DIA 디아
Promotional Poster for "HIP" Left to right: Yeji, Solar, Yuqi, Ruby Jane
Background information
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	K-pop
Years active	2021–present
Labels	Diamond Soul Factory
Associated acts	CARAT XY, Janus, Royal Flush, LeDeux, TOP, aurora, ONE, Jay. M, Seohyun, Tiffany Young
Korean name	디아
Romanization	di-a

This article contains Korean text.Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul and hanja.

DIA (Korean: 디아, RR: dia) is a South Korean girl group, represented by the label Diamond Soul Factory. The group is comprised of four members: Solar, Ruby Jane, Yuqi and Yeji. Their official debut was at midnight on September 20, 2021 with the release of their first EP, with title songs 'A' and 'Bang!'. Their official fandom name is "Moonshine" and their official color is moonlight silver. They are the sister-group to Janus, announced and debuted at midnight on the same day.

You can find the profile of DIA members here.

Pre-debut

Prior to debuting with DIA, some members had already been active in the entertainment industry. Solar was a contestant on the survival show 24CARAT, but was eliminated at the final.

Member Hwangbi was added in June 2023. She had been training with DIA before their debut, and was featured as a cameo in the MV for "What Is Love". Due to her being close friends with the other members of DIA, she was added as their main rapper and lead dancer for a period.

Career

September 2021: Debut EP

On September 11, 2021, DSF started teasing the debut of their first official groups over social media. It was announced as a "double debut" and the teasers were released in duos - each member of DIA with a corresponding member of Janus. After multiple photo teasers and a video teaser each - at midnight between September 19 and 20 the official releases dropped on all streaming platforms.

A was created by a solidified household name - producer Kwon Eunbi - with some help from member Yeji on the choreography. Yeji also was credited with taking part in the production of the track. The song's key point dance is the "ab dance", where the girls lift their shirts. It is yet to be confirmed if this move will be performed on live shows. So far, YouTube has restricted the song to audiences "15 and up". 

Bang! had a bigger creative team behind it. Once again the composer and producer seats were taken by Kwon Eunbi, but this time she was joined by Chaewon of CARAT X, who penned the lyrics along with Yeji. On the other hand, Yeji once again took part in choreography, but this time it was mainly credited to, now-retired, choreographer Jung Yunho. The single's concept displayed the group wearing y marching band outfits, courtesy of styling duo Jessica and Chrystal Jung, who were inspired by the marching band style and rhythm of the song and wanted to do a marching band concept looks to match.
The group practiced playing the drums with a trainer for the concept. Out of the group, leader Solar actually plays the drums as she has displayed during her time in 24CARAT.

 

January 2022: Comeback with "Love"

On December 17, 2021, DSF started teasing DIA's (and Janus') comeback, via posting a teaser of every respective member every day.
It was revealed that this comeback will be preceded by a pre-release track, called "Hands up". Finally, on December 29th, 2021, The pre-release track was posted along with a music video, featuring the girls in office attire for some of the scenes, and in neon tracksuits in others. The song was created by labelmate Shin Ryujin, who previously worked on their debut EP, and choreographed by dance master NO:ZE, recently recruited for DSF.
An energetic trap and dance track, "Hands Up" samples the melody of "Für Elise" by Beethoven, which runs throughout the song and hooks listeners from the get-go, peppered with 808s. 
The vibe of the MV is intense and bold, fitting an upbeat dance-trap track, similar to their previous releases.
The song was promoted on music shows - The Show, Inkigayo, M Countdown (1 Win), and Music Bank.

On January 10th, 2022, DSF released the first music video teaser for the title track of the actual mini-album, called "What is Love?". It features all the members, hyperfocusing on a remote control. Mini-album dropped on January 19th.
The song is about "the love girls would dream about or imagine after learning about it through books, movies, or dramas". It has a bright melody and uptempo dance beat incorporating trap. Critics described the song as having "retro electro-pop styling" and an "addictive choral hook", with "digital quirks, sparkling chimes, and staccato'd percussion over the bubblegum melody".
In the MV the members portray characters from famous films. Hwangbi is Mia from The Princess Diaries, Yeji portrays Molly and Meiqi - Sam from Ghost, Meiqi and Yuqi are Vic and Matthieu from La Boum, Meiqi and Nene are Mia and Vincent from Pulp Fiction, Nene and Yeji are Romeo and Juliet from Romeo + Juliet, Solar and Yeji are Itsuki/Hiroko and male Itsuki from Love Letter, Yeji and Nene are Mia and Sebastian from La La Land, and Yuqi and Ruby Jane are Léon and Mathilda from Léon: The Professional.
 

