Who are Rocking Doll? The new K-pop girl group who want to take over the world
- Featuring Ahri, Juri, Roa and Rena, Rocking Doll have been on a whirlwind international promotional tour ahead of the release of their debut album, Survive
- They talk about their favourite songs, the meaning behind the group’s name, and their label’s ‘motherly’ CEO, who they say takes very good care of them
The four members of K-pop girl group Rocking Doll have had a busy few weeks.
They’ve travelled between South Korea, Thailand, Italy and the United States, attending various events, filming content, doing photoshoots and appearing on television, all while releasing new music in the lead up to their first album, the English-language Survive.
It might sound like Rocking Doll is one of the most in-demand K-pop acts around, but that’s not the case. The quartet only debuted in December 2021, under a small label, SRP Entertainment, and their whirlwind promotional tour is not the result of their popularity but an attempt to build it.
“Being able to do this all is really thrilling,” says 16-year-old Rena, the youngest member of the group, during an interview with the Post in New York, where the group attended LaQuan Smith’s New York Fashion Week show on September 12.
Ahri, Juri and 20-year-old Roa, the eldest, round out the group, which came together under SRP only about a year before they released their first single, “Rocking Doll”.
“When I first heard the [group’s] name, I was like ‘what, why?’” Juri says. “But then I heard the meaning and thought, ‘Oh, it’s OK. I like this.’ It’s a small thing that falls downs but still gets up every time and keeps going.”
Their latest song off their coming album, the titular “Survive”, dropped on September 9 via an intense music video that showed the foursome as futuristic combatants and spies.
The group has released several music videos featuring sci-fi story elements as they explore their own K-pop world view.
“We want to leave people with a powerful impact of who we are,” says Ahri, who appears in the video as a feisty gunslinger holding a heavy-duty rifle, which the other members say gave her quite the workout.
But there are many sides to Rocking Doll, with Roa pointing to another song, “Pom Pom”, and its hot-pink-filled music video as an example of what else the four can do.
“It’s very bright and cute, and we look really pretty in it, we sing really lovely in it,” Roa says. “It’s my favourite song.”
Rena’s favourite is also “Pom Pom”, preferring it because she got to play with her tone and rap styles over the clap-happy, eccentric beat and melodies.
Ahri and Juri prefer the smooth “I Just Wanna Be With You”, which Ahri calls “exciting”.
The New York Fashion Show visit follows another recent high-profile appearance, with Rocking Doll and SRP Entertainment CEO Choi Yulee appearing on the red carpet of the Venice Film Festival.
Those K-pop fans who have noticed the new group’s high-profile appearances and bevy of releases may be wondering how they’re getting such support and access.
Most point to Choi spending a lot of time, effort and money on a group that could otherwise potentially become one of the hundreds of under-the-radar K-pop groups that survive with little attention by most fans.
“She always takes care of everyone and everything,” says Juri, describing Choi’s relationship with the team as “motherly”. “She makes sure we’re all healthy and rested.”
Despite the intrigue over the sudden arrival of Rocking Doll, the quartet has high hopes of becoming a globally recognised girl group, hence the English-language album, which will arrive on September 19.
“When we first started working on an English album, it honestly was a bit hard in the recording studio,” Rena says. “But we want to take over the whole world, so we’re doing this.”
