Will we see Hina and Ningning debut in SM’s new girl group?
A lot of fans have been waiting for the debut of SM Entertainment's new girl group due to its lineup including the trainees introduced through the agency's pre-debut team SMROOKIES.
However, it seems like there could be a major change in the lineup, and for some there is a large possibility that none of the introduced trainees will make it to the final lineup.
SMROOKIES refers to a team of trainees introduced to the public by SM Entertainment, established on December 3, 2013. As of this time of post, the project has produced one girl group (Red Velvet) and two collective boy groups (NCT and WayV).
There were a total of six (6) officially-introduced members who were candidates for the new girl group: Lami (introduced in 2013), Koeun, Hina, Herin (all introduced in 2015), Yiyang, and Ningning (both introduced in 2016). However, Herin left in 2017, followed by Yiyang in 2018, and Lami and Koeun earlier this year, all to the uncertainty of the company debuting them soon.
The current SMROOKIES lineup consists of only two members: Hina and Ningning. They were introduced in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Hina first performed in the SMTOWN LIVE WORLD IV concert tour in 2014 alongside the former trainees and now-Red Velvet's Yeri before being officially introduced in 2015. Her stints so far include Mickey Mouse Club (2015) and My SMT's Who's the Best corner (2016). Ningning was introduced in 2016 through the latter show. The two members also participated in recording songs for the South Korean animation program Shining Star (2017).
After Lami and Koeun's departure from SM Entertainment, fans are now putting their hopes up for both Hina and Ningning to be in the new girl group's final lineup alongside the yet-to-be-introduced trainees.
Hina is known for her dancing skills as well as her great vocals. Ningning is known for her powerful vocals.
In addition, SM Entertainment has announced simultaneous auditions in South Korea, Japan, and China this year, possibly indicating that a lot of trainees have left the agency and obviously needing more to fill in the void. SM is expected to debut a new boy group (referring to the new-boy-group-every-four-years scheme stated by Lee Sooman) and girl group this year.
Moreover, SM has changed their top executives this year, and Tak Youngjun is known for deciding the lineups of groups such as Girls' Generation, EXO, and SHINee. He was once a manager for the group Super Junior. He could have a large role in deciding the final lineup of the upcoming girl group.
Fans are looking forward for SM Entertainment debuting a new girl group due to the aforementioned introduced trainees as well as the lack of female idols actively promoting. All of the company's girl groups except for Red Velvet are inactive, with f(x) having no plans to release music as a group and Girls' Generation focusing on individual activities (although the members who stayed with SM reformed as Girls' Generation-Oh!GG and released only two songs).
Whether Hina and Ningning or either of the two make it in the final lineup is something that fans are looking forward to.
