the mind reels

the mind reels is a blog about k-pop written by Melissa Johnson.

[mjohnso]

Quarterly Debut Review: Q1 2026

Quarterly Debut Reviews are a supplementary series to my biannual Periodic Rookie Group Reports, which are published quarterly. Each installment covers three rookie groups that debuted over the past three months. For the ninth installment, I covered dodree (January), NAVILLERA (February), and SUCTION (March).

As always, a full list of rookie groups that have debuted thus far in 2026 is available here: 2026 Rookie Groups Debuts

January / dodree Debut: January 21, 2026 Debut Song: "Just Like a Dream"

Dodree's debut garnered a lot of attention for a rookie group/generated a lot of buzz, and not just because of their adjacency to JYP Entertainment via their label INNIT Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of the latter, or because of their status as a duo, when groups are increasingly the norm. Rather, it was thanks to their debut single, "Just Like A Dream", and its successful blending of k-pop with gugak, or traditional Korean music.

Contrary to the Korea JoongAng Daily headline that describes the duo as a "rare 'crossover' duo", their fusion of the two is not altogether rare nor a novelty. By their own admission, one half of the duo, Lee Song-hyun, was fusing traditional and contemporary elements into her performances on the survival show, and this trend is well documented. This does not discount their work but highlights the need to view it not in isolation but as part of a longer lineage within their own work and within the industry at large.

On this note, instead of parroting what others have already written, below I have composed a short list which describes the trend as well as documents other examples of similar blending of the traditional and the contemporary:

“Old and New: Old and New K-pop Begins Embracing Korean Traditional Music” - K-Pop Beats

“Gugak meets K-pop: Tracks that fuse tradition with global pop sounds” - The Korea Times

"K-pop’s growing dialogue with gugak: Is Korea’s pop juggernaut seeking its roots?" - The Korea Herald

"‘K-pop’s next evolution lies in gugak,’ says traditional musician Won Il" - The Korea Herald

"Gugak and K-Pop: Sharing the Spotlight" - Korea Webzine

February / NAVILLERA Debut: February 3, 2026 Debut Song: "NO LIMIT"

There is no lingering doubt about the state of the Future Idol Asia project; it is dead. Their domain name registration has lapsed, and their website now displays a 404 page. Although their social media accounts survive, preserving an archive of the project for now, none have been updated since 2024. Even their wiki page, another faithful account of the project, has accepted that the project is over. Charitably, it lists the project as concluding in 2025, even though there were signs much earlier that it was over.

If the status of the Future Idol Asia project were less clear, you might mistake the girl group NAVILLERA as part of it. The group boasts an SEO-nightmare single-word name, common to groups under the project, that it also shares with a hit k-drama and a GFriend song. Likewise, their music video features the signature style of the Future Idol Asia project. Filmed in a rental studio with minimal set dressing, the shots mix choreography and close-ups of the members, shot from the worst angles, giving the video an amateur look. Some are shot from above or too wide, accidentally exposing too much space or even lighting equipment. In an early wide shot of the choreography, a hand and the camera appear at the right edge of the frame.

Behold: the style of the nugu group. Obscure and newly debuted under an agency that is itself new or mostly unknown, these groups have a signature visual style. This has grown due to limited budgets—hence the more economical sets used by Future Idol Asia groups—and also, as I mentioned in another post, the rising cost of music videos. Fortunately for most nugu groups, who have developed their own cult following among k-pop fans, their style or lack thereof is forgiven, if not expected, adding to their charm.

March / SUCTION Debut: March 5, 2026 Debut Song: "Still Hurts"

At the risk of ruining the joke, I am going to try to explain the fictional 15-year veteran co-ed group SUCTION, which once vowed to “suck up the k-pop industry.”

Created for a web series on HYRU Entertainment’s YouTube channel, the twelve-episode series, also entitled SUCTION, focuses not so much on the group’s formation as on their comeback following their untimely disbandment due to scandal. Fifteen years ago, during a live television performance, the body of member Hyuk E, played by comedian Kwon Hyuk-soo, inexplicably became electrified. Then, whether due to the electric current or choreography, when he placed his hand on the shoulder of his fellow member Jin E, played by Brown Eyed Girls Narsha, her silicone bra inserts shot from her bra into the air—the beginning of one of this series’ multiple long-running gags. All the while, Yeong E, played by actress and comedian Na Hyun-Young, continues to dance and smile at the camera, unaware that one of her members has collapsed and is still “live,” so to speak, behind her, while the other scrambles for her inserts.

When the series catches up with them in October 2025, the three members are living separate lives. Hyuk E works a variety of odd jobs, including as a dog walker, which is played for laughs as he is shown walking two real dogs and multiple foil mylar balloon dogs. Meanwhile, Jin E is now a live streamer, having made her infamous wardrobe malfunction part of her brand, while Yeong E has become a successful soloist at risk of a dating scandal, under the fictional Hyru Entertainment.

It is Hyru Entertainment's CEO who has the idea to reunite the group for a comeback and to add the fourth member, MJ, played by ASTRO’s MJ. This, too, becomes the impetus for a recurring joke format about the real identities of the members, such as when an ASTRO song plays during dance practice or when the choreographer has them perform the “Abracadabra” choreography.

Make no mistake, though—the members are committed to the bit. For instance, in their interview with the KBS Music Bank hosts before their "debut" stage as a reorganized group, they remain fully in character. When asked how they had come together, rather than explaining that the group had been formed as part of a web show, Hyuk E responds in character, explaining the group had reunited after fifteen years for the money.

In the show’s final episode, the members joked that their fans would not have to wait another 15 or even 10 years for their return, a joke that reflects the gap between the real and the fictional worlds. While many groups returning after hiatuses promise eventual comebacks, given SUCTION’s fictional nature and the show’s modest success, their fate is a foregone conclusion. Unless HYRU Entertainment's YouTube channel decides to do a second season, SUCTION’s joke about their return is their final punchline.

[mjohnso]

20. Lee Hyein (2eehyein)

After a hiatus of several years, this series is more time capsule than a “who’s who” of creatives behind your favorite music videos. Many of the directors I previously covered are no longer working, and those who are less productive than they were at their peak are an unfortunate but not unsurprising development. As I noted in my April Shower Film post (#19), the industry's competitive nature and the physical toll of the work tend to burn through talent. Couple this with the shifting economics of making music videos, and it can become unfeasible for many. Case in point, in an interview for the AYO Comment Defender Series in 2022, ZanyBros’ Kim Jun-hong (#18) noted that, due to increasing production budgets, which in turn drive up the staff budget, ZanyBros’ Hong Won Gi sometimes earns less money than a part-time staff member. No wonder then that their studio has been branching out into adjacent fields.

 Yet while the economics of making music videos may have changed, the industry's needs have not; agencies still need music video directors. Enter a new generation of directors like Lee Hyein, who, in addition to working as a photographer and creative director, got her start as a video director in 2019 with DressxSogumm's “Dreamer, Doer”.

The first music video she ever directed for an idol was Taeyeon's "What Do I Call You", and it is partly why I chose to cover her, as this was not happenstance but indicative of a larger trend. Ever since they tapped the relatively unknown August Frogs (#2) to direct the video for Taeyeon's "Rain" in 2014, SM Entertainment's creative strategy has been to eschew bigger or better-known directors in favor of the little guys. That is, they often work with newer or lesser-known directors who have never worked with idols, and vary the directors they use for different artists. For example, while Lee has worked on videos for multiple SM Entertainment artists such as aespa and Red Velvet, she has never worked consistently for the same artist.

This is not limited to SM Entertainment either. Here again, Lee's own portfolio is illustrative. She has worked with other labels and their artists, although she is not tightly tied to any one in the same way that JYP and Studio Naive were once synonymous, or in the way that Orange Caramel and Digipedi were. Now, groups work with multiple directors and studios across the industry, an end to a longstanding trend, although to Lee, the shift may be imperceptible. She has never known anything different.

Website: https://www.instagram.com/2eehyein.film / https://vimeo.com/2eehyein

The photoset is made up of stills from the following music videos

THE BOYZ - “Nectar” (2024)

aespa- “'Armageddon' Launch Code” (2024)

Taeyeon - “What Do I Call You” (2020)

Red Velvet - “Cosmic” (2024)

NCT Dream - “ISTJ” (2023)

DressxSogumm - “Dreamer, Doer” (2019)

IVE - “Empathy! trailer” (2024)*

KAI - “Rover” (2023)

IVE - “Off the Record” (2023)

ENHYPEN - “Brought the Heat Back” (2024)

*Creative direction in addition to directing the video

(Twentieth in a series on directors in the k-pop industry)

[mjohnso]

the mind reels at large

I contributed a blurb on Davichi’s 2015 mini-album Davichi Hug, an album I both love and have a lot to say about, to the annual k-pop issue of friend of the blog and writer Ryo Miyauchi’s newsletter, This Side of Japan.

