The Girl Group That Almost Disbanded Days Before Their Song Went Viral

Whether a song goes viral shortly after its release—or years later—it can turn a K-Pop artist’s life upside down.

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That was the case for the four-member girl group BBGIRLS (formerly known as Brave Girls). They nearly disbanded right at the start of their popularity.

During her guest appearance on Radio Star, Yujeong mentioned how unsuccessful BBGIRLS had been during her five years with the group. From 2016 to 2021, they even decreased from seven members to four.

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So the remaining four members had a meeting where they decided to disband and support each other’s solo careers. They didn’t think it was possible to succeed now that many of them had reached their thirties.

So we talked about retiring. I was thirty years old then. I thought we should look for a new path as soon as possible with our age. We decided to support our next journey.

— Yujeong

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Proving how serious they were, BBGIRLS “scheduled a meeting with [their] agency” to talk about disbanding. However, fate had other plans.

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The day before their meeting with Brave Entertainment to make their disbandment official, Yujeong recalled her friends telling her about their song “Rollin'” going viral online. BBGIRLS even received calls to perform the song—four years after its release.

The day before, my friends were texting me that there was a video of us going around. And we got a call from the broadcasting center asking for us to go up on stage with that song.

— Yujeong

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In the two years since going viral, BBGIRLS has gained many new fans and had multiple comebacks. They were able to leave Brave Entertainment and continue as a group under Warner Music Korea.

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If BBGIRLS had officially disbanded when the members first discussed it, they would’ve missed out on “Rollin'” going viral days afterward. Instead, they’re now living their dreams well into their thirties.