members went viral albeit it was unable to attain the #1 spot on any domestic chart.
The group made their final Japanese comeback of the year on November 15 with the digital single Aurora. A calmer, more aptly winterish sound, "Aurora" was received well by the Japanese public at large as it accumulated 200k in sales. Music critics praised the song on its calming yet upbeat nature with some even claiming it would enter the Japanese Christmas song rotation. Fans of the group, however, were ambivalent to the song with there being a clear divide between those who liked it, those who disliked it and those neutral to it. Many fans were quick to point out that the song seemed underwhelming - a sentiment that the track continues to live up to with many ranking it low on BRITOMARTIS' discography. In 2022, when looking back on Aurora, the members mentioned that it was among their own personal least favourite title tracks.
Although the group faced some criticism at their lack of full album releases both domestically and internationally with some lambasting the choice to release digital singles as 'lazy' and 'thinly-veiled cash grabs,' BRITOMARTIS experienced stable popularity that fully cemented their position as a powerhouse in both markets. Some Following the conclusion of Aurora promotions, it was announced that the girls would be taking a break from group activities for the first half of 2016, allowing the members to rest and pursue other avenues if wanted.
2016: Saltwater & 씨폼 (Ssipom)[]
On June 5 it was announced that BRITOMARTIS would be making their full group comeback on July 10th with the digital single Saltwater. Over the course of June, Olympic Records placed three instrumentals on social media and asked for fans of the group to vote on which they would like to be released: the first being a bubblegum pop sound produced by the group's Japanese producers; the second was a relaxed, eletropop song produced by maknae Mikyung and the third an energetic, summery beat. K-Pop fans praised the idea, enjoying the ability to have more of an influence on what the group released following an underwhelming Winter single. A month later, on July 5, it was announced that the third instrumental had won by a short margin.
BRITOMARTIS officially came back with Saltwater and its lead single "Love Assassin" on July 10. The track, though a departure from the group's usual discography with its cuter, preppier sound, was received well by the public and fans alike in part due to the element of choice. Fans had noted that the group members spoke highly about all three and indicated they were fine with any triumphing and it seemed evident in the energy they gave for the comeback. Generating 200k sales (many fans had begun an action of boycotting sales to make a statement against digital singles in lieu of albums) and earning five music show wins, BRITOMARTIS enjoyed a comfortable return to the Korean music scene.
Olympic Records announced on September 10 that the group would be making their second comeback of the year with a repackaged mini-album of the single album Seafoam - the designated 'Autumn' track of the year prior's seasonal releases. The repackage, 씨폼 (Ssipom), was released on October 8 alongside title track "Weekend." It was revealed through promotional material that the title track had been produced by members Soolyn and Mikyung and written by Elsie, leading to the anticipation of many fans. When asked about the concept of the song at the album showcase, leader Lyra described it as being more grounded and a truer reflection on real life. She elaborated that, usually, their songs encompassed feelings of fantasy or generally having fun but they wanted to appeal to the more commonplace yearning of wanting the weekend to come, rather than focusing on love solely. Elsie added to this, stating that she wrote the lyrics with girls nights out in mind. "Weekend" topped domestic charts and made appearances on Billboard, becoming the first of the group's records to do so. Selling 550k copies and accruing thirteen music show wins, "Weekend" proved to be BRITOMARTIS' most popular title track at the time. Fans praised the company's decision to make the repackage a mini-album, showing that the demands of fans (and the boycott, presumably) were being listened to. Music critics noted that "Weekend" exposed BRITOMARTIS to newer generations of K-Pop fans, proving that a six-year-old group could continue to break their own records and create incredible feats within their career.