As I wrote in my blurb, the album sits at the bifurcation of two different eras in Davichi's career, which instituted significant changes to the group musically, lyrically, aesthetically, and, although I did not have room in my blurb to get into this, sartorially. All of this dovetails with the curious tension in the early years of Davichi's career, between wanting to depict them (especially Kang Minkyung) as beautiful and sexy, and also serious, talented vocalists, which, again, is really a whole other post, but you get the idea. In the scheme of Davichi's career, this is one of their most significant albums.

You can find my blurb here: Monthly Listening: K-pop Edition 2026

And you can find past issues and also subscribe to This Side of Japan here: This Side of Japan - Substack

[mjohnso]

Dream Again

Stop me if you've heard this one before — five friends live and work in a small town—in this case, a fishing village in Owase City, Mie Prefecture—but harbor grander aspirations for themselves. Rather than toil forever as a waitress, bookstore clerk, or fishmonger, what they really want to do is sing, as evidenced by the way Yuqi freezes as she gives a customer their food to watch an idol performance on a television. Then, in a moment of kismet, two of the friends separately come across a poster advertising an audition for a 'Dance Vocal New Girl Group' on October 3rd. The five friends then form a group and practice for the audition wherever they can, including at their jobs and at the fishery, ultimately leaving for the city and the chance to chase their dreams.

This is the story that unfolds over the music video for i-dle's second Japanese single, "Where Do We Go", and if the numerous idol anime series that share this same premise are any indication, the friends, despite enduring setbacks, will achieve their dream. Then again, it is not necessary to infer the conclusion of their story; there is potential confirmation. As one YouTube commenter observed, the group's performance on Naver's monthly music show, NPOP, three weeks after the single's release, continues the story. Mirroring the soft, warm, nostalgic tones of the video, this stage concept for their performance features the group performing at the 1988 Youth Song Festival, a play on MBC's Campus Song Festival, which ran from 1977 to 2012 before being revived last year. The MC, also styled to reflect the decade, introduces i-dle as the fifth contestant to great applause from the audience.

There is a quirk to the timing of their performance. Although ostensibly this is a music show in Korea, as indicated by the establishing shot of the exterior of the KSPO Dome (although in 1988, it would have been called the Olympic Gymnastics Hall), the signage written in Hangul, and the fact that both i-dle and the MC speak in Korean, they perform their latest Japanese single, "Where Do We Go" in Japanese. Technically, however, in 1988, when this performance is supposed to have taken place, performances of Japanese songs, among other Japanese cultural products, were still banned.

i-dle here is neither making a political statement nor attempting to portray an alternative history. To the contrary, the choice of stage direction to set i-dle's performance in the 1980s is more likely a matter of picking up on the song's wistful, nostalgic tone and lyrics. This applies doubly to the narrative arc of their stage, since aspiring singers striving for their dream share the same emotional resonance.

Idols’ pursuit of their dreams has always been framed by the industry as a factor in their appeal, whether promoting in Korea or Japan. Indeed, as much as k-pop idols are often distinguished from j-pop idols by the former’s more polished skills, honed through years of training, and the latter’s emphasis on gradual improvement in both skills and popularity, their motivation is usually always said to be a pursuit of “their dream.” Furthermore, despite their differing trajectories, the k-pop industry often engages in the same kind of storytelling as that attributed to j-pop idols. That is, while a k-pop idol may make it through rounds of auditions and years of rigorous training, their dream is not realized upon debut. Far from it: after debuting, k-pop idols face a new struggle to gain traction, build a fanbase, and gain popularity, and, depending on the state of their agency, earn money lest it go under and disband the group. It is in watching and supporting idols as they work towards their dreams and goals that lies their allure.

Or so the industry wants audiences to believe. As I have previously written elsewhere, the idea of idols pursuing their dreams at any cost provides both an emotional narrative and, perhaps most importantly, offers cover for the industry, which is allergic to meaningful change. Hence why, as I half-joked in the first paragraph, this story feels familiar, because it is. Even though it begins abroad, i-dle's story, circa 1988, fits a pattern and carries a message we have heard before.

[mjohnso]

Periodic Rookie Groups Report No. 26

Periodic Rookie Group Reports are a series of biannual reports that seek to put a number to how many rookie groups debut and make comebacks in a given year. For Report No. 26, I covered the activities of '24 rookie groups in the second half of 2025 and the rookie groups that debuted in 2025.

2024 Rookies Of the 83 groups that debuted in 2024, 12 groups—three boy groups and eight girl groups, seven of which had previously debuted under the Future Idol Asia project banner—disbanded in 2025. I covered ten of these groups that disbanded in the previous Rookie Report. The twelfth group is covered below:

AEONIT: In a statement published on the group's X—formerly Twitter account on July 25, 2025, ONMIND announced that after a discussion with the members regarding the virtual boy group's (August '24) future, they had come to the mutual decision to disband and terminate the members' contracts. The group released a final single on August 28th to mark the conclusion of their activities.

Factoring in these 11 groups brings the number of groups that debuted in 2024 and were still active in 2025 to 72 groups—27 boy groups, 39 girl groups, and 5 co-ed groups. Of these 72 groups, 65%, or 47 groups, released new music at least once this year. Specifically, 85%, or 40 groups, made their first release between January and June, while 15%, or 7 groups, did so between July and December. 64% or 30 groups released music in the first and second half of the year.

For reference, 65% of groups that debuted in 2023 released new music in the year following their debut, while 52% of groups that debuted in 2022 released new music in the year following their debut.

2024 Rookie Group Comebacks & Releases - July-December

Note: Releases marked with an asterisk (*) indicate an additional release from a group following their initial release July 01 BABYMONSTER - “HOT SAUCE” (Single) 02 RESCENE - “Deja Vu” (Single)* 07 TIOT - “Run Run Barefoot” (Single)* 07 WiTCHX - “Run Baby Run” (Single) 09 Big Ocean - “Bucket Hat” (Single)* 09 NOWZ - Ignition (Mini Album)* 09 UNIS, noa - “Shaking My Head” (Single)* 12 GEN1ES - “Rewrite” (Single)* 16 ARrC - HOPE (Mini Album)* 18 New-L - “So Sweet” (Single)* 21 GEN1ES - Gen1 (Album)* 24 ASC2NT - “DON'T MOVE” (Single) 29 Dragon Pony - “Radio Silence” (Single)*

August 01 SAY MY NAME - “iLy” (Single)* 11 LOVEONE - “LOVE HIGH” (Single)* 13 ARTMS - Club Icarus Remix (Remix Album) 15 A2OMAY - “B.B.B” (Single)* 15 JAESSBEE - “SHUT THAT” (Single)* 27 KJRGL - “TipToe” (Single)* 27 UN1CON - GENKI (Mini Album)* 28 AEONIT - “Siren” (Single)* 29 Angel Noise - “Ram Pang Pang” (Single)* 29 GIRLSET - “Commas” (Single) 30 KYSB - “Lucid Dream” (Single)*

September 01 NCT Wish - Color (Mini Album) 02 Too Many Color - “Dangerous” (Single)* 09 ALL(H)OURS - VCF (Mini Album)* 15 BADVILLAIN - “Thriller” (Single) 22 GENBLUE - MIRROR (Mini Album)* 23 TIOT - MY PRIDE (Mini Album)* 30 izna - Not Just Pretty (Mini Album)*

October 13 TWS - play hard (Mini Album)* 14 MEOVV - “Burning Up” (Single)* 15 ANODE - “TALKIN' TO ME? feat. Moon Sujin” (Single)* 15 Dragon Pony - “So Nice (GMF2025 Ver.)” (Single)* 22 VVUP - “House Party” (Single)* 24 A2O MAY - Paparazzi Arrive (Mini Album)*

November 03 ARrC - “SKIID” (Single)* 14 GIRLSET - “Little Miss” (Single)* 20 VVUP - VVON (Mini Album)* 22 YDS - “Take Off Your Glasses” (Single) 23 BIG OCEAN - “RED-DY SET GO” (Single)* 24 ILLIT - “Not Cute Anymore” (Single)* 25 RESCENE - lip bomb (Mini Album)* 25 13Found - “say” (Single)* 26 NOWZ - “HomeRUN” (Single)*

December 05 ALL(H)OURS - “White Christmas” (Single)* 08 Dignity - “THE MOMENT” (Single)* 11 NCT WISH - “Princeping Song” (Single)* 12 JAESSBEE - “Perfect Sunset” (Single)* 12 LOVEONE - “Crossing Time” (Single)* 16 ILLIT - “ALL FOR YOU, 2027” (Single)* 23 ASC2NT - “Replay” (Single)* 25 KYSB - “Kind of Love” (Single)* 29 SAY MY NAME - &Our Vibe (Mini Album)*

2025 Rookies

In 2025, 75 groups— 31 boy groups, 37 girl groups, and seven co-ed groups—debuted, representing a 10% decrease from the total in 2024. Girl groups—due to the end of the Future Idol Asia project—saw a 21% decrease, while co-ed groups saw their highest numbers since I began tracking rookie groups in 2013. Meanwhile, although boy groups remained consistent in comparison to the previous year, for the sixth consecutive year, they failed to best the number of girl groups, a fact that at this point seems unremarkable. For many fans who got into k-pop after 2020, they have never known a time when new boy group debuts outnumbered those of girl groups.