June 2022: Comeback with "My Pride"

On June 6, 2022, DSF started teasing DIA's (and Janus') comeback, via posting a teaser of every respective member every day.
It was revealed that this comeback will be preceded by a pre-release digital single track, called "All Mine".
On June 11, "All Mine" was released during the teasing period and showed good results, being the group's first - and so far only - digital release. It also marked the group's official comeback as a quartet.

On June 17th, the album "My Pride" was released on all streaming services, as well as physically as a CD. 
It contained 12 songs, with the title track being "I Don't Need a Man" - composed and produced by household name Kwon Eunbi and written by Miso of aurora, who also choreographed the dance for it, the song has a bright melody and sings about young women who work hard and live confidently without depending on a man.

Notable B-sides to be promoted on shows later were "Only You" and "How You Like That".

"Only You" was written and composed by Jessica Jung, who had produced aurora's "Ice Cream Cake", and is a dance-pop song that includes hip-hop and trap rhythms.

"How You Like That" is an EDM, hip hop, trap, club, and pop song, it was written and produced by member Ruby Jane, while the choreography was credited to then in-house choreographer LISA. The track is said to be about "not being daunted by dark situations and not losing the confidence and strength to stand up again". A "thrillingly bombastic lead single", Billboard wrote, the track "fuses pop, trap, and hip-hop with regal horn blasts and a braggadocious hook."
Albeit not very successful on music shows, "How You Like That" reached the top of many charts, especially for its MV, which became the group's most-viewed MV in its history. In the beginning scene of the music video, all four sit like queens atop steps. The members are depicted dancing in several locations, including a jungle, a trapezoidal hall, and the Arctic, all while rocking a parade of high-fashion looks. In the end, they are united in a dance break in a grand domed hall where the quartet is surrounded by backup dancers.

October 2022: Japanese debut with "ALIVE"

On October 2nd, 2022, DSF surprisingly released a full Japanese album by DIA, with 11 tracks in Japanese, right as they were on the Japanese leg of their tour "Fair Game".
The album, called "ALIVE", consisted of 10 tracks previously released in Korean and now adapted with Japanese lyrics and one original new track - "Vampire" - which was performed for the first time at the Osaka concert, as a surprize gift to fans, right before the album's official drop. The lyrics of the song talk about wanting to be a vampire so the members can turn a love they long for into an invulnerable one. Physical releases include DVDs with music videos for the title track and some of the B-tracks. The lyrics and music for "Vampire" were written by DSF soloist of Japanese descent Kim Chaewon, while the choreography was created by Lee Know with the help of trainees, further solidifying DSF's tradition to allow even their junior artists' creativity of expression from an early stage.

This album officially marks the transition of "gogobebe" as a completely DIA song - with Yuqi taking over aurora Yuna's part in the song and performing it along with the other three. While the original CARAT X song "Run Devil Run" now became DIA's Japanese version, featuring chosen members of aurora in the recording alongside DIA's full 6-member lineup. A music video for "Run Devil Run" featuring aurora was also released.

This release was also the first where DIA and Janus did not share their trademark same-name-title track, which threw fans a bit out of the loop, seeing as it is not on brand for them to do so. DSF officials never commented on this.
 