2017: Calypso, Amphitrite's Court, Contract Renewal & Soolyn's Hiatus[]
The group came back on April 18 with their seventh mini album Calypso, headed by title track "Don't Let Go." A return to the sound BRITOMARTIS debuted with, "Don't Let Go" was received well by both long-time Fishies and new inductees into the fandom alike. Though the song didn't break any new records, it proved to be a reliable hit for the group; it topped real-time charts, sold a respectable 240k units and accrued five music show wins. Despite being deemed both a commercial success and a love letter to BRITOMARTIS' earlier sound, some expressed that a school uniform concept was a regression from the group's previous hit, "Weekend." Citing both a lack of achievement in comparison to "Weekend" and the shift from 'girls night out' lyrics to wearing school uniforms, some Fishies argued that the comeback could've been better and indicated that the debut of Olympic's newest girl group, The Muses, had sapped resources from the senior group.
On October 15, it was announced that BRITOMARTIS would be making their comeback with the eighth mini album Amphitrite's Court on November 2. Much like previous release 씨폼 (Ssipom), the lead title, "Eris," had been produced and written by Soolyn, Mikyung and Elsie. A track, wherein the girls donned the persona of Eris, Ancient Greek goddess of discord, held lyrics of wanting to entice people to let go and cause chaos. When prompted at a radio appearance, Elsie mentioned that the group had read the criticisms of some Fishies regarding the younger concept of their previous release and wanted to show a new side to them, one even more mature than what they did for "Weekend." "Eris" performed as expected of a top girl group; it topped music charts, generated 200k units in sales and won three music show awards. Internationally, however, "Eris" was dubbed 'Anything 2.0' as it amassed virality, entering various Billboard charts.
On November 1, Dispatch reported that the members of BRITOMARTIS were in the process of renewing their contracts with Olympic Records. The report noted that, despite profitable album sales of the group in recent years, there remained question marks on both sides regarding the musical future of the quintet. According to the report, the members wished for greater autonomy of their music, using the success of 씨폼 (Ssipom) and Amphitrite's Court to back their argument whilst the company held ideas of the members beginning to debut solo so more focus could be placed on The Muses as an Olympic girl group. Upon hearing the news, many Fishies began to speculate which members would resign with the company, using the previous individual and group promotions to ascertain the likelihood of the individual members' choices. Many criticised the company for intending to sabotage the group, leading to animosity between the fandoms of BRITOMARTIS and The Muses that would only be later resolved through time. During this animosity, fandoms of Olympic's other musical acts weighed in, leading to the 2018 Pantheon concerts being hallmarked as tense and awkward.
Olympic Records announced on November 5 that members Elsie, Ahri and Mikyung had resigned with the company. When asked about the future of the group during an Instagram live, Elsie asserted that irrespective if Lyra and Soolyn resigned or not, the group was not disbanding. CEO Shin Maegeun supported this in a statement posted to social media, stating that BRITOMARTIS would not be disbanding and, if needed, the three who had resigned could debut in a sub-unit of sorts. On November 10, it was announced that leader Lyra had resigned with the company following various social media posts of her prioritising the group above all else, leading many Fishies to believe she had vetoed as much as she could the limitation of whole group activities. On November 15, Soolyn posted cryptic statements to her social media accounts, implying that she believed herself to be a burden on BRITOMARTIS and the concepts they could explore. In further posts posted on November 16, she apologised to Fishies for hindering BRITOMARTIS in ways that prevented them from achieving more globular success. Soolyn's Instagram account was set to private on November 17 with her younger sister and older brother expressing their concern for her wellbeing.
It was announced by Olympic Records on November 20 that, although Soolyn had resigned with the company, they had discussions with her and her family and agreed it would be best that she took a hiatus from the group in order to prioritise her mental health and stability. Fans and the members themselves were wholly supportive of Soolyn's decision and Fishes organised a 'Thank-You Soolyn Initiative' on her final schedule on November 21, wherein they all sung along to one of her self-composed songs about self-love and perseverance.
2018: Solo Debuts, Unit tour, Complete Spectrum & first and second Korean tours[]
For the first half of the year, the members of BRITOMARTIS pursued individual activities, much aligned to Olympic's demands in their contract renewals; Mikyung and Ahri both starred in their own K-Dramas whilst Lyra and Elsie both had their solo debuts.