Miscellaneous stats:

April saw the largest number of debuts with the debut of 12 new groups: two boy groups, nine girl groups and one co-ed group.

Once again, December saw the fewest number of debuts, with only one new group making its debut.

Methodology: https://blog.mjohnso.com/methodology

[mjohnso]

Favorite K-Pop: 2025

Favorite Albums

Chaeyoung - LIL FANTASY vol. 1

Wendy - Cerulean Verge

ARTMS - <Club Icarus>

Yves - Soft Error

Joy - From Joy, with Love

Heize - LOVE VIRUS Pt.1

Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi - TILT

Favorite Songs

Fromis_9 - "LIKE YOU BETTER"

H1Key - "Summer Was You"

BBGIRLS - “LOVE 2”

Purple Kiss - "Lost and Found"

Bibi - "Scott and Zelda"

Chuu - "Only cry in the rain"

VIVIZ - "La La Love Me"

AtHeart - "Plot Twist"

Hearts2Hearts - "STYLE"

Yerin Baek - "MIRROR"

Nana - "Hurt"

Taeyeon - "Panorama"

HWASA - "Good Goodbye"

ablume - "Echo"

DAYOUNG - "Body"

Rainbow18 - "SNS (Slow N Steady)"

ILLIT - "jellyous"

RESCENE - "Deja Vu"

IVE - "Rebel Heart"

tripleS - "Are you Alive"

Favorite Rookies

Hearts2Hearts

Tomatomat

ablume

Favorite Music Videos

BBGirls - “LOVE 2” (Dir. Jo Seong-min)

Oh My Girl - "Oh My"

Jeon Somi - "Extra" (Dir. RIMA YOON (RIGEND FILM))

Bibi - "Apocalypse" (Dir. Song Kiho (SEGAJI))

CHAEYOUNG - “AVOCADO (feat.Gliiico)” (Dir. Luke Casey)

CHAEYOUNG - “SHOOT (Firecracker)” (Dir. Minjae Kim (Sigakryu))

XG - "IN THE RAIN" (Dir. Jihoon Shin (SOMEOFUZ))

[mjohnso]

So you want to be a trainee

I am too old to qualify for most entertainment agencies' auditions, but I do not feel this is a loss. Not only have I never harbored dreams of debuting as an idol or stardom, even if I had I would by now has been disabused of those dreams given everything I know about the grueling trainee process—the competition between trainees, the pressure trainees both put on themselves and that agencies place on them, surveillance, strict rules, extreme dieting, and the long odds that any of it would ever pay off.

If I ever do decide I would like to have the trainee experience, though, I have options. SK Telecom recently opened its new store "T Factory" in Seongsu-dong, featuring a "path to debut experience". Entitled "T Entertainment", it is less a replica of an actual trainee experience, warts and all, and more of a consumer experience. According to The Korea Herald, 

"After registering as trainees, participants take on challenges in singing, dancing, acting, trivia and even "stage presence" tasks such as finding hidden cameras — all aided by AI and VR technologies."

The intention here is not to benefit trainees or agencies, helping the former refine their skills or sourcing aspiring idols for the latter, but rather SK Telecom. The enterprise exists to push SK Telecom's interests in AI and investments in those aforementioned AI and VR technologies.

Yet, while T Entertainment may not offer a true 'trainee experience' or the opportunity to strengthen your skills, there are, as I mentioned above, alternatives. Specifically, there is a whole cottage industry of programs, such as RBW's 'Dream Withus', ACOPIA's 'K-Pop Training Camp', and K-Pop Art School's 'K-Pop Idol Intensive Program', where participants can receive similar training to that offered to real trainees — for a price. For between $500.00 USD and $1,600.00 USD, the programs provide, in addition to lodging, a combination of Korean lessons, dance lessons, vocal lessons, stage training, and recording sessions, taught by experienced instructors from the industry. These programs are typically capped off with the opportunity to audition for various entertainment agencies, providing a chance to lengthen their trainee experience, albeit under different circumstances. Much like the T Entertainment project, these programs strip out the more repugnant aspects of the actual experience to create a more "fun" or at least "pleasant" experience. Then, even if the audition does not translate into an opportunity to join an agency, participants do not leave empty-handed.

Again, similar to how T Entertainment is not actually about helping to debut new idols, these programs are not about providing an "experience". Not unlike the now-defunct Future Idol Asia Project, many of these programs are predicated on identifying and sourcing potential trainees, especially those from overseas who may otherwise be hindered by logistical challenges. In turn, this eliminates the need for agencies to hold costly and labor-intensive auditions abroad and presents a solution to the trainee shortage. In doing so, it does not require agencies to actually address or improve the trainee experience, but instead merely acclimates trainees to the status quo.

[mjohnso]

Ode to Summer (Music Videos) Pt. 2

The summer music video is a great equalizer. It blurs distinctions between popular and nugu groups as their summer music videos, regardless of whether they were filmed abroad in a tropical locale or on Jeju Island or Busan, as groups tend to recycle the same tropes: playing in or lounging by the pool; frolicking on the beach; partying at night; lighting off fireworks or sparklers; camping; sunsets; washing cars; bicycling or driving, etc., etc. Even the quality or lack thereof, which is usually a reliable indicator of where a group falls in the hierarchy, loses all meaning when it comes to the summer music video. Groups will sometimes adopt a lo-fi aesthetic, all film grain, date stamps, and "spontaneous" rather than staged shots meant to channel the carefree nature of summer.

Despite my general apathy for summer and my distaste for overly trite formulaic videos, I am on the record professing my love for the summer music video. Much as I did in 2020, I still appreciate their consistency and their edges, often literally demarcated by yet another trope. The summer music video begins in the daytime, but as the YouTube progress bar advances, it fades to dusk or night.

It goes without saying (another cliché) that not every summer music video adheres so rigidly to this formula. There are, as always, exceptions that rely less on the rules and the familiar when it comes to conveying the season. In this respect, the studio Digipedi's work stands out in particular. Although they have directed videos more in line with the expected, like BIGBANG’s “We Like 2 Party” and Stellar’s “Crying”, they have also, in some instances, taken a different tack that is truer to their own style, even as it goes against the standard.

In other words, although summer may be synonymous with the outdoors, their summer videos, like much of their other work, are set inside. Specifically, they often use built interior sets, or what I have previously described as "rooms," given that they often feature three walls and a ceiling. Inevitably, this changes their options when it comes to conveying the essence of summer. They cannot fall back on the aforementioned tropes, most of which are tied to the outdoors, and must think outside the box even as they set their videos in one.

Clockwise, top left: Stills from HANHAE - "EYESCREAM", fromis_9 - "FUN!", Raina and San E - "A Midsummer Night's Sweetness", and Heize's "&July feat. DEAN and DJ Friz"

Or three, as in the case of Yukika's 2019 summer single "Cherries Jubiles", the accompanying video for which takes place wholly inside and is thus a prime candidate to illustrate Digipedi's version of summer. In the video, Yukika prepares a bento box for herself and her crush, whom she plans to confess her feelings to with her pink cassette tape, which she used to record the acoustic version of her song.

The storyline is not overly summer, lacking any of the more traditional summer activities and rituals, with Digipedi instead choosing to tuck summer into the details. For example, they use subtly nature-inspired decor throughout the video. In one of the first scenes where Yukika is recording her song, she is seated upon a floral-patterned couch with floral-patterned pillows that mirror the floral-patterned rug. The room features natural wood paneling, while the curtains around the window feature a William Morris-esque botanical pattern.

