Rania was originally set to debut in mid 2010 as a six member group,[5] however members T-ae, Riko and Saem were chosen to star alongside former 2PM ex-member Jay Park in his movie Hype Nation,[6][7] causing DR Music to push back the group's debut.
2011-2012: Debut, "Masquerade" and "Style"Edit
Rania debuted in April 2011[8] as an eight member group, consisting of Riko, Saem, Xia, Jooyi, Di, Joy, Tae and Yijo. However, upon their debut single's release, Yijo was not included.[9][10] They performed on 6 April onKBS's Music Bank, with the song "Dr. Feel Good", composed by producer Teddy Rileyand originally given to Lady Gaga.[11] However, since their music video and live performances caused controversy in Korea as some viewers felt that their image and concept were too provocative,[12] Rania were forced to change their choreography and make minor changes to the outfits.[13][14] After the conclusion of "Dr. Feel Good" promotions, the group returned in June with their second single "Masquerade",[15] also composed by Riley and originally given to Lady Gaga.[11] Despite having planned an American debut,[11] the group didn't make any advancements at that time.[16] On the contrary, Riley left Rania after falling out with their record label.[17]
The group released their second mini-album,Time to Rock Da Show, on 16 November 2011.[18][19] The music video for its title track, "Pop Pop Pop", written by Brave Brothers,[20]was revealed four days later.[21] Joy didn't join the song promotions because her parents' house had been affected in the flood which occurred in Thailand at the time of the release,[22][23] and later left Rania.
On 30 May 2012, the group performed a new song named "Killer" at the Dream Music Concert. They made a comeback on 16 September with "Style", whose music video was revealed on 20 September. Jooyi was not a part of this comeback,[24] but she was still a member of Rania.
2013-present: First album, more line-up changes and failed American debutEdit
Rania released the lead single "Just Go" on 8 March 2013, along with their first full-length album, also titled Just Go.[25] They also announced to debut in America in the summer of 2013.[26] Empire Records was to be handling the girls' distribution while Fireworks was to handle their American management.[27] Larry Rudolph and Adam Leber, two of Britney Spears' managers, decided to be Rania's managers throughout their U.S. promotions.[28] Starting 21 May, Rania began filming for their MTV reality showRoad to Fame in Los Angeles and other cities across the U.S. The show would feature the group's preparations for their U.S. debut and would air for three months. It was also revealed that the album would feature collaborations with both Snoop Dogg and 2 Chainz.[29] However, Rania's American debut was delayed again in June.[30] Instead, they began to film a CF for Woongjin Waterpark Play°C[31] and released a special single, "Up", for fans on 5 July.[32]
In May 2014, the group signed with Spanish label INGENIOmedia and confirmed they would have a comeback in July with "Acceleration", with a second round of promotions in September.[33] The label also confirmed that they were looking for a sixth member to replace Riko, who was absent from the group since "Just Go".[34][25]Following an incident where a staffer at IngenioMedia leaked RaNia's comeback track to a fan (forcing DR Music to try to do damage control), IngenioMedia severed ties with RaNia, stating they were "taking too long".[35]INGENIOMedia later released a statement saying that they were not looking for a member to replace Riko, apologizing for any confusion, and said that any news on member changes would have to come from RaNia's company.[36]
In mid 2014, Saem stopped attending public events and deactivated her official social media accounts, leading many fans to believe she had left the group. Soon afterwards, Jooyi also deactivated her accounts, and has not appeared with the group in over six months, instead releasing solo music. The group performed live with trainee Sharon Park, but she did not officially debut with the group, instead choosing to return to her former career of pageantry. DR Music has never officially confirmed or denied any member change, despite repeatedly promising to.
In August of 2015 the group performed with two new members, Hyeme and Seulji, leading to speculation that they were preparing a comeback.[