On March 26, a wave of cuteness washed over Korea when J-pop girl group CUTIE STREET performed on the Mnet show “M Countdown.” The idols sang their hit “Can’t we just be cute? -Kawaii Dakejya Damedesuka?-” but completely in Korean. A number of Japanese artists have appeared on “M Countdown” before, but they’ve either sung in Japanese as usual or switched over to English. CUTIE STREET is unique in that they were the first to actually translate their lyrics into Korean and sing those instead. And the effort paid off—the video blew up on YouTube, surpassing three million views in three days and ten million in the time since. Riding the wave of the outpouring of love coming from their Korean fans, the group officially released a Korean version of “Can’t we just be cute?” as a single on April 10.

CUTIE STREET was already plenty popular back home in Japan. Right out of the gate in 2024, they were surrounded by enough buzz to land on MERY Gen Z Research Lab’s “Top 10 Trends of 2024” and its “2025 Trend Forecast” at the same time. “Can’t we just be cute?,” the group’s debut single, came out that September and has since racked up over 7.5 billion views on TikTok. CUTIE STREET rode the wave of excitement that started in 2024 all the way to win a New Artist Award at the 67th Japan Record Awards the following December, plus a spot among the Best 5 New Artists in the domestic category at the 40th Golden Disc Awards in Japan this past March.

So what exactly is it about CUTIE STREET that’s won over fans not just in Japan but in Korea too? Let’s take a closer look at five things that help explain what makes them so special.

Passion: Let’s give it everything we got! (“Hello Hello Future”)
CUTIE STREET was turning heads from the minute the group was formed. And that’s no surprise, given the lineup: Haruka Sakuraba, a breakout talent on “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS.” Ayano Masuda, Miyu Umeda, and Emiru Kawamoto, all previously idols. Kana Itakura, YouTuber extraordinaire. Aika Sano, TV and stage actor. And finally Risa Furusawa, an influencer. But every one of them came to the group with their own unflagging desire to make it big. KAWAII LAB. selected the CUTIE STREET members through a five-day audition where all the contestants lived together, and the accompanying documentary shows just how determined the girls were. “This audition has my whole future riding on it,” Miyu says in the film, with Aika similarly noting she “absolutely” has to “seize this opportunity.”

So it tracks that the group, even now that they’ve become popular, isn’t sitting still. In a July interview with “Real Sound” last year held to mark the first anniversary of their debut, when asked what mattered most to CUTIE STREET at that moment, Aika answered, “Giving our all, always! Our social media, our performances, our rehearsals, everything. We’re going all in.” And reflecting on their experience performing at MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN, Nagisa Manabe talked about how they were “faced with the fact that we still have a ways to go” and that they “felt strongly that we had to catch up, and how I wanted to become someone who belongs in a place like that.” Their drive clearly hasn’t faded post-debut, and it’s part of what pulls people into the CUTIE STREET orbit.

Connection: I’ll find you when I run far enough (“Haru Flake”)
Maybe it’s because all eight members of CUTIE STREET are so passionate, but the group’s particularly known for the tight bond they share. That may be typical of any group, but there’s something special about what these girls have.

Ask the group about each other, and you’ll find an unbreakable trust there. Risa says she “knew with certainty that the eight of us would become something special,” while Miyu talks about how she’s “happy just to get to work with these girls.” Kana says “the faith we have in each other only grows deeper and deeper,” and Emiru says that “being in CUTIE STREET has made me stop thinking pessimistically.” That bond can’t help but come across when you see them, and it’s become one of the group’s most magnetic qualities.

KAWAII LAB. held its fourth-anniversary special, 5DAYS, back in February, and their solo concert brought with it a surprise announcement: CUTIE STREET would be putting on a concert at the Budokan to mark their second debut anniversary. The group had been working toward the prestigious Budokan as a shared goal since their audition days, relying on each other every step of the way, so the news that the eight of them would be taking to that storied stage together was an incredibly meaningful moment.

As it turns out, several of the girls had crossed paths before the group even existed. Risa and Miyu had met as an influencer and her fan, while Ayano and Miyu had been in another group together. The eight group members came together on those existing connections and opened up to each other to become the CUTIE STREET they are today.

