Tuesday, December 11, 2012

너 때문에 미쳐

I’ve been a Kpop fan/follower for a while now so I like to keep up to date with the latest news and the latest bands that make a comeback or debut but recently I’ve noticed that to do so is not easy as it used to be.

So here’s a little number crunch for you:
Overall there have been 280 groups that have debuted (including sub-units) since 1996. Up until 2008, on average, about 10 groups will debut during the year; however in 2009 that number had doubled to 20. As expected, this number kept increasing with 35 in 2010, 61 in 2011 and this year, 2012, 66 groups have or will debut. So on average, about 5-6 groups will debut in a month and if I take an average of 5 members in a group, that’s 25-30 new people every month and 300 every year entering the Kpop industry. 
(Did I get the maths right? I'm actually not that good at it xD)

I’m not sure for you, but that’s a little overwhelming for me. With the vast amount of Kpop groups out there, I’ve gotten to the point where I just don’t know (or maybe I just don’t care) about the new groups anymore. Things have gotten confusing as to who is who and which group they belong to and honestly I don’t think this is doing the Kpop industry any good. I have a few friends that have pretty much given up (or on the verge to) on Kpop and I think that Kpop is now quantity over quality.

Of course I’m not saying that there hasn’t been any good song out there but I have witness some disasters before (don’t think I should name any). If groups don’t make an impact right from the start of their debut then they are just going to be forgotten or be overshadowed by other groups especially if they’re not from well known companies such as the big 3 (YG, SM, and JYP). Maybe they will be remembered as a group that didn’t make a very good debut/comeback and people might be skeptical of listening to their new songs (or maybe that’s just me).   

Companies should spend more time in making sure of a solid comeback by experimenting with songs and concepts that fit the image of the group rather than just putting them out there in “no man’s land”. I know that the trainees do train for a very long time and I'm not doubting their talent at all. However since I’m not part of the Kpop industry at all other than being a follower/fan, I don’t know the exact process of debuting a group or what really happens behind the scenes so what I’m saying could all be nonsense but it’s just my 2 cents =)

Here’s a little quiz for you to see if you know your Kpop idols:

The list of Kpop idol groups:

just to name a few =)

Until next time,
HamsterG

Pictures credit to rightful owners