K-pop has gone through the transition between gen2 and gen3, which is not only the continuity
of music groups but also the transformation of the Hallyu wave, reaching beyond Asia.
Currently, K-pop is the playground of gen3 and gen4 music groups.
Although there is no official timeline for a generational shift, we can see signs of
the slowdown of gen3 girl groups, along with the rapid development of gen4 acts.
So, is the journey of gen3 girl groups coming to an end and a new generational shift taking
place?
Gen3 girl groups and their efforts to assert themselves and break out of their comfort
zone
Gen3 music groups are those that debuted from 2013 to early 2019 (according to Korea JoongAng
Daily).
Therefore, female groups that debuted in late 2019, such as ITZY, are considered gen4.
Some acts that debuted in late 2011 or early 2012, such as Apink and AOA, are also part
of gen3.
Some of the most impressive and successful gen3 girl groups include Apink, AOA, Red Velvet,
Mamamoo, Lovelyz, Oh My Girl, Twice, GFriend, April, BlackPink, I.O.I, Dreamcatcher, (G)I-DLE,
and Fromis_9.
The success of gen3 girl groups has contributed to K-pop's global expansion.
They not only focus on building a solid reputation and fandom in their home country but also
make efforts to promote their image through digital platforms, social media, etc.
From there, they break down "borders," expand their influences worldwide, and become a global
trend.
Instead of focusing on the number of members like their senior groups, gen3 girl groups
focus on the quality of their idols.
In addition to music, companies also build promotion strategies from pre-debut, stories,
and lifestyles to bring them closer to the public with the goal to build a solid fandom
from the moment they step into the K-pop race.
Building a unique, distinct concept for the group
Gen3 girl groups such as Red Velvet, Mamamoo, Twice, BlackPink, and GFriend have built unique
concepts with their own characteristics and set standards for the next generation.
While Red Velvet is known as the "concept queen" that can handle dynamic, youthful,
gentle, deep, and seductive concepts, Mamamoo has a personality and rebelliousness, BlackPink
is famous for their girl crush style, inspiring and admiring female fans, and while Twice
is energetic and bright, GFriend is pure and innocent, which creating a craze in 2015-2017.
Thanks to the uniqueness of their concepts, third-generation girl groups have achieved
success in different markets.
BlackPink represents the success of Kpop in North America and Southeast Asia with a massive
fan base.
Twice focuses on the Asian markets in developed countries like Japan and Taiwan, while Red
Velvet focuses on building their reputation in their home country.
Revenue and achievements have exceeded expectations
Previously, boy groups dominated the music scene with huge album sales and large fandoms.
However, in the third generation, everything changed, making a new era opened up by incredibly
talented young women teaming up to create one of the best girl groups.
Third-generation girl groups are conquering new records in album sales, digital performance,
and major music awards.
Although they were yet to be compared to the leading boy groups of the industry like BTS,
NCT, and STRAY KIDS, their numbers were still impressive enough to leave people in awe.
After eight years in the music industry, Twice has won 18 Daesang awards and sold millions
of albums.
They have won 119 victories on various music shows, standing out as the number-one girl
group.
In 2022, the group sold more than 10 million copies in South Korea and Japan.
BlackPink is on top of Kpop with their music videos that have billions of views, constant
chart-topping songs both domestically and internationally, and huge album sales whether
as a group or as soloists.
Not only that, each member also shines and manages to break records as an individual,
making BLACKPINK the only group ever that has all members equally shine bright yet still
harmoniously stand together to grow their group as a whole.
That’s why when they held their very first world tour in 2022, the group still attracted
millions of fans and earned millions of dollars.
In addition to the two groups mentioned above, other third-generation girl groups have also
affirmed their names through hit songs, topping album sales charts, and touring the world.
They have achieved what second-generation girl groups were yet to achieve, leaving an
unforgettable mark on the hearts of audiences worldwide.
Seven years and the "curse" of disbandment
Perhaps seven years is a scary number for Kpop fans, as it has witnessed many emotional
farewells of big names.
One by one, highly recognized acts such as GFriend, CLC, April, Lovelyz, and Pristin
disbanded, and with others who didn’t part ways, they would have their group activities
frozen with no signs of a full comeback with all members.
Just counting from the beginning of 2023 alone, Kpop fans have bid farewell to Momoland, Brave
Girls, and most recently, WJSN.
