Stars · music
NiziU Took Six Years and Three Releases to Reach a Korean Mini Album
"Sour Grapes," out 28 September, is NiziU's first Korean-market mini album — arriving nearly six years after their November 2020 Japan debut and following two smaller Korean single albums.
NiziU released “Sour Grapes,” their first Korean-market mini album, on 28 September at 6 p.m. KST — five tracks, led by a title track that reinterprets Aesop’s fable “The Fox and the Grapes.” It is the nine-member group’s first Korean-market activity in about a year and six months.
From single album to mini album, one step at a time
NiziU debuted in Japan on 30 November 2020, formed through the JYP Entertainment–Sony Music Japan audition show “Nizi Project.” Their entry into the Korean market didn’t happen at debut, or even in their first few years — it came almost three years later, and in a smaller format each time before this release.
| Date | Release | Market | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Nov 2020 | “Step and a Step” | Japan | Single (debut) |
| 30 Oct 2023 | “Press Play” | Korea | Single album (159,599 copies) |
| 31 Mar 2025 | “Love Line” | Korea | Single album (168,636 copies) |
| 28 Sep 2026 | “Sour Grapes” | Korea | Mini album (5 tracks) — a first |
Each step took longer to arrive than the last gap suggests it should: nearly three years from Japan debut to any Korean release at all, then about a year and five months to a second Korean single album, then about a year and six months more to their first Korean release in the larger mini-album format.
The sales number that did move
Between NiziU’s two Korean single albums, Circle Chart figures cited on Wikipedia show Korean sales went from 159,599 copies (“Press Play”) to 168,636 copies (“Love Line”) — a rise of about 5.7%. That comparison is only possible because both prior releases shared the same single-album format; “Sour Grapes” carries more tracks, so its sales, once reported, won’t sit on the same scale.
This tracks NiziU’s own Japan-to-Korea release timeline and format history, sourced to allkpop and Wikipedia’s discography record. It is not a comparison against other groups, and it says nothing about how “Sour Grapes” itself will chart — those figures aren’t out yet.
Where these numbers come from
Sources
- allkpop — NiziU 'Sour Grapes' rollout coverage — tracklist, format, first-Korean-mini-album framing · https://www.allkpop.com/article/2026/09/niziu-reveal-the-tracklist-for-their-first-korean-mini-album-sour-grapes
- Wikipedia — NiziU discography — Japan debut date and Korean-market release history with sales figures · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NiziU_discography
What we checked
- NiziU debuted in Japan on 30 November 2020 with the single 'Step and a Step,' formed through the JYP Entertainment–Sony Music Japan audition show 'Nizi Project.'
- Their first Korean-market release came nearly three years later: the single album 'Press Play' (30 October 2023), which sold 159,599 copies in Korea per Circle Chart data cited on Wikipedia.
- Their second Korean single album, 'Love Line' (31 March 2025), sold 168,636 copies — an increase of about 5.7% over 'Press Play.'
- 'Sour Grapes' (28 September 2026) is reported by allkpop as NiziU's first Korean-market release in the larger mini-album format (five tracks: 'Sour Grapes,' 'Petal's Song,' 'emoji,' 'Into The Dawn,' 'Lullaby'), rather than the two-to-three-track single-album format used for their prior two Korean releases.
- This is NiziU's first Korean-market activity in about a year and six months, following 'Love Line' in March 2025.
What we left out, and why
- Any first-week or cumulative sales figures for 'Sour Grapes' itself — those are not yet reported as of this piece's data cutoff (18:00 KST on release day).
- Any comparison to other JYP-produced or multinational groups' Japan-to-Korea release timelines. We have verified NiziU's own numbers, not a cross-group dataset.
- Any claim about why the format step-up happened now, or what it predicts about future releases.
Written from the same data
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