This is pulled through the kitchen set, clad in earth tones. There are literal references to nature in the brightly colored summer vegetables, as well as an abundance of floral motifs. It is on mugs, the rice cooker, and the stained glass pendant lights that hang over the sink. The kitchen island where she chops her vegetables features an orange-yellow checkered pattern with rose-patterned accent squares. She uses a floral furoshiki to wrap the bento boxes.

Then there is that light that shines through the windows, often backlighting Yukika's activities. In the context of the video, the light serves a dual purpose, simultaneously evoking the summer season and acting as a cheat. It brings the outside inside and, in doing so, supplies an important narrative element: the weather. Yukika prepares a bento box because, according to the bright light, the skies are fair. Summer weather is fickle, and as if conjured by the references in the lyrics to "a cloud spreading in violet", the light changes. It dims as the rain begins to fall, tinting the scene blue, which is mirrored in the third room. Gone are the warm earth tones, and instead, the room where Yukika sits alone eating her bento box is similarly awash in cooler blue tones.

The video does not end on such a dour note. Just as before, the light changes as the sun returns and its rays shine through the window. Although she is not shown setting out to meet her crush, the question of whether she ever will is left open-ended. While she may never, there is no indication that she may not also be willing to try again another day.

This brings it more in line with traditional summer video, which, as they complete their full cycle from day to night, does not end with any sense of finality. There are no falling leaves, cold gusts of wind, or any other indications that the end of summer is near. There could be a day just like it tomorrow, or even right now. All you have to do is hit that play button, and the summer day starts all over again.

[mjohnso]

Periodic Rookie Groups Report No. 25

Periodic Rookie Group Reports are a series of biannual reports that seek to put a number to how many rookie groups debut and make comebacks in a given year. For Report No. 25, I covered the activity of ‘24 rookie groups and the number of rookie groups that debuted in the first half of 2025.

2024 Rookies Of the 83 groups that debuted in 2024, ten groups — 2 boy groups and 8 girl groups—disbanded, seven of which had debuted under the banner of the Future Idol Asia project. They are as follows:

Bluebell, Crystal, Flora, Heimish, Ivory, Pearlys, and Orbis: Earlier this year, OGAM Entertainment posted a series of music videos to their YouTube channel for groups named Ruby, Bellany, Seraph, Opal, and Last Jam. While all bore the logo of the Future Idol Asia project across the top, technically, none of these groups had officially “debuted” in the usual sense. Typically, a new Future Idol Asia group’s debut is announced via a teaser image and video, followed by the full video a few days later. In the case of these groups, however, their debuts had neither been announced nor teased. The only way a person would have even been aware of these groups is if they had watched the stream of the 2024 Future Idol Asia showcase, the only place they ever appeared. For a moment, these videos made me reconsider my previous declaration that the Future Idol Asia project was over and its girl groups (January '24, February '24, March '24, and June '24) inactive. However, I now believe they merely buttress my statement. This was less a sign of life than a photo dump, someone cleaning out a folder. I surmise that these videos were filmed last year with the intention of them being rolled out, post-showcase, in the second half of the year, before the decision was made—for reasons still unclear—to sunset the project and thereby disband the groups.

CELEST1A: Birdman announced in an X post on November 1, 2024, that following discussions with the boy group's  (July '24) members regarding their future activities, they had made the mutual decision to disband the group.

NND (Night N Day): On February 27th, 2025, WAY BETTER announced on X that YoungJun, who was one half of the male duo (March ’24), had signed on as a DJ and producer with their company, effectively disbanding them on a technicality. As a duo, the departure of one member renders the group a solo act, and consequently, outside the purview of these Reports.

Subtracting these ten disbandments brings the total number of active rookie groups to 73 groups— 29 boy groups, 39 girl groups, and 5 co-ed groups. Of these 73 groups, 55% or 40 groups released new music at least once between January and June of this year, with 18% or 13 groups doing so more than once.

For comparison, in 2024, 65% of groups that debuted the previous year made a comeback in the first half of the year, while in 2023, 52% of groups did.

2024 Rookie Group Comebacks & Releases - January -June

Note: Releases marked with an asterisk (*) indicate an additional release from a group following their initial release January 07 CREZL - “Hakuna Matata” (Single) 08 WAKER - “Always Be There” (Single) 10 VVUP - “4 Life” (Single) 15 KJRGL - “Generation_Cloud” (Single) 15 ODD YOUTH - “Best Friendz (English Ver.)” (Single) 22 NCT Wish - “Miracle” (Single)

February 03 Angel Noise - “White Letter” (Single) 04 ALL(H)OURS - Smoke Point (Mini Album) 05 RESCENE - Glow Up (Mini Album) 07 MADEIN - “Saturn” (Pre-Release Single) 10 Big Ocean - “Bright” (Single) 14 I:mond - Under My (Mini Album) 14 MADEIN - “Love, Afraid” (Single)* 17 RESCENE - “Glow Up (English Version)” (Single)* 18 ARrC - nu kidz: out of the box (Mini Album) 26 UN1CON - “Jump” (Single) 28 NOMAD - “Carnival” (Single)

March 06 GENBLUE - Act Like That (Mini Album) 10 ILLIT - “Almond Chocolate (Korean Ver.)” (Single) 13 AEONIT - “Endless Dream” (Single) 13 SAY MY NAME - My Name Is… (Mini Album) 18 Candy Shop - “Tip Toe” (Single) 19 Dragon Pony - Not Out (Mini Album) 19 KJRGL - “So_Fine?” (Single)* 25 NCT Wish - “Make You Shine” (Single)* 29 13Found - “TBH” (Single) 31 izna - “Sign” (Single)

April 04 ARTMS - Burn (Mini Album) 04 NCT Wish - poppop (Mini Album)* 15 ODD YOUTH - I Like You (Mini Album)* 15 UNIS - Swicy (Mini Album) 17 TIOT - Flex Line (Mini Album) 20 Big Ocean - Underwater (Mini Album)* 21 TWS - TRY WITH US (Mini Album) 23 KJRGL - Cloud_Six (Mini Album)* 25 A20 MAY - “Boss” (Single) 25 LOVEONE - “Drama Queen” (Single) 27 KYSB - “Wish” (Single) 30 ANODE - “Keep It Raw feat. Moon Sua of Billlie” (Single) 30 KATSEYE - “Gnarly” (Single)

May 12 MEOVV - MY EYES OPEN VVIDE (Mini Album) 26 CATtRIEVER - "Drive" (Single)

June 01 TMC - “Blue Rose” (Single) 02 CREZL - “Lady Marmalade” (Single)* 02 KJRGL - “S/T/A/Y (Welcome Back DIEN version)” (Single)* 07 UNIS - “See you in my dream” (Single)* 09 izna - “BEEP” (Single)* 11 DAYCHILD - “Click Clack” (Single) 13 ARTMS - Club Icarus (Mini Album)* 16 Dignity - “SWEET2TH” (Single) 16 ILLIT - Bomb (Mini Album)* 17 NOWZ - “Fly to the youth feat. YUQI” (Single) 18 SAY MY NAME - “L.O.V.E (Romantic)” (Single)* 20 VVUP - “Giddy Boy” (Single)* 21 Gen1es - “Vroom” (Single) 26 JAESSBEE - “My Summer Manual” (Single) 27 KATSEYE - BEAUTIFUL CHAOS (Mini Album)*

2025 Rookies Between January and June of this year, 39 groups—15 boy groups,19 girl groups, 5 co-ed groups—debuted. Although this is a decline in comparison to the last three years, it is a somewhat unfair comparison. Since 2020, debut numbers have been skewed due to the Future Idol Asia project, which debuted multiple groups a year, thus inflating numbers.

The impact of the project's conclusion and the absence of Future Idol Asia groups on rookie group debut totals remains uncertain, but is something to keep an eye on in the second half of the year.

Methodology: https://blog.mjohnso.com/methodology

[mjohnso]

Vibe Check

The pizza box from “Peek-A-Boo”. The rain boots from “Umpah Umpah” and the ballet slippers of “Feel My Rhythm”. A parrot from “Happiness”. The trailer, “Love is COSMIC” for Cosmic, Red Velvet’s 10th-anniversary mini-album, is full of such mile-markers and references to their previous eras. As a result, the trailer feels like a scrapbook of their journey over the last ten years, showing where the group has been while also hinting at their future—literally. At the video's conclusion, the members stand in front of a door emanating a column of light—another callback. This time, it is a concept photo from Red Velvet's Red Summer album, where the members stand hand in hand before a door emitting a red light. Much as this light hints at their follow-up release with Perfect Velvet, the light in the trailer engulfs the members, transporting them to the green fields of “Cosmic”.

