Category: FEATURES

It seems that this (the 4th) generation’s batch of boy groups are more defined by their looks and dancing skills and not so much by their vocal strength. Whether that is true or not is still up for debate and so while the jury is still out on that one, let’s take a look at three still-active boy groups with vocal lines that has raised the standard of K-pop fans:

EXO’s Chen, Baekhyun, and  D.O

When you’re an idol group produced by SM Entertainment, the expectations of your vocal talents are quite high. After all, this is the entertainment company that has produced idols like KangTa, BoA, Changmin, Jaejoong (former TVXQ), and Hyesung (Shinhwa was formed in SM, after all). The company has earned a reputation through the years as the entertainment company that prioritizes vocals over everything, leaving the other companies to get their own specialties – JYP for performance and stage presence and YG for the “swag” and overall expensive aura. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the company’s representative third generation boy group is the renowned for its stellar vocals. For members like Kai and Sehun to be considered as having the weakest vocals in the group is quite fascinating, right? I mean, should the two have not debuted under SM, they could have easily been middling lead vocalists at the least, definitely not in the vocalists bottom rung!

Anyway, I digress because, come on, when you have vocal king Chen and two other main vocalists Baekhyun  and D.O, you naturally have to step back. Chen is, after all, considered not only one of the best vocalists of the third generation of idol groups but generally of K-pop. Chen basically doesn’t know what a bad pitch day is. He has the best vocal placement in the group and sings with the least tension in EXO. On the other hand, D.O is well-known not just among members of his group, but in the entire K-pop scene as being the most agile male vocalist. Meaning, listening to him is such a pleasure because he can quickly, easily, and smoothly move through his vocal registers. Finally, Baekhyun beats even the two when it comes to singing in the upper register, with that falsetto that seems so relaxed and effortless. The breath support Baekhyun has when he sings makes it sound like he doesn’t struggle when singing high notes, at all.    

Fortunately, for all of us, SM Entertainment has blessed our ears with solo releases from all three EXO main vocalists. Chen has released three EPs, all topping the Korean charts when they were released. Of course, when asked which Chen song is the best, aside from the pun of answering Best Luck, his contribution to the It’s Okay, That’s Love OST, many will definitely answer Beautiful Goodbye, his first single from his first EP April, and a Flower. For D.O, it’s Rose from his first EP Empathy, which has both Korean and English versions, although his Spanish track Si Fueras Mia, also from Empathy has people amazed at his impeccable Spanish singing, which a lot of Latinos think is native-speaker level (although die-hard EXOLs would be quick to point out EXO-K sang Sabor de Mi in a Musicbank in Mexico concert). As for Baekhyun, fans readily swoon to Candy, although we are still reeling from Dream, the perfect duet he had with Suzy in 2016.     

Super Junior’s KRY – Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Yesung 

Speaking of SM Entertainment vocalists, basically, Super Junior’s KRY walked so that Chen, Baekhyun, and D.O can run. This vocal line of Super Junior practically cemented SM Entertainment’s reputation as the company that harbors premium vocal talent. I mean, when you have your label (that houses some of the best voices in the industry) give you the stage name Yesung which is derived from the Korean phrase literally meaning vocal cords of an artist and can be translated as an “art-like voice,” that surely is some huge boost in confidence, yes? 

That of course, refers to Yesung, who was born Kim Jungwoon (he later had it legally changed to Kim Kanghoon). Yesung has one of the more unique voices in the group, but in the whole of K-pop, with what could only be described as a heady mix of deep, smoky, and airy tones that make it so distinct you can almost always pick out in any given Super Junior song. But then, Yesung does not hold the monopoly for that distinct voice as Ryeowook, the R in KRY is unmistakable in his high notes. Like his voice per se is already high-pitched, so there’s really zero effort when he does runs and ad libs. And the best thing about Ryeowook is that he doesn’t overdo his vocal runs and instead practices total control over his instrument. 

