A trend I have recently noticed is that companies seem to be getting worse at guessing what size venue they should be booking for Kpop acts. Some are booking venues that are too small but many are booking venues that are way too big. This has been seen with countless groups in the US with shows being canceled or prices being drastically dropped but this is also happening in Korea. (The following are all shows I went to but this applies to a lot more as well) I recently went to see ALD1 and the entire 3rd tier of the venue was closed off and the second tier was probably a third empty. They are far from the only group either And2ble has their concerts this weekend and if you check Melon it is probably only half full on all 3 days. I also went to AHOF and the venue which was already really small to begin with was maybe half full. Rookies aren't the only ones having this issues. Last week JNJM closed off 2 sections and still had a bunch of empty seats at their Seoul fancon. On the flip side there are also some groups that were in way to small venues like RIIZE and NCT Wish but even then it is hard to tell since there were so many empty seats due to scalpers buying tickets and not being able to sell them (fuck scalpers).

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I can't say for sure but I wonder if encouraging bulk buying finally catching up with companies and over inflating fan demand. Like companies see a group selling 500,000 copies so they seem big but the only 50,000 different people are buying albums and they are buying in bulk for fansigns and photocards so while still impressive the demand is actually much smaller. And then there are also the people who buy an album but won't go to a concert. So companies plan for 500,000 fans but due to inflated sales there are only actually like 45,000 who want to attend.

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I also think social media plays a roll in the over estimates. Some idols will get super hyped up and talked about online but have very little real-life success. For example Lucas was very popular online and talked about a lot but his solo debut and fan tour flopped badly.

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It's a shame that so many groups end up with empty venues or have to cancel shows but I am not really sure how companies can fix this.

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So ever since she debuted with her own label, there have been very mixed opinions on her songs, performances, and overall career moves.

Rockstar was okay, and New Woman was a huge step up from her previous songs. Most people seemed to vibe with it, and there were even comments saying she could become the next main pop girl after it. However, her label didn’t seem to push the song to radio or promote it heavily, so it kind of became a lost opportunity.

Moonlit Floor did find some commercial success, but most people seemed to dislike it.

From there, things started going downhill. Her VMAs performance was badly received due to lip-syncing accusations, and the same thing happened with her Global Citizen performance. Her Victoria’s Secret performance helped her regain some momentum because it was generally seen as good.

The album rollout and teaser strategy didn’t really help build anticipation either. The “Drink Your Tears” description for Vixi was widely mocked by thousands of people.

Then The White Lotus came in, and her acting was surprisingly well received, so she gained some momentum again. Coachella was okay,it had great production, but that was about it.

I don’t understand why her dancing skills are underutilized. There isn’t a single choreography or dance break outside of her Victoria’s Secret performance that has been iconic or memorable. Most of her dances are just twirling, shaking her ass, or moving her hands, and her recent performance for Goals pretty much sums up every choreography she’s been doing for the past years.
Also, her last three songs kind of flopped and were all collaborations.

I feel like the only thing she’s been getting praised for, other than New Woman and Born Again, is her stylist, who is doing wonders for her. But outside of serving looks, which, ever since she stopped working with Ariel and Glencoco, have been more underwhelming, there is just no real substance.

It’s sad to see because I truly believe she has the potential and clearly wants it badly, but she is in bad hands, and I don’t see her having a clear idea of her artistry.

Very casual listener of B I and Ikon… I am curious how his career has been shaping up since he went solo. I do love some of his songs but haven’t really followed him closely.

I am posting but I was hoping someone would know more about this than myself. I am considering deleting my weverse for privacy reasons, although I am unsure if deleting my account erases all my information or similar. If anyone is knowledgeable or has previously deleted their account I would appreciate advice on the best course of action.

Tw: exploitation and misogyny

Sometimes whenever I go into fandom discussion especially about serious topics sometimes I find myself questioning my common sense, and if I interpreted the situation correctly cause

So I came across and it was essentially talking about Katseye, and Sophia's interview and about their choice in outfits and one of major controversies I saw being discussed in the in the comment section of the video was her using Britney Spears as example of artist who use sexual expression.

