FIFTY FIFTY will be re-debuting with Keena and additional new members, agency ATTRAKT confirmed.
Keena may soon be joined by new members in the girl group FIFTY FIFTY, as the band is gearing up for its summer re-debut following the departure of three former members last year. ATTRAKT, the managing agency of the group, has started the process of conducting preliminary auditions for potential new members.
On February 8 KST, ATTRAKT passed a statement, “We recently began the reorganization of members centering around Keena. We plan to confirm the group [member] line-up around April and release new music around June.”
The audition to select new members for K-pop girl group took place in Kallang Place, Singapore on February 3, attracting over 120 applicants. Local Korean media outlet Dispatch reported, “The applicants performed singing, rapping, and dancing for one minute.” The candidates, who made it to the next round, will be revealed on February 9.
Auditions are concurrently being conducted in South Korea and Japan. Following this, the selected candidates will advance to a final audition in Thailand scheduled to be held sometime in March, where they will contend with other candidates from Southeast Asia.
FIFTY FIFTY officially debuted under the management of ATTRAKT, an independent record label established in 2022. Making their debut on November 18, 2022, with the EP titled ‘The Fifty,’ the group gained significant recognition, domestically and internationally, with the release of their viral hit single, ‘Cupid.’ Released in February 2023, the single propelled FIFTY FIFTY to achieve the distinction of becoming the fastest K-pop group to enter both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, within a quick span of only four months of their debut. Furthermore, they also ended up becoming the first K-pop girl group to reach the top ten of the UK charts.
However in less than a year of their debut, in June 2023, FIFTY FIFTY submitted a provisional disposition application seeking to suspend the validity of their exclusive contracts with ATTRAKT, citing accounting concerns and alleged neglect of the group’s overall health and well-being. In the midst of legal conflicts, Keena came back to the group, while the remaining members—Saena, Sio, and Aran—have been filed a civil lawsuit against, for wrongful contract termination, with the company seeking damages totaling ₩13 billion (approx. Rs 81.1 lakh).