3rd Gen Girl Groups are “Fading”, from “Flopping TWICE” to “No-comeback” BLACKPINK
With TWICE making little impact with their releases and the low chance of BLACKPINK returning, 3rd gen girl groups are losing their relevance.
TWICE’s comeback with little impact
Recently, TWICE officially made a comeback with their 13th mini album, “YOU-th.” With the title track “One Spark,” the return of the 9 JYP girls was praised for its meticulousness and quality.
The music itself was pleasant to listen to and pretty appealing to the public. Yet, despite receiving positive responses from fans, “YOU-th” and “One Spark” still pale in comparison in terms of achievements, especially when TWICE returned at around the same time as digital music powerhouses like IU and LE SSERAFIM.
Before that, when dropping the pre-release single “I Got You,” TWICE’s achievements were also alarming. The girl group only disappeared from domestic charts but also experienced a decline in international achievements compared to their previous work, “Moonlight Sunrise.”
TWICE losing their momentum is no longer a day-by-day thing. Since “More & More,” TWICE has experienced a decline for 3 years, falling behind their “formidable opponent,” BLACKPINK.
On the other hand, all 9 members of TWICE renewed their contract in 2022, surprising and exciting fans. Maintaining a busy schedule like their early debut years, TWICE is currently the 3rd generation girl group that comes back the most.
However, the more projects they release, the more they “flop”, with later songs doing worse compared to older ones.
Once considered the nation’s top girl group whose songs easily conquer Korean charts, the lack of regard from the Korean public regarding TWICE is perplexing to many nowadays.
In fact, netizens believe that there are many reasons why the TWICE couldn’t maintain their appeal. The main reason is still the music direction and concept from JYP for the group, which fails to generate interest. TWICE’s recent projects are “too safe” and somewhat “outdated”, making them difficult to trend, and so only gains the attention of loyal fans instead of the public.
One of TWICE’s strengths is maintaining a large and loyal fan base. Their stable touring performance has set many revenue records. It seems that TWICE is taking a step back to the background, now no longer having to appeal to the public but only having to retain their fans via new releases and tours.
BLACKPINK’s Uncertain return date
From “rookie monsters,” BLACKPINK has spent 7 years convincingly as one of the most popular girl groups, if not the number one girl group in the world. With their global reputation and recognition, BLACKPINK has countless opportunities to “dominate” the music industry if they stick together.
In November 2023, YG announced the global girl group’s re-signing with promises of “blockbuster” projects in the future. But the situation changed when all 4 members did not re-sign individual contracts.
Jennie “fires the first shot” by announcing her personal label ODD ATELIER just before the new year of 2024. Sfter Jennie, Lisa caused a global sensation with her personal label, LLOUD.
Recently, Jisoo has also confirmed BLISSOO as the place to develop her solo career as a music artist and actress, leaving Rosé as the only one not yet announcing her own company. If Rosé also follow the trend, BLACKPINK will become the only group to dominate the entertainment scene with all members being CEOs.
Following BLACKPINK’s “independence”, fans are excited about the grand personal projects of the 4 girls. So far, Jennie is continuously participating in variety shows, rocks in her numerous fashion gigs, and is ready to release her first full album.
Meanwhile, Lisa has her first solo stage at a major international event and confirmed an acting role in a Hollywood project. Jisoo, on the other hand, is set to appear in two acting projects, while Rosé is teasing about her preparation for a solo album.
Amid all this, however, the prospect of a group comeback seems increasingly distant.
Even YG has to admit that it will be very difficult for the four girls to reunite this year. Despite being in their 8th year of activity, BLACKPINK’s music output is still scarce, to the point where you can count it on one hand. The group’s advantage lies in their mysterious concept and power. Each comeback has global breakthrough appeal. But currently, if the comeback period is prolonged, the risk of BLACKPINK being “overtaken” by the new generation of girl groups like NewJeans is entirely possible.
Is the 3rd generation of girl groups in decline?
Up to now, with the hottest 3rd generation names experiencing fluctuations and declining fame, it cannot be denied that the 3rd generation girl groups are on the decline.
A topic on Weibo has attracted considerable attention from Cnet, discussing the influence of 3rd generation girl groups through the situation of the two most influential groups of the generation – BLACKPINK and TWICE. Netizens are engaging in intense debates, but they can all conclude that if TWICE has passed its golden age, then BLACKPINK’s future as a group is uncertain.
Cnet’s comments:
- ONCE (TWICE fandom) may seem calm on the surface, but in reality, they have been closely monitoring and reevaluating their achievements.
- That group (BLACKPINK) already has 4 CEOs, what about your group?
- BLINKs happily comment as if BLACKPINK will make a comeback, oh, they forgot that the group might never come back?
- Whether BLACKPINK can make a comeback or not, if the four of them pursue solo careers, they can easily surpass TWICE.
- It’s a bit funny when they say BLACKPINK can’t come back, with four CEOs, one participating in variety shows, one recording new songs, one acting in movies, they are no longer employees like before. If they want to come back, they can do it anytime.
No matter how active the members are, as solo artists, BLACKPINK’s fame will also decline. This is clearly reflected in the Korean singer brand reputation chart for February 2024 (combining all male and female artists, solo and group). Despite continuous media coverage of their individual company formations, BLACKPINK’s ranking has dropped significantly to #16. Previously, the group was ranked #10 on the singer brand reputation chart for January.
Compared to male groups of the same generation, 3rd generation girl groups are ‘cooling down’. Besides BTS temporarily suspending activities due to military enlistment, SEVENTEEN is still conquering new milestones. In the singer brand reputation chart for February, the Pledis boy group also excelled in first place. With this situation, only BLACKPINK’s group comeback has the potential to rock the music industry.
Source: k14