During the months of April and May, members Lyra and Elsie conducted a Korean tour wherein they performed DSSD songs, with various members of DSSD accompanying them at different stops.
It was announced during the first week of June that BRITOMARTIS would be making their comeback on July 10 with their second full album Complete Spectrum. The release, the first to not include member Soolyn, had been predominantly produced and written by the members themselves. In an IG Live, Lyra later revealed that autonomy over the album had been one of her stipulations. Although attention had been gathered at the release of a full album without a member, further interest was generated when it was announced that the group had worked closely with American musician Tinashe to produce the title track "Blue Wave." Despite the album possessing a calmer, more laidback sound that was unfamiliar to BRITOMARTIS, it was received well by the fandom and public alike. Topping music charts and generating 610k in sales, Complete Spectrum became the group's best selling album to date. Accruing eight music show wins, the girls went viral for thanking Soolyn for her support behind the scenes. During the group's goodbye stage, member Soolyn joined in the performance. On V-Live, the BRITOMARTIS members confirmed that, whilst Soolyn was still on hiatus, she would find ways to join in with promotions and group activities where she could and, more importantly, when she felt like she could.
On August 19, Olympic Records announced that the group would be undertaking their first Korean concert tour over the months of September and October, entitled BRITOMARTIS: Our First Catch. Tickets sold out in under five minutes with venues packed to capacity. It was announced on August 25 that member Soolyn would participate in a few select shows in specific city legs.
On November 25, it was announced that the group would undertake a Seoul tour throughout the month of December. Member Soolyn rejoined the group for the entire final week, leading many Fishies to anticipate her return to the group.
2019: Japanese refocus & first world tour[]
Member Ahri returned to appearing as a panellist on Japanese variety shows in early January, leading many to speculate if the group would shift their focus to the Japanese market once more. When asked about it on the shows she guested on, Ahri constantly avoided the question which further fuelled suspicions of fans and the Japanese general public alike.
On January 10, the group unexpectedly released their second Japanese mini-album Ladies of the Lake. Though absent from promotions, member Soolyn was involved with the recording of the album and took part in the album's photoshoot. Produced by their Japanese production team, the mini album was well received in Japan with many critics describing it as a 'comfort album; a hug from home.' During interviews, the girls referred to the album as something light and airy; a different vibe from what they had gone for previously but still retaining their distinct identity. Member Mikyung said that the significance behind the mini-album's name was that they, as the 'Ladies of the Lake,' would protect their fans (Fishies). Such a sentiment was beloved by J-Fishies, K-Fishies and I-Fishies alike, leading it to become a common motif in BRITOMARTIS edits and anniversary posts. The album topped charts and accrued 300k sales.
On March 2, it was announced that the group would be releasing their second full Japanese album, Leviathan, on March 29. Musically, the album returned to the hyperpop sound that BRITOMARTIS had come to be associated with in the Japanese market with the album concept itself being a refresher of their Japanese debut. Much like in the previous release, Soolyn was included in the recording and photoshoot of the album but was absent from physical promotions. Members Elsie and Mikyung had a large role in producing and writing the lyrics for the album and the standalone song they produced, "Sakura", charted to high peaks in the Japanese music charts. Due to the popularity of "Sakura" in Korea, the group performed a Korean version of it on Inkigayo and Music Bank. Accumulating 340k sales, the album marked another successful year as a dominant K-Pop girl group in Japan. Leviathan would be the last release without Soolyn included in promotions.
On June 15 it was announced that the group would be embarking on their first world concert tour, titled WWW.BRITOMARTIS.UNIVERSE.
2020: Soolyn's return, Hook & Tenth Anniversary[]
Olympic Records announced on February 14 that Soolyn would be returning from her hiatus. On the day itself, the members of BRITOMARTIS hosted a livestream that celebrated the return of their member and were happy about a complete BRITOMARTIS. Over the following weeks, the group held a series of fan-meetings wherein they performed all the songs released wherein Soolyn had been absent from promotions. At the end of their final fan-meet on February 22, BRITOMARTIS themselves announced that they would be coming back with their third full Korean album Hook on March 28.
