Nine Years Later, K-Pop's Fan-Voted Girl Group I.O.I Is Finally Coming Back in May 2026
The reunion fans never stopped asking for is officially happening - here's everything you need to know.
When Produce 101 ended its run in April 2016, eleven girls walked away as I.O.I - chosen not by executives in a boardroom, but by millions of viewers who voted with their phones. That democratic origin story always made this group feel different. And now, nine years after their January 2017 farewell, they're doing it again on their own terms.
Swing Entertainment confirmed on February 23 that I.O.I will release a new album in May 2026 to mark the 10th anniversary of their debut. A Seoul concert and Asia tour will follow - the group's first-ever tour, since their only previous concert was the three-day "Time Slip - I.O.I" farewell in January 2017.
Who's Coming Back
Nine of the eleven original members will participate: Im Nayoung, Chungha, Kim Sejeong, Jung Chaeyeon, Kim Sohye, Yoo Yeonjung, Choi Yoojung, Kim Doyeon, and Jeon Somi. Kang Mina and Zhou Jieqiong (Kyulkyung) will sit this one out due to prior scheduling commitments.
Swing Entertainment, which managed the group from debut through disbandment, will again oversee all activities for the reunion project.
Why It Still Matters
I.O.I debuted on May 4, 2016 with the EP Chrysalis and its title track "Dream Girls" - a trap-pop anthem that hit No. 7 on the Gaon Digital Chart and racked up over 530,000 digital sales in its first two months alone. The hits kept coming: "Whatta Man," the infectious "Very Very Very" (너무너무너무), and the final ballad "Downpour," co-written by Seventeen's Woozi, which all eleven members personally selected as their goodbye song.
In under a year of activity, they won Rookie of the Year at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, the Golden Disc Awards, and the Seoul Music Awards. Then, as planned from the start, they disbanded on January 31, 2017.
What they left behind wasn't just a discography. I.O.I proved that a group assembled entirely by public vote - not label strategy - could dominate the industry. Every member has since gone on to build a serious solo career: Chungha as one of Korea's biggest pop acts, Kim Sejeong as both a chart-topping artist and acclaimed actress, Jeon Somi as a crossover star with a global following.
What's Next
The May comeback will include a full album - not a single - with promotional activities to follow. Swing Entertainment has promised additional details on the release schedule and tour dates in the coming weeks.
For international fans who only knew I.O.I through a screen in 2016, the Asia tour is the moment they've been waiting for. Ten years of individual growth, all of it coming back together on one stage.