November 2022: Comeback with "DAYDREAM"

As DIA (and Janus) were wrapping up their world tour "Fair Game" - their official channels started teasing an upcoming comeback. The set date as per the teasers was November 30 - the date of their Seoul encore concert.
On November 30, 2022, the EP "DAYDREAM" was released and the title track "Monster" was first performed live during the encore of Fair Games in Seoul. It featured the duo "DIA - RED SUN", consisting of two members of DIA - Solar and Ruby Jane.
According to Hanteo, DAYDREAM sold over 80,000 copies on its first day of availability, beating DIA's first-day and first-week album sales records of the group's repackaged album "My Pride: I'll Be Yours", which set the record at 45,080 copies for its first day, and 71,431 copies for its first week. The EP reached 100,000 copies sold on Hanteo in under 3 days, making it the first DIA release to do so. The EP debuted at number five on the Billboard World Album Chart.
Unexpectedly, on the domestic front, the title track gained no wins on Korean music shows, even if it showed great numbers internationally and in sales.

During this time it was also confirmed that members Meiqi, Nene, and Hwangbi had not renewed their contracts after the tour ended, and DIA would continue as four.
 

June 2023: Four-part Project starts with "NEW MOON"

In May, 2023, company insiders revealed to Soompi that the sibling groups were gearing up for a grandiose four-part comeback project later in the same month. The upcoming albums were said to be a thread of EPs, all connected into one project of 4 parts, each showcasing a member's colors and curated to fit the featured member. DSF also confirmed that each member of the groups has actively taken part in creating their designated EP, making this 4-part project one of the most personal and genuine releases lately.
On June 8th, 2023, the first EP of the project - NEW MOON - was released on all streaming services. It focused on and was curated by the leader and main vocalist Solar. 

The title track of the EP "I Love You" was produced by DSF's long-time collaborator Ronny Lee. Musically, "I Love You" is described as an affectionate, lush, and "moody synth" dance-pop track that infuses elements of electronic and traditional Korean trot music to create a "different sound" and "new genre of music", whilst still showing the beauty of Korean culture. Upon release, "I Love You" garnered generally positive reviews from music critics, with them complimenting the song's production and composition along with the unique musical styles. It was ranked within the top five on Billboard K-pop Hop 100. The song was a commercial success in South Korea, topping both the Gaon Digital Chart and the Billboard K-pop Hot 100. It went on to sell more than 2.7 million digital units and pre-orders at release. In Japan, the song peaked at number five on the Oricon Singles Chart and sold 15,700 physical copies.

Solar's designated solo track off this EP - Adrenaline - received a special performance video instead of an MV, portraying the young woman sitting on a high stool and singing on a handheld mic. The track was soon after announced to have been chosen for the OST for the crime-drama series "Luciano". The song is sung entirely in English, and a special Italian version was released later by singer Aalia, while industry all-rounder Jessica Jung lends her talents for the lyrics. With its key in C Major, the track showcases the powerful vocals of Solar and compliments the color of her voice.

gogobebe (rock ver.) is a reimagined rendition of the original track of the same name, with encapsulating guitar riffs and a drum beat to match. The song features recently debuted at the time DSF k-rock band Royal Flush as the rock backing in live stages as well as the recording.

The last track on the record was So Hot a remix cover of the iconic 2nd Gen girl group Wonder Girls with a personalized twist to accentuate DIA's own light, with customized verses by the two rappers. DIA covered the song before, live on their Fair Game Tour, and finally fans could enjoy it recorded. Trainee Moon Sua has lent her hand in amending the lyrics and arrangement to fit DIA, with the help of the renowned rapper T.O.P; aurora's Pixie worked on the music, and in-house DSF choreographer Lee Know has been credited with the hard-hitting choreography for live stages.

July 2023: Comeback with "BLOOD MOON"

In July 2023, right after a successful run with "I Love You", DIA announced and subsequently released their second installment of the 4-part project, the EP "BLOOD MOON". The featured member for this EP was Yeji, and she was heavily involved in the creation of the songs and final release. The feathers in the title track "Something" are also inspired by her.

The EP was released and distributed by Diamond Soul Factory on July 9th, 2023. It consists of four songs, including the title track "Something", used to promote the EP on several South Korean music programs, including Music Bank. A music video for the title track was also released on July 9th. Other promoted songs include "Stay" and "Danny", the latter being Yeji's solo. "Stay" also received a music video.

The EP was a commercial success peaking at number 3 on the Gaon Album Chart.