While this trailer may reflect the group's journey from their debut to the present, the same cannot be said for the music video and the members' ideas or suggestions. According to Joy, who responded to a fan on Bubble when asked for her reaction to the “Cosmic” video, she said, “They didn't listen to us at all and just told us to wait, but none of the requested changes were made.”

We expect this from new or less successful groups, not industry veterans. Because of their experience and stature in the industry, as well as their renegotiation of contracts for more favorable terms, they should have at least some say over the direction of their career and musical output. At the very least, they should be able to give input on an anniversary release meant to celebrate their decade of hard work. However, as Joy's comment reveals, this is not the case.

This goes a long way to explain the industry's image problem. That is, even as the Fair Trade Commission and National Assembly have passed more regulations and laws concerning the industry, especially in the last decade, the industry's reputation has remained unchanged.

To illustrate my point, consider contracts. The term 'slave contract', infamously used by Lee Eun-mi during a 2001 episode of MBC's Editorial Magazine 2580 and a contributing factor to a boycott and multiple lawsuits, is still bandied about today. Yet when Lee used the term, there were few, if any, regulations governing contracts. Conversely, today, the opposite is true. In July 2009, the Fair Trade Commission introduced a standard contract for idols that established payment terms, stipulated that idols have some input over their activities, and notably included a clause capping contracts at seven years. With the passage in 2014 of the landmark legislation, the Pop Culture Arts and Industry Development Act, these terms were further refined, strengthening protections for minors. The Act provides protection for minors from sexualization, limits working hours for minors of at least 15 years of age to no more than 40 hours a week, and guarantees the right to education, rest, and sleep.

These terms were again modified to strengthen these protections with the passage of an amendment to the aforementioned Act. Colloquially referred to as the Lee Seung-gi Crisis Prevention Act, the law requires that at least once a year or whenever an artist requests, entertainment agencies must provide settlement earning details. In addition, it also included additional rules regarding the schedules of minors, further circumscribing their working hours. To be specific:

...entertainers under the age of 12 are allowed up to 25 hours a week, up to 6 hours a day. Those aged 12 to 15 are allowed 30 hours a week, while those above the age of 15 can work 35 hours a week, both age groups are limited to 7 hours a day. In addition, the act prohibits any infringement of underage entertainers' rights to education by forcing them to be absent from or drop out of school, per Yonhap.” (Source)

This is a mostly surface-level accounting of every revision and change that contracts have undergone since 2009, and it does not even touch on the issue of trainee contracts. However, the point is clear. For years, contracts have been revised and changed to make them, to borrow the words of the Pop Culture Industry Standards Act, more equal and fairer, even if it does not feel that way.

It is certainly not talked about that way, although that is less a failure of language and more about the absence of a vibe shift. For all the changes enacted, it does not feel like anything significant has changed. This is because none of the discussed reforms go far enough to correct the power differential between idols, the agency, and the larger industry. It is one thing to say that an idol has the right to sleep or have a right to have a say in the direction of their career and another to empower them to exercise these rights since doing so could put them at risk of being replaced by any of the other thousands of aspiring idols who would agree to exchange compliance for a chance. Indeed, an idol’s willingness to accept precarious working conditions and their choice not to push for regulations or rights they are entitled to may be seen as proof of how much they want this, a demonstration of their commitment to their dream.

Fixing this would require more than legislation. It would require reconstituting the industry from the ground up, a task unlikely to be undertaken anytime soon by the powerholders who benefit from the status quo. On occasion, though, we get a glimpse of what this alternative world could look like, particularly when idols file lawsuits to assert their rights or exit bad or unfair contracts. It is less the lawsuit itself, which will never be a vehicle for radical change within the industry, given its limited focus and impact, than the act itself. In doing so, idols attempt to claw back some power for themselves.

[mjohnso]

Long Live K-Pop In Japan

The Korea JoongAng Daily headline, “J-pop slowly dies as K-pop takes its place,” has not aged well. The accompanying article published in 2022 intoned on all the ways that the Japanese market failed to adapt to a changing world, too slow to transition to social media and digital, as CDs became passé. Meanwhile, k-pop “had never been more successful around the world,” including in Japan, where, due to its years of brand-building, it was able to claim a share of the market for itself (“the Oricon Chart is home territory to Korean acts,” crows this same article.)

And yet, despite the bullishness of that article, k-pop’s winning streak in Japan has not lasted. According to an article by Kim Jae-heun published in The Korea Herald earlier this year in 2024, “Japan, one of K-pop’s top three export markets alongside the US and China, recorded a sharp decline in demand. The export value to Japan dropped 24.7 percent to 130.3 billion won in 2023.” This decrease is reflected in the annual year-end charts as well. While in 2023, k-pop groups took six of the top 10 spots on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums charts, in 2024, their share shrank to three.

This post will not explain or speculate why k-pop exports have declined in Japan; that is already well-covered by other outlets, including the articles linked above. Instead, my intent here is less to explain the slump than to trouble this framing. These numbers indicate that k-pop in Japan is in “crisis” or “decline,” a fair assessment to make, but one based on incomplete information. Numbers alone can never provide a complete picture of the state of k-pop in Japan.

History bears this out. Between 2012 and 2013, amid hallyu’s waning novelty, anti-hallyu sentiment, and heightened political tension between Korea and Japan, k-pop’s sales numbers—and reputation—slipped. A 2012 article in the Japanese newspaper Asahi reported that based on data from the Oricon charts, “the average debut album sales of a K-pop artist also declined from 37,000 in 2011 to 18,000 in 2012”. This same report quoted an anonymous representative from a record label lamenting, “Because they do not attract new fans anymore, we are having a hard time selling CDs. We are worried about the rookie K-pop group we are working with. I hope they make it to the next year.”  Even former k-pop powerhouses were not immune from the downturn. In comparison to their previous sales numbers, both groups, KARA and SNSD, saw a dip in sales when they released their November 2012 albums Girls Forever and Girls & Peace, as recounted in a December 2012 Time Out Tokyo article:

Kara's Girls Forever entered the charts at number 2 and swiftly nosedived towards the lower reaches of the Top 20, while Girls' Generation II: Girls & Peace comes in the wake of the group's lowest performing single to date (it was called 'Flower Power', in case you missed it – apparently the Nayutawave Records promotional department did too.

Due to this downturn, many major agencies pivoted, shifting their focus from the Japanese market, which had an unintentional effect. Specifically, without these groups pulling focus, a light was shined on an under-recognized subset of k-pop in Japan, populated by groups like Tahiti, BIGFLO, Pungdeng-e, and High4, who struggled to gain traction in Korea. These groups signed not with major labels but to what I have previously described as "boutique k-pop labels," most of which had been founded to capitalize on the hallyu wave. Their sales numbers are unimpressive, although that is not generally where they concentrate their efforts. Instead mimicking the model pioneered by indie and underground idols in Japan, these groups held small, intimate events at both k-pop-specific venues like K-Stage O!, FC Live Osaka Hall and FC Live Tokyo Hall, as well as spaces also utilized by j-pop indie groups, including event spaces at Tower Records, malls, and department stores.

In the ensuing years, this subset of k-pop in Japan has neither disappeared nor shrunk as much as evolved. Much of the scene is still composed of low and mid-tier groups, some of which primarily promote in Japan, but with the addition of a new group—idols from groups once big in Japan, like KARA. Although the group paused group activities in 2016, the members still maintain fan clubs and have held annual individual fan meetings in the country. Seungyeon and Jiyoung are both signed to two of the aforementioned "boutique k-pop labels," alongside groups that were not even around during their own heyday. Moreover, the label Seungyeon is signed to, HUB Japan, in addition to organizing fanmeets for groups like RESCENE and ONE PACT has also organized KARA's 6th Japanese tour, KARASIA: Magical World, to be held this July.

Although these older idols may boast more impressive résumés than the other groups also signed to these smaller labels, they both share the same “infrastructure.” For example, just in May TI-MA Japan, which bills itself as a 'k-pop artist management, fan club management and live concert planning company', organized fan meetings for second-generation idols like TEEN TOP’s Niel, BOYFRIEND and UKISS’ Kevin Woo, Hoon and Kiseop, as well as fourth-generation groups including NINE.i, and ABlue. All in-person events were held at one of three venues, including FC Live Tokyo Hall and TIAT Sky Hall.

