Gaining recognition and positive reactions from netizens with their songs is really important
and encouraging to every idol group, which acts as the motivation for them to go further
in their career and helps them to define their place in the Kpop industry.
The sad thing is, there are groups that, despite their best efforts, still inevitably flop
when their works are not welcomed and even rejected.
So in this video, we are going to talk about Kpop groups whose recent returns are said
to be irretrievable.
1.
Birthday - Red Velvet
Red Velvet is no doubt one of the most prominent girl groups in 3rd-generation K-pop, proven
by their musicality, charming members, and solid fanbase.
However, somehow their latest comeback didn’t receive positive reactions from netizens,
leading the online community to discuss their current popularity.
In particular, last November, Red Velvet returned with the whimsical ‘Birthday’ MV, the
title track of their new mini-album ‘The ReVe Festival 2022," which kicked off in March
with “Feel My Rhythm”.
Though the song was well-received by fans, getting to sell 392,000 copies on Hanteo,
and breaking Red Velvet’s previous first-day album sales record of 231,100 in their last
comeback, many people still expressed their opinions on Red Velvet’s suspected decline
in popularity, pointing out that “Birthday” had a disappointing debut on many music charts
when only reaching #19 in Top 100 Melon (hourly) and #25 Melon (by day).
The only chart Red Velvet achieved #1 by day was Bugs and then #25 Genie, and #106 VIBE
respectively.
To explain this nosedive, netizens claimed that the song was harder to listen to than
Red Velvet’s previous hits like “Feel My Rhythm” or “Power Up” and that’s
why it flopped on so many music charts.
They even compared Birthday to other songs released by gen4 groups like Love Dive by
IVE, saying that Red Velvet’s groundbreaking prominence is affected by newer K-pop groups
and their releases.
Some stated that due to this disappointing performance, Red velvet is leaving Aespa alone
to bear the responsibility of bringing profits to SM.
On the other hand, ReVeluvs came into the girl group’s defense, stating that Red Velvet
is already in their long-run.
Their core fandom is as strong as ever and they have already acquired so much achievement,
so fans now don’t care too much about things like chart rankings and album sales but high-quality
music.
Some also argue that maybe Red Velvet is not a million-selling group or not having their
music always on the top of all charts, but nine years into their career, the group is
always among the most prominent and popular gen3 girl groups.
Moreover, it is well-known that Red Velvet’s music is often experimental which doesn’t
suit everyone’s taste, so whether their songs are successful or not is a matter of
luck.
Indeed, Red Velvet’s comebacks are like a roller coaster that keeps going up and down
since they don't follow a certain concept but always change unpredictably depending
on the message they want to convey in each comeback.
Not only fans but even non-fans also spoke up for Red Velvet, bringing up the fact that
how a generational transition can get a senior group’s results lower than their prime time,
and it’s not uncommon for any sunbae group to experience this.
2.
Dice - NMIXX
After receiving many negative reactions for their debut single O.O, Nmixx is back to roll
the dice with a bolder image and a greater ambition.
While many guessed that JYP Entertainment would opt for a safer, more conventional song
for the septet’s first comeback, in August, NMIXX announced their first comeback with
the album 'ENTWURF' and its lead single “Dice” - another song with extremely unpredictable
and complicated chord-changings.
On Dice’s release on September 19, netizens just couldn’t feel anything other than disappointment.
NMIXX's DICE rank on Melon Daily is only 142nd despite the fact that it's only been out for
a few days.
Some who tried to give NMIXX a second chance due to JYPE's past stellar reputation said
that JYPE's girl groups often follow the cute and bubbly concept as well as have all perfected
the dance-pop genre, but somehow NMIXX was made to take on such a music genre that doesn't
seem to be working because it makes them have the vibe of a boygroup.
What’s more, Dice's choreography was also labeled messy since many said that it is difficult
to absorb.
To be more specific, the choreography of the song was said to be not synchronized but seems
to favor individual performances.
This makes most K-pop fans, who are so used to “pre-programmed” synchronized choreography,
feel a bit down and uncomfortable.
Not only that, some also pointed out that the members’ lines in Dice have a problem
with harmonies.
As every member has great vocal technique, they all try to sing loudly to show off their
vocals, making the song a literal battle for the ears.
However, some neutral netizens believe that NMIXX is set to be JYP Entertainment’s designated
experimental group, focusing on targeting a specific niche rather than appealing to
the general public.
Thus, though “Dice” isn’t the most pleasant for all people, the group’s genre-mixing
concept can still work perfectly with other listeners whose music taste is more special.
In addition, NMIXX comeback in September when a series of renowned groups also making their
comebacks such as SNSD and BLACKPINK whose reputation already has a solid place in the
hearts of Kpop fans compared to newer groups, so it is possible that the public is still
immersed in groups of the previous generation and haven’t paid attention to NMIXX’s
songs yet.
Fairly speaking, if NMIXX is given tracks that have a more cohesive mix and effectively
utilize the members’ vocal skills, the group surely has the potential to be an incredibly
interesting group to look out for in the increasingly saturated K-pop industry.
Whether or not JYP Entertainment can do that, only time will tell.
3.
Talk That Talk - Twice
Recently, on August 26, Twice released their 11th album Between 1 and 2 with the title
song Talk That Talk.
Not only does this comeback mark Twice’s returning to the Kpop track, but it also breaks
the “7-year curse” in the Kpop world when for this comeback, Twice renewed their contract
with JYP Entertainment after 7 years.
Though Talk That Talk was said to have numerous good points like: a catchy melody with passionate
vocals, the Y2K-themed concept, unique choreography, as well as a meaningful message: “Don’t
hesitate to pour your hearts out”, it seemed to not reach the achievement that many netizens
supposed.
To be more specific, after the song was out, it was seen to peak out of the top 20 on almost
all domestic digital charts.
This is considered a regretful result for the used-to-be "digital music queen" who took
over the charts many times in the past like TWICE.
What’s more, though being greatly expected by fans, Twice didn’t win any cups with
Talk The Talk since in Music Bank on November 9th, Twice lost the cup to IVE, who left them
far behind in terms of all criteria to hit a big win with After Like.
To explain this flop, many fans pointed out that it is JYP entertainment who offered poor
investment in Twice’s comeback as they still use a “green-screen” background for the
MV, making it look incredibly boring and kind of low-budget, despite the fact that Twice
decided to renew their contract with them though they could’ve just left.
Not only that, the melody of Talk That Talk also got everyone’s talking, many believe
that it’s catchy but not enough to make a breakthrough and help the girl group step
out of their comfort zone.
That being said, Talk That Talk is still a too-safe choice compared to the meaningful
comeback of Twice this time.
Meanwhile, some take advantage of this to mock Twice, saying that they are now a has-been
and their time in Korea is over because after being promoted like crazy by JYP, Talk That
Talk’s position on Melon just increased 10 ranks and that’s all.
Others, especially ONCEs, immediately defended Twice and criticized antis for throwing dust
on their idols, questioning whether these haters saw the number of album pre-orders,
which is up to 1 million copies since August 28, or they just nitpicking the downsides.
Not only that, they also pointed out that Talk That Talk wasn't made to compete for
high ranks in music charts, instead, it was made as the group's thanks to their fans as
well as recalling the time ONCEs and TWICE have been together, so having achievement
or not doesn’t really matter at this point.
So, do you think these comebacks really flopped?
Or is it just the assumption of some extreme netizens?