Pristin (Korean: 프리스틴; stylized in all caps, and pre-debut name Pledis Girlz) was a South Korean girl group formed by Pledis Entertainment in 2016. The group was composed of ten members: Nayoung, Roa, Yuha, Eunwoo, Rena, Kyulkyung, Yehana, Sungyeon, Xiyeon, and Kyla.[1] Most of them appeared on the television show Produce 101 and, as the prize for becoming two of the top contestants, Nayoung and Kyulkyung went on to debut as part of the project girl group I.O.I,[2] before reuniting with the other members to debut as Pristin on March 21, 2017, with the first EPHi! Pristin.[3] Pristin was known for writing and composing their own music.[4] After nearly a year and a half without activity, the group disbanded on May 24, 2019 when only 3 of the 10 members renewed their contract with Pledis Entertainment.
The members Nayoung, Roa, Yuha, Eunwoo, Rena, Kyulkyung and Xiyeon competed together on Mnet's survival television show Produce 101, which aired from January 22 to April 1, 2016.[5] While five of the members were eliminated, Nayoung and Kyulkyung became part of the final line-up for the project girl group I.O.I, which made its debut on May 4 with the single "Dream Girls".[2]
The group was officially announced as Pledis Girlz by Pledis Entertainment on March 23, 2016. On the same day, Eunwoo was featured on the song "Sickness" by Seventeen's Vernon as part of the soundtrack for the webtoonLove Revolution.[6] Pledis Girlz held concerts from May 14 to September 10, 2016, in which the members performed weekly, with the exception of Nayoung and Kyulkyung, who were promoting with I.O.I at the time.[7][8]
On June 27, they released the promotional single "We", which was written by Roa, Eunwoo, Sungyeon and Xiyeon. The music video for the song was used to introduce the members' profiles.[9]
They held their last concert as Pledis Girlz, entitled Bye & Hi, on January 6, 2017, and then renamed to Pristin, a portmanteau of the words "prismatic" (bright and clear) and "elastin" (flawless strength).[10][11]
On March 2, 2017, Pledis Entertainment announced the group's debut through a teaser image.[12] On March 21, Pristin debuted and released their first mini album Hi! Pristin, accompanied by the title track "Wee Woo".[3] They became the first rookie girl group to perform their debut song on a live broadcast during Mnet Present.[13] Pristin was also part of the line-up for the KCON festival held in Japan on May 19.[14] On the same day, a remixed version of "Black Widow" was released as the album's second and final single, which was performed on a few music shows in order to conclude Hi Pristin's promotions.[15][16]
On October 12, it was announced that Kyla would take a break from the group's activities due to health issues. She returned temporarily to the United States to focus on her recovery.[19]
On May 8, 2018, it was announced that Pristin would be debuting a sub-unit called Pristin V, consisting of members Nayoung, Roa, Eunwoo, Rena and Kyulkyung. Pristin V made their debut on May 28, 2018 with single album Like A V.
On May 24, 2019 after a year without any group activities, Pristin was officially disbanded.[20] Pledis Entertainment announced that while Kyulkyung, Yehana, and Sungyeon would stay with the company, the remaining seven (Xiyeon, Rena, Roa, Kyla, Nayoung, Yuha, and Eunwoo) would be departing.[21]
^ ab"[팝's신곡]"파워 & 프리티" 프리스틴, 신인상 예약한 특급 기대주" [[Pop's new song] "Powerful & Pretty" Pristin, the new up and coming rookie aiming for the rookie award]. Heraldpop (in Korean). March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
^Codrops (6 April 2017). "[MD인터뷰①] 프리스틴 멤버 전원 휴대폰 사용…회사서 믿어준다" [Pristin: "We all use cell phones... The company trusts us"]. m.mydaily.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-09-10.
^"'프로듀스 101' 출연 플레디스 걸즈, 공연 티켓 3분만 전석 매진" [Pledis Girlz from 'Produce 101', concert tickets sold out in 3 minutes]. enews24 (in Korean). May 12, 2016. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
^"플레디스 걸즈, 마지막 토요 콘서트 펼친다" [Pledis Girlz reveal their last Saturday concert]. Busan Ilbo (in Korean). September 10, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
^"'플레디스 걸즈' 프리 싱글 'WE' 발표" ['Pledis Girlz' release the pre-debut single 'WE']. Newsis (in Korean). June 26, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
^"플레디스걸즈, 새 팀명은 '프리스틴'…콘서트서 최초 발표" [Pledis Girlz, new team name 'Pristin' first revealed at concert]. Xportsnews (in Korean). January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
^"임나영·주결경 등 10人, 플레디스 걸즈→프리스틴으로 데뷔 (공식입장)" [Im Nayoung-Zhou Jieqiong 10-member group Pledis Girlz, to debut as Pristin]. Heraldpop (in Korean). January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
^"'활동 마무리' 프리스틴, 뱀파이어→깜찍 소녀 반전 매력" ['Ending activities' Pristin's reversal charms, from cute girl to vampire]. Heraldpop (in Korean). May 21, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
^"[퇴근길 신곡] 프리스틴, 업그레이드 된 파워+프리티…'We Like'" [[New song released] Pristin, power+pretty upgrade, "We Like"]. OSEN (in Korean). August 23, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
^Hi! Pristin (photobook). Pristin. South Korea: LOEN Entertainment. 2017. Credit.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Schxxl Out (photobook). Pristin. South Korea: LOEN Entertainment. 2017. Credit.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)