HYBE’s ABD Is Changing the Girl-Group Game—Inside Han Sung-soo’s Bold Plan for Its Next Powerhouse
- Jon Lui
- 3 minutes ago
- 5 min read
HYBE has launched a new girl-group label with a very different strategy. At the center is Master Professional Han Sung-soo, whose holistic oversight of music, concepts and performance could make ABD one of the company’s most important girl-group experiments yet.
HYBE already knows how to create successful girl groups. But with its newest label, ABD (A Bold Dream), the company appears to be trying something different.
Rather than simply debuting another group under its enormous multi-label umbrella, HYBE has created a specialized girl-group production system designed to bring dedicated creative teams together under experienced artistic leadership.
And at the center of that strategy is Master Professional Han Sung-soo.
For K-pop fans familiar with his career, his involvement immediately makes ABD worth watching. Han has been involved in the development of major artists including SEVENTEEN, After School, IZ*ONE, and TWS.
Now, his attention is turning toward ABD's first girl group, TUIDE.
The bigger question isn't simply whether TUIDE can become a hit.
It's whether ABD can establish a completely new blueprint for how HYBE builds girl groups.
What Is ABD—and Why Did HYBE Create It?
ABD stands for “A Bold Dream,” reflecting the label's philosophy of thinking beyond the obvious path.
The concept is built around imagining something different rather than automatically following an expected sequence. That idea is especially fitting for a label entering an already crowded K-pop market.
ABD was established as a girl-group-specialized label, giving it a more focused purpose within HYBE's multi-label structure.
Instead of treating girl-group development as one part of a larger label's responsibilities, ABD can concentrate its resources and expertise on female artists.
That means everything from artist development and music production to concepts, choreography and branding can be developed with girl groups specifically in mind.
And that could be a major advantage.
Han Sung-soo Is Taking a Big-Picture Approach
The most interesting part of ABD's structure may be Han Sung-soo's role.
Rather than simply producing songs, Han is overseeing the overall production of TUIDE, including music, concept, and performance.
That holistic approach is important because a K-pop group's identity doesn't come from a single song.
The music needs to fit the concept.
The concept needs to suit the members.
The choreography needs to amplify the music.
And the entire package needs to create something fans can immediately recognize.
In other words, ABD isn't just looking for a hit song.
It's looking to build an artist identity.
Han's experience gives the label someone capable of looking at that identity from the top down while specialized creators handle individual areas.
ABD's Secret Weapon: Specialized Creative Teams
This doesn't mean Han is doing everything himself.
Quite the opposite.
ABD's system combines dedicated creative professionals with Han's overarching production direction.
That creates a structure where different experts can focus on what they do best while still working toward one unified artistic vision.
It's an important distinction.
A modern K-pop comeback can involve dozens of people: producers, songwriters, choreographers, stylists, visual directors, photographers, A&R professionals and marketing teams.
Without a strong central identity, all those pieces can sometimes feel disconnected.
ABD appears to be trying to solve that problem by keeping the group's overall artistic direction tightly connected.
And TUIDE is the first major test of whether that strategy actually works.
TUIDE Is the First Test of the ABD Formula
TUIDE officially debuted in August 2026 with its first EP, TUNE & PLAY, and title track “SUN KISS.”
The seven-member group—Seohee, Seoyeon, Elena, Jia, Saki, Seah and Yi Hani—is effectively the first showcase for everything ABD says it wants to accomplish.
Even the group's name, derived from “Tune the tide,” fits the label's philosophy. The idea is to bring different currents together and create something new.
That mirrors the way TUIDE is being presented: individual personalities and strengths coming together without necessarily losing their individuality.
For a rookie girl group, that's a potentially powerful approach.
The members need to function as a team while still giving fans individual reasons to connect with them.
TUIDE's Music Is Designed to Stand Out
Musically, TUIDE is being introduced with a sound described as “soultronic,” combining elements of soul, electronic music and R&B.
That gives the group an immediate opportunity to carve out a distinct identity.
The debut title track “SUN KISS” also carries a message about trusting one's own voice rather than simply following other people's expectations. And with over 11 million views on YouTube, a little over a week after their debut, it's hard to argue with the results.
It's a theme that feels almost tailor-made for ABD.
The label's philosophy is about taking an unexpected path.
TUIDE's music is about trusting your own direction.
Even the group's name suggests changing the current.
Whether that becomes a lasting identity remains to be seen, but the pieces are clearly designed to fit together.
Why ABD Could Become HYBE's Next Girl-Group Powerhouse
Here's where things get bigger than TUIDE.
HYBE already operates multiple labels and has experience developing major female acts.
So why create another label?
Because ABD could eventually become something more valuable than simply another home for one successful group.
It could become a specialized pipeline for girl-group development.
Imagine a label where the entire infrastructure—from A&R and artist development to choreography, visual direction and branding—is built around creating distinctive girl groups.
That's the potential advantage of specialization.
And HYBE can provide something smaller agencies often can't: global distribution, marketing infrastructure, technology, industry connections and international reach.
If ABD can combine those resources with genuine creative independence, the label could have a serious competitive advantage.
But Can ABD Avoid the “HYBE Formula”?
There is one major challenge.
HYBE groups inevitably get compared with one another.
Fans will ask whether ABD's artists genuinely feel different or whether they simply represent another variation of the familiar HYBE approach.
That makes TUIDE's identity particularly important.
ABD needs to prove that its specialized system can create something recognizable without becoming repetitive.
Han Sung-soo's previous successes will also create expectations.
Fans aren't just going to watch what he produces.
They're going to watch how he evolves.
Can his experience help TUIDE establish a new identity rather than simply recreating elements that worked for previous groups?
That's one of the most fascinating questions surrounding ABD. And we at Dojeon Media can't wait to see what their future brings!
The Real ABD Experiment Has Just Begun
TUIDE isn't merely another rookie girl group.
They're the first major proof of concept for ABD.
The label is betting that specialized teams, experienced creative leadership and HYBE's global infrastructure can create a more cohesive way of developing girl-group artists.
At the heart of it all is Han Sung-soo's holistic oversight of music, concept and performance.
If TUIDE succeeds, ABD could quickly become much more than a new name inside HYBE's multi-label system.
It could become a genuine girl-group powerhouse with its own production philosophy and creative identity.
And that's what makes ABD so interesting.
The company isn't simply asking:
“How do we create another successful girl group?”
It's asking something much bigger:
“How do we build a system capable of creating the next generation of them?”
TUIDE is the first answer.
Now K-pop gets to decide whether it's the right one. What do you think about TUIDE's debut? Comment below!
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