The second promoted track, "Stay" peaked at number 10 on the Gaon Digital Chart. DIA performed their comeback stages for "Stay" on SBS's Inkigayo, and on Mnet's M Countdown. DIA also performed "Stay" as part of the YouTube Originals special Dear Earth, in which they delivered a speech about the importance of dealing with climate change. The music video for "Stay" was directed by Han Sa Min, who previously directed "Gotta Be You" by ToAnyone and "Sober" by The Big Bang.

August 2023: Comebacks with "FULL MOON" and "BLUE MOON"

On August 1st, 2023 DIA released the third installment of the 4-part project, the EP "FULL MOON". The featured member for this EP was Ruby Jane, and she was heavily involved in the creation of the songs and final release.

The EP was released and distributed by Diamond Soul Factory on August 1st, 2023. It consists of four songs, including the title track and digital single "Crush". A music video for one of the b-sides - Gotta Be You - was also released on August 1st. Other promoted songs include "Crush" and "Pretty Savage".
Stylistically, the album incorporates a broad range of musical influences, utilizing a variety of genres such as R&B, hip hop, dance, electronic, and reggae.
FULL MOON was positively received by music critics, who highlighted its modern electronic innovation and was listed as one of the best albums of the year worldwide by Rolling Stone and Fuse. FULL MOON sold over 5,000 copies within four days in the United States and debuted at number 61 on the Billboard 200.
The second single off the EP, "Gotta Be You", which also received an MV was also promoted on the music program Inkigayo and peaked at number three on the Gaon Digital Chart.
FULL MOON was also chosen as the 'Favorite Girl Group Album' on the "Girl Group Week Readers' Poll" hosted by Billboard, beating albums by Girls Aloud, Little Mix, Destiny's Child and the Spice Girls, as well as being included in Fuse's mid-year list of the "25 Best Albums of 2023 So Far", alongside artists such as Coldplay, Pharrell Williams and Mariah Carey.

Later the same month, exactly at midnight between August 30th and 31st, DIA released their fourth and final installment of the series, a mini-album named "BLUE MOON", featuring member Yuqi. The title track was "SAVAGE" and Yuqi's solo song was the blooming "flowerain". In addition, DIA showed confidence in the mini-album by producing music videos for all of the tracks in it. "Savage", "Decalcomanie", "Wind Flower" and "Slay" were also promoted on music shows as well.

For the first time in DIA history, the MV for Decalcomanie, which featured the model Troy as the male lead, was rated for "Audiences 15 and up". Curiously, model Troy has revealed that they are gender-fluid, leading fans to hold even more respect for DIA for their decision to work with them, even in a more conservative country like South Korea. 
‘Decalcomanie’ is a medium rock genre song that blends well with DIA's soulful vocals in an 8-bit rock rhythm. If the music they showed before was retro-style funky songs, this time they challenged a new genre based on rock. Synthesizers are excluded, and DIA's graceful vocals are in perfect harmony with the sound of acoustic drums and guitars. The feeling of a first kiss with a loved one and the feeling of a lover becoming similar to each other are compared to a ‘decalcomania’ and expressed in a witty and luxurious way in DIA's own language.

February 2024: Compilation Album "CRESCENT"

Following the success of their 4-part project in 2023, there had been much speculation and several announcements in regards to their then-upcoming compilation album. Before the release of the first part's single "I Love You", DSF CEO Tiffany Young announced that she intended for them to release 4 EPs eventually leading up to a new album. In late January 2024, DSF began teasing the new release with a series of teaser pictures and videos. Following the teasers, DIA were reported saying, "we prepared each song with a lot of sincerity and affection." Additionally, member Ruby Jane commented, "I am confident and I look forward to our comeback. I am happy to be able to express the musicality of DIA in various ways."  The agency announced that the full-length album would consist of 12 tracks in total, with 9 of them being the most successful tracks from the 4 previous EPs, and 3 whole new tracks - the title tracks "Come Back Home", "HIP" and "Ddu-du ddu-du"

It was announced that the release of the album would coincide with the celebration of the Lunar New Year in 2023, as well as the night of the Lunar Festival Awards - on February 10th, 2024.
Unfortunately, due to the accident that happened on the red carpet of the Lunar Festival Awards, music show promotions of the album were postponed, so Solar would have time to recover.

