NEKIRU

, an abbreviation of Nee, Kiiteru? (ねえ、聴いてる?), is a three-member live idol group based in South Korea.

Their group name originates from Japanese and means "Hey, are you listening?".

2019-2020
NEKIRU held their debut performance along with their then-sister group RARE STAGE on April 27, 2019 at ITAFES vol.5 with the original lineup of Soha, Nyaryu and Yume. On August 1, Soha announced her graduation from the group to focus on her activities as a solo artist.

They announced their first original song "Hear My Voice" which was performed live for the first time at Nyaryu's birthday live on June 21, 2020. On June 25, it was announced that Yume had graduated from the group.

On July 24 a new lineup was revealed with the addition of returning member Soha and new member Ria. They released their debut mini-album HELLO on November 13, 2020.

On December 24, 2020 it was announced that Ria had left the group to pursue other projects.

2021
New promotional shots featuring the refreshed lineup of NEKIRU were revealed March 12, 2021. They continued to regularly perform at live idol events such as IDOL ARENA as well as other To Hermitage events, often alongside their then-sister group HIBANA.

On July 11, 2021, NEKIRU announced the upcoming release of their second mini-album The Forgotten Star on August 4. They also announced their first ever one-man live "幻-Be idealist-" to promote the release of the album on August 14.

2022
On May 8, 2022, the group announced the release of their third-mini album E-mail from Pluto with a release date of June 6.

On June 6, it was announced that original member Nyaryu would be graduating the group, with her final last performance "1178Hz" to be held on July 17. In the meantime Soha would continue performing as a solo idol until NEKIRU returned with a refreshed lineup.

On July 17, NEKIRU released Hey, Are You Listening?, a compilation album featuring remastered versions of their older songs along with the new original song "Dear.PLUTO", dedicated to Nyaryu.

On October 22, it was announced that NEKIRU would be returning with their new lineup at their 3rd one-man live "OVERTAKE" on November 25, with a simultaneous physical release of their new EP THE 1st: SPACE at the same event. As promised, they revealed a refreshed lineup with new members Rimi and Miro on the day of the event.

On December 5, THE 1st: SPACE was released digitally worldwide.

On December 10, NEKIRU appeared as the special guest opening act for PLANCK STARS very first Korean live event as part of their BUTTER DOG SUMMIT world tour. As part of the event they also performed together on stage.

Current Members

 * Soha (소하/ソハ) (Original Member; Graduated August 1, 2019, Rejoined July 24, 2020)
 * Rimi (리미/リミ) (Joined November 2022)

Former Members

 * Yume (유메) (Original Member; Graduated June 25, 2020)
 * Ria (리아) (Joined July 23, 2020; Withdrew December 24, 2020)
 * Nyaryu (냐류/ニャリュ) (Original Member; Graduated July 17, 2022)
 * Miro (미로/ミロ) (Joined November 2022; Graduated June 8, 2023)

Albums

 * 1) [2020.11.13] HELLO (안녕)
 * 2) [2021.08.04] The Forgotten Star (여기는 잊혀진 별)
 * 3) [2022.06.07] E-mail from Pluto (명왕성이야)
 * 4) [2022.07.17] Hey, Are You Listening? (저기, 듣고있어?) (Remastered Album)
 * 5) [2022.12.05] THE 1st: SPACE (첫번째 우주: SPACE)

Trivia

 * NEKIRU have performed live covers of songs by BiS, Masshiro na Canvas, NECOPLA, NEO JAPONISM, PLANCK STARS, chuLa and Wagamama Kiite??, among others.
 * Ria currently performs as a live solo artist under the new name of Re:A and is also a member of the idol unit LuciDreaM with PPOYO.
 * Rimi was formerly a member of the short-lived 2021 idol group CHEATCODE under her previous name of Mio.

Official Links

 * Twitter
 * Spotify