Gugudan

Gugudan

Company type	Girl group
Industry	Music
Founded	2016
Founder	Jellyfish Entertainment
Defunct	2020-12-31
Headquarters	Seoul , South Korea
Area served	South Korea, Japan
Key people	Mimi, Hana, Haebin, Nayoung, Sejeong, Sally, Soyee, Mina, Hyeyeon (until 2018)
Products	Music albums, singles
Owner	Jellyfish Entertainment
Website	gugudan.jellyfishent.com

Gugudan (), also known as gu9udan or gx9, was a South Korean female ensemble established in 2016 by Jellyfish Entertainment as the agency’s inaugural girl group. Their official debut occurred on June 28, 2016, with the extended play Act. 1 The Little Mermaid. The original roster consisted of Mimi, Hana, Haebin, Nayoung, Sejeong, Sally, Soyee, Mina, and until October 2018, Hyeyeon.

Following a period of minimal group engagements spanning two years, Gugudan officially disbanded on December 31, 2020.

Pre-debut

In January 2016, Nayoung, Sejeong, and Mina were unveiled as Jellyfish Entertainment’s first female trainees on Mnet’s survival program Produce 101, which featured 101 contestants competing for spots in an eleven-member girl group under YMC Entertainment. Sejeong and Mina secured 2nd and 9th places respectively and debuted with I.O.I in May 2016.

2016: Debut with Act. 1 The Little Mermaid

Although initially denied, Jellyfish Entertainment confirmed on June 7 that I.O.I members Sejeong and Mina would debut within the same month as part of the agency’s first girl group. This was facilitated by YMC Entertainment’s policy permitting I.O.I members to promote with their agencies during breaks or sub-unit activities.

On June 10, Nayoung was officially announced as a member, and by June 13, Jellyfish disclosed that Gugudan would consist of nine members. The group’s name was revealed on June 17.

Gugudan confirmed a "mermaid" theme for their debut on June 22. A highlight medley previewing their debut mini-album was unveiled on June 24. Their official debut took place on June 28, 2016, with the mini-album Act. 1 The Little Mermaid, featuring "Wonderland" as the lead single. The same day, they held their debut showcase at Yes24 Live Hall.

The group also participated in Jellyfish Entertainment’s annual winter project, Jelly Christmas 2016, collaborating with labelmates Seo In-guk, VIXX, Park Yoon-ha, Park Jung-ah, Kim Gyu-sun, Kim Ye-won, and Jiyul. The project’s title track "Falling (니가 내려와)" was digitally released on December 13, 2016.

2017: Act. 2 Narcissus and Act. 3 Chococo Factory

On February 27, Gugudan launched their second extended play titled Act. 2 Narcissus, led by the single "A Girl Like Me".

Later in the year, on November 8, they released the single album Act. 3 Chococo Factory, featuring the title track "Chococo". Prior to this release, member Soyee began a hiatus to recuperate from a shoulder injury sustained before debut.

2018: Act. 4 Cait Sith, Act. 5 New Action, Japanese debut and Hyeyeon's departure

February 1 marked the release of Gugudan’s second single album Act. 4 Cait Sith, headlined by the track "The Boots".

In May, youngest member Hyeyeon temporarily stepped back from activities due to health concerns and subsequently left the group in October for personal reasons.

Gugudan made their Japanese market entry on September 19 with their first Japanese single Stand By. They followed this with a debut showcase and fan meeting titled "Dear Friend" at Tokyo Akasaka Blitz on September 21. Their initial Japan tour began in Osaka and Tokyo on December 7.

On November 6, the group unveiled their third EP Act. 5 New Action, which included six tracks led by the single "Not That Type".

2020: Sally's involvement in Produce Camp 2020 and the group's dissolution

In April 2020, the Chinese member Sally participated in the Chinese survival program Produce Camp 2020, where she secured sixth place, earning a spot in the temporary girl group BonBon Girls 303.

On December 30, Gugudan officially declared their disbandment, concluding all promotional activities by December 31, 2020.

Members

• Mimi () — vocalist
• Hana () — leader, dancer, vocalist
• Haebin () — vocalist
• Nayoung () — vocalist
• Sejeong () — vocalist
• Sally () — dancer, rapper, vocalist
• Soyee () — vocalist
• Mina () — rapper, dancer, vocalist
• Hyeyeon () — dancer, vocalist, rapper

Gugudan 5959

In July 2017, Jellyfish Entertainment introduced Gugudan's first subunit named Gugudan 5959 (), which included the youngest members Mina and Hyeyeon. The title "5959" corresponds to their individual numbers within Gugudan: Hyeyeon as number 5 and Mina as number 9. This subunit made its debut with the single "Ice Chu" on August 10, 2017.

After Hyeyeon's exit in October 2018, Gugudan 5959 ceased its activities.

Gugudan SeMiNa

Jellyfish Entertainment formed Gugudan's second subunit, Gugudan SeMiNa (), in June 2018. This trio consisted of Sejeong, Mina, and Nayoung, with the name derived from the first syllables of each member’s name. Their debut single album, titled after the subunit itself and featuring two tracks, was released on July 10, 2018.