Hype surrounding the girls' comeback peaked when it was revealed that it had been a fully self-produced comeback and that all five members had partaken in every aspect of the comeback. The title track, "MAGO," had been produced by Soolyn and lyrics written by Elsie; choreography by Lyra and styling by Mikyung. Member Ahri had overseen all creative control over the album itself and was the mastermind behind the album's concept. "MAGO" topped real-time music charts and the group was praised for 'a BRITOMARTISian take on the retro genre.' During the album's showcase, the members revealed that they wanted to give the album their all as they, as a group, had decided to take a soft hiatus following its release in order to pursue individual activities. The statement had, initially, caused some fans to panic and take it as a sign of disbandment before Olympic Records released a statement that denied any intentions of disbanding the group but did confirm that the members themselves had expressed interest in solo endeavours. "MAGO" took home fourteen music show wins and sold an accumulated 760K records.
Following their comeback, BRITOMARTIS was praised by Rolling Stone magazine for their longevity and ability to still break their own previously set records despite being a ten-year-old group.
The group released a special single, "BriTENmartis", on their tenth anniversary, accompanied with livestreams and Instagram posts from the members commemorating the occasion. "BriTENmartis" peaked at #8 on the Circle Chart.
2021: English Debut with The Greatest Net[]
During the annual Olympic Records Conference, CEO Shin Maegeun announced that BRITOMARTIS would be taking a hiatus during the first half of the year from the Korean and Japanese music markets in order to pursue an American debut in the second half of the year. It was asserted that, whilst no group promotions would be conducted until the aforementioned debut, the members would undertake individual activities regardless. Shin later confirmed that the group would be managed by the newly created American-based subsidiary Olympic Studio throughout their American promotions.
On August 8, it was announced that BRITOMARTIS would be making their American debut with the mini album The Greatest Net on September 10. The lead single, "Poseidon," peaked at #5 on various charts, signalling a successful debut. Critics praised the song for being enjoyable to listen to and an earworm. I-Fishies joked on social media that the song, that had since become a staple in H&M and Target, was the group's 'mall music' debut. Member Elsie was fond of the meme and referenced it throughout their promotional period.
In their end of year song ranking, Rolling Stone magazine placed "Poseidon" at #10, citing both the song and the group's ability to seamlessly go from one music market to another.
2022: Paper Net[]
On July 15, it was announced that the group would be making their Korean comeback with their fourth full album Paper Net on August 5. Donning a concept inspired by Mean Girls, Heathers and Cheerios Cheersquad, the album was headed by title track "Paradise." The title track found virality upon release, topping real time music charts and marking the group's first #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. With accumulated 1.7M sales and fifteen music show wins, Paper Net became the group's most celebrated album. During the encore of their final stage, the members notably thanked fans and the public alike for supporting a twelve-year-old girl group and promised to continue to give it everything they had.
2023: Headlining Seoul Queer Culture Festival[]
On May 28, it was announced that BRITOMARTIS would be headlining at the Seoul Queer Culture Festival. Faced with initial backlash, the group remained firm in their decision and released a joint statement with company Olympic Records, affirming their stance in pro-queer rights and recognition of said rights.
Discography[]
Filmography[]
Concert tours[]
Members[]
| Name | Nationality | Position(s) | Representative Fish | Years active | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | ||||
| Lyra | 리에라 | Korean | Leader, Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Center | Betta Fish | 2010-present |
| Elsie | 엘시 | Korean-American | Lead Vocalist, Face of the Group | Koi Fish | 2010-present |
| Soolyn | 수린 | Korean | Main Rapper, Lead Dancer | Candy Basslet | 2010-present |
| Ahri | 아리 | Korean | Main Dancer, Lead Rapper, Vocalist | Butterfly Fish | 2010-present |
| Mikyung | 미경 | Korean | Main Vocalist, Maknae | Seahorse | 2010-present |
|
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Awards and achievement[]
TBA