k-pop
Ghost Groups
I recognize that I too have ghosted on this blog but life has been pretty crazy as of late. But back to the ghost groups. I’d like to define ghost […]
I recognize that I too have ghosted on this blog but life has been pretty crazy as of late. But back to the ghost groups. I’d like to define ghost groups as groups that, for one reason or another, disappeared off the face of the earth either entirely or for an extended period of time. These groups matter to people, but apparently not to their companies and they leave behind serious scars.
iKON
I know iKON hasn’t been completely off the map but I believe any iKONic worth their love would tell you that iKON hasn’t really been present for a while. They were virtually absent for years from actual comebacks while Winner took the spotlight. Now, I’ll admit I’m more of an Inner Circle than an iKONic but I wouldn’t wish ill on them either and I know how difficult it can be to survive without any new music from your favorite group.
iKON has just recently dropped a comeback, their second studio album since 2015. iKONics have been incredibly patient for this one and I hope they’re pleased with what they got because, knowing YG, it’ll be a while before they get another.
The Ark
I know the fan base for this group is pretty small, but damn it all if we don’t love them. They were these incredibly talented girls who could give any boy group a run for their money. After releasing exactly one song, the girls were all but forgotten by their company, but they didn’t officially disband until 2016. For a while, there were reports that the girls were still performing in public but they were often unconfirmed and, as expected, false.
These girls left their would-be fans wanting more and there was so much talk about wasted potential. For five girls who are all powerful dancers as well as powerful singers to come together is incredible and it is always a loss for the industry when we let them slip through.
F(x)
Damn. I think we’re all hurt by this one. Not only did it take years for them to get a fan base name, but they were completely forgotten about–even after the success of Love is 4 Walls–and they each went on to do different solo projects. While I adore Luna’s solo album and Amber’s Youtube videos are actually really cute, I miss seeing all four of them together. It is a wonder to everyone why they have been cast aside in favor of Red Velvet, especially when you take into consideration the disbandment of Girls’ Generation. It almost makes you wonder–if, with a touch of fright–whether F(x) is next.
Ghost groups happen all the time and this is just the tip of the iceberg. As much as we love to be there at a group’s inception, the fact of the matter is that it is always a gamble when a group sets out to start a career. Sometimes they fail. So we mourn them and wonder if we’ll ever love again and then we get another group. That’s not to diminish the importance of each of these groups, but it’s such a frequent occurrence at this point that it’s hard for me to be surprised.
What do you all think about ghost groups? Have one of your favorite groups gone ghost? Leave me a comment and let me know!
K-Bops in K-Pop 
I definitely miss f(x) ): but from what I’ve read, a lot of that is pretty much boiling down to Victoria making SM way more money in China than she would in Korea, and then of course her burning a lot of bridges in Korea a few years ago, and political drama between China & Korea in general. The same stuff that is keeping Yixing in China instead of having him at least record albums with EXO. I’m really interested to see how all of that is going to develop over the next few years, but I’m trying not to hold my breath. Politics, man.
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For me, it’s f(x) and Cross Gene. For f(x), aside from all you mentioned, I’m absolutely outraged at the musical treatment Lunber is receiving. All their duet tracks from SM Station are so low quality for me, sometimes I even think if SM’s policy is like, “Okay, so we got a bunch of new songs, let’s see if there are any good ones… Damn, this is so trashy and garbage… LET’S JUST GIVE IT TO LUNBER TO SING”. “Lower” was the peak of my patience. And sudden duet remake version of Luna’s legendary “Free Somebody” keeps giving me “?????” thoughts. I was honestly expecting a new song arrangement, which I’d receive with lots of love, but then WUT, just two ppl instead of one singing the song, and then putting a digital release on music sites? Oh no, my girls didn’t work hard to get such treatment. Utterly mad at SM for this.
As for Cross Gene. Amuse Ent. clearly don’t know how to promote them to get a breakthrough. Takuya worked his ass off for 1,5 years with Abnormal Summit to get the name out of the dungeon, hence the relative success of “Play With Me”, but then everything fell back even harder, and even Shin with his acting in “Descendants of the Sun” couldn’t help bring the group name to spotlight (they promoted “Noona, You”). Many k-drama lovers still have no idea he’s actually an idol. And now they’re getting the treatment similar to what NU’EST used to have when they were exiled to Japan. Last year’s comeback “Black or White” barely got any attention, and now, lastly, they lost Casper. I can’t even imagine the thought of Amuse announcing their end, because the group has such a big potential, and is almost THE ONLY 2012 group left here that needs their recognition.
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