Finally, when it comes to Super Junior‘s maknae Kyuhyun, no other description can fit it better than smooth. He just sounds like butter when gliding into even the most powerful ballads but also amazingly great sounding when he has lines that require him to belt. Even Yesung and Ryeowook have said in interviews that singing a song in Kyu’s arrangement is so difficult his voice is so midrange that it can easily go high and low with so little effort while the two have to adjust their voices to reach a satisfying high for Yesung and a legit low register for Ryeowook. 

As for their signature songs, Yesung’s textured voice feels like an assuring but happy embrace in Pink Magic, which sounds a tad more upbeat than his usual ballads. The Little Prince, Ryeowook’s solo debut, provided him with the high concept he deserves, although those goosebump-inducing vocal runs in the live performances of Hiding Words (look for the Yoo Heeyeol’s Sketchbook performance) are also an absolute treat to the ears. Finally, Kyuhyun’s iconic At Gwanghwamun proves that his voice can also do power ballads, not just the regular OST-sounding tracks he has until that time been typecasted in.  

BtoB BLUE: Eunkwang, Hyunsik, Sungjae and Changsub

For obvious reasons, the vocal line of BtoB has to be on this list. After all, when things went almost nowhere for Cube’s then-upcoming group, they made singing vocal-heavy ballads and mid-tempo songs their bread and butter. At a time when EXO, BTS, WINNER, iKON, and GOT7 were all about singing upbeat dance tracks and songs that need that all-consuming “beat drop”, BtoB took things to a different direction and finally met success.  

While the group did find considerable success with the fast-paced Beep Beep more than a couple of years after their debut, Cube decided that BtoB still wasn’t at the level of success they expected them to be, at least not at the fast climb to success the company experienced with their representative group, Beast. So, they suddenly took things slow with more ballad-oriented tracks like The Winter’s Tale, It’s Okay, Way Back Home, Remember That, and Pray (I’ll Be Your Man), one after the other, all power ballads, and all finally putting BtoB in the single digits of K-pop charts. But then, not only did the group finally give them a niche they dominated (and still are dominating) for years, but these songs also shone a spotlight on the group’s very impressive vocal line. Not that Ilhoon, Minhyun, and Peniel didn’t carry their weight in the team; in fact, the strength of their rap members also further brought attention to how fantastic their vocalists are. Eunkwang, Hyunsik, Sungjae and Changsub bring four different vocal flavors and colors that has made BtoB a well-recognized vocal group in K-pop. 

As THE main vocalist among rather vocally accomplished members, Eunkwang stands amongst the strongest of the strongest main vocalists in K-pop. Despite being in the industry for already more than 10 years, including his trainee period (when we could only imagine was more tiring and challenging for him), he has been able to keep his voice quality in sterling condition. And with all those power ballads BtotB and BtoB BLUE (the vocal line sub-unit), the fact that he has continued sounding strong all these years is proof that Eunkwang has made it his business to take care of his voice. 

On the other hand, Changsub started off as someone with a wider range compared to Eunkwang, but seems to lack discipline and control that the former has. He tends to insert adlibs and vocal lines when they’re not absolutely necessary, not to mention he almost always sounds like he’s “winging” every performance as opposed to the group’s leader. The majority of the time, Changsub ends up sounding glorious, but there are other times when he really sounds all over the place. Well, he has been known to not constantly practice, and it shows with the cracks and strains (and at times, even screaming) in a number of live BtoB performances.   

But then, if we’re speaking of range, nothing can beat the group’s constant song composer, Hyunsik. He can match Eunkwang and Changsub when it comes to belting some lines, but there have been instances, more than a couple in fact, when he brings out that husky baritone that can make Melodies swoon at a drop of a note. Have a YouTube visit and look for the song Beautiful Pain where he starts off the song on a rather high pitch and repeats more or less the same lines but in a very low pitch towards the end of the song. Now tell me if those images and sounds won’t live rent-free in your brain for weeks, if not months! 

Last but not the least, we have our idol-actor Sungjae, who at one look, will almost always fool anyone into thinking he’s first and foremost an actor than a boy group member. But show them a live performance of Remember That, and those opening lines sung in our maknae‘s baritone will surely send ’em hearts melting.  At the start of the group, particularly on the days when they were still singing a lot of fast songs, Sungjae didn’t shine that much and only sounded more confident as they slowed down their repertoire. Maybe because he thought his deeper voice suited the ballads more? Maybe he had less confidence in his dancing skills? Maybe he got more confident as got more recognition as an actor? Whatever the reason may be, his overall sound and stage presence notably improved during BtoB’s ballad era.    

