The members of (G)I-DLE have offered their insight on what the past year, which they describe as “rough”, has been like for the group.

2021 had marked a tumultuous year for the K-pop girl group, who went on an extended hiatus lasting 14 months and also saw the departure of founding member Soojin, after bullying allegations were lodged against her. At the time, CUBE Entertainment did not name explicit reasons for the idol’s departure but apologised for “having caused concern through the controversy associated with [Soojin]”.

In a recent interview with Teen Vogue, the remaining members of (G)I-DLE opened up about how their hiatus and lineup changes took a toll on the team. “We had a lot go down in 2021, it was a rough time,” leader Soyeon said of the group’s experience in the past year.

“The name of [..] I Never Die was already decided when [‘I Burn’] was almost done being written, and we agreed that we wanted this to be a full length album,” Soyeon explained. “Actually, we were writing the title song when we were still doing ‘I Burn’ but we threw that away and started from scratch. We took on a completely different perspective for ‘Tomboy’. It was the first time thinking and writing as five and not six.”

The past year also saw members Minnie, Yuqi and Shuhua return to their respective homelands, a move that allowed each member to pursue their own individual activities. “We made conscious efforts to keep our hearts together,” Soyeon added, sharing that the group constantly communicated through FaceTime.

Despite this, Soyeon revealed that the group retained their desire to release a record together.  “We frequently said that we wanted to hurry up and release an album together. During our time apart, each member was able to do what they’d been wanting to do but also felt how precious (G)I-DLE is.”

‘I Never Die’ marks the girl group’s first-ever full-length project since their debut in 2018. (G)I-DLE last released the mini-album ‘I Burn’ along with its lead single ‘Hwaa’ last January, shortly before bullying allegations surrounding ex-member Soojin began to arise.

Earlier this month, CUBE Entertainment released a statement notifying the public of the official termination of Soojin’s contract, six months after her departure from (G)I-DLE.