'Celebrity management/Korean style concert planning and production/exhibition and event business’, Whoop Japan, is similarly agnostic about the groups they work with. They organized Japan fan meetings for Apink, their subunit Chobom, and Jeong Eun Ji, as well as for groups like Drippin, The Boyz, and Weeekly.

Admission to these performances is sometimes tied to an album release, whereby a ticket is bundled with a physical album. Most of the time, ticketing is straightforward. To attend, a prospective attendee simply needs to purchase a ticket—no album bulk buying is necessary. Although this means a group sacrifices, potentially boosting their album sales, it may not make a difference. Most of the venues where these groups perform have a capacity of 250 seats or less.

Neither of these is a flaw. Far from it, they are the keystone of its appeal for both rookie and lesser-known groups, as well as legacy groups and idols. In the case of the former, the space provides them a refuge from the more hypercompetitive domestic market, allowing them to build their own small but dedicated fan base. Similarly, for legacy groups and idols with existing fans, it offers the opportunity to engage with their fans, many of whom have grown up alongside them, on an intimate level.

While such events may not show in export numbers or dollars earned or spent, they should not be discounted. If anything, they should be considered part of the larger picture of the Japanese market, proof of life in a market that contradicts the image of a market in decline.

(Header source)

[mjohnso]

Co-Opting Trainees' Dreams

Note: I published this post in May 2016, and due to a quirk on Tumblr’s part, it disappeared from this blog’s archives. I am republishing it because while the examples may be dated, my main point remains timely. Despite limited changes meant to improve the trainee experience, it continues to be difficult, precarious, and excessively stressful, which the industry justifies using what I term “dream rhetoric.” As this unfortunate reality will not dramatically change soon, it is worth revisiting the post below.

Yoon Jong Shin has never been a trainee, but he knows what it is like to be one. It is, according to his 2015 song, “The Trainee” which is sung by MYSTIC89 trainee Y.E.T, and its music video, difficult, frustrating, and often lonely. Those who are training struggle with feelings of doubt, questioning whether all of the effort and sacrifice is even worth it, especially given that neither debuting nor success is guaranteed. Consequently, this leads many to consider giving up and returning to a more “normal” life. However, it has been attested to by the continual steady stream of new groups — 34 in the first half of this year alone — they do not. This is because they, so the story goes, have a dream.

This “dream” is the linchpin of this narrative as it softens it, not necessarily downplaying negative aspects as much as reframing them. And so, under the dream rhetoric, trainees are not merely engaged in a grueling and harsh process that only benefits entertainment agencies but is actually principally for themselves. Likewise, entertainment agencies are cast in the guise of benevolent, if not magnanimous, benefactors helping trainees achieve their dreams. Furthermore, their training, while difficult, is necessary to increase the odds that the trainees will succeed post-debut in an industry as crowded and tough as k-pop.

Given this flattering image of entertainment agencies, it is not surprising that the dream narrative has become both the party line that is actively pushed. It can be seen in the theme for SBS’ reality competition show, K-Pop Star, which is BoA’s “One Dream feat. Super Junior-M’s Henry and SHINee’s Key.” Although the basic premise of this show is aspiring singers competing to join one of the three entertainment agencies, this is not a typical competition show. This show has loftier ideals as the lyrics of BoA’s remind viewers. The lyrics are all about giving singers who have struggled and gone through hard times a chance — “They look at me with expectant eyes/The light that shines on me is bright/My desperate dreams are now in front of my eyes” — to achieve their dreams — “To me, there is only One voice (One voice)/One dream (One dream), One chance (One chance).” Dreams, specifically those of the 101 unpaid trainees who competed for a spot in an 11-member project girl group, were also a major part of the marketing surrounding Mnet’s reality competition show, Produce 101, which aired earlier this year. For example, in the lead-up to the show, Mnet released a promotional video titled “Girls’ Dream!” Set to a sad piano instrumental, the video features shots of the contestants, often alone, dancing or looking pensive in practice rooms, intermixed with footage of participants discussing their training. They—all of whom are in the minority among the participants, having trained for at least four years, while most had trained for two or less—tearfully recount their struggles and working towards a debut that never seems to get any closer.

Still from Mnet’s Produce 101’s “Girls’ Dream!” (2016)

Lest it come off as too depressing, dragging down audiences instead of hyping them up for the show as it was intended, though, the video ends on a more upbeat note. True, they had struggled, but they were not doing it in vain. As the end indicates, where a voice off camera asks one of the participants, “Why do you want to do this? " It is, as the participant says, “Because…I have a dream.”

Of course, as covered in another post, due to its very design, Produce 101 was never going to give all of the participating trainees a fair chance at their dream. There were only so many minutes in an episode, and just too many trainees. Although it did not necessarily have to; merely giving trainees the illusion of the opportunity was enough. It was always up to the trainees themselves to seize this chance and work hard, which, as the dream narrative says, is how goals are achieved.

This is the flip side of the dream rhetoric. In reframing entertainment agencies as those that provide the means to achieve dreams, the burden of making them happen is placed upon the shoulders of each trainee. Although they are told they share the same dream as others, their struggle is not a collective one, but portrayed as being theirs and theirs alone. This encourages trainees to view issues like dieting, long hours, and years of training not as evidence of a toxic work culture but as personal problems to overcome. If they cannot handle the stress or fail to make it to debut, the problem is not the system; it’s them. In essence, this lets entertainment agencies off the hook regarding trainees’ working conditions. After all, if trainees view their struggles as personal, they are less likely to band together to demand better treatment, especially if they feel it would jeopardize their chances of a debut. And it is also not as if the process of becoming an idol has ever been shown to be anything but long and arduous. The industry is often more than willing to own up to that fact, but not to change it.

[mjohnso]

UNDER15, a Response in 5 Parts

1. Imagine a diptych. On one side, this quote, regarding promotional materials for the show :

“The designer is a female in her 30s. We thought of this (audition show) set as a school. We thought they were here to receive training from good teachers. The concept (for the content) was a student ID. It's an image that comes up immediately when you search on Google. Modern student ID cards include barcodes and birthdates, but we couldn't include birthdates. So, we only included ages instead," she further explained.” (Bolded emphasis mine) — "Controversial 'UNDER15' pleads for broadcast despite child sexualization claims" - The Korea Times (March 25, 2025)

2. On the other side of the diptych, this quote:

“…many parents highlight the importance of "educational support" for their children from a young age. The "support" includes: sending their children to proper training programs and finding good agencies; discovering their children's talent at a young age; and taking care of their children's media schedules as a manager-and-mother. However, these parenting practices occlude children's labor and exploitative conditions common in the child media industry.” —Jin Lee, Tama Leaver, & Crystal Abidin -"Child idols in South Korea and beyond: Manufacturing young stars at the intersection of the K-pop and influencer industries" - New Media & Society (November 23, 2024)

3. UNDER15 was not the first survival show to co-opt the language of education to soften the competitive aspect of the show. Mnet's 2017 survival show Idol School, which also featured participants as young as 12 and like UNDER15 was accused of sexualizing minors, did something similar. Unlike the harshness of Mnet's Produce franchise with its pyramid motif highlighting the show's divisive hierarchy, Idol School positioned itself in an early recruitment advertisement as less a competition than an "education process". Participants were referred to as 'students', trainers were described as "teachers", and sets mimicked real classrooms. Challenges were referred to as exams, while the winning participants did not win so much as "graduate".

4.

— From "[Worldwide Recruitment] Mnet IDOL School 'We are recruiting Beautiful Freshmen.'"

"More contestants talked about the harsh conditions that the contestants experienced while filming, without revealing their identities. “There were girls there who were just 12 years old,” said one trainee. “They’re still growing so don’t they have to eat? They’d cry because they weren’t given food. My head hurt and I’d think, ‘What kind of filming set is this?’ There was one point in the middle when some people broke a window and escaped. They were so stressed out from being locked inside that they broke the screen and glass and escaped.” A trainee also said, “We were always indoors, so we had no idea whether it was daytime or nighttime. We’d go get ready when they told us to, eat when they told us to, sleep when they told us to, and get up when they told us to.” —“Idol School" Contestants Talk About Poor Filming Conditions And Effect On Health” - Soompi (October 15, 2019)

5. This language not only softens; it obscures. To borrow from #2, much as "parenting practices occlude children's labor and exploitative conditions common in the child media industry," so too does using language associated with education reframe the role of the survival show. They are not exploiting but helping. If things are difficult or conditions are poor, even when directly caused by production staff or the very nature of the survival show, that is part of the process. Enduring hardships or learning to work through them becomes a test meant to prepare them for the arduous path to debut and the rigorous nature of an idol career. In other words, it is for their own good, or at least that is what the industry wants them to believe.