INFINITE also brought us Woohyun and Sunggyu; Pentagon has Hui, Junho, and Kino; and the SEVENTEEN vocal powerhouse duo of DK and Seungkwan can never be denied. But today’s list only allows for three and for sure, we’ll be shining a spotlight on other vocal lines in the future, so make sure to stay tuned for that.    

Featured Image: A Still of Chen from EXO Official Twitter account.

With a majority of K-pop groups fading from the limelight (read: getting disbanded) after only a few years and even the most durable of idols totally shifting their careers into acting or TV hosting, you may wonder if there are personalities who started off their careers as singers and are still going strong mainly as K-pop idols up to now. There are two, actually, and it just so happens they are also still connected to the country’s representative music company – SM Entertainment. Let’s look into the everlasting careers of KangTa and BoA.   

KangTa

When we talk about idols who have stood the test of time, nobody pretty much comes close to the level of KangTa. Originally named Ahn Chil Hyun, KangTa is a first-generation idol and has kept at it for decades, and is one of the few, if not the only, “senior” idols who are still active in the music industry as idols. Most of KangTa’s contemporaries have diversified their careers by getting into other ventures such as acting (e.g., Shinhwa’s Eric) or variety show hosting (e.g., KangTa’s groupmate Moon Heejun). But not KangTa. He achieved immense popularity as one of the five members of the legendary boy group H.O.T. and up to now, has continued his career in music close to three decades later. 

As an SM Entertainment trainee, KangTa was actually getting side jobs already but as a backup dancer, not as a singer. When he was finally included in a group with Moon Hee Joon, Jang Woo Hyuk, Tony An, and Lee Jae Won, they were called H.O.T, short for Highfive Of Teenagers, which eventually became the blueprint for what we know today as the k-pop boy band. 

You know that theory that Koreans adapt trends from other countries and mold them into distinctly Korean (and arguably vastly improved) concepts? That’s what H.O.T practically was. With the group explosion in the ‘90s from New Kids on the Block to N’Sync in the US and E-17 and Boyzone in the British Isles, the Koreans (SM Entertainment to be precise) took this “voal group” idea and ran away with it. Not only did they just copy the Ron Pearlman prototype of gathering 5 to 8 pretty boys and make them sing, they have to put the Korean stamp to it by assigning these boys particular positions to make sure the entirety of the group has something for everyone – Heejun was the leader, Woohyuk was the main rapper, Jaewoon was the youngest member, Tony was the all-arounder, and KangTa was surprisingly the main vocalist of the group, not to mention that he (with Tony) were the most popular members based on their looks. 

While the other members decided to leave SM and pursue other careers, KangTa decided to continue as an SM Entertainment talent and as a solo artist, re-debuting with a solo album Polaris in 2001. He continued his career with a couple more albums, Pinetree and Persona, all of which established him as a successful solo act. After completing his mandatory military service, KangTa also released songs in Mandarin, signalling his entry into the Chinese music market. 

KangTa’s other ventures in music include being part of a group called called ‘S’ (Supreme) with Shin Hyesung (Shinhwa) and singer-actor Lee Jihoon. Later he became a part of a duo with Taiwanese singer Vanness Wu (of Meteor Garden fame). KangTa has also been featured on other SM artists’ songs, particularly with BoA and Taeyeon and has taken part in the writing of numerous tracks, proving he has also developed top-notch songwriting skills.

But along with his accomplished solo singing career, KangTa also got himself into acting along with the other idols. He has appeared on both Chinese and Korean TV dramas and movies, all of which have been successful. 

KangTa has since celebrated his 20th debut anniversary with SM Entertainment and carried out his 25th debut anniversary in 2021. He hosted the SM Congress 2021 where the remastering of about 300 songs was announced. In 2022, he made his return to solo music with a full album Eyes on You, released in September.  

