When the member relationships are strong and the fandom is there to support them, a K-pop group can survive leaving its original company. For instance, the boy group Beast simply changed its name to Highlight to continue performing together when the group left its original company, Cube Entertainment. Likewise, although all of the members of girl group Loona left Blockberry Creative in dramatic fashion, several members continue to promote together in various capacities. In fact, the girl group Odd Eye Circle began life as a Loona subunit at Blockberry Creative, but then it became simply a group unto itself after the members left Blockberry for the company Modhaus. So let’s look back at when exactly JinSoul, Kim Lip, and Choerry originally made their debut as Odd Eye Circle (OEC), as well as when it was that they redebuted as part of Modhaus’s ARTMS project.

Odd Eye Circle Debuted on September 21, 2017 with “Girl Front”

Odd Eye Circle made their debut as a Loona subunit on September 21, 2017 with the mini-album Mix & Match and the lead song “Girl Front.” The “Girl Front” music video was released in tandem, and it had been filmed in Los Angeles. Blockberry had heralded the coming of the subunit with a formal reveal announcement video on August 29, 2017. Prior to that, JinSoul, Kim Lip, and Choerry had already debuted individually as Loona members — yet the full Loona group would not debut until August 19, 2018. Mix & Match contains five songs in total: “ODD,” “Girl Front,” “LOONATIC,” “Chaotic,” and “Starlight.” Odd Eye Circle performed together on television for the first time on the day of their debut, September 21, 2017, with “Girl Front” on M Countdown.

On October 23, 2017, an English version of “LOONATIC” was released, which received an accompanying official lyric video. Somewhat unusually, on October 31, 2017, Blockberry released what overall amounts to a longer version of the Mix & Match album, called Max & Match, which contains the following eight tracks: “ADD,” “Sweet Crazy Love,” “Uncover,” “Girl Front,” “LOONATIC,” “Chaotic,” “Starlight,” and “ODD Front.” Simultaneously, a music video for “Sweet Crazy Love” was released. After Max & Match promotions concluded, Odd Eye Circle did not officially release any further music while at Blockberry Creative.

The act of Blockberry Creative expelling Chuu from Loona on November 25, 2022 would trigger a massive backlash against the company, both from fans and the Loona members. This would ultimately result in all of the members of Loona — including JinSoul, Kim Lip, and Choerry — leaving Blockberry across the year 2023.

However, on March 17, 2023, it was announced that JinSoul, Kim Lip, Choerry, and former Loona member Heejin had signed exclusive contracts with Modhaus, a company helmed by Jaden Jeong, who had originally been the creative director behind Loona. As such, this was a creative reunion and fresh start for everyone. It was time for Odd Eye Circle to debut again, now as part of the “ARTMS” project with Heejin and even former Loona member Haseul, the latter of whom joined Modhaus in June 2023.

Odd Eye Circle Redebuted on July 12, 2023 with “Air Force One”

Odd Eye Circle redebuted on July 12, 2023 as a standalone group with the mini-album Version Up and the lead song “Air Force One,” which received a music video in tandem. Version Up contains six songs in total: “기다렸어?,” “Air Force One,” “Je Ne Sais Quoi,” “Lucid,” “Love Me Like,” and “My Secret Playlist.” The first track is an introduction that nostalgically samples Odd Eye Circle’s original music. Odd Eye Circle first performed “Air Force One” on M Countdown on July 13, 2023.

Odd Eye Circle continues to exist as part of ARTMS, but the pliable nature of ARTMS at Modhaus means that other types of group promotions would take precedent for a while. JinSoul foreshadowed what was to come in an NME interview published on their redebut date in July 2023, stating, “There’s definitely a possibility for us to keep releasing music as Odd Eye Circle. But we also have Haseul and Heejin being part of our ARTMS project, and the other new units and combinations that can be created from that remains to be seen.” Indeed, all five members would make a unified debut as ARTMS in 2024.

So in summary, Odd Eye Circle originally made their debut on September 21, 2017 with Mix & Match and “Girl Front,” as a Loona subunit, and Odd Eye Circle redebuted at Modhaus on July 12, 2023 with Version Up and “Air Force One.” JinSoul, Kim Lip, and Choerry have come a long way, and they have plenty more success yet ahead.

For more about the group, check out how old the Odd Eye Circle and ARTMS members currently are, or check out who the leader of OEC is. Alternatively, check out the unique debut story behind Loossemble, another group consisting of former Loona members.