[mjohnso]

Quick Take: Woo Yerin - “Red Rose”

Woo Yerin's recent “Red Rose” music show stages have been bare bones. There is no elaborate floral set dressing, and besides that one Inkigayo performance, no flowers decorate her keyboard or microphone stand. She rarely wears or accessorizes with roses beyond subtle callbacks through color as evident with her red dress. Except for the occasional backing band like for her February 8th performance on Show! Music Core and February 21st performance on Music Bank, she has no backup dancers. In fact, she does not dance beyond some swaying and gestures. Mostly, she stands next to her keyboard, turning to play it intermittently throughout her performance.

The stages' plainness comes as no surprise. Woo Yerin is not (yet) a star, and this is not a comeback as much as it is a reversal. When she initially released the song in May 2023, and then again as part of her second mini-album Day: RUNNING GREEN IN THE CLOTHES OF THE WIND in May 2024, the song was not an immediate success. Instead, its popularity has been building organically. According to comments on the “Red Rose” music video and the performances, some first discovered the song when the YouTube algorithm surfaced the music video in their recommendations and auto-generated playlists. Others found the song because a BJ or VTuber recommended the song or covered the song for a video. Eventually, this interest built up enough to propel her to music shows eight months after the song's release.

Virality is a tricky thing; it does not come with any guarantee of future success. In the case of Yerin though, she has a few things going for her that may help this be more than a fluke. For one, she has been releasing music since 2018 and has an extensive back-catalog of songs, from various genres including pop, funk, and folk. That could help convert curious listeners, especially if they are willing to look beyond the algorithm and auto-generated playlists and take a look for themselves.

*Here is my bonus mood board for how Woo Yerin's stages and styling could have been handled given the red rose motif in her song:

Davichi - "Turtle" (Performance on MBC Music Bank (April 13, 2013))

IU - "Lilac" (Performance at 2021 Melon Music Awards)

Lee Hi - "Rose" (Performance on SBS Inkigayo (April 28, 2013))

Song Ji Eun (SECRET) - "False Hope" (Performance at SBS Inkigayo (October 6, 2013))

Baek A Yeon - "Looking For Love" (Performance at Mnet M! Countdown (June 18, 2020))

JUNIEL - "illa illa" (Performance at SBS Inkigayo (July 1, 2012))

Song So Hee - "Spring Day" (Performance at KBS Immortal Songs 2" (November 14, 2020))

[mjohnso]

Quarterly Debut Review: Q4 2024

Quarterly Debut Reviews are a supplementary series to my biannual Periodic Rookie Group Reports, which are published quarterly. Each installment covers three rookie groups that debuted over the past three months. For the eighth installment, I covered ANGEL NOISE (October), izna (November), and T:EV (December).

As always, a full list of rookie groups that debuted in 2024 is available here: 2024 Rookie Groups Debuts

October / ANGEL NOISE Debut: October 1, 2024 Debut Song: "TOY TOY"

It is not clear how, in the video for their debut single, the chibi versions of the Angel Noise members Haena and Kepi end up in an alternate world, only that one second Haena is sitting on her bed texting and next she, dressed in a magical girl-esque battle costume, is dropped in front of a row of claw machines. At first, it looks like the claw machines are full of toy dolls until it is revealed in a horror-style twist, softened by the animation style and color palette, that they are real people who have been turned into dolls.

This is not the work of any mad scientist but a byproduct of their actions (and a function of a clumsy metaphor). Dolls are what people turn into when they chase trends, emulating and buying what they see everyone else doing. This fate could have befallen members had they chosen to conform, but they do not. Instead, Kepi pushes over one of the dolls, being supported by a doll stand, dancing in their place as Haena sings, “Hey mama mama, I'm not a toy/Oh ma oh ma oh mama I'm not a doll/hey mamama I'm not a toy”.

Angel Noise is not the first group to utilize the doll concept this way or even for this metaphor, but their use does have a particular resonance given its timing. Between the Hybe-New Jeans situation and the KG-JYP Entertainment situation, the industry has been in the midst of a reckoning regarding control and power differentials. Whereas labels expect idols to behave as dolls that they can act upon in exchange for the fulfillment of their dream and success, idols are increasingly questioning the cost of this arrangement and fighting for an alternative.

That is another way to read Angel Noise's declaration that they are 'not a doll'. Not only as a commitment to maintaining their own identity and color but also a refusal to yield to the status quo.

November / izna Debut Date: November 25, 2024 Debut Song: "IZNA"

In theory, Mnet's Produce franchise is dead, but in reality, five years after the scandal, Mnet continues to benefit from the show. In the early seasons of Produce, Mnet sold agencies and participants on the line that even if they were eliminated or not among the winning group, they would still receive a consolation prize: "exposure." This, however, was quickly exposed as an untruth, as most participants who did not win did not springboard to success, although by the time that came into focus, it no longer mattered. They have a track record of successful groups like izna created out of survival shows whose origins offer the tempting possibility that that could be you.

That was more or less the message of one of their audition announcement videos for the second season of Mnet's survival show, I-LAND2: N/A, which aired from April to July 2024. After opening with an orange ellipsoid shape, upon which scenes of ENHYPEN, the winning group from the first episode of I-LAND, are shown, a cube containing that same ellipsoid comes into focus against a sparkly pink mountainscape. "GROUNDBREAKING ADVENTURE BEGINS" and “Ready to be the biggest K-pop girl group of 2024?” flash on the screen quickly. Then the final call to action: as the background fades to black, below the white cube and ellipsoid, reads "Join us now" with the website for the audition application.

This is a compelling sell and accounts for why survival shows have, for better or worse, been able to find participants. Despite revelations about the conditions and treatment of contestants (including on this season of I-LAND) in an industry where success often hinges on chance and survival shows offer the promise of a concrete debut to those who make it to the final group, why not audition? Much like with their initial promises of exposure, there is always the chance that you could be the one to make it through the audition to the show itself and eventually the group. For the more than 20,000 applicants, who Mnet said applied, that is more than enough.

December / T:EV Debut Date: December 5, 2024 Debut Song: "Summer Day Story"

Congratulations, T:EV !

You were one of the final groups to debut in 2024, a year that, despite early signs that things may be improving for boy groups whose debut numbers had declined, ultimately did not. In comparison to the previous year, where boy groups had increased for the first time in three years, they once again dipped, even as girl group totals remained mostly steady.

But don’t worry, T:EV; it is nothing you or any other boy group did. Instead, the issue is, at least in part, systemic. As I noted in a previous post, agencies have struggled to attract trainees, especially males.  According to Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA)’s 2023 Pop Culture & Arts Industry Survey, which surveyed 2,753 agencies, the number of trainees affiliated with agencies has decreased since 2014. In fact, between 2020 and 2022, numbers dropped from 1,895 to 1,170. This decline has been particularly significant among male trainees, who not only accounted for a smaller number of trainees (512 male trainees versus 659 female trainees) but experienced a greater decline than their female counterparts.   

The 2023 Pop Culture & Arts Industry Survey attributes the decline in trainees to rising costs. Even if a label employs the break-even method where trainees pay back the money for their training costs through their post-debut earnings, agencies still must lay out the money initially. Taking on trainees then becomes a matter of cost-benefit analysis, with agencies weighing whether increasing their roster or cutting trainees makes the most sense for their bottom line.

Even if their analysis comes out on the side of increasing their roster of trainees though, agencies would have a tough time finding them, particularly male trainees. According to a July 2024 Korea Herald article,

"K-pop agencies report difficulties in finding male trainees, both in quantity and quality, as many young men now prefer to become influencers or YouTubers, which potentially offer greater profit and more freedom."

This same article quotes an official from a music label who notes that "been about two to three years that the number of male trainees has been reduced by more than 30 percent."

The obvious solution to this problem is not one that agencies will like or be willing to entertain. Still, it is necessary if they want to reverse this trend—improve the conditions and process of becoming and being an idol less terrible. To figure out how to do this, agencies should ask idols for their input, although I have a few ideas of where they could start: end the break-even repayment system; fairer profit sharing; and allow idols to have more control and input over their work.