BoA

Some regard BoA as “the female KangTa,” alluding to her loyalty to SM Entertainment, while some dub her the “Queen of K-pop,” which refers to her pioneering efforts and staying power in the rather fickle Korean music industry. Both are correct, as BoA has spent her more than two decades with the same company and she remains active in the Korean entertainment industry even after 21 years after her debut. When it comes to K-pop relevance, BoA has things mastered, from releasing new songs to appearing on several TV shows as an emcee, judge or coach. 

Kwon Boah, professionally known as BoA, is actually SM Entertainment’s first solo artist. Not only that; she is the youngest idol to enter the K-pop industry during her time, releasing her debut album in South Korea at the age of thirteen. ID; Peace B was released in the year 2000, and that time, KangTa was still in the final stretches of his career in H.O.T, which means that Queen BoA is really SME’s first solo artist and she is actually KangTa’s seonbaenim when it comes to being a solo artist. 

A couple of years after her Korean debut, BoA ventured to Japan and debuted in March 2002 via the album Listen to My Heart. And just in case you’re wondering, yes, BoA debuted in Japan on her own at age 15. Things went fast forward for the queen as her debut album shot up to number 1 in Japan, while she still had to return to Korea to prepare for her academic career. But then, she already broke through the Japanese market that it was the Japanese TV and radio stations that had to adjust, going to Seoul to tape BoA’s Japanese performances instead of the artist going to Tokyo to stretch her “15 minutes of fame” (of course, we all now know in hindsight that BoA’s Japanese following was never just 15 minutes). 

And mind you, BoA’s successful Japanese debut was not an exaggerated breakthrough overly hyped by the Korean press – Listen to My Heart became an RIAJ-certified million-seller topping the Oricon Chart, the first album by a Korean artist to do so.

The Queen of K-pop went on to launch more Korean and Japanese albums, all of which became successful in their respective markets, reaching millions in terms of album sales. She even became the first non-Japanese and non-English language singer to have two albums selling more than a million copies in Japan. During the late 2000s, when female acts like Girls’ Generation and Wonder Girls tried their luck penetrating the US market, BoA did the same with the American single Eat You Up in October 2008. She followed this with her Hollywood movie debut in the dance film Make Your Move 3D, where she played the character Aya.

When BoA renewed her contract with SM Entertainment in 2006 until 2012, she, along with another loyal talent we already mentioned earlier, was given 100,000 shares (valued at approximately USD 1 million) by the company in appreciation of her loyalty with the company.

As with KangTa, BoA also started venturing into other fields once she already established her career as a K-pop icon. She started participating in music production at SM Entertainment and also started appearing on TV in 2013. Among her most notable TV appearances include her stint as the representative judge of SM Entertainment in the first two seasons of K-pop Star (where AKMU, Lee Hi, and Jamie competed), the MC of the second season of Produce 101 (which saw the birth of WANNA ONE), and a judge of both Street Woman Fighter and Street Man Fighter. 

Aside from continuously releasing new singles, BoA finally realized one of the very few missing things in her long and illustrious career – becoming a girl group member. Twenty-two years after debuting as a solo artists, SM Entertainment included her in GOT the Beat, a supergroup formed with members of Girls’ Generation (Taeyeon and Hyoyeon), Red Velvet (Wendy and Seulgi), aespa (LKarin and Winter), and the queen herself. Now, she finally say she has experienced everything there is to experience in the Korean entertainment industry – actress on TV, movies, and the stage, emcee, reality show participant, soloist, and now, girl group member!

If their recent activities are to be considered, it seems these two will be staying strong with their careers, not just in the Korean entertainment industry in general, but in the K-pop scene in particular. And with their annual dividends (amounting to millions of US dollars) as SME stockholders, we can also safely conclude that loyalty and longevity in this rather fickle world of K-pop do pay off handsomely!

Featured Image Credit: KangTa Official Twitter

As the Miley Cyrus song goes, “it’s the climb”. But for most K-pop groups, even just one failed or “flop” comeback can spell the difference between the company planning the next comeback or the dreaded announcement of disbandment. Oh, the pressure! Remember Cube Entertainment “forcing” 4Minute fans to make “Hate” a hit as it will play a big role in the members’ decision to continue with the group or not renew their contracts? To think 4Minute at that time was already a huge name, coming from the astonishing success of Crazy. 

