K-Bubble Pop

IF THEY ACTUALLY PROMOTED THEM!

And I can’t even be too sad about it, considering NCT is such a large group that most of them aren’t that close anyway, never mind two new additions 3 years ago that barely promoted with them, so it’s not like they’re breaking up a tight knit family.

But wow, watching SM making all these decisions as if they know what they’re doing, only to feel like you’re watching someone jump hurdles and trip over most of them, is becoming a bit too tiresome (especially when Shotaro could’ve easily been placed into NCT Tokyo to gather more hype).

How you gonna hate on anon then keep the person you’re hating on anonymous all because you’re scared of their fans?

It’s just a way to be a hater without facing the backlash of that idol’s/group’s fanbase.

Hello!

I'm not sure how long you've been out of the loop but here's a few updates just off the top of my head for the overall group as well as individual activities.

It's nothing juicy, scandalous, or groundbreaking, just the facts I'm aware of with no thoughts behind them. If I'm missing anything, feel free to add on or correct me.

I can’t get rid of the bar but LOOOOOOOKKKK!

How do you feel about fans outside of your race/religion/ethnicity calling out cultural appropriation on your behalf?

Do you think it’s not their place to address that kind of stuff or do you appreciate them for being able to address it?

The song holds a special place in my heart because of the way it influenced the ‘sexy’ concept that most idol groups personally enjoy to not be infantized when they’re all of age…

(Let me preface this by saying no hate to Nayeon, Jamie, the members of 2PM, or any other artist who’ve made solo debuts while under the company. This is 100% my own opinion and you are free to share your own, but let’s remain civil and kind <3)

In light of Nayeon’s solo debut, and her eventual first win with ‘Pop’, I felt that the song was pretty much a Twice song that she was singing alone.

Instead of branching out into a new style or genre to catch the attention of new and potential fans, I believe JYP played it safe by having Nayeon debut with a song that sounds like Twice so that Once, a fairly large and powerful fanbase, will already be behind her in terms of voting and streams. It’s an easy way of being successful without having to fight for new fan’s attention during a time where new artist are debuting every single day.

What about the other soloist? Well, considering the mismanagement done within JYP, the only thing to be said is that lack of promotions led to a dampening in the group’s overall fanbase so, once they went on to make their solo debuts, no one was actively invested.

2PM was once considered an iconic and influential group in kpop but, after years of inactivity that led to the members branching out into different fields such as acting, no one was excited for their music or seeking it.

The members of 15& are no longer under JYPE but, again, years of inactivity which led to their fanbase slowly taking away their attention from the group led to great solo debuts that received little to no attention. Even years of being away from performing on stage led people to call Jamie’s performances ‘awkward’.

Day6 is a bit more established in terms of fans but the company certainly has a bias when it comes to members, something addressed by former JYPE artist Eaj (Jae of Day6) who is doing well as a solo artist under a different label. As for the other members, their debuts had gone pretty much ignored by the media, Even of Day (Day6’s subunit consisting of Wonpil, Dowoon, and Young K) was cast aside despite being a solid and enjoyable album.

GOT7 is possibly the only group with each member having successful solo careers both prior to and after leaving the company. I feel that no explanation is necessary on this one.

I could also go into solo artist under the various sub-labels of JYPE but the gist remains that the only ones succeeding as solo artist are the ones JYP promotes heavily or the ones that have left the company for another.

I believe most of these solo artist would have a better chance as soloist if their group promotions were prioritized more during their heydays, when their fans were the most devoted and, for a company as large and affluent as JYP, it should be no problem. So why did they fail to do so?

Slight CW/TW

This opinion mentions the musician Kim Jonghyun of Shinee, his posthumous album, Poet|Artist, as well as his su*c*de. If the latter is triggering to you or bound to cause discomfort or shift in behaviors/thoughts, do not interact or read at your own risk. Thank you.

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I rarely get to talk about this because of how sensitive some people may be to the topic but as someone who has attempted su*c*de before and struggles with su*c*dal thoughts, all I can say is: Poet | Artist was a pretty good “Damned if I do, Damned if I don’t” album.

It’s unfortunate that we lost Jonghyun, someone who refreshed and challenged the norms of the K-pop world with his actions and music, but I believe if he had not taken his life, this album would’ve been seen as any other Jonghyun solo album. We’d analyze the lyrics a bit, we’d praise the songs for having deeper meanings than what we normally hear, and we’d continue to say “yeah, that’s Jonghyun for you”, but knowing he has passed, each song hits much deeper.

The title track (Shinin’) sounds like any regular song, it’s a good song to bop to, but knowing he’s gone and hearing the chorus (“Always be with you”), it’s bittersweet to listen to, even if you weren’t a hardcore fan of his. His following tracks, in my personal opinion, detail the harassment and prejudice he’s faced from the world in many forms as well as social media’s affects on daily behavior and attitudes (‘#Hashtag’ and ‘Sightseeing’). And the final track (Before Our Spring) paints a picture of seasonal depression and how pushing through until you reunite with the people you’re accustomed to and familiar with will pull you from that dark place. But this is just my interpretation of the tracks.

I’ve been overthinking and overanalyzing this album ever since his passing simply because, had he attempted but came out fine in the end, we wouldn’t bat an eye, he and the rest of the world can pretend that nothing had happened and he’s the same as always. If he had attempted but managed to be hospitalized or injured in a way that will clearly draw public attention, people will look deeply into this album and understand his frustrations, maybe not do much to ease those frustrations but it’ll be clear the impact it’s had on him. And, with the results of him attempting and succeeding, this album not only let people understand his frustrations and struggles but know the consequences of neglecting his years of openness with his struggles. Even if someone’s mental health isn’t your responsibility to manage to fix, it’s still important to remember that it starts somewhere and he’s always let us know where it began.

Overall, I always thought this album doubled as a su*c*de note in a way but was constructed in a way that no matter how things played out, it’s message wouldn’t change, whether people noticed it or not.

Again, this subject is a sensitive one and when first hearing of his passing, I couldn’t get into a single song with sobbing. But after listening to the songs, analyzing lyrics, and coming to terms with the fact that a piece of what made my life as a K-pop fan so enjoyable was gone, I found some relatability in it all. I felt that, as much as I, other Shawols, and his friends and family didn’t want him to go, this album served to show he went out speaking his mind and truth in the way he always has and knew best. Speculations over someone’s death, especially su*c*de, is so taboo and most times deemed insensitive and rude, but I wanted to express the feelings I’ve had over this album for the past 4 years.

Again, these are all notions and opinions as I know many won’t agree, but as Jonghyun’s birthday is one month away, it’s just one of those days where i think about this album and how it’s a poignant reminder of how thought out someone’s attempts may be and, in the potential months/year(s) it took to create this album, how much he really mulled over his feelings and came to this resolve.

But please remember that even if you feel hopeless or that your mental illnesses are only dragging you down, there are people and resources to help and you are not alone. You’re in a chapter of your life you’ve never experienced and it’s scary, but please don’t cut it short because you’re scared of what the next page will bring. Rewrite the story a million times over until you’ve found the happiest ending for you.

If you hate K-pop for racist and borderline homophobic reasons (e.g. “they’re boys that look/sound like girls” or claiming you can’t understand Chinese/Japanese while knowing fully well the song is sung in Korean), you and your bald headed fathers can fight me.