The group Ive (Ahn Yu-jin, Ga-eul, Ray, Jang Won-young, Leez, Lee Seo) is celebrating their 3rd debut anniversary.

Ive, who debuted with ‘ELEVEN’ on December 1, 2021, will look back on this year and share special thoughts to celebrate their 3rd debut anniversary today (1st) and will hold a live broadcast on their official YouTube channel at 6 PM.

● Ive in 2024, ‘A hotly rising year’ Endless growth

Ive, who has an independent and confident charm like the meaning of their team name ‘I HAVE = IVE’, showed ‘another me’ with ‘IVE SWITCH’, released in April, and told a new story in their own style. It contains a total of 6 tracks, including the title song ‘HEYA’ with an addictive melody and the members‘ attractive voices, and the double title song ‘Accendio’ where you can see everything from his magical girl-like visuals to his darkened appearance.

Ive has proven his unrivaled musicality with his splendid career. ‘Ive Switch’ ranked at the top of the main charts of major domestic music sites and overseas iTunes charts immediately after its release, proving its immense music power, while ‘HEYA’ showed its presence by ranking first on YouTube Music Video Trending Worldwide. In addition, the album sold over 1 million copies in just 3 days, easily surpassing the first day sales of his previous album, ‘I’VE MINE‘, and achieving his fourth million-seller.

With a message of confident subjectivity as the foundation, Ive has proven his popularity and power not only domestically but also globally by presenting his unique musicality and concept. In January, they released their first English single, ’All Night‘, and in August, they released their new Japanese mini-album, ’ALIVE‘, revealing their team identity with a flashy yet refreshing and lovely vibe.

● Ive’s first world tour since debut, ’Show What I Have‘

Ive put even more effort into the stage experience they had accumulated so far, and starting in Korea in October of last year, they held their first world tour, ’Show What I Have‘, in 28 cities in 19 countries across Asia, the Americas, Europe, and South America, with a total of 37 performances, drawing an audience of 420,000 people.

Ive, the first 4th generation girl group to hold an encore performance, held at ’KSPO DOME, also known as ’the singers‘ dream stage‘. (Former Gymnastics Arena)‘ and entered the ’Tokyo Dome‘ in Japan, which was filled with 95,000 DIVE (official fan club name) for two days, and had a glorious moment. They were spotlighted by major Japanese media outlets and decorated the headline of the special edition front page, and they confidently entered the American arena with a sold-out march in the Americas as well, and they achieved a series of meaningful results such as receiving a commemorative plaque from ’The O2‘ arena in London, England, as part of their European tour.

Ive, who has gained experience through world tours, proved it on the festival stage. During the world tour, Ive performed on the stages of large-scale global music festivals such as the US’s ’Lollapalooza Chicago‘ and Japan‘s ’Summer Sonic 2024‘, showcasing the members’ solid singing skills, band live performances, and more, and continuing his global activities that leave no doubt about the title of ’MZ Wannabe Icon‘.

Ive has since been named to the lineup for ’Lollapalooza Paris‘, which will be held at the Hippodrome ParisLongchamp in Paris, France on July 20, 2025. This is the second consecutive entry for a K-pop girl group, following ’Lollapalooza Chicago‘ and ’Lollapalooza Paris‘, and they are set to solidify their position as an irreplaceable girl group by once again dominating the global stage.

● ’World-class‘ Ive‘s unstoppable career → Expectations for 2025

Ive, who is enjoying explosive popularity on stages around the world, proved her global popularity in May when she was the only K-pop artist to be named to ’Forbes‘30 Under 30 in Asia‘‘.

Ive has also created an unstoppable career at year-end award ceremonies. At the ‘2024 MAMA AWARDS’ held in Japan on the 22nd of last month, Ive won ’CJ GLOBAL PERFORMANCE’, ’FANS‘ CHOICE OF THE YEAR’, and ‘FAVORITE GLOBAL PERFORMER FEMALE’, taking home three crowns.

Afterwards, at the ‘2024 Melon Music Awards’ held at Inspire Arena on the 30th of last month, Ive won ‘Best Music Video’ for ‘Haye’, which ranked first on YouTube’s music video trending worldwide at the time of its release, and the main prize ‘Millions TOP10’, in recognition of her global activities through her world tour this year. ‘Global Artist Female Category’, winning a total of three awards.

Ive, who has been trying out various genres every year and undergoing limitless musical transformation, is expected to continue to prove her dazzling growth and perfectly satisfy the needs of her fans.

In addition, Ive shared her thoughts on the 3rd debut anniversary through her agency Starship Entertainment.

An Yu-jin: I think I made another memory with the members and DIVE this year. I was happy to be able to perform with great staff members all over the world, and I am grateful that I was able to carry out diverse activities. Also, I will visit places I couldn‘t visit during this world tour and the DIVEs I met during this tour, so please wait a little longer. I think it was all thanks to DIVE that we were able to successfully finish our first tour and receive awards at the end of the year. I am so grateful that Dive has always supported and waited for me for the past three years, and I will repay you with even better music and performances next year.

Autumn: This year, I have accomplished a lot with the members and Dive. I have seen and felt a lot through my first world tour since my debut. I was surprised that there are so many Dives around the world, and I was even more touched by the fact that so many Dives support and love Ive. Also, I promised Dive that I will become an Ive that Dive can be even more proud of by performing on stage at a big venue. I want to tell Dive that I am so grateful and that I love them for making my dream come true.

Ray: I can’t believe that a year has already passed. There were many things that happened this year, following last year, but I especially liked and was happy that I had a lot of time with Dive. Looking back, meeting Dives from Korea to all over the world was like a dream. It was amazing and a happy moment to see DIVE, whom I had seen on a world tour, once again on the world‘s largest festival stage, ‘Lollapalooza Chicago’. I will continue to work hard to show you that I am working harder to become an artist that DIVE can be proud of.

Jang Won-young: Every year is special, but I think this year is especially special. Thanks to DIVE’s love, Ive was able to perfectly finish my first world tour and have the honor of performing on the stages of ‘Lollapalooza Chicago’ and ‘Summer Sonic 2024’. Also, I was happy to receive many awards at year-end award ceremonies such as the ‘2024 MAMA Awards’ and the ‘2024 Melon Music Awards’, but I also made many promises to myself. I will work harder to become someone who can make DIVE shine even brighter, and I will do my best to become an Ive who can live up to your wait. I am so lucky to be able to start this year-end and 2025 with DIVE! Happy holidays to everyone and always lucky Dive…

Liz: First of all, there were many things that happened in the past year. It was also a year of many firsts. From the first world tour to the first festival stage, I was able to meet Dives from various cities and regions. Seeing Dives having fun together makes me so grateful that they love Ive from afar and are with us in all our moments. I am always grateful to Dives for always caring for and loving me, and I want to say that without Dives, Ives wouldn’t be who they are today.

Lee Seo: I think this year was a year that made me look forward to the future more. I am grateful for all the moments I spent with Dives, and I was able to spend meaningful time with them. Dives’ endless love made Ives stronger. I will always strive to become an Ives that people look forward to in the future in order to repay Dives’ love. We will continue to make many happy memories together and work hard to develop for 10 years, 100 years, not just 3 years.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com Reporter jhj@donga.com