Lucky for us, here are some groups that persevered for some time before finally experiencing that breakthrough.  And how these groups we named staged their breakthroughs! Quite unique, if I may say so. 

INFINITE

Number of Years Before Making It Big: More than a year

How they got past the struggle: That one song. 

You may think, “It only took a year for INFINITE to make a breakthrough in the market? Then why are they on this list?” But you don’t understand — the situation for INFINITE was close to desperate before, during, and that year after their debut. Why you ask? It so happens that their (this takes on a whole new level of meaning later) company, Woollim Entertainment, prior to INFINITE‘s breakthrough was more of an indie, anti-establishment agency hosting talents like Nell and Epik High. Though these artists were quite famous in Korea and were regarded and respected as legit artists even then, they weren’t exactly the most lucrative or income-generating talents, to the disadvantage of Woollim’s coffers. 

Thus, on their road to debuting, INFINITE was a witness and you may say, the direct victim of the company’s precarious finances. For one, INFINITE didn’t even have its own dormitory when the group debuted. Where did they live during their trainee period, you ask? With Woollim’s CEO, that’s where. Even their earliest music videos for their releases were filmed in the CEO’s house. Quick, go to YouTube and look for INFINITE’s music video for their debut single, Come Back Again. That house and that neighborhood were their CEO’s and since they lived in the CEO’s house, technically theirs. Suffice it to say that the CEO didn’t have the money to pay the rent for separate accommodation or filming locations. At the very least, what the Woollim CEO had the money for was rent for the group’s single practice room. 

But while this would have made trainees go up in arms and complain of “inhumane” conditions, INFINITE continued to strive for their dream. This situation continued for six releases, one single album, and two EPS, where the group started recognition for their very intricate choreography and the dancing skills of the members to match before finally, the Korean public took a liking to the dance track with the slightest tinge of retro Be Mine, the lead single of their first full studio album Over the Top. Despite the relatively just-okay performance of INFINITE‘s releases, Woollim’s CEO took the huge (and some may argue was downright crazy) gamble of producing a full-length album for the boys. Thank goodness, it caught on with the public and solidified the boys’ position as the “knife choreography kings” of K-pop, alluding to their synchronic movements so sharp they could cut. The precise choreo and the hella catchy song really did the group huge favors. 

This success of INFINITE eventually allowed Woollim Entertainment to debut more idol groups such as Lovelyz (disbanded in 2021), Drippin, and Golden Child, as well as promote solo artists like IZ*ONE‘s Kwon Eunbi and Lee Sujeong, the only Lovelyz member who opted to re-sign with Woollim. INFINITE‘s breakthrough also went well for the company’s CEO Lee Jungyeop, as he acquired more investments and eventually merged his company with SM Entertainment’s SM Culture and Contents (SM C&C) in 2013. Three years later, SM C&C separated Woollim from its video content business so that the company can focus on music content.

NU’EST

Number of Years Before Making It Big: 5

How they got past the struggle: Thanks to the power of the Produce 101 franchise

NU’EST is one of those groups that actually got off to a very promising start but somehow needed a second breakthrough in the middle of its career as the group didn’t sustain the momentum it had after debuting. In fact, the group only hit its stride in 2017, which was more than five years after a great debut that was followed by a series of rather unfortunate events (read: poor planning by the agency).

When the group debuted in 2012, JR, Aron, Baekho, Minhyun, and Ren, showed immense promise that not a lot of debuting groups exhibited. The group debuted with Face, a single and music video that touched on bullying and modern societal pressures. It instantly set them apart from other boy bands. A lot of K-pop fans even argued that while most groups don’t tend to have the strongest material in their debut era as the company is still doing some trial and error to see what clicks with the public and what doesn’t. However, NU’EST’s first EP did not only contain a banging lead single, NU, Establish, Style, Tempo, Not Over Your and Sandy on their next EP titled Action was also well-accepted by the radio-listening and music streaming public. For a while, the Face music video even held the record for being the most-watched among debuting K-pop acts at nearly 50 million views, to be surpassed only by Twice and Blackpink later. 

