[EP HYPE] fromis_9 bloom late, and bloom brightest: inside Glow ME

EP HYPE  ·  SUMMER COMEBACK

fromis_9 bloom late, and bloom brightest

THE 2ND ALBUM 'Glow ME' ☀️💊

Out 21 July 2026, 6PM KST  ·  Title track: Vitamin ME

Right, so this one hits a bit different. fromis_9 are back with their second ever full album, and it is their first proper album since 'Unlock My World' three whole years ago. Seven of us have been refreshing the schedule since that logo motion dropped, no notes on the buzz around this era honestly.

The whole thing is dressed in sunshine and vitamins, which is very much fromis_9 doing what they do best. But before the tracklist and the versions, we need to talk about how they even got here, because the road to this album is the real story.

The slow bloom nobody saw coming

FROM NINE, TO FIVE, TO FINALLY THEIR MOMENT

fromis_9 were put together on the 2017 survival show 'Idol School' and debuted in January 2018 as a nine-piece with 'To. Heart'. For years they were the group everyone quietly rated but never quite exploded, building a loyal fandom on cool, breezy summer tracks like 'DM', 'WE GO' and 'Stay This Way' without a single massive mainstream moment. Steady, stair-step growth. That was the fromis_9 pattern.

Then came the setbacks. Jang Gyu-ri left in July 2022, taking them down to eight. The bigger blow arrived at the end of 2024 when their contract with Pledis wrapped up, and in the move to a new home three members chose to go their own way. Only five stayed: Song Ha-young, Park Ji-won, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-gyung and Baek Ji-heon, signing with the new agency ASND.

The most gutting bit was the fight over the name. There was real difficulty sorting out who could use 'fromis_9', and member Baek Ji-heon opened up on a fan platform about how upsetting it was, saying she did not want their wish to protect the name to be taken advantage of. Lee Chae-young promised fans she would come back as fromis_9 no matter what. In the end the five of them kept the name, reintroducing themselves in March 2025 as a five-member group with a clean slate.

And then, as five, they caught fire

Here is where the story turns. The mini album 'From Our 20's' and its title 'Like You Better' sat inside the Melon Top 100 for three straight weeks and took a Music Bank win. They ran their first ever world tour. Seventeen university festivals came calling in autumn.

Their year-end remake single 'Hayan Geurium' hit number five on Melon and swept the weekly music shows, and they closed out 2025 as the most-searched girl group on YouTube that December. A group eight years in, blooming late, and hitting a proper career high. 'Glow ME' is the first full album standing on top of all that.

So what is 'Glow ME' actually about

Ten tracks, wrapped in a sunshine-and-vitamins concept that leans right into their summer queen reputation. The title track is 'Vitamin ME', and the tracklist packs in two unit songs, which is the kind of detail that gets a fandom buzzing. Ahead of release we are getting concept photos in three rounds, a trailer, a highlight medley and an MV teaser, so the run-up is stacked.

♫ Full tracklist

SOOJIB's Pick

The two unit tracks are where our eyes went first. 'Cold Blood' from Chaeyoung, Nagyung and Jiheon against 'Why do I cry?' from Hayoung and Jiwon feels like a proper split of the group's two moods, playful versus tender. On a full album this size, unit songs are usually the ones that end up living rent free in your head, so we reckon these two are the sleeper picks. 'Vitamin ME' will do the heavy lifting on the charts, obviously.

▶ Watch the comeback

Every version, glowing on your shelf

Four versions to collect, plus special POB editions while stocks last. Fruit Ver. comes in five member designs, so if you collect by bias this is the one.

📅 Pre-order Deadline : [TBD – confirm on SOOJIB product page]

🎁 Pre-order benefits (POB)

Special POB editions available at SOOJIB while stocks last. First come, first served, so do not sit on it.

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