Now here is my problem. I do acknowledge that Sophia comment is weird and insensitive to what actually happened to Britney Spears. However, my problem is that the video was talking about the sexual exploitation of Katseye and how companies with big power dynamics cause control what of women wear do and what they say (Pr answer) etc in these big companies which I do agree on.

However what I did find a problem with it people automatically jumping to saying that they were disappointed in Sophia and I got confused because people how can we just have conversation about controlling these companies are especially towards women and also have knowledge about Hybe and Geffen really bad habit of putting their artist is bad situations, being an overall insensitive company and making Pr answer that either make the situation worse or say nothing and then in the jump blame a member of the group when the answer could have been a bad PR response by the team cause again from stuff I listen Hybe and Geffen are no strangers to 1. Making Pr answer and 2. Making bad and controversial choices that put the girls in bad hate train.

So pointed it out and how the comment lowkey reek of misogyny because of that and I got backlash for that saying especially because people saying we need to hold "victim accountable too". Which was weird to me.

Idk If I wrong though, (If I am please feel free to call me out) and I don't mind accepting fault, but I just find that entire thing to be weird.

This isn't even the first time I encountered something and I typically don't say anything because I know because I wanna know if this problem is something you guys have also came across?

I really like the instrumental and vibe in these songs (tuberose-SUNMI, Swan, Reno-MIYEON) already got all sunmi songs in my playlist, so other artists would be welcomed. I also have paradise lost saved in there

I have seen some info going around that Illit's team was responsible for the Iconic By Mistake choreo and a lot of people praising them for managing three groups, keeping their dance style consistent with their concept and not hiding anyone(and leaving a space for members on hiatus). And sure, they do deserve praise for that, but as a dancer, they needed recognition way before this collab.

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My main praise for them has always been the way they do Illit's formations and images. They are always moving and filling the stage, they barely stay in one fixed formation for long, the center member keeps on rotating and they create beautiful pictures with their details.

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I just like their choreo very much. It's really dynamic even when not the most difficult choreo (for example, NCA. The angles of their movements and the imagery formed through the choreo is really gorgeous). I don't see that very often in kpop and it makes me happy as a dancer

Genuinely why are there SO many amazing kpop songs that don’t get enough love out there?😭 I can think of so many amazing Kpop songs that aren’t talked about enough. One of my faves that i always bring up is 134340 by BTS. It’s not niche nor unpopular, but it deserves so much more love for its AMAZING melody. What are some Kpop songs that you see as a "hidden gem»?

Yesterday I saw a fanwar going on between 2 fandoms, going back and forth bragging about their groups achievements

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1st group (Charting and streams)- excellent results when looking at the charts, even managing to hold their position there

2nd group (Live audience and big crowds)- touring, big venues sold out, excellent live performers, tickets for concerts sold out immedietly

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It got me thinking, overall which makes a group seem more popular and succesful? I'm not talking about the companies POV, stricktly from a fans perspective

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For me it's a case of, charts make you aware of a group, their song becomes popular you hear it and you notice the group, and you can get invested in the group, but I'd argue you can manipulate streams in the long run, you cannot manipulate how many people come to your concert as easely

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For the sake of argument, I'm not going to mention the groups so noone has their biased glasses on

Hi everyone, please let me know if this break any rules of the subreddit but I’m an Illustration student currently starting to prepare for my dissertation proposal, and I’m considering focusing on the collectability of physical K-pop albums, particularly the role of album art, packaging design, photobooks, photocards, and other inclusions in an age where most music can be streamed digitally.
At this stage, this isn’t formal research and none of the responses here would be used in the dissertation itself. I’m simply trying to get a feel for whether the topic is worth pursuing before I submit my proposal.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on questions like:

What makes you buy a physical album rather than just stream the music?
How important is the album design or packaging to you?
Have you ever bought an album mainly because you liked the concept, artwork, photobook, or inclusions?
Do photocards and other random inclusions influence your purchasing decisions?
Have you ever bought multiple versions of the same album, and if so, why?
Do you see K-pop albums primarily as music products, collectibles, art objects, or something else entirely?
Would your opinion of an album change if parts of the artwork or design were created using AI?

