Riize (Korean: 라이즈; RR: Raijeu; MR: Raijŭ; stylized in all caps; pronounced as "Rise") is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of seven members: Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Seunghan, Sohee, and Anton. They debuted on September 4, 2023, with the single albumGet a Guitar.
The group's name, Riize, is a name created by combining "Rise", which means "growth", and "Realize", which means "a team that grows together and realizes dreams".[2]
Members Shotaro and Sungchan previously debuted in SM's boy group, NCT, being unveiled as part of the lineup in October 2020.[3] On July 1, 2022, SM Entertainment introduced Shohei, Eunseok, and Seunghan as part of their SM Rookies lineup.[4] In November 2022, it was announced that they would star in the reality show Welcome to NCT Universe, hosted by Shotaro and Sungchan.[5][6]
The first mentions of SM's new boy group came on February 3, 2023, when SM released a video detailing the company's future plans with SM 3.0. In the video, they explained that the group would be debuting in the fourth quarter of 2023, with the project led by SM Entertainment COOTak Young-jun.[7]
On May 24, 2023, SM released a video regarding their future plans for the group, announcing that Shotaro and Sungchan would leave NCT to join the lineup and that Eunseok and Seunghan would be making their debut, and that Shohei would not be debuting.[8][9] On July 11, it was reported that the seven-member boy group were filming their debut music video for a projected September debut.[9][10] In response to media reports about Yoon Sang's son Anton Lee joining the group, SM stated that they would begin revealing information about the group on August 1.[11] On July 31, SM confirmed that the group would debut as "Riize" in September.[12] On August 1, the member profiles of all seven members were revealed, alongside the group's Instagram.[13]
2023: Debut, "Talk Saxy", and Seunghan's hiatus[edit]
On August 7, 2023, SM Entertainment announced that the group would be making their debut on September 4 with the release of their first single album, Get a Guitar.[14] The album sold over a million copies in the first week of its release, earning the second most first-week sales of a rookie group's debut album.[15]
On August 19, Riize released the web novelRise & Realize ahead of the group's debut, in collaboration with Kakao Entertainment.[16] Ahead of its release, Riize performed "Memories" and "Siren" at KCON LA on August 20.[17] Riize released their pre-release single "Memories" on August 21.[18] On September 4, SM Entertainment announced that Riize had signed a contract with RCA Records for their promotion and activities in the United States.[19] At the debut showcase "RIIZING DAY: RIIZE Premiere", Riize announced their official fan club name to SUNZ, which changes to BRIIZE two days later due to potential negative interpretations of the name "SUNZ."[20] On September 7, the group made their official broadcast debut on Mnet's M Countdown where they performed "Get a Guitar", "Memories", and "Siren".[21]
On October 22, it was announced that Riize would have their first comeback with the single "Talk Saxy" on October 27.[22][15]
On November 22, SM announced that Seunghan would be put on indefinite hiatus due to rumours surrounding him.[23] Due to this issue, SM said that they plan to submit a complaint to the police and are considering taking further legal measures against the leakers who are said to have spread false information to intentionally cause misunderstandings.[24]
2024–present: "Love 119", Japanese debut and Riizing[edit]
On January 5, 2024, Riize released their single "Love 119",[25][26] and achieved their first music show win on January 18 episode of Mnet's M Countdown, as well as January 21 episode of SBS' Inkigayo.[27] The group also released a Japanese version of the single on January 24, which marked their Japanese debut.[28]
Riize released the full version of their pre-debut teaser "Siren" on April 3. The single is part of their first EP Riizing, which was released in June. They have released four more singles ahead of the EP's release; "Impossible" on April 18, and "9 Days", "Honestly", and "One Kiss" on April 29.[29] The group also announced the dates for their fan-con tour Riizing Day, with shows scheduled between May 4 to August 31 across 9 countries.[30][31]
On August 16, 2023, Riize was selected by the Korean online fashion store Musinsa as its new ambassador.[32] On August 25, domestic skincare brand UIQ selected Riize as its exclusive model.[33] On December 11, luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton selected Riize as its house ambassadors.[34]
On March 25, 2024, the Korean cosmetics brand Etude House selected Riize as its new models for "Overglow Tint".[35] On April 18, 2024, The Coca-Cola Company's beverage brand Fanta selected Riize as its new brand model.[36]
Riize was introduced as a group who focuses on "Emotional Pop" genre, a unique genre that expresses a variety of emotions through songs, which captures inspiration from everyday experiences in music.[2]
^ Hosted by the Hong Kong Asia Pacific International Group and Sunway Records, the Asian Pop Music Awards bases its winners on the "Asian Pop Music Chart" which opened in September 2019.[75]
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^Kang, Joo-hee (January 21, 2024). 라이즈 '인기가요' 1위...음방2관왕 달성 [Riize 'Inkigayo' 1st place...Achieved 2 music shows] (in Korean). Ilgan Sports. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Naver.
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^ abcChoi, Hye-jin (March 5, 2024). "라이즈, 첫 팬콘 투어 'RIIZING DAY' 개최..톱티어 신인의 '열일' 행보" [RIIZE holds its first fan-con tour 'RIIZING DAY'...Top tier rookie's 'hard work']. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Naver.
^Koo, Eun-mo (August 16, 2023). "무신사, 신규 앰버서더로SM보이그룹 '라이즈' 선정" [Musinsa selects SM boy group 'Riize' as new ambassador]. Asia Economy (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Naver.
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"Get a Guitar": "Get a Guitar". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). September 13, 2023. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
"Love 119": "Love 119". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
"Love 119" (following Japanese version release): "Love 119". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
"Impossible": "Impossible". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
"Boom Boom Bass": "Boom Boom Bass". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
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^"라이즈, 데뷔1년만 체조경기장 입성 …회차 추가→사흘간 공연" [Riize enters the gymnastics arena just one year after debut... Additional performances → three-day performance]. Newsen. July 5, 2024. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
^Hwang, Hye-jin (March 3, 2024). "뉴진스 이어 라이즈, 오늘(3일) 아이유 콘서트 게스트 뜬다" [After NewJeans, Riize is IU concert's guest appears today (3rd)]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved March 3, 2024 – via Naver.
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^라이즈『올해, 많이 배우고 성장...감사한 기억들 많아』[동닷픽톡] [Rise: "This year, we've learned and grown a lot...We have a lot of grateful memories"]. Sports Donga (in Korean). November 16, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
^Yoon, Ki-baek (October 10, 2023). "세븐틴, '2023 TMA' 이견 없는 대상 [종합]" [Seventeen, '2023 TMA' an undisputed favorite [Full story]]. Edaily. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023 – via Naver.
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^Lee, Kyung-ho (November 28, 2023). "라이즈, '페이보릿 뉴 아티스트' 수상.."SM, 팬들께 감사"[2023 MAMA]" [Riize wins 'Favorite New Artist' award..."Thank you SM and fans" [2023 MAMA]]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
^Jeong, Seung-min (December 2, 2023). "'올해의 신인' 라이즈 "생애 단 한 번이라 뜻깊어"(MMA 2023)" ['Rookie of the Year' Riize "It means a lot because it's once in a lifetime" (MMA 2023)]. MHN Sports (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
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