I. Introduction
THE9, also known as THE NINE, is a Chinese girl group formed by the top 9 members through the iQIYI reality television show Youth with You 2, which aired from March 12 to May 30, 2020. The group consists of XIN Liu, Esther Yu, Kiki Xu, Yan Yu, Shaking, Babymonster An, Zhao Xiaotang, Snow Kong and K Lu. THE9 was formed on May 30, 2020 and officially debuted on August 10, 2020. It is currently managed by Idol Youth Entertainment of iQIYI.
II. Career
III. Predebut
The final lineup of the third season of the Idol Producer franchise, Youth with You 2 was announced on May 30, 2020 - XIN Liu placed 1st, Esther Yu came in 2nd, followed by Kiki Xu, Yu Yan, Shaking, Babymonster An, Zhao Xiaotang, Snow Kong, and K Lu in 9th place respectively. Since having earned 1st place, XIN Liu was chosen as the center of the group.
IIII. Present
On July 4, 2020, the official Weibo account for the group released a video of the members selecting their team leader, revealing to be Babymonster An. They also revealed other details such as their fandom name, fandom colors as well as their hand sign.
IIIII. Albums
The group released their first extended play, Sphinx X Mystery , on August 10, 2020. The EP consists of the lead single SphinX as well as another song titled Not Me. The EP sold over 150,000 units in less than 45 minutes which won the Double Platinum rating. The music video for SphinX was released on August 15 via Weibo and YouTube. They promoted their EP through performances at variety shows and through music shows such as 818 Super Night.
The group released their debut studio album MatriX on December 25, 2020 which features the lead single Dumb Dumb Bomb and nine solo tracks.
IIIIII. Variety Shows & Other Appearances
On May 30, 2020, apart from training after following the finale of Youth with You Season 2, THE9 also filmed for several variety shows such as My Little Forest. On July 10, 2020, the group attended the Current Business Conference and announced their appointment as Advance Officer for Edge Art. On June 17, 2020, they participated in Hunan Television's 618 Super Night to perform Yes! OK! & Hunt, marking THE9's first public performance. The group has also done many commercials as well as editorials for magazines and high-end fashion houses. Xu Jiaqi, a former member of Chinese girl group SNH48's Team SII as well as a current member of the SNH48 sub-unit 7Senses, performed at SNH48's 7th Request Time Senbatsu General Elections as a guest. The group then announced their first variety show called Let’s Party 2020 which would be released on iQIYI.
IIIIIII. Concerts
On December 31, THE9 participated in the 2021 Jiangsu Satellite TV New Year's Eve concert. From March 26 to March 27, 2021, the group held their first online concert titled X-CITY, which garnered tens of thousands of viewers. The concert utilized XR technology to create realistic stage backgrounds.