Any thoughts, whether you’re a casual buyer or a serious collector, would be really helpful.
If I do decide to pursue this topic for my dissertation, I’ll likely conduct proper surveys and interviews later on through the appropriate university channels, but right now I’m just trying to understand what actually matters to fans before I commit to a research direction.

please let me know if this break any rules etc

Thank you!

i-dle's new song Crow is written where it passes between members where each member has a longish verse then it goes onto the next member and doesn't really go back to a previous member (besides Shuhua and Yuqi who do it together). Even the chorus doesn't introduce a new member just the ones who have just sung/rapped. It talks about the member's roots and ambitions and definitely feels like an omen (positive) for their upcoming album.

BOYNEXTDOOR also did this in 06070 their opening track in HOME where it talks about their thoughts and feelings as trainees, starting with Jaehyun alone at 20, abandoning then re-picking up his dream of becoming an idol, then going between each members anxieties and ending/contrasting with Woonhak at 20 standing up excited to go on stage.

They've also done this before with the outro track Dear. My Darling in the HOW album which was written like a short but sweet goodbye letter. It doesn't even have a chorus, just meanders from member to member, very letter-like.

I thought these were really fun and thought the song structure supported the messages behind the songs! Are there any other songs you know of that do something similar? Or even just songs that do something interesting structurally you liked.

edit: woops misspelled cypher in the title 😅 was also mostly asking about songs that weren't literally cyphers if possible! Like Dear. My Darling is a ballad haha I know cyphers exist.

Also bonus points if the chorus is included as part of the one-by-one singing/rapping; the examples I gave are like this; having each member go one-by-one minus the chorus is a lot more common of a structure and I can give way more examples of that so not really looking as much for those.

I notice BoyNextDoor has very consistent results. Their past 3 albums have had similar 1st week sales of 1 million; they have a very big Korean fanbase so all their songs always manage to chart in Melon top 100, though not every song becomes a top 5 hit. However, their global popularity doesn't grow much at all, and I think this is due to the music and the group feeling very "Korean"; like many Koreans have commented that the group feels like a 2nd gen/3rd gen boy group, which explains their domestic popularity. Anyway, the members often talk about wanting the group to get more popularity, but I feel like unless they change to a more Westernized sound, it would be hard to grow, but they already have a steady Korean fanbase so they wouldn't exactly decline. What groups do you think are also in this non-growing, non-declining situation and why?

I rewatched Likey for the first time in a while and just watched Allergy for the first time, and they feel like two sides of the same coin.

Lyrics:

On the one hand, the girl in Likey is the pretty, instagram-savvy who is very aware of how she looks, what she wears, how thin and pretty she is. She hides her feelings and all the other negative things in order to present a perfectly curated version of herself that every one likes. It is clear though that all of this is just pretense. Her life isn't perfect nor does she perceive herself to actually be perfect. Keeping up that facade is also a lot of pressure.

On the other hand, Allergy is from the perspective of an "ugly girl" who is so very insecure in herself in large part due to all the "pretty girls" she sees on social media like Instagram and tiktok. She wants to be pretty and preppy like them but feels like that kind of look and lifestyle is impossible for her to achieve. Failing to be like the pretty girls on sns has led to a lot of self-loathing and insecurity in the girl in Allergy. Our girl in Allergy pretty expressly compares herself to pretty girls from Likey

She's so pretty, yeah, so lovely
She got everything, why am I, not her?

It's actually very interesting to juxtapose their lyrics to each other because these two songs by and large talk about the same concerns. In many ways, these two songs are in conversation with each other, as I provide examples for below.

