12 Rising Girl Groups To Know Now: FLO, KISS OF LIFE, BINI, Citizen Queen & More

In the mid-2010's, Fifth Harmony, Little Mix and BLACKPINK were spearheading a girl group renaissance. Fifth Harmony was topping charts with "Work from Home," while Little Mix was supporting Ariana Grande on the Dangerous Woman Tour. Meanwhile, in South Korea, BLACKPINK began to blossom globally with several No. 1 hits on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart. But with the hiatus of Fifth Harmony in 2018, Little Mix in 2022 and BLACKPINK's ongoing contract negotiations, the music industry has been yearning for another global girl group takeover.

Fortunately, there's a slew of female acts around the world eager to fill the void. The '20s have seen a surge of girl groups resurrecting the sounds of female empowerment and stacked harmonies — as 5H did in 2016, the Pussycat Dolls in the '00s and Destiny's Child in the '90s.

Like many girl groups before them, several of these new troupes conceived from survival competitions — á la "The X Factor," the birthplace of both Fifth Harmony and Little Mix, or South Korea's Produce 101, where K-pop's I.O.I was born — or quiet auditions behind the scenes.

Take HYBE, the company home to BTS, and their recent joint venture with Geffen Records, "The Debut: Dream Academy." The global auditions spanned the United States, Japan, England, Australia and more, garnering more than 120,000 applicants. Through a fan-voted and judge-critiqued elimination system, they were eventually left with their final six: Sophia, Manon, Daniela, Lara, Megan and Yoonchae — together, now known as KATSEYE.

To understand the full scope of how a girl group is manufactured, watch the process unfold in Netflix's KATSEYE documentary, Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, out now. Like the project's creative director, Humberto Leon, explained to Dazed, "These girls were just kids whose parents allowed their talents to shine. Now, they're taking it to the next level. For a chosen few, their dreams will become reality in the coolest way possible."

While you dive into Pop Star Academy, check out twelve more exciting groups that will continue to push the needle of girl group culture alongside KATSEYE.

Thanks to this breakout British trio, you'll find nostalgic drum-driven production, harmonies reminiscent of Beyoncé, Kelly and Michelle and seething, yet confident lyrics: "I'ma put your s— in a cardboard box," they sneer in the chorus of their breakout hit.

Two years after the viral debut of "Cardboard Box," Stella Quaresma, Jorja Douglas and Renée Downer have driven the girl group movement with Brit Award wins, MTV VMA nominations and nods as one of Rolling Stones' Artists of the Future. Continuing their victorious streak, they're supporting Kehlani on the R&B star's Crash World Tour, which commenced Sept. 4 in Minneapolis.

Joining KATSEYE in the globalization of K-pop is JYP Entertainment's joint venture with Republic Records, VCHA.

This sextet consists of the winning contestants of the 2023 YouTube survival series, "America2Korea." Earlier this year, Lexi, Camila, Kendall, Savanna, KG and Kaylee debuted with VCHA's first singles, "Girls of the Year" and "XO Call Me," later followed by two additional songs, "Only One" and "Favorite Girl."

With members boasting Hmong, Cuban and Trinbagonian heritage, the group is only the first step into an inclusive K-pop industry. "We were able to bring so many different cultures and backgrounds into this group and that we could show everyone around the world, which has never been done before," Lexi told Nylon Manila earlier this year.

In the K-pop world, it's tough to break through without the backing of a high-profile talent competition show or one of South Korea's "Big Four" entertainment companies: SM, JYP, YG and HYBE. But S2 Entertainment's KISS OF LIFE — helmed by Julie, Natty, Belle and Haneul — is already making strides just 14 months after their debut.

This quartet has broken Billboard's US World Charts, nabbed nods at Asia's influential MAMA Awards and appeared at one of Korea's largest music festivals, Waterbomb. After an already promising start, KISS OF LIFE will continue to captivate listeners with their unique fusion of jazz, hip-hop and R&B on their first international tour, beginning in North America this November.

Amid K-pop's global domination, Filipino pop — commonly known as Pinoy pop, or simply "P-pop" — is becoming one of the fastest-growing music markets. Leading the revolution are the eight women of BINI: Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha, Jhoannna and Sheena.

First seen in ABS-CBN's 2019 training program "Star Hunt Academy," BINI has captured Southeast Asia with EDM-driven pop production and a blend of English and Tagalog lyrics. And as the first Filipino act to enter Spotify's Top Artist Global Chart and to perform at the long-standing KCON festival, it's no surprise they've been dubbed the "Nation's Girl Group."