Talent: I’m actually not just cute! (“Can’t we just be cute?”)
CUTIE STREET’s name, overall concept, and songs all lean hard into being cute, but don’t let that fool you—every member of the group brings serious skill to the table. Back on “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS,” Haruka climbed 14 spots on the strength of her dancing alone after the ninth so-called concept battle, “AtoZ.” Kana, meanwhile, does the robot—a move she’s famous for—during her solos for “Song of CUTIE STREET” and “Discommutant!” One look at the dance practice videos on CUTIE STREET’s YouTube channel makes it clear this isn’t a group coasting on concept alone.

When you’re that good at performing, you never lip-sync, which gives a CUTIE STREET show a kind of explosive energy you just don’t get anywhere else. YouTube videos of their live performances have been a major driver when it comes to drawing in new fans, too. The proof is in the pudding: During their “1st ANNIVERSARY JAPAN TOUR 2025 ‘CAN’T STOP CUTIE,’” which ran from August through October last year, they performed for an astounding 48,000 people.

Album sales have been trending upward as well. “We can’t stop suddenly! / The project of the earth-makeup,” released last July, moved over 500,000 copies in its first week alone, landing at No. 2 on the weekly singles sales chart. According to a “Billboard JAPAN” breakdown, that’s more than seven times the sales of the album before it. All this points to one thing—that there’s a lot more going on beneath the kawaii-coded CUTIE STREET cover than meets the eye.

Character: We’re the KAWAII MAKER, look out! (“The project of the earth-makeup”)
CUTIE STREET has a chant they do before their shows: “Cute today! Cute tomorrow! We’re cute! KAWAII MAKER!” The group’s part of ASOBISYSTEM’s idol project KAWAII LAB., home to FRUITS ZIPPER, among others. CUTIE STREET operates under their KAWAII MAKER concept, and their name alludes to the freedom to be whoever you (“CUTIE”) want to be, and to go anywhere (“STREET”) you want to. True to that spirit, the group’s been fiercely ambitious in their social media push, posting videos to grow their reach in a way that sets CUTIE STREET. Though the fourth group to debut under KAWAII LAB., as of this April, they already boast an incredible 6,000-plus posts on Instagram.

Their instantly recognizable outfits—termed everything from cupcakes to shower puffs by fans—have given CUTIE STREET a visually engaging presence on social media that’s impossible to miss. Every member of every KAWAII LAB. group is assigned their own color, which shows up in their fashion choices. That said, there’s little details that differ from person to person. “One consistent core rule in any group we produce is that we never assign a center,” KAWAII LAB. producer Misa Kimura has said. “We say everyone’s a main character, and under that thinking, we embrace their different appearances, personalities, and individuality, and work all that into the music, too.” That philosophy, combined with CUTIE STREET’s unique image and aura, has been working together to give the world something even bigger than anyone ever anticipated. Maybe that’s what makes this group’s particular brand of cute feel so one-of-a-kind.

Attitude: Let’s walk the way to happiness together / I’ll be the light that saves you (“Shooting Star”)
The last thing worth highlighting about CUTIE STREET is their attitude toward their fans, and their Korean fans in particular. When the group came to Korea in March for their first concert in the country, they appeared on “M Countdown” to perform that fully localized version of “Can’t we just be cute?” in flawless Korean. The response from Korean fans was so overwhelming that the group followed it up with a “Relay Dance” video—and again, they’d clearly done their homework, because they nailed the signature format so perfectly that they won over fans who’d only just discovered them.

Even compared to FRUITS ZIPPER, who made their own visit to the country back in November, CUTIE STREET’s proactive approach has been impossible to miss. With Korean fans still clamoring for more, the group released the Korean version of “Can’t we just be cute?” as a single on April 10, and the girls have already confirmed they’ll be back in July. On top of that, the group has been uploading short after short that taps right into the latest Korean memes, fostering the connection with their fans on the daily. Korean fans who’ve watched CUTIE STREET perform and checked out their content have come to understand firsthand what it feels like when an idol really puts in the work to reach you in your own language. When CUTIE STREET extends a hand out to their Korean fanbase like that, it goes beyond marketing—it reads as a real attempt to be genuine. And that sincerity hasn’t wavered, even as they step onto the somewhat unfamiliar Korean stage.

Passion, connection, talent, character, attitude. With these five qualities to back them up, what kind of CUTIE will the group come to us as next? Whatever it is, their best is still streets ahead of them.