Celebrity

3rd gen idol groups constantly disband or go on hiatus, is it time for the 4th gen group to dominate Kpop?

Many groups have announced their disbandments, which are the remaining idols in the race of K-Pop 3rd generation?

The start of K-Pop’s 4th generation also means that many 3rd gen groups are entering the stage of preparing to wrap up a long journey. Besides the top groups of major entertainment agencies such as BTS, EXO, SEVENTEEN… that still stand out in the K-Pop race, many less popular groups have sadly disbanded and left fans with utter regret. 

Referring to the 3rd generation, K-Pop fans often think of the groups that have been making a leap in the international market, especially the US market. However, if this is considered an opportunity for the 4th generation idols to approach the global music industry, it is a challenge for the “older” 3rd generation groups.

At the moment, many groups of K-Pop 3rd generation are getting closer to the “7-year curse”. Some groups that have passed this milestone are still considering disbanding.

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Recently, the boy group 100% announced their disbandment just a few days after the group’s 9th debut anniversary. Nearly 10 years of being active in the idol industry, releasing many quality songs, but 100% still didn’t have enough luck to really make a strong impression on the public. Not to mention, in 2018, the leader of 100% – Minwoo suddenly passed away after suffering a heart attack, which made fans heartbroken.

Not only 100%, many 3rd gen groups have also decided to disband such as gugudan, HOTSHOT, GFRIEND… The reason most groups come to the decision to stop competing in the K-Pop race is usually that the groups couldn’t get a stable position in terms of reputation compared to other groups of the same time.

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But that’s not the only explanation. Sometimes a group has been on a sufficiently long journey together and there is quite an age gap between the members and the 4th generation idols, so they decide to disband to focus on their solo careers. It can also be due to conflicts with the management agencies and many other reasons.

The number of 3rd gen groups is decreasing, but that doesn’t mean the influence of 3rd gen idols are completely at risk. K-Pop is going through an important transition period between the 3rd and 4th generations when 3rd generation groups are starting to focus on individual activities. As for boy groups like EXO, VIXX, WINNER… the group activities are temporarily halted due to the members’ enlistments.

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Looking at the reality of K-Pop, many netizens believe that amid the rise of the 4th generation, the remaining 3rd generation groups of K-Pop in the future will mostly consist of groups from big companies whose popularity have been well established with solid careers like BTS, BLACKPINK, EXO, SEVENTEEN, Red Velvet

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BTS’s outstanding success is a pride, a goal but also the biggest challenge for the K-Pop’s 4th generation idols to be able to live up to their seniors

K-Pop’s 3rd generation will eventually wrap up with the powerful impact of its idol groups, giving way to the new generation. To everything, there is a season. More groups announce their disbandments also means that more groups will soon debut, start their journey and rise up to fame.

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