[mjohnso]

Periodic Rookie Groups Report No. 24

Periodic Rookie Group Reports are a series of biannual reports that seek to put a number to how many rookie groups debut and make comebacks in a given year. For Report No. 24, I covered the activity of ‘23 rookie groups in the second half of 2024 and the total number of rookie groups that debuted in 2024.

2023 Rookies Of the 95 groups that debuted in 2023, 23 groups—six boy groups, 15 girl groups, one co-ed group, and one queer group—disbanded in 2024. Twelve of those groups debuted as part of Rainbow E&M’s idol incubator project Future Idol Asia, which explains why the project’s end has particularly affected girl group numbers. Of the 47 groups the project debuted during its run, 42 were girl groups.

I covered six of these groups that disbanded in the previous Rookie Report. The remaining 17 groups are covered below:

Eite: EVA Korea announced in an August 18, 2024 X post that the girl group (November '23) members had terminated their contracts and planned to pursue individual activities.

LIMELIGHT: The girl group (February '23) disbanded after the three members re-debuted as part of the girl group MADEIN in September 2024.

Qi.X: The queer group (March '23) announced in a September Instagram post that they would disband following the release of their farewell single "Dear".

UpToYou: Formed through AfreecaTV (now, known as SOOP) survival show U2U: Up To You 2, the girl group (January ’23/August '23) disbanded following the release of their single, "Crush On You".

ONEST: Formed by students from the K-pop Department at Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts, the girl group (January '23) disbanded following the members' graduation from the college in February 2023.

APACE, Ascension, Blossom, Cherish, Clair, Closer, Delight, Lucid, Peony, Redplum, Stay, and Winsome: A label letting their website's registration lapse is not in itself proof that they are defunct, but in the case of Rainbow E&M, who used their website to recruit participants for the Future Idol project, its disappearance does not bode well. This is especially true when coupled with the fact that Rainbow E&M abruptly stopped debuting new groups under the Future Idol banner in June, following a showcase that seemed rushed and has not updated their Instagram since September. Taken together, it points to a project, and the Future Idol groups, that have run their course.

Factoring in these 23 groups brings the number of groups that debuted in 2023 and were still active in 2024 to 72 groups: 31 girl groups, and three co-ed groups. Of these 72 groups, 65%, or 47 groups released new music at least once this year, with 53%, or 38 groups making their first release between January and June and 12%, or nine groups doing so between July and December. 39% or 28 groups released music in the first and second half of the year.

For reference, 52% of groups that debuted in 2022 made a comeback the following year, while 72% of groups that debuted in 2021 made a comeback in 2022.

Korean Releases from ‘23 Rookie Groups: July - December 2024

Note: Releases marked with an asterisk (*) indicate an additional release from a group following their initial release

July 01 BABYMONSTER - “Forever” (Single)* 18 n.SSign - “Tiger” (Album Repackage)* 19 KAMBI - “Cream Soda” (Single) 26 AJAA - “BES I LUV U” (Single) 29 Hi-Fi Un!corn - “Left or Right” (Single)*

August 07 EVNNE - “Badder Love (MINDA Remixes)” (Single)* 08 Catch the Young - “Dream It” (Single)* 13 HORI7ON - “SUMAYAW SUMUNOD” (Single)* 14 LUN8 - Awakening (Mini Album)* 20 PLAVE - “Pump Up the Volume!” (Single)* 21 YOUNG POSSE - ATE THAT (Mini Album)* 23 Ikling - “Trip Go” (Single) 26 ADYA - “Rizz” (Single) 28 Hi-Fi Un!corn - Fantasia (Album)*

September 02 Loossemble - TTYL (Mini Album)* 04 RIIZE - RIIZING : Epilogue (Mini Album Repackage)* 06 xikers - HOUSE OF TRICKY : WATCH OUT (Mini Album)* 09 BOYNEXTDOOR - 19.99 (Album)* 10 ANTARES - “Counting Stars” (Single) 10 RuViche - “Red Love” (Single)* 10 xikers - “wichi (WITCH) (FURY VER.)” (Single)* 19 EVNNE - “TROUBLE (arcon Remix)” (Single)* 23 POW - “Sunset” (Single)* 23 QWER - Algorithm’s Blossom (Mini Album)* 25 XODIAC - Some Day (Mini Album)* 27 QI.X - “Dear.” (Single) 30 WHIB - “Rush of Joy” (Single)*

October 07 The Wind - Hello: My First Love (Mini Album)* 15 Kiss of Life - Lose Yourself (Mini Album)* 15 82Major - X-82 (Mini Album)* 18 ONE PACT - [falln] (Mini Album)* 18 Young Posse - Year 1 : We Still Loading (Mini Album)* 21 POW - Boyfriend (Mini Album)* 22 AMPERS&ONE - One Question (Mini Album)*

November 01 BABYMONSTER - Drip (Album)* 05 EVNNE - “Keshiki” (Single)* 10 Libelante -“Journey of Love” (Single) 11 8TURN - “You Are My Reason” (Single)* 14 Kandis - “Alice” (Single) 14 PRIMROSE - Steal Heart (Mini Album)* 18 A-Plus - “Error” (Single) 26 ZEROBASEONE - “Checkmate” (Single)*

December 09 SEVENUS - STAY TUNED (Mini Album)* 09 8TURN - “Like A Friend” (Single)* 12 X:IN - “Keeping the Fire (2024 Rock Ver.)” (Single)* 13 X:IN - “ACHA(%)” (Single)* 13 Young Posse - “Street Carol (with John Park)” (Single)* 24 ONE PACT - “Everyday X-Mas” (Single)* 30 n.SSign - “Love Potion” (Single)*

2024 Rookies In 2024, 83 groups—31 boy groups, 47 girl groups, and five co-ed groups—debuted, a 13% decrease compared to last year’s total. Both girl groups and co-ed groups saw a slight increase in new groups, with girl groups increasing by one group and co-ed groups increasing by one group. The same cannot be said for boy groups. Although their numbers increased for the first time in three years in 2023, boy groups saw a significant decline this year, dropping by 30%. This marks the third-year boy group numbers have decreased compared to the previous year. Additionally, it is the fifth consecutive year that more girl groups have debuted than boy groups, making last year's numbers seem more like an anomaly than a sign that things were changing. It seems far more likely that at least for a while, will be one where girl groups outnumber boy groups.

That goes for the groups of ‘non-traditional’ origins I wrote about in Rookie Report No. 21 and the previous Report. They accounted for a third of all groups that debuted this year, and even with the end of the Future Idol Asia project, I anticipate I will still be talking about them in 2025.

Miscellaneous stats:

April saw the most debuts with the debut of 14 new groups: six boy groups and eight girl groups.

For the first time ever, August saw the least amount of debuts with the debut of only two new groups.

For the fifth consecutive year, more girl groups debuted than boy groups.

Methodology: https://blog.mjohnso.com/methodology

[mjohnso]

Favorite K-Pop: 2024

Favorite Albums

ARTMS - DALL

Red Velvet - Cosmic

Oh My Girl - Dreamy Resonance

Twice - With YOU-th

VIVIZ - VOYAGE

Favorite Songs

KARA - "Hello"

ITZY - "Imaginary Friend"

aespa - "Supernova"

Yves - "Viola"

Nayeon - "ABCD"

Kiss of Life - "Midas Touch"

(G)I-DLE - fate

Chung Ha - "I'm Ready"

SISTAR19 - "No More (Ma Boy)”

EVERGLOW - "ZOMBIE"

Bibi - "Bam Yang Gang"

Gyeongree - "Cherry"

Moonbyul - "Think About"

(G)I-DLE - "Super Lady"

IU - "Shhh feat. HYEIN & JOE WON SUN”

Taemin - “Heaven”

Davichi – "Stitching"

Kim Boa - "Trick"

Kiss of Life - "Te Quiero"

Nicole - "5! 6! 7! 8!"

Favorite Rookies

ARTMS

Yves

RESCENE

Gyubin

Favorite Music Videos

Red Velvet -  “Cosmic” (Dir. 2hyein)

Red Velvet - “Love is COSMIC” Trailer (Dir. 2saurus)

Yves - "Viola" (Dir. EEHOSOO (cpbeq)

Kiss of Life - “Midas Touch” (Dir. DIGIPEDI)

BIBI - “Bam Yang Gang” (Dir. Beomijin aka Paranoid Paradigm)(VM Project Architecture)

(G)I-DLE - “Super Lady” (2024) (Dir. SAM SON / High Quality Fish)

Gyeongree - "Cherry" (Dir. Yena Kang (Latchkey Kids))

QWER - “Fake Idol” (Dir. Jooyeong Yun (EARTHLUK))