It also helped that the members were very varied in terms of image, from Ren and his androgynous and gender-bending norms to Baekho with his more muscular build reminiscent of the members of 2PM. Ren went as far as starring in an ad campaign for the China-based online mall VIP Shop wearing a skirt and long hair. On the other hand, the main vocalist Baekho was featured in various fitness magazines and pictorials with his defined body for everyone to swoon over. Their success continued with Hello, an emotive ballad released a day before Valentine’s Day in 2013, as the song became their highest-charting single at the time. 

But unlike most groups that put most of their efforts into establishing themselves in the local Korean market before branching overseas, the boys of NU’EST set themselves apart by also trying their best at gaining a following overseas. During their debut year, they already performed at the very first KCON in the US and later celebrated their first anniversary with a Japanese concert. As mentioned earlier, they also had exposure in China as NU’EST-M, singing in Mandarin with Yuehua Entertainment’s Jason. 

Alas, this shift towards focusing more on the international market, although successful, also took its toll on their homecourt popularity. After promoting Hello, NU’EST concentrated so much on promoting in Japan and China that their Korean fans started becoming disengaged with the group.  Unfortunately, the group’s singles after Hello, such as Sleep Talking, Good Bye Bye, I’m Bad, Overcome, and Love Paint (Every Afternoon) didn’t resonate as much with Korean listeners, and as Baekho admitted in Produce 101, the company Pledis advised them to join the competition because they (the company) can’t procure funding for new NU’EST releases anymore. He also admitted that during that time, it was junior company-mates SEVENTEEN that was funding Pledis operations and that his groupmates are so jealous of their hoobaes.    

But all of that thankfully changed when all except Aron joined the second season of PD101. While Minhyun had to promote with WANNA ONE as he secured one of the 11 slots for the project group, JR, Baekhyun, and Ren reunited with Aron to release music under the “sub-unit” NU’EST-W. All their songs charted and a number of their tracks from their back catalog such as Hello and Face returned to Korean singles charts (and stayed there for months!) Although the group officially disbanded as Ren, JR, and Aron opted to not re-sign with Pledis upon the expiration of their 10-year contract, it does comfort us to know that the group did experience their breakthrough (more like a renaissance) and enjoyed their success for a few years before officially parting ways. 

EXID

Number of Years Before Making It Big: Close to 3 years

How they got past the struggle: The OG queens of the fancam

These days, every performance by K-pop artists, whether it’s through a televised program or even in concerts, has a slew of fancams being uploaded only within minutes after the number is finished. Fancams seem to be taken for granted as they have become staples of K-entertainment already, thanks to the readiness of tools such as WiFi connection and a mobile phone, which almost 100% of show or concert attendees are already equipped with. But when you ask the 2nd generation girl group EXID for their opinions of fancams, you will surely be met with profuse gratitude and amazement at how something as commonplace as a fancam actually spelled the survival of their careers.

The quintet produced several K-Pop hits, one of which is one of the most quintessential K-Pop songs in history, their career-defining single Up & Down. The group’s history has, just like the song’s title, been with countless fluctuations, not to mention that the initial group that debuted in 2011 is quite different from the EXID second-gen K-pop fans know. The group’s history started in pretty much the same fashion as most idol groups, with a entertainment company (in this case, a scouting venture AB Entertainment and producer Shinsadong Tiger) gathered idol wannabes (read: trainees) to form a group. An ex-trainee at JYP Entertainment who failed to debut with a group, Yuji and a number of her co-members at the federation of JYP dropouts namely Hani, Haeryeong and Jeonghwa answered AB Entertainment’s casting call. Two more were added: LE, who was already making a name for herself in the underground rap scene and Dami, the only trainee originally from AB Entertainment and rounded out the final lineup. Although three of the names are familiar, this is still different from the EXID we know and love today, yes?

