Happy 2023, flovers!
Last year was a very eventful year for fromis_9 and flovers. We reached highs and lows, but our unwavering love and support for one another kept us together. Let’s take a look back at the rollercoaster of a journey that 2022 was.
A Year of Many Firsts
After achieving their first ever music show win in 2021 with “Talk & Talk,” fromis_9 and flovers continued to show their growth and strength by ranking first place seven times in 2022.
fromis_9 started the year with their 4th mini album Midnight Guest with the title track “DM.” The nostalgic, vocal-driven song earned two music show wins, namely from The Show and Show Champion.
Come June, the girls came back with their 5th mini album from our Memento Box. The bright yet groovy title track “Stay This Way” reaped five music show wins! It was a highly decorated and meaningful second week of promotions as fromis_9 received the award from The Show, Show Champion, M Countdown, Music Bank and Music Core.
Another first they achieved in 2022 is their first group OST! fromis_9 lent their voices to “Stay Alive,” a lighthearted and hopeful song for the KBS drama Crazy Love.
fromis_9 also held their first fan meeting, “fromis day,” the very first intimate event they held with flovers. The long awaited event was held for three days, from April 22nd to 24th, at Blue Square Mastercard Hall. From performances to different game segments, fromis_9 filled the three nights with entertaining and memorable moments for flovers. Of course, flovers had some surprises up their sleeve, too! Due to COVID-19 restrictions, flovers were only allowed to use a clapper to cheer for the girls, but on the third day the rules changed, allowing fans to cheer loudly inside the venue. It was the first time since “Feel Good (SECRET CODE)” that fromis_9 heard flovers’ cheers, making it one of the most memorable and moving moments during the event.
2022 was truly a year of many firsts for fromis_9, but having a member leave the group was not part of anyone’s 2022 flover bingo card. The unexpected news of Gyuri’s departure was announced on July 28th, leaving most of the fandom at a loss by the suddenness of it all. Gyuri left her last letter as a fromis_9 member on July 29th at Weverse. She expressed her gratitude for the love and support that was given to her, how she will continue doing her best in whatever she does, and she will continue to support fromis_9 as a flover. An hour later, Saerom also posted a letter on Weverse, thanking flovers for the love and support they have given to all nine members, and asking for their understanding as all eight members decided to support Gyuri in her new chosen path.
As fromis_9’s journey continued with eight members, a long time dream of theirs finally came true with their first concert, “LOVE FROM.” It was held from September 30th to October 2nd at KBS Arena. The girls performed both group and unit stages, with “Up And” and “Airplane Mode” surprising the audience the most! But fromis_9 had more surprised faces when they heard flovers singing to them during the encore stages. The concert is definitely one of the biggest achievements fromis_9 had this year, and they were also given the opportunity to hold it at Tachikawa Stage Garden, Japan, on October 7th.
For the first time in their career, fromis_9 was invited to year-end song festivals! They prepared a different rendition of their songs with grander choreographies accompanied by many back-up dancers for the big stages. In KBS Gayo Daechukje, the seven members performed a cool winter version of “Stay This Way,” giving the summer song a feeling fitting for the holidays.
For SBS Gayo Daejeon, they prepared a night-themed stage composed “DM” and “Rewind.” The strong dance break was led by Saerom, marking her return to the group after a 2-month hiatus. Hayoung also left an impression at the stadium after belting out her 3-note high note at the final chorus of “Rewind.”
fromis_9 showed many firsts through their growth in exposure too. For the first time in a long time, they had a group magazine photoshoot with Marie Claire, showing their own take on trending Gen Z makeup styles. fromis_9 also got their first big commercial deal since debut with the cosmetic brand NEOGEN. The girls showed their fresh and chic looks with the products offered by the brand.
Gyuri had her fair share of firsts after stepping into her acting career. After gaining exposure through the drama Cheer Up, where she gave life to Tae Chohee, she sealed her first commercial deal as the new brand model for Siwon School LAB, for which she promoted TOEIC study materials. She also posed for her first photoshoot with Singles Magazine, where she talked about her experience acting in Cheer Up and her aspirations for her acting career. To end the year, her performance in the drama awarded Gyuri the Female Rookie of the Year Award at the 2022 SBS Drama Awards, making it the first of (hopefully) many more acting awards to come!