When K-pop group LOONA publicly split in 2022 after a lawsuit against their company, Blockberry Creative, fans were unsure what the future would hold. It was only a matter of months before six members of the original group — HeeJin, HaSeul, Kim Lip, JinSoul and Choerry — signed a contract with Modhaus as ARTMS. With the return of LOONA's longtime producer, Jaden Jeong, fans will recognize their genre-spanning sound of alternative R&B, funk and EDM on their debut album, DALL, released in May.

The sextet's comeback also revived Odd Eye Circle, an original sub-unit of LOONA, consisting of Kim Lip, JinSoul and Choerry. In 2023, the trio dropped their first EP in seven years, Version Up.

Spurred from the first season of "Nizi Project," the talent search series helmed by JYP Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment and Hulu Japan, NiziU blends the accessibility of Korean fan engagement with J-pop's signature piano-driven melodies and fast-paced tempo. Using a strategy JYP calls "globalization by localization," NiziU has amassed fans across East Asia and beyond with tracks like "Make You Happy" and "Step and a Step."

Later this year, NiziU will embark on their first Winter Tour, NiziU Live With U, through Japan, following their release of their first EP, Rise Up, which arrived in July.

Until recently, non-Asian members of a Korean pop group were virtually unheard of. In 2020, DR Music fearlessly unveiled the new lineup of BLACKSWAN (formerly known as BP Rania), including Senegalese songstress Fatou. Four years later, the group has enlisted a diverse roster with three more talents: Gabi, hailing from Brazil; Sriya of India and NVee from the United States.

On Aug. 30, BLACKSWAN will offer an exclusive glimpse into their training and strategy in Apple TV+'s new docu-series, "K-Pop Idols," examining "the cultural and musical barriers" of K-pop.

With mentorship from Pentatonix's Scott Hoying, Citizen Queen was bound to be an a cappella powerhouse.

Initially consisting of five members, the group was hand-picked by Hoying and music producers Ben Bram and Shams Ahmed for their diverse and unique vocal talents. Now a trio, Cora Isabel provides the beatbox, Kaedi Dalley on bass and Nina Ann Nelson leads the melody with her soprano range.

After debuting their rebrand as a threesome in May, Citizen Queen dropped their first taste of what's to come with July's "Love the Way I Love You," an ode to their harmony-driven performances. Though they have yet to reveal more new music, the group recently reunited with Hoying for some fun social media content, and performed with former Fifth Harmony member Dinah Jane in San Diego.

British trio Say Now is elucidating the girl group formation process. Rather than quietly developing themselves behind the scenes — as FLO did for three years, and many K-pop groups do for more than five — Ysabelle Salvanera, Amelia Onuorah and Madeleine Haynes have been documenting the journey from day one.

First releasing music as "needanamebro," Say Now used their "training" period to give fans a first look into their artistry across social media. After countless Soundcloud covers and candid TikTok videos, Say Now has thousands of fans to embark on their adventure together, from the recently released single, "Trouble," to the future releases to come.

You've probably heard of Thai stars, like BLACKPINK's Lisa and (G)I-DLE's Minnie, conquering the K-pop industry. But within the borders of Thailand, you can find equally promising acts, like XOXO Entertainment's 4EVE, birthed from Workpoint TV's "Girl Group Star."

Short for "forever," 4EVE promises to entertain listeners — particularly their aptly named fan base, For Aye — with hip-hop-influenced beats and K-pop-style fan engagement. Witness their talent for yourself in their recently released documentary, highlighting the preparation for their "NOW OR NEVER" Live at Impact Arena show.

Leading Korean television network SBS held their own competition series with 2023's "Universe Ticket," which brought together talent across Asia, including Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines and more. Their final lineup, also known as UNIS — short for "U & I Story" — marks some of the first Filipino idols in the K-pop industry.

Upon their official debut in March 2024, Hyeonju, Nana, Gehlee, Kotoko, Yunha, Elisia, Yoona and Seowon dropped a mini-album, WE UNIS. In August, they also premiered their sophomore single, "Curious," which peaked at No. 5 on Korea's prestigious Circle Album Chart.

This Los Angeles-based group promises to be by your side in every season. Fitting to their name, the four members — Brooke, Genevieve, Savoy and Montana — represent a different time of year with their individual talents (summer, autumn, winter and spring, respectively). As they explain to UnRated Magazine, "Each of us has her own style, music tastes, drives and inspirations, but we all come together in a harmonious blend, like the seasons."

According to their artist biography, the quartet's genre-blending pop music is like a "late-night kitchen heart-to-heart." It's clear in SZNS' January release, "Nice Things," a swirling R&B-tinged track about getting back at their exes — a testament to both their own bond and the empowering impact of girl groups old and new.