Debuted in 2012 with the single Whoz That Girl, the group that basically bridged the second and third generations of K-pop acts performed quite okay on the charts (peaking at No.36), considering they were from a mid-sized company with only Shinsandong Tiger as the industry-recognized backer on their team. But in a scene reminiscent of idol groups like Le Sserafim (a.k.a. groups that lost members very shortly after they debuted), members Yuji, Haeryeong, and Dami left the group. Yuji and Dami allegedly want to focus on their studies, while Haeryeong left to pursue an acting career. But then, Haeryeong resurfaced as a member of BESTIE in 2013 while EXID welcomed Solji and Hyerin shortly after. 

With the addition of vocal standouts Solji (who was actually a vocal trainer for EXID) and Hyerin (who was previously eliminated from the lineup of the group), EXID released the EP Hippity Hop and digital single Every Night, which did well but did not really announce the arrival of chart-topping queens they were destined to be, although the latter’s music video did create some buzz with its sexy bloody vampire theme. Even their eventual breakthrough smash hit Up & Down went unnoticed when it was released in August 2014, as it did not even crack the top 100 of the Gaon (now Circle) Music Chart. So, what sort of miracle happened that saved the group from permanent residency in the land of nugu-dom?

The turning point for EXID was when a fancam of Hani performing Up & Down went viral in October (that would be two months after the song was released) and almost immediately, the single shot all the way up to the top ten on the real-time charts, and topping the Gaon chart a few hours after its re-entry. The girls were even invited back onto music programs to promote the song months after their promotions had ended in September. The group then finally achieved their first music show win 35 months after debut in January 2015. Even for that music show win, they had to wait for the perfect timing as the entire December, it was Apink’s LUV that carved its own niche in K-pop history, eventually totaling 17 music show wins (and still remains unbeaten by any girl group to this day). Years later, tales of Hani’s viral fancam are still being brought up to groups that may seem on the brink of giving up. More of that later. 

So, back to EXID, the success they experienced in their careers went on until 2020, when the girls opted not to renew with Banana Culture, the company that handled the group during that time. Prior to their break from their company, the group continued to churn chart toppers such as Ah Yeah and Hot Pink in 2015 (both of which were met with slight criticism that the songs sound too much like Up & Down, but hey, why fix what ain’t broken and provided them with music success in the first place?), L.I.E from their first full-length album STREET, Night Rather Than Day (their first comeback without Solji, who had to undergo surgery for her hyperthyroidism), DDD (which Solji only participated in its recording but was absent in the music video and promotions), Lady, and Me & You. The group also launched successful careers in both China and Japan.  

But as the girls promised, the girls staged a comeback of sorts in September 2022 even though they were already signed to different companies, with only LE staying in Banana Culture. To celebrate their 10th anniversary as a group, they released X under Sony Music. From being in danger of nugu-dom to being one of the most recognizable groups of second gen K-pop, EXID has indeed come a long way, and all it took was a fancam.  

Brave Girls

Number of Years Before Making It Big: Nine-ish

How they got past the struggle: The mandatory Korean military service 

Now, if you’re looking for the most melodramatic rise to K-pop stardom, have we got one heck of a story for you! The Brave Girls’ story is basically that Cinderella story that has the girls struggle throughout their story and when all hope was lost, their fortunes took a sudden turn that basically changed their lives. 

Actually, the girl group we all know as Brave Girls started in 2011, at the tailend of the second generation of K-pop acts. Their start was very promising because after all, they are the Brave Girls, the first girl group produced by Brave Entertainment – as in industry legend Brave Brothers, the iconic producer (yes, Brave Brothers is composed of a single person, Kang Dongchul, as confusing as his moniker may be) of monster hits such as AOA’s Miniskirt and Short Hair, HyunA’s Ice Cream, and Sunmi’s Full Moon, among so many others. It was a promising start as Eunyoung, Seoa, Yejin, Yoojin, and Hyeran released The Difference with the lead single Do You Know peaked in the Gaon album and singles charts at numbers 2 and 19, respectively. They capped their debut year with a win from the 19th Korea Culture Entertainment Awards, where they were named Rookie of the Year. The group then released Easily, Nowadays You, and For You, which kept them afloat in public consciousness, although still not asserting themselves as one of the industry’s premier girl groups. 