Single albums

Overview of single albums including key information and chart rankings

Title	Details	Highest chart positions	Sales
		KOR
Act. 3 Chococo Factory	Release date: November 8, 2017 (KOR) Label: Jellyfish Entertainment Available formats: CD, digital download	8	KOR: 20,435 copies
Act. 4 Cait Sith	Release date: February 1, 2018 (KOR) Label: Jellyfish Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download, SMC	7	KOR: Total sales of 20,933 (19,782 CDs + 1,151 SMC)

Extended plays

List of extended plays with selected chart rankings and sales figures

Title	Details	Peak chart positions			Sales
		KOR	JPN	JPN Hot
Act. 1 The Little Mermaid	Release date: June 28, 2016 (KOR) Label: Jellyfish Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download	2	—	—	KOR: 22,217 copies
Act. 2 Narcissus	Release date: February 27, 2017 (KOR) Label: Jellyfish Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download	3	223	—	KOR: 29,207 copies
Stand By	Release date: September 19, 2018 (JPN) Label: Jellyfish Entertainment Japan Formats: CD, digital download	—	47	63	JPN sales: 1,442 copies
Act. 5 New Action	Release date: November 6, 2018 (KOR) Label: Jellyfish Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download	8	—	—	KOR sales: 9,813 copies
"—" indicates releases that did not chart or were unavailable in that market.

Singles

Compilation of singles including select chart rankings, release year, and associated album

Song Title	Release Year	Highest Chart Positions		Sales (DL)	Corresponding Album
		KOR	KOR Hot
"Wonderland"	2016	35	rowspan="2" Template:N/A	KOR: 116,908	Act. 1 The Little Mermaid
"A Girl Like Me" (나 같은 애)	2017	38	KOR: 70,060	Act. 2 Narcissus
"Chococo"		—	—	KOR: 17,196	Act. 3 Chococo Factory
"The Boots"	2018	—	100	—	Act. 4 Cait Sith
"Not That Type"		—	—		Act. 5 New Action
The symbol "—" indicates titles that did not chart or were not released in that market.

Collaborations

Song Title	Year Released	Highest Chart Ranking	Featured Artist(s)	Sales (DL)	Album Name
		KOR
"Falling" (니가 내려와)	2016	34	Seo In-guk, VIXX, Park Yoon-ha, Park Jung-ah, Kim Gyu-sun, Kim Ye-won, Jiyul	KOR: 64,663	Jelly Christmas 2016
The mark "—" signifies releases that did not chart or were unavailable in that region.

Soundtrack appearances

Song Title	Year Issued	Participating Member(s)	Soundtrack Album
"Perhaps Love" (사랑일 것 같더라)	2017	Entire Group	Story About: Some, One Month Episode 1
"Believe in This Moment" (이 순간을 믿을게)			'School 2017 OST
"Diary (2001 Remix Ver.)" (일기)		Mimi, Hana, Nayoung, Mina	'Children of the 20th Century OST

Music Videos

Title	Release Year	Director(s)	Reference
"Wonderland"	2016	Zanybros
"A Girl Like Me" (나 같은 애)	2017	Digipedi
"Chococo"
"The Boots"	2018	Purple Straw Film
"Not That Type"		August Frog	Template:N/A

Television

• Gugudan Project: Extreme School Trip (aired on MBC Music; 2016)

Web Shows

• What Are Gugudan Doing? (broadcast via vLive and YouTube; 2016–2020)

Concerts and Tours

• Gugudan's inaugural Showcase & Fanmeeting titled "Dear Friend" held in Japan (2018)
• First Japan Tour by Gugudan named "Play" (2018)
• Gugudan's debut Asia Tour (2018)

Awards and Nominations

Details of award events including year, category, nominee or work, and outcome

Award Event	Year	Category	Nominee / Entry	Outcome	Reference
Asia Artist Awards	2016	Popularity Award (Singer)	Gugudan	Template:Nom
	2017	Rising Star Award		Template:Won
		Popularity Award (Singer)		Template:Nom
	2018			Template:Nom
		New Wave Award (Music)		Template:Won
Gaon Chart Music Awards	2017	New Artist of the Year		Template:Nom
Golden Disc Awards	2017	New Artist of the Year		Template:Nom
		Popularity Award		Template:Nom
		Asian Choice Popularity Award		Template:Nom
Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards	2017	K-Pop Award		Template:Won
Mnet Asian Music Awards	(2016)	"Best New Artist (Female Group)"		"Template:Nom"
		"Artist of the Year"		"Template:Nom"
Rookie Asia M-style Show	"2016"	"Cultural Technology – Awesome Style Award"		"Template:Won"
Seoul Music Awards	"2017"	"Bonsang Award"		"Template:Nom"
	"New Artist Award"	"Template:Nom"
	"Popularity Award"	"Template:Nom"
	"Hallyu Special Award"	"Template:Nom"
	"2018"	"Bonsang Award"		"Template:Nom"
	"Popularity Award"	"Template:Nom"
	"Hallyu Special Award"	"Template:Nom"
Soribada Best K-Music Awards	"2017"	"Performance Award"		"Template:Won"
	"Popularity Award"	"Template:Nom"

External links

• Official Gugudan Website