Special Performances, Song Covers, and More Music
We were given a variety of music and special performances from fromis_9 throughout the year. Apart from their official song releases, they also showed us song covers that they never fail to make sound like their own.
Jiwon participated in a duet with Jeong Dongwon in “Love Actually,” as part of the World Peace Project. Hayoung took part in Sweden Laundry’s 10th Anniversary project through her remake of their song “still love me?”. As a group, fromis_9 also sang a remake of the hit summer song “Sea of Moonlight,” by IU and FIESTAR, as part of Re:born Project.
One of the greatest gifts flovers received in 2022 are fromis_9’s it’s Live performances. Live band versions of “DM” and “Stay This Way” drowned flovers with a full fromis_9 vocal experience. They also gave us a delightful surprise with a cover of Day6’s “Time of Our Life.”
The song covers don’t stop there. A quintet composed of Hayoung, Jiwon, Chaeyoung, Nagyung and Jiheon appeared on Music Bank’s Half Year Special with a cover of Red Velvet’s “Feel My Rhythm.” A day after, fromis_9 performed their own interpretation of “Choice” in the Baek Jiyoung special of Immortal Songs. Come October, they graced KCON Japan’s stage with their version of TWICE’s “Alcohol-Free.”
Original Content, Variety and Radio Shows
It was another year filled with entertaining variety content by fromis_9. With naturally funny members and the harmonious relationship within the group, flovers are always left even more charmed by the girls.
We mention Channel_9 every year, but how can we not? fromis_9’s personal variety show continued to entertain flovers every Thursday night. The show celebrated the 50th episode of its current season, and 100th episode overall. 2022 also introduced a new variety series, 9_log, where the girls show how they’re just like everyone in their daily lives. In these vlogs, we see snippets of them taking one-day hobby classes or spending time with their family and friends.
Aside from their original content, fromis_9 also made a statement when they appeared at the HYBE Special episodes of The Game Caterers. With a strong group entrance, they claimed that they would win and they sure did! The nine passionate members showed their teamwork and wit when they played a group relay game, even leaving Na PD flustered with their antics. The biggest surprise of all was when Seoyeon danced her way to winning the grand prize! They claimed their coffee truck during their concert rehearsal day, giving the girls the extra boost they needed before the biggest three days of their year.
fromis_9 was a constant guest on NAVER Now radio shows during their promotion periods, so it’s no surprise when they were given their own show! From being guest house tenants during the summer to guest house owners in autumn, fromis_9 accompanied us every Monday night, washing away our Monday blues. flovers can watch subbed episodes of Summer Night’s fromis_9 and Autumn Night’s fromis_9 on fromisubs.
Cheer Up
To start her journey as a full-time actress, Gyuri took on a major role in the SBS drama Cheer Up. She played Tae Chohee, the cool and assertive vice captain of Theia, Yonhee University’s cheering team. Chohee is known for her spunky attitude due to her blunt remarks and fierce actions. Underneath all of that, she also showed her romantic side as she grew closer to Yongil. The vice captain demonstrated her strong stage presence too, as seen in her “All Night Long” performance, which reached 1 million views!
As mentioned earlier, Gyuri received the Female Rookie of the Year Award, and she actually received another one! The entire cast of Cheer Up won the Best Teamwork Award in the SBS Drama Awards. Seeing Gyuri get along with her colleagues excites us to see her future projects and expand her acting circle.
Cheer Up can be watched in Kocowa, Viki, Viu and Wavve.
flover Weverse Membership
fromis_9 opened the Official Fanclub Membership for flovers on Weverse! Since March 30th, fans could purchase their flover Membership through Weverse Shop. Members can receive various benefits, including exclusive content and the opportunity to pre-book tickets for fromis_9 concerts and events. They can also access flover ONLY posts, where both exclusive official content and member-posted content are shared on Weverse. fromis_9 has been very active in posting and doing flover ONLY Weverse Lives, as it is a safe space for them to interact with flovers.
We look forward to another year filled with fromis_9. We hope everyone will be happy, healthy and safe this year. flover and fromis_9 forever! 🍀
Writer: Mitch
Designer: Adam
Editor: Bruno
Proofreader: Brad
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