[Insert Member] Is Useless
This is more of a lesson for international fans, that don’t look any further into Kpop that their “oppas” faces.
I’m aware Kfans are just as bad, but I’m pretty sure they understand the platform, and just say this to piss off fandoms.
If you’re new to Kpop, maybe this will help you a bit.
No group has a useless member.
None.
Not one.
I’ve seen time and time again that international fans will say things like “that member can’t sing so he’s worthless”, or “he sucks at dancing”, or “his rapping is awful” and I’m absolutely tired of it.
So let me break it down for you.
In most groups, there’s a group leader. Typically the leader would be the eldest member of the group, but it’s not always the oldest.
Suho, leader of EXO is currently the second to last oldest member.
CL, was the second youngest of her group, 2NE1.
Taeyeon, leader of SNSD, is the oldest.
The leader is meant to be mature, and charismatic, and be able to handle focus and attention that’s on them. They’re meant to care for the other members, to motivate the group, and represent them(eg. speaking on stage). In short, they’re the parent of the group, responsible for their members.
Top: Taeyong(NCT), Kris(EXO/EXO-M), CL(2NE1)
Bottom: Taeyeon(SNSD), Suho(EXO/EXO-K), S.coups(Seventeen)
Vocalists, are pretty much, the singers of the groups. Most groups have multiple vocalists.
The Main Vocalist- The member who most often(but not always) gets a lot of lines in a song. Often gets the vocally challenging parts(i.e. high notes).
The Lead Vocalist- Usually sings before the main vocalist in verses, because they “lead” in the song. They’re often a back-up should the Main Vocalist be injured or sick.
In groups with a large number of members, there are often several sub vocalists.
Top: Soyou(Sistar), Baekhyun(EXO), Jeonghan(Seventeen)
Bottom: Bom(2NE1), V(BTS), JB(GOT7)
Rappers and rapping is a very essential part of the majority of Kpop music. Just the same with vocalists, there is often a hierarchy, if there are multiple rappers to one group.
The Main Rapper- Gets the most of the rapper parts, typically the one with the best technique and rapping ability.
The Lead Rapper- Usually being rapping parts, good ability as well, but second to the Main Rapper.
Some groups don’t have rappers, but it’s common to have at least one included.
Top: CL(2NE1), Bora(Sistar), Chanyeol(EXO)
Bottom: Suga(BTS), Taeyong(NCT), Lisa(BLACKPINK)
By default, as this is Kpop, all members are dancers. But there are still roles for the groups. Again, same hierarchy;
The Main Dancer- Expected to have the best dancing skills, less focused on singing, often have fewer parts during songs, might even have only sub-vocal parts(as breathing needs to be reserved for their dancing), often have solo dance parts.
The Lead Dancer- As the whole group dances, the Lead Dancer will lead the group and often dance in the front, when the group is dancing all together.
Top: Hyorin(Sistar), Lay(EXO/EXO-M), Taemin(SHINee)
Bottom: Kai(EXO/EXO-K), Minzy(2NE1), Rose(BLACKPINK)
Kpop emphasizes on beauty. There is even a position in most groups that, who ever is given the role, takes special care of their looks, because that’s an important feature for a group: looks.
It’s not fan-appointed, it’s given by the company, as all roles are. It’s a real thing.
The Visual is someone that is deemed most attractive, and is most likely seen endorsing products and be on commercials and ads.
Note: don’t confuse this with the ‘face’ of the group, aka the member most easily recognized.
Some idols are the face and the visual(Hyuna, Taeyong) but the two are not the same.
Top: Hyuna(4Minute), Taeyong(NCT), Dara(2NE1)
Bottom: Kai(EXO/EXO-K), Naeun(Apink), Jin(BTS)
Some positions you don’t get trained for, you’re born into them.
The maknae is simply the youngest of the group. They don’t have a specific task to do, they’re just the baby of the family.
But of course being the youngest is often associated with being cute, so some maknaes make a point of being the complete opposite of the Leader, the most charismatic and responsible member. They’re often ‘forced’ to do aegyo, and act cute when asked.
Top: Jungkook(BTS), Minzy(2NE1), Dino(Seventeen)
Bottom: Sehun(EXO), Tzuyu(TWICE), Ren(Nu’est)
Considering the fact that idols aren’t just thrown out into the public, they’re put through anywhere from a year to 10 years of training, insane diets, learning choreography, songs, new languages, and often times while still juggling school, you can’t say they don’t deserve a spot in their group. Adding on to the fact a lot of times, idols actually have a hand in creating choreography, lyrics, and music, they pull their weight.
Members aren’t meant to be good at everything, that’s why there’s roles.
Some groups don’t have concrete roles, and that’s fine too.
So there you have it, your little Kpop introductory class.
Each group is carefully put together by companies. Every member has a point, if they didn’t, they’d be a waste of money and wouldn’t be in a group.
You can easily look up a groups’ roles, and see why a member is there. It’s not hard to not be ignorant about groups.
Learn something from this, and keep your mouths shut.
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