Then, something weird happened. By the end of 2013, Brave Brothers himself claimed that he will be working on the group’s next full-length album. With such a huge claim by THE successful producer himself, the public anticipated a solid album with one hit release after another that would finally catapult the group into finally being a Korean household name. 

Alas, this was not the way things went as for some reason, Mr. Brave ended up producing one hit song after another for FNC Entertainment’s AOA, not for his own girl group. An act of the utmost betrayal? Did FNC pay Mr. Brave that much to make him divert all his focus to their group instead of working on his own group? Suffice it to say that most of the group did not take these events in stride as three of them quit and Yoojin and Hyeran welcomed five new members; Minyoung, Yujeong, Eunji, Hayun, and Yuna when the group came back in 2016 with the EP High Heels, which released two singles, Deepend and High Heels. The two songs, although characteristically very catchy just like any other Brave Brothers track, failed to catch the attention of the public. After that comeback, the two members of the original line-up have also left the group, so post-High Heels, it was a completely different group from the one that debuted in 2011. 

The group’s numbers further dwindled when Hayun left the group in 2018, only months after the re-release of the song Rollin, the original version of which was the first song the remaining five members released. With the constant line-up changes and songs that couldn’t seem to catch on with the public, alas, talks of disbanding, according to the company’s publicity team, was inevitable. It was only a matter of when the official announcement will occur, with the four remaining members already packing their personal belongings in their dormitory and planning what their next career moves will be. That is, until a COVID pandemic miracle of sorts happened. 

A compilation montage of footage from their performances of their song Rollin taken at various South Korean military camps was uploaded to YouTube in late February 2021. The video flashed witty captions and comments like, “If we play this song at the front lines, victory is ours,” alongside scenes of South Korean soldiers cheering and copying the rather unique choreography points of the track, including the hip rolling move with the arms extended to the side and the fists rolled and that infamous stingray dance. In a matter of days, the original video garnered millions of views and thousands of comments on YouTube, causing Brave Girls‘ popularity to skyrocket.

Rollin not just gave the group instant recognition; the song itself went on the re-chart, as it topped South Korea’s music charts, scoring a Perfect All-Kill for the group (being #1 in all real-time and weekly music charts in Korea) while also topping Billboard’s latest K-pop 100 chart, ousting IU‘s Celebrity, which had held the top spot for seven straight weeks. Brave Entertainment had to move cautiously and see if the sudden success was fleeting. On March 14, 2021, the group took home their first-ever music show win.  

South Korean service members make up a solid portion of the Brave Girls fandom, in a country where all men between the ages of 18 and 28 are mandated to serve in the military for 18 to 21 months. The girl group has staged more than 100 performances at South Korean military camps, despite the remote locations and low profits. Seeing how successful the girls were with Rollin and their summer 2021 comeback Summer Queen and the Chi Mat Ba Ram, plus the re-released We Ride made the guys who served in the military in the late 2010s nostalgic and proud of the group, as they felt that they were part of their struggles. The group went on to participate in the second season of the reality show Queendom while having two more releases, After We Ride and Thank You. 

But as of the moment, Brave Entertainment is in hot waters once again as the fans are thinking the company (unlike Bana Culture in our EXID discussion earlier) has not been successful in stretching the girls’ proverbial 15 minutes of fame. Brave Girls’ 2022 activities have been tepid, with the groups’ ranking on Queendom 2 lackluster (they almost always came last) and the group’s concert plans in Korea shelved, which further irritated the fans when the group’s US tour made up of nine shows in July 2022 pushed through. There’s still no news of the group’s activities in 2023, which has sparked protests among Korean Fearless (the group’s fandom). It is quite upsetting when these things happen, yes? Just when the group has finally achieved a clear breakthrough, the company may have messed things up.

With a lot of fourth-gen groups, particularly girl groups like Le Sserafim, Ive, StayC, and NewJeans not even breaking a sweat to achieve instant success, it can be argued that we may not see a lot of stories similar to Infinite, EXID, Brave Girls, and NU’EST in the near future. But then, as long as we have a steady number of K-pop groups being introduced to the public every single day, there will always be room for more quirky idol group success stories, yes?

Featured Image: NU’EST Official Twitter