III. Members
| XIN Liu Guizhou, China Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Lead Rapper, Center |
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| Esther Yu Shanghai, China Sub Vocalist |
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| Kiki Xu Taizhou, China Lead Dancer, Sub Vocalist, Sub Rapper |
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| Yu Yan Beijing, China Main Vocalist, Maknae |
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| Shaking Chengdu, China Main Rapper, Lead Vocalist |
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| Babymonster An Chongqing, China Leader, Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Sub Rapper |
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| Zhao Xiaotang Beijing, China Lead Rapper, Sub Vocalist |
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| Snow Kong Hubei, China Lead Dancer, Sub Rapper, Sub Vocalist |
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| K Lu Jiangsu, China Lead Dancer, Lead Rapper, Sub Vocalist |
IV. Discography
IVI. LP
| MatriX | Digital LP | December 25, 2020 |
IVII. EP
| Sphinx X Mystery | Digital EP | August 10, 2020 | |
| RefleXtion | Digital EP | May 22, 2021 |
IVIII. Promotional Singles
| Yes OK! | Theme song of Youth With You 2 | March 12, 2020 |
| Super Shiny Summer | Promotional song for the Oppo Reno 4; features XIN Liu, Esther Yu and Zhao Xiaotang | July 30, 2020 |
V. Videography
| Year | Title | Network | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Youth With You 2 | iQiyi | Contestants |
| 2020 | Hunan TV 618 Super Pin Night + Hunan TV 818 Super Pin Night | Hunan Television | Performers (Hunt, Yes OK!, SphinX) |
| 2020 | Go Fighting! Season 6 | Dragon Television | Finale Guests |
| 2020 | Summer Surf Shop | iQiyi | An Qi and Zhao Xiaotang |
| 2020 | Little Forest | Mango TV | Xu Jiaqi and Xie Keyin |
| 2020 | Let's Party! 2020 | iQiyi | The group's variety show |
| 2020 | Amazing Dinner | iQiyi | Xie Keyin and Zhao Xiaotang |
| 2020 | Little Giants Games | Mango TV | Xu Jiaqi (fixed cast), Kong Xue'er (guest), Yu Yan (unaired) |
| 2020 | Fourtry Season 2 | iQiyi | Liu Yuxin (fixed cast), Zhao Xiaotang & Kong Xue'er (guest) |
| 2020 | Dimension Nova | iQiyi | Yu Shuxin |
| 2020 | Glory is Back! | iQiyi | Xie Keyin (fixed cast), Lu Keran (guest) |
| 2020 | Ladies' Talk | iQiyi | Zhao Xiaotang |
| 2020 | Field of Hope | Mango TV | An Qi (fixed cast), Zhao Xiaotang (guest) |
| 2020 | I Am the Actor Season 3 | Zhejiang TV | Xie Keyin (contestant) |
| 2020 | Send 100 Girls Home | Sohu | Yu Shuxin (guest) |
| 2020 | HAHAHAHAHA | iQiyi and Tencent Video | Yu Shuxin (guest), Kong Xueer (guest) |
| 2020 | Treasured Village | Zhejiang TV | Kong Xueer (fixed cast) |
| 2020 | Happy Camp (2020) | Hunan Television | THE9 (performance guest); Liu Yuxin, Yu Shuxin, Zhao Xiaotang (involved in guests’ activities with the show’s MC) |
| 2020 | MDK Mask Dancer King (2020) | Youku | Liu Yuxin (contestants) |
| 2021 | Youth With You 3 (2021) | iQiyi | Yu Shuxin (Youth Tutor); THE9 (guests-ep8); Yu Yan, An Qi, Lu Keran (Senior mentor collaboration performance) |
VI. Concerts
| Year | Name | Date | Platform/Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | X-City | 26 & 27 March 2021 | iQiyi (Online) |
VII. Awards & Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Cosmo Glam Night 2020 | Artist of The Year | THE9 | Won |
| 2020 | Madame Figaro Beauty Star | Beauty Star | THE9 | Won |
| 2020 | 2021 iQIYI Scream Night | Popular Female Artist | THE9 | Won |
| 2020 | 2020 Ifeng Fashion Choice | Fashion Energy Group of The Year | THE9 | Won |
| 2020 | 2020 Sina Fashion Style Awards | Idol Group of The Year | THE9 | Won |
| 2020 | Rayli Fashion Gala | Favourite Group of The Year | THE9 | Won |
| 2020 | Asian Pop Music Awards | Popularity Award (Female Group) | THE9 | Won |
| 2020 | Sina Film and Television Festival | Musical Work of The Year | SphinX | Won |
| 2020 | Sina Film and Television Festival | Variety Show of The Year | Let's Party! 2020 | Won |
| 2021 | 2020 Baidu Entertainment Awards | Best Group of The Year | THE9 | Won |
| 2021 | 2020 Weibo Night | Weibo’s Hottest Group of The Year | THE9 | Won |
| 2021 | Weibo Starlight Awards 2020 | The Most Popular Artist Internationally | THE9 | Won |