Lead single "COME BACK HOME" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its musical style and production. Commercially, it maintained the top position on the Gaon Digital Chart for two consecutive weeks and sold nearly 1,300,000 digital units in the country. The music video for the song, directed by Dee Shin was noted for its high production value and use of computer-generated imagery. The video, reminiscent of the film The Matrix (1999), incorporates an array of dystopian and futuristic elements intertwined with the concept of a "virtual paradise". The group is seen living in a futuristic world where one can escape reality and enter the "virtual paradise" with a special machine. The dystopian-like real world features a normal girl (played by Yuqi) whose boyfriend is addicted to the virtual paradise and would rather be in the fantasy environment than with her. As a result, all four members go from their real world and transform into warrior rebels to infiltrate the virtual environment in order to destroy it from the inside. Filled with elaborate sets, special effects, and unique wardrobes, the video garnered notability for its high production value of half a million dollars to effectively exude a futuristic atmosphere and has been compared to the likes of science fiction movies.
Musically, "Come Back Home" consists of a diverse and contrasting range of musical styles, with the most predominant genres being electropop, R&B, and hip-hop. Dazed commented that the reggae-tinged deep electronica track was reminiscent of the group's previous hits such as "I Love You". Writing for Billboard magazine, Jeff Benjamin referred to the song as a reggae-trap hybrid that mashes the two distinct genres into a "booming final product". "Opening with a bouncy beat similar to Rihanna's 'Man Down'", Benjamin wrote, "the girls croon about losing a lover, asking him to 'come back home' until the production flips into a heavy trap beat. At that point, the girls get seductive and demand their love to 'come, baby baby, come, baby baby.'".

The second lead single off the album - HIP -  is a dance-pop song with a retro feel. "HIP" was written by members Ruby Jane and Solar, later joined by Hanbin (Janus) for composition, and he also did the production. The single was met with positive reception upon release and became a commercial success, peaking within the top ten in South Korea and becoming a number-one hit on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. The song was certified platinum by the Korea Music & Content Association (KMCA) for surpassing 100 million streams. The single debuted at number five on the Billboard World Digital Songs Sales chart, before peaking atop the chart the next week, moving around 2,000 downloads in the United States. Contrary to previous promotional cycles, the group explicitly focused on choreography, exchanging their trademark handheld microphones for headsets. Group leader Solar remarked that the choreography for "Hip" had been their most complex and hardest to learn so far. It was created by labelmate Jay.M. While appearing on a KBS talk show, she elaborated that this change was inspired by previous criticism over the group not having intricate, demanding dance routines and being self-choreographed. "Hip" is a dance-pop song with swing and hip-hop influences, noted by Billboard as a "powerful, anthemic melody" and "brassy take-down" of the group's haters. The song features the group's four members singing and rapping over a strong and confident beat. Newsweek reported "Hip" as being "about living a life where you don't care about how other people see you" and "convey[ing] the meaning of valuing yourself and living confidently rather than caring about what others think.". The music video went viral and would later become their first to surpass 200 million views. The video has amassed over 321 million views and 4.6 million likes, being one of the group's highest-viewed videos.

The third single DDU-DU DDU-DU is an EDM trap and pop-rap song infused with bubblegum pop sounds, written and choreographed by Jay.M, and composed and produced by Hanbin (Janus). It utilizes oriental percussion rhythms and whistling while its title imitates the sound of a gunshot. Ruby Jane commented how the group reacted when they were given the demo for the song: "When we first listened to the demo track of 'Ddu-du Ddu-du,' we all thought, 'This is it.'" Its lyrics contain messages of strength and self-assurance. "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" was a commercial success in South Korea, peaking at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart for three weeks. The song reached number one on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 and World Digital Songs charts. It also became the first song by a K-pop girl group to enter the UK Singles Chart. It was certified double platinum for streaming and platinum for digital sales in South Korea, gold in the United States and Japan, and silver in the United Kingdom. Its accompanying music video soon became the most-viewed online video in the first 24 hours by a Korean act and the second-most-watched music video of all time within 24 hours. It has since become the first music video by a K-pop group to reach 1 billion as well as 2 billion views and remains the most-viewed music video by a K-pop group on YouTube to date. It also became one of the most-liked videos on YouTube with over 23 million likes on the platform. In South Korea, "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" debuted at number three on the Gaon Digital Chart. The following week, the song ascended to the number one position. It remained atop the Gaon Digital Chart for three weeks and subsequently spent over 50 weeks in the top 100. It was then certified platinum for both download and streaming by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) for 100 million streams and 2.5 million digital sales.

