K-Pop

4 reasons why Gen 2 Kpop fans are jealous with later generations 

Kpop fans now enjoy many interesting contents, without knowing that they were relatively new additions.

Nowadays, Kpop fans are pretty accustomed to seeing their idols in gorgeous and pristine concepts, with intricate stage designs, and HD fancams. However, all of this didn’t exist back when gen 2 idols were actively promoting, as technology at the time left a lot to desire. 

bigbang-snsd
Compared to the 3rd and 4th generation, Gen 2 idols were at an obvious disadvantage. 

One most noticeable difference was the appearance of solo fancams. With better technology, Kpop performances nowadays are recorded with the most fancy cameras and a huge amount of filming equipment. In addition, they also have cameras dedicated to each and every member, and get a variety of videos other than the main stage, such as facecam (focused on the expression), fullcam (focused on the entire group), and relay dances.

Meanwhile, gen 2 idols didn’t even get any personal cameras. Their stage videos were often blurry, shaky, and in super low quality. However, they still attracted a large crowd and loud cheers can be heard across the screen. 

suzy
A rare HD fancam of idol-actor Suzy.
snsd-taeyeon
Taeyeon always slayed the stage… but there was barely any fancam of her.

Another distinction between the generations is the stage encore at weekly music shows. Nowadays, encore performances can easily be found with just a click of the mouse, but to hear the encore back in gen 2, fans would need to directly come to the program, with very little footage spreaded on the net. 

Next, there’s a stark difference between the concepts of gen 2 and later generations. Gen 3 and 4 idols are often given interesting concepts, with nicely-taken photos and beautiful clothes and makeup styles. In contrast, gen 2’s stages were filled with simple stage outfits that rarely cost a fortune, though some did manage to become a legend of Kpop. 

kpop-idols
Meanwhile, encores of 3rd and 4th gen idols are basically everywhere. 

Finally, gen 2 idols never got to collaborate with Western artists like nowadays, and struggle to get their names outside of Asia. Even then though, there were iconic hits that even today people listen to, with some remarkable ones being BIGBANG’s Haru Haru, T-ARA’s Roly Poy, Wonder Girls’ Nobody, SNSD’s I Got The Boy, Super Junior’s Sorry Sorry, or Miss A’s Bad Girl Good Girl. 

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Despite not having an out-of-this-world concept, Haru Haru still became a legendary Kpop song. 
2NE1
2NE1’s iconic outfits and hairstyles still have a lasting impression in this day and age. 
Simple yet elegant, Wonder Girl’s retro vibes in Nobody used to be all the rage. 
The nostalgic concept of T-ARA’s Roly Poly. 
IU
IU is among the most famous soloists of Kpop 2nd generation. 

A large number of Gen 2 idols are still pretty active in the Kpop industry. Compared to their hardships during debut, they now get to enjoy more modern technologies and conveniences, and are still as well-received as ever. 

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