In a somewhat unorthodox move, JYP Entertainment announced in July 2021 that a new K-pop girl group would debut in February 2022, and would-be fans could get in at the ground floor by preordering a limited-edition “Blind Package” containing a “limited-edition CD, photo book, photo card, poster, premium membership card, [and] random Polaroid.” The group did not even have an official name yet, and there would be a period of time predebut when the group went by the interim name “JYPn.” The group members themselves only began to be announced in August 2021. Nonetheless, the Blind Package reportedly sold nearly 62,000 copies in the brief 10-day period that it was made available to preorder! Then in January 2022, JYPn received its final name of NMIXX, and it was time for them to showcase themselves to the world. So here is the exact answer as to when Lily, Haewon, Sullyoon, Jinni, Bae, Jiwoo, and Kyujin made their debut as NMIXX at JYP Entertainment.
NMIXX Debuted on February 22, 2022 with the Single Album Ad Mare and Lead Song “O.O”
NMIXX made their debut on February 22, 2022 with the single album Ad Mare and its lead song, “O.O,” which received a music video on the same day. Ad Mare contained two songs in total, “占 (Tank)” and “O.O,” along with instrumental versions of those two songs. “占 (Tank)” was composed by Dwayne Abernathy Jr., Ryan S. Jhun, Ericka J. Coulter, Deanna DellaCioppa, and Matthew Jaragin and arranged by Dem Jointz and Ryan S. Jhun. “O.O” was composed by The Hub, including Brian U, Enan, MarkAlong, Charlotte Wilson, Chanti, EJAE, Awry, Ayushy, Jan Baars, and Rajan Muse, and it was arranged by Brian U, Enan, and MarkAlong.
Ad Mare sold an outstanding 227,399 copies in its first week of release. However, one might argue that “O.O” faced a higher degree of criticism than the average K-pop single, for its unusual and frenetic sound. The Daily Mail, a British outlet known for sensationalized reporting, cited netizens’ feelings that “O.O” was the “worst song of all time.” It’s a hyperbolic statement to be sure, but the song did initially struggle to make waves on Korean music streaming charts. “O.O” grew steadily in popularity though, climbing 170 slots on Melon music charts to reach rank 50 in March 2022. Notably, NMIXX would not win any music shows during their debut, but the previous JYP girl group to debut, Itzy, had won a music show with their first release. NMIXX would finally get their first win on March 29, 2023 at Show Champion for “Love Me Like This.”
NMIXX held a debut showcase on March 1, 2022, but it had originally been scheduled for February 22, the actual day of their debut; JYP Entertainment postponed the showcase to March when Bae became sick with COVID in February 2022. NMIXX afterward performed for the first time on M Countdown on March 3, 2022, and fans praised their live vocals.
NMIXX arguably had a bumpier road in proving themselves than the average “Big 4” company girl group, but nonetheless, NMIXX has built up a dedicated following with each comeback. The group would only suffer one more hiccup — when Jinni left the group under mysterious circumstances.
But to summarize, NMIXX made their debut on February 22, 2022 with Ad Mare and the lead song “O.O,” and they held a debut showcase on March 1, 2022 in order to allow time for Bae to recover from COVID.
For more about the group, check out how old the NMIXX members are (and when Jinni left the group), who the leader of the group is, and who speaks English in the group. We also maintain a complete archive of all of the NMIXX music videos, to make it convenient to watch all of their videos in one spot.
