Brave Girls

A K-pop group that has featured several lineups since their formation in 2011, Brave Girls' effervescent dance-pop has consistently reached South Korea's Top 30, beginning with their debut EP, Back to Da Future. After topping the national singles chart for the first time when 2017's "Rollin'" went viral in 2021, they catapulted to the Top Three with their fifth EP, that year's Summer Queen.

A product of Brave Entertainment, Brave Girls were formed by producer Brave Brothers in 2011. The original lineup -- Eunyoung, Seo-a, Yejin, Yooqin, and Hyeran -- hit number 19 with their debut single, "Do You Know." Their first EP, Back to Da Future, followed in July 2011 and peaked at number 14 on the album chart. The follow-up, 2012's Re-Issue, duplicated its chart placement. After releasing the stand-alone single "For You" in 2013, Brave Brothers announced his intent to work on a Brave Girls full-length, an endeavor that turned into a two-and-a-half-year hiatus for the group.

When they returned in early 2016, only Yoojin and Hyeran from the original lineup remained. Additional members Eunji, Hayun, Minyoung, Yujeong, and Yuna all appeared with them on the Top 30-charting EP High Heels. Yoojin and Hyeran then left the band, and the remaining five Brave Girls issued fourth EP Rollin' and a lead single of the same name in 2017. A second version of the song "Rollin'," this time without Hayun, was presented as a gift to fans in 2018, and Eunji, Minyoung, Yujeong, and Yuna released the Top Five track "We Ride" in 2020.

In early 2021, a compilation video of the group soundtracked by "Rollin'" went viral, and the song went all the way to number one on Korea's singles chart. When the EP Summer Queen saw release that June, it climbed to number three on the Korean album chart. A bevy of musical and cultural awards followed, including the title of Honorary Ambassador of Korea Tourism. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi