Fromis 9, stylized as fromis_9, is a South Koreangirl group formed by CJ E&M through the 2017 reality showIdol School. The group is composed of nine members: Roh Ji-sun, Song Ha-young, Lee Sae-rom, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-gyung, Park Ji-won, Lee Seo-yeon, Baek Ji-heon and Jang Gyu-ri. The group debuted on January 24, 2018, under Stone Music Entertainment with the release of their first extended play, To. Heart. In September 2018, it was confirmed that Fromis 9 would be managed by Off The Record Entertainment, a new label established by Stone Music.
Name
The group's name Fromis was suggested by netizens through the official Idol School website and chosen by CJ E&M, with described as "From Idol School" and "Promise" in Korean pronunciation, also means "to keep their promise to be the best girl group". Through the announcement of their SNS accounts by their agency, the group decided to add 9 in their name to be Fromis 9.
History
Pre-debut: Formation through ''Idol School'' and "Glass Shoes"
In March 2017, it was announced that Mnet, the same channel responsible for several notable survival shows including Sixteen and Produce 101, would be launching a new reality survival show titled Idol School to form a new girl group. The show premiered on July 13 and ended on September 29, 2017 with Roh Ji-sun, Song Ha-young, Lee Sae-rom, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-gyung, Park Ji-won, Lee Seo-yeon, Baek Ji-heon and Jang Gyu-ri as the nine members of Fromis. The final line-up was solely decided through live and online votes of viewers. Pledis Entertainment, led by CEO Han Sung-soo, managed the group's training and debut. Fromis premiered its own reality program on October 19 titled Fromis' Room about continuing the path to debut. It followed the format of a simulcast, where it combined pre-recorded materials and replays of Facebook Live broadcasts in their dorm. The group's name was later changed to Fromis 9 following the final episode of Fromis' Room on November 23, with the "9" meaning the nine students who graduated from Idol School. On November 29, Fromis 9 performed their pre-debut single titled "Glass Shoes" at the 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Japan. The song was released as a digital single the following day. They also performed the song on the December 15th episode of Music Bank, marking the group's first-ever appearance in a music program.
2018: Debut with ''To. Heart'' and comeback ''To. Day''
On January 8, 2018, it was announced that Fromis 9 would officially debut with their first extended play titled To. Heart. The EP, along with its lead single, "To Heart", was released on January 24. The EP debuted at number 4 on the Gaon Album Chart issued on January 27, 2018. On May 10, it was confirmed that Jang Gyu-ri had entered as a contestant in Produce 48. Fromis 9 continued as an eight-member group and released their second EP, To. Day, on June 5, without Jang Gyu-ri due to her participation in the show. Fromis 9 went back to being a nine-member group after Jang Gyu-ri was eliminated in the 3rd elimination as she ranked at 25th place. Starting from September 21, Fromis 9 would be managed under Off The Record Entertainment, a new agency exclusively established for Fromis 9 and South Korean-Japanese girl group, Iz*One. The group released a special single album titled From.9 on October 10 with the title song, “LOVE BOMB”. It was the first comeback with all the 9 members after the return of Jang Gyu-ri. On October 15, Fromis 9 made their acting debut in a web series, Welcome to Heal Inn, on their official VLive page. However, it was filmed during Jang Gyu-ri's absence.
2019: ''Fun Factory''
On February 8, 2019, a second short season of Welcome to Heal Inn was announced for the Winter Season, this time with Jang Gyu-ri added as a new traveller. In May, Jang Gyu-ri made her solo acting debut in the web drama, Compulsory Dating Education. On June 4, Fromis 9 released their first single album Fun Factory, featuring the title track "FUN!". The album reached number 2 on the Gaon Album Chart, a new high for the group.