The disbandment of third-generation (or near third-generation) girl groups has left many
fans mourning as they say goodbye to a generation of talented idols who have achieved great
success with many musical masterpieces.
They have also demonstrated their extensive influence and solid position in the international
market.
The sad ending of these groups shows the harsh reality of the music industry, where only
the strongest and most adaptable survive.
Looking back at the past, few Kpop groups have lasted beyond the seven-year mark and
for the most part when their exclusive contract ended, the members often chose to split ways
or not renew with their management company to either develop a solo career or pursue
new paths in the acting, fashion fields.
Factors that cause the majority of girl groups to disband
One signature characteristic of Kpop girl groups is that their fandoms are usually not
as stable as those of boy groups.
The reason why most girl groups of this generation disband is that they rely too much on the
number of fans.
Gen3 produced many music groups through reality shows such as Twice, IOI, Momoland, IZ*ONE
and while it helped the acts get more recognition when officially debuting, it ironically also
placed huge importance on the general audiences' shallow impression through voting to decide
the fates of idols.
It is the companies’ strategies to build music groups mainly based on the public's
attraction that leads to the scenario where the fame of girl groups decreases gradually
as the members’ age.
On the other hand, fandom tends to develop over time but because management companies
had placed too much power in the hands of the public, the fandoms of these acts were
often not strong enough to help the groups sustain in the charts, gradually resulting
in their "disappearing" and eventually disbanding.
This can be clearly seen in Rollin of Brave Girls and Bboom Bboom of Momoland, both of
which are super hits in terms of streaming and virality, but at the end of the day, both
groups could not surpass the shadow of their debut hit song and were eventually erased
from the Kpop map.
Music critic Park Hee Ah said: "For many famous girl groups relying on the public, one single
failure of a song is already a threat to their future.
The consequence is that the group disbanded even though the public still knows who they
are.”
Of course, there are still rare cases where a solid fandom foundation is built, such as
Red Velvet, Twice, BLACKPINK, etc., and the possibility of these groups continuing together
is higher than weak ones with unstable fandoms.
A transition period between generations is coming…
It can be seen that in the past year, new girl groups have continuously debuted.
Some names that can be listed are Kep1er, IVE, H1-KEY, Rocking Doll, NMIXX, ILY:1, Le
Sserafim, CLASS:y, Lapillus, Iris and NewJeans.
They not only quickly achieved huge album sales but also dominated the music market
with hit songs and high coverage, creating a significant influence on the public.
Le Sserafim and NewJeans are two girl groups that sold over 300,000 copies of their debut
EP in the first week of release.
Following that are 200,000 and 100,000 copies respectively belonging to NMIXX and CLASSy.
Le Sserafim's second EP Antifragile also sold over 560,000 copies, ranking high on music
charts in their home country and abroad.
NewJeans have occupied all music charts and YouTube, exceeding expectations when they
just debuted less than a year ago.
Meanwhile, IVE is doing crazily well in the domestic market and has won the most awards
on music programs in 2022 with 37 wins.
They also won 5 "Rookie of the Year" awards and 2 Daesang awards at MMA 2022 and MAMA
AWARDS 2022.
The impressive performances of the new generation of girl groups are breaking the stereotype
that girl groups always lag behind boy acts.
What singles them out from groups of the previous generation are also the songs that no longer
take too much brain energy to understand, but still have their own charms, mainly falling
into the genres of gentle pop or R&B, which are cheerful and suitable for all audiences.
In the near future, girl groups are likely to still be the trend in the Kpop industry
since they have been and are building a stable fandom community, while rapidly increasing
their recognition with the general public.
This is the lever for them to try to diversify their concepts, reach more audiences, and
shine brighter on a global scale, something that TWICE or BLACKPINK had to spend lots
of time trying to figure out whether they should have remained with one color or constantly
switched up.
However, the proliferation of new idol groups also worries the public about a Kpop generation
that is gradually becoming saturated.
To be honest, alongside outstanding girl groups, there are also many new idols who focus only
on their appearance, but lack music and basic performing skills, losing the key element
to becoming genuine artists.
Compared to gen3 acts who always tried to strike the balance between visual and talent,
this change of the new generation is undeniably a step back that should be corrected as soon
as possible.
So, do you feel regretful that the era of gen3 groups is coming to an end?
Or do you think it's inevitable and there's nothing to be sad about?