Pixie Pop (sometimes stylized as PXP) is the newest addition to the YG roster. Their debut song ‘Dalla Dalla’ was released on the 1st of June 2017 and became a commercial success with  XXX physical copies sold and an unexpected longviety on the charts. Although their repackage with ‘Picky Picky’ couldn’t top those results, it cemented their quirky, vibrant style which was dubbed ‘teen crush’ by the media. Pixie Pop won multiple ‘Female Rookie of the Year’ awards and are dubbed the group to look out for in 2018.
Most of the Pixie Pop members were WIN 2 contestants who didn’t make the cut for BlackPink. During their debut, CEO Yang Hyunsuk received criticism from Pixie Pop fans for his comment that the difference between the two girlgroups is that [Pixie Pop] “has a relatable, upbeat concept while Blackpink is luxurious, more like the ones you aspire to be.”

The four members were chosen by viewer votes through the second season of the competition show WIN. The company officials always pit the two girl groups against each other, promising to prioritize the one that shows better results. Therefore the relationship between those groups is mostly strained.

During their training period, Jennie and Jisoo were part of the same clique of the most popular girls and were seen as shoe ins for the next girl group. Jennie was the queen bee among the trainees, known for her dry sense of humor as well as being YG’s favorite. Jisoo appears sweet and sociable, though her words can contain hidden insults or sarcasm that goes straight over most people's head. Rose is quiet but has a hipster mentality. During training she mostly fell under people’s radar despite being a top15 trainee. Lisa has a friendly demeanour though she’s naive and cannot read the room well. She associated herself with the lower ranks which made her unpopular with many of the high ranking trainees.

The only YG group who never got any PR training and it shows in their candid and sometimes fratboy-like behaviour. As the male version of Pixie Pop, most of them try to take the new girlgroup under their wing, though some of them, particularly Bobby and Jinhwan seem to look for more than just mentees. Bobby and Junhoe are best friends but while the former is easygoing and flirty, the latter doesn’t care much about niceties and is typically rude to anyone who isn’t part of his own group. B.I spend a lot of his formative years with the company and lacks common sense and critical thinking. Donghyuk is kind but sensitive.

As Blackpink’s counterpart, 3/4 of the group are hesitant of being overly friendly with Pixie Pop. Winner and iKon went through the same company-sparked rivalry as the girl groups and they feel the need to pick the side of the girl group more similar to them. Seungyoon is the only one who doesn’t, his first impression makes him look like a really wholesome person. Seunghoon is polite but more calculating than he lets on and his network is rather impressive. Rumor has it Mino has an addiction problem.

Only Dara and CL are left and now the company treats them as has-beens and they lose importance with each passing day. Cl is prideful and wants to feel valued, she feels bitter towards the new girl groups for taking her place. Might become a mentor figure to someone that shows respect, or might use her own network to block someone from opportunities for fighting her.

Big Bang are polite but unapproachable, they generally keep their distance from their companies’ newcomers since they don’t want to mix business and their private life. The exception is Seungri who had been very friendly from the start though people kept telling the rookie girls to stay away from him. There seems to be bad blood between him and T.O.P.

They had their reunion in the same year as Pixie Pop’s debut but weren’t met with the same success as the girl group which seems to upset some members.
Kang Sungwoon gives off creepy vibes to most of the girls, he uses his seniority to mock other groups with Pixie Pop being his main target. Eun Jiwon chronically smells like alcohol and always refills others' glasses with soju during company dinners even if they decline.

Soohyun is the kind of girl who might treat you like one of her best friends within five minutes of your first meeting. Depending on someone’s personality this can either be the start of a great friendship or off-putting. Chanhyuk is more laidback, he is quiet but mature, and ordinary in a way that seems almost out of place in YG.

Shy and awkward when you meet her for the first time but bubbly when she gets comfortable. Wants to befriend other artists from the company.

He’s unlike the dorky guy from his videos in real life, PSY’s real self is more serious and business-savvy. Very religious and doesn’t pay much attention to the girl group members except on the odd chance he sees some hidden potential.

Teddy has a high value to the company and produces almost every song for YG's girl groups. Pixie Pop’s comeback frequency depends on his muse, so the girls try to stay on his good side. Blackpink do the same.

Lee Sungkyung hates celebrities that don’t dress themselves well and is refreshingly honest about being material and a gossip. Nam Joohyuk judges people by their faces and is usually too bored to engage in conversation with people less famous than him. Kwon Hyunbin wears his heart on his sleeve and trusts too easily. Epik High are not very involved in company culture or building up friendly rapports, they just do their own thing. One acts like a church oppa in front of Pixie Pop but there are rumors he’s pissed about the group's debut being so close to his and taking the wind off of his sails.

"YG is the best," that’s a common phrase among the higher tiers of the company employees. Trainees are made aware that this is their biggest shot at success - the company houses some of the biggest names in the industry and their music, uniqueness and networks surpass anyone else's. Elitism is the norm, small companies are beneath them.

The company believes in an certain star factor which is a more important selection criteria than talent or visuals. Their idols are told that they are better than their competition from other companies on that fact alone. They also put the artists and trainees who do well or seem most promising on a pedestal while being dismissive and cruel towards those who don’t. Competition between two similar groups and between members of the same group are encouraged. Members who are rebellious or deemed as less important get cuts in lines, screen time and solo opportunities in favor of others so that real teamwork is difficult to accomplish.

Regular low-tier staff members are replaceable and treated as such, a few words from an idol to management are enough to get them reshuffled or kicked out. YG and JYP have good ties with each other, Cube outwardly as well though it’s secretly a laughing stock for taking in all the YG rejects. SM is respected as a part of the big three. Yang Hyunsuk hates when groups from no name companies become too successful.

As you can see, I made BlackPink debut from a reality show - I thought this was the most realistic way to make YG debut two girl groups within a year and it spices up the group rivalry as PXP might be seen as the leftovers. Another thing, this story picks up in June 2018 with their 1st anniversary.