Awards and achievements

DIA's accolades include eight nominations - for "MV of the Year", "Best Vocal (group)", "Best Dance Performance (female group)", "Best Female Group", "Worldwide Fans' Choice", "Album of the Year", "Song of the Year" and "Artist of the Year". All nominations are for 2022.
Out of those nominations, DIA won two awards - "Song of the Year" for How You Like That and "Artist of the Year".

Separately, different members of the group received their own nominations and awards, as follows:
Solar was nominated for "Best Collaboration" for the song Honey Bee along with Kate Kim and Hwasa, and for the song Some alongside Janus' Hanbin and Romeo. 
Ruby Jane was nominated for two categories - "Style Icon of the Year" and "Best Dance Performance (female group)" for the song POSE along with NO:ZE, fellow DIA member Yuqi and aurora. Ruby Jane won both nominations.

Additionally, Moonshine - DIA's fandom - won the category "Fandom of the Year". DIA honorably accepted the award in Moonshine's name.

In the 2023 Waterbomb Summer Festival Awards, DIA participated on Day 2 with the songs "gogobebe", "Something" and "Pretty Savage", and member Ruby Jane had a solo stage of her own with the song "Vengeance". Yeji had a solo stage on Day 3 with her song "Danny".
DIA was nominated in the following categories: "Global Icon", "Hot Global Artist", "Best Female Video", "Album of the Summer", "Song of the Summer" and "Artist of the Summer". Member Yeji was also nominated in the "Best Songwriter" category for her efforts in various songs, such as "Stay", "Daydream" and "Danny", and in the "Best Collaboration" category for the song "Ice Cream" with Selena Gomez.
DIA won the trophy in the "Best Female Video" category for the song "Gotta Be You", and the coveted "Artist of the Summer" daesang.

At the 2024 Lunar Festival Awards, DIA and certain members were nominated in various categories, and won awards in the following ones: Fans Choice Award, Best Vocal Performance (Group) for Decalcomanie, Best Dance Performance (Female) for Savage, and the daesang for Song of The Year for Decalcomanie again.
Members of DIA participated in several special stages on the Lunar Festival - Yeji collaborated with Janus' Hyunjin on a dance cover of two songs; Ruby Jane took part in a lineup of idols covering T.O.P's "Flower Road", and Yuqi had a special stage cover of Jessica Jung's Lilac, along with Eun of LeDeux and two more idols.
DIA were also scheduled to perform a solo stage of their own - performing their track CRUSH as an intro, followed by their comeback track COME BACK HOME, but due to Solar's red carpet accident, she had to sit it out, and only Ruby Jane, Yuqi and Yeji performed a slightly shortened variation of their stage.

DIA at The Lunar Festival Awards red carpet backstage in 2024.

Members

On November 1st, 2022 DSF announced that Meiqi officially left DIA and DSF Entertainment in order to pursue a career outside of the idol scene. The split was amicable and the entertainer and company are keeping a good relationship.

Discography

On September 20, 2021 the full EP was released on all streaming platforms. 

It consisted of 4 tracks, created by different songwriters in DSF and the idols as well.

Third track "Wanna Be" was used as a special OST for an upcoming K-drama. 
Another known name from 24CARAT and CARAT X - Ryujin - created the song "Black Widow" - a powerful dance track that wrapped up this EP and would go on to become an overall favorite.
Aside from the two title tracks, Diamond Soul Factory has also confirmed that Black Widow will also be promoted on music shows.