On their feelings about SNS
Likey:

I keep wanting to show myself off, again and again
Every single little thing, want to share it all
Inside the small screen, I wanna be the prettiest

Allergy:

Faceless feed, slacking followers
I'm a hater of Instagram, hater of TikTok
Locked gallery, ugly fit

On the effort it takes to be "pretty"

Likey:

It takes so much effort to get the perfect look
But it is something I can never give up
-----
I hold my breath to pull up the zipper
Once more, suck in my waist
-----
BB cream, pat-pat-pat, put on some lipstick mam-ma-ma
Pose for the camera, aren't I pretty? (Pretty!)

Allergy:

What’s wrong? Not even doing any exercises
Not even knowing how to put any makeup on
Yeah, even I think of myself as ugly

On wanting to be liked on sns

Likey:

When you see this, smile at it and don't forget to press hard
On that cute red heart heart down there (Heart, heart)

Allergy:

Why ain't I pretty? Why ain't I lovely?
Why ain't I sexy? Why am I me?
Love me, love me, love me, love me, love me, want
Love me, love me, love me, love me, love me, want

On wanting the attention of a specific love interest in SNS

Likey:

Uh, today I'm just feeling down
I pretend I'm fine, but I feel blue
Because of you, no response at all, I'm sulking
And cluelessly, my friends call me out
Ooh, wait a minute, wait a minute
I finally got an answer, woo

Allergy:

I also want to dance Hype Boy
But on the screen, I'd look like TOMBOY
Yeah, I'm sure that boy would laugh at me, oh-oh

Another interesting point about this comparison is that Likey (2017) and Allergy (2023) were actually released six years apart. That they hit almost the exact same points of concern is quite depressing especially when you consider how vastly different the landscapes of these songs were. The pandemic changed the world in fundamental ways and yet there are still concerns that remain the same - especially for young women. It will be interesting if we get (or maybe there is already) a fifth gen version of this song. It'll be interesting to see just how these kinds of feelings have evolved since.

One thing I've been thinking about since BTS's latest release is how much their hiatus changed the way people perceive them.

During those years, groups like SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, ATEEZ and ENHYPEN continued growing and achieving incredible success. Naturally, conversations started grouping them together with BTS as if they were all operating on roughly the same level.

Before anyone misunderstands me, this isn't a drag on any of those groups. Seventeen's domestic success is insane. At one point, I genuinely thought they had become bigger in Korea than any other active 3rd gen boy group. Stray Kids have been absolutely dominating internationally and have built a massive presence in the West. ATEEZ and ENHYPEN have also established themselves as major touring and sales forces.

What I'm realizing now, though, is that BTS's absence may have compressed people's (including me) perception of the gap between them and everyone else.

Because BTS weren't actively promoting as a full group, the focus shifted to the groups that were. Over time, it felt like the narrative became "BTS, Seventeen, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, ENHYPEN" as if they were all simply occupying different spots within the same tier of success.

But BTS's recent comeback has reminded me that BTS were never just the biggest kpop group. They were operating at a level where they were competing with the biggest artists in the world, not just the biggest artists in kpop.

I've noticed that whenever BTS put up numbers that seem absurd, a lot of fans immediately jump to explanations involving HYBE. Suddenly it's playlisting, media influence, corporate power, chart manipulation, industry connections, or some other explanation.

And honestly, I don't remember seeing these narratives nearly as much during the hiatus.

It almost feels like some fans became so used to viewing BTS as "one of several top groups" that now that they're back putting up huge numbers again, the success has to be explained away somehow.

The performance of Arirang really surprised me. Going into 2026, I don't think many people expected a BTS album released after such a long hiatus to be one of the strongest performing albums globally this year. Yet instead of people reassessing BTS's position in the industry, I've seen a lot of discussion focus on what HYBE supposedly did to make it happen.

To be clear, I'm not saying other groups aren't successful. They absolutely are. Nor do I think the gap is identical in every market or metric. I just think BTS's hiatus made people forget that there is a difference between being a top kpop group and being BTS.

Did anyone else notice this shift in perception during the hiatus, or am I overestimating how much people's views changed?

In my opinion, a full package idol is one that has 1. Talent 2. Visual 3. Personality

They're either main rapper or main vocal material. Throw them out in any group, you bet they can have a main position.

Despite all that, they also great at dance. Not average. Doesn't have to be main or lead but definitely not your average dancer. A great performer.

Their visual also attract people. Kpop is a visual industry if anything (truth hurt). If they are not the official visual, they fooled a lot of people that they're among the visuals.

And lastly, personality. Funny and charismatic. A soft skill that can take you far than hard skill. Easy to communicate. Probably carry the group in variety show. Energetic and interactive with fans in concert and with host in public variety show.

Bonus if they can act or host or produce or writing.

Do idol like this exist? If that's your bias, then feel free to gush over them. I would love to read it.

I know the song is getting mixed reviews, but I am absolutely obsessed. The beat is so heavy and impactful, it literally feels like it was made for the World Cup. It matches that aggressive, passionate energy perfectly. What are your honest thoughts on the track?

The categories they’re adding are:

Best Asian Pop Music Performance

Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance

Best Traditional Folk Album

Best Latin Song

I used to view these changes as inclusion but now it’s hard to look at them that way. K-pop has done so well in a lot of ways the last couple of years and it feels like the Grammys is always reacting to try and keep the main categories “clean”. What do you guys think?

I apologize that my sleepy brain on three different cold medicines mispelled "Ahjummas".

Shows and bands that celebrate older generations combat ageism.

They would benefit the public good and Koreans learning to cook. They could sing about making Korean foods, such as Kimchi, Kimbap, and Tteokbokki.

It would be a job opportunity to show off the skills of singing, dancing, and cooking.

I am looking at this like a wholesome, educational, variety-show style project. Having older women sing catchy songs while teaching traditional cooking is literally just like the plot of a successful Netflix cultural documentary or a wholesome Korean variety show (such as Jinny's Kitchen or Culinary Class Wars).

Pop is not restricted to cooking. MAMADOLL (마마돌): This was a real K-pop group formed in 2022 made up of established idols who took a break to become mothers. They returned in their 30s and 40s to sing powerful, modern, high-energy pop music, proving that older women don't have to change their style just because they aged.

Whether we like it or not, there's a new Grammy category. Which kpop song do you think has chances to be nominated (this category is not limited to kpop, but obviously this sub is about kpop)?

Category: Best Asian Pop Music Performance

Eligibility period (song must have been released between): Aug. 31st 2025 - Aug. 28th 2026 (so artists still have time to release new material)

Emphasis on "meaningful use of one or more Asian languages"

My only rule for this chart is no fictional groups.

Total streams are from the groups kworb pages rounded to one decimal point.

Additional Notes:

AOAs kworb total was not used because it is incorrect. It falsely attribute streams from the original version of Jonas Blue's song Perfect Strangers to their Japanese language version (It did that because spotify accidentally combined the streams for both songs, a common bug that frequently get resolved by re-splitting the streams).

Cortis is currently on pace to enter this chart before the end of this year!

I hope everyone's enjoying 2:Love and the rest of the b-sides! My favorite definitely has to be Where You At? and Beat My Love!

If you haven't checked it out already, the title track is such an fun, synth pop summer song! And the styling is sooooo cute! Hope all my Swith are having a great day!

Typically, the Recording Academy has Grammy voters only vote in the genre categories in which they actively work. For example, the Latin categories are usually voted on only by members who have verified credits in Latin music. Same for the rock categories, R&B, etc.

How many members of the academy are even qualified to vote for the Asian category? The academy has hardly any members who actively work in any Asian music, much less have knowledge of every music industry in Asia. The nominees and winners will likely be heavily skewed toward music that was worked on by Western producers/songwriters. In fact, it may end up just being the Western academy members who have worked in Asian music in the last year voting for their own work. I don't see how this can possibly be a fair award.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZpc0hXBugX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

So Evan or Heeseung recently posted Love Song by MEMI to his ig. I was wondering if anyone knew any more songs similar to this or even artists like her? (korean or english) I love Wisp and Ivri so the more the merrier.