Celebrity

The 1st and 2nd generation female idol groups of big K-pop entertainment companies that regrettably disbanded

These girl groups contributed to the golden era of K-pop. Unfortunately, they are no longer active. 

Top entertainment companies in Korea like YG, SM, JYP,… were responsible for launching the most successful 1st and 2nd generation girl groups that paved the way for their junior idols. However, despite their massive success, they have unfortunately all broken up.

kpop female groups

1. 2NE1

2NE1 is one of YG Entertainment‘s first girl groups. The success and impact that CL, Park Bom, Minzy, and Dara achieved as a group was legendary. In the peak of K-pop 2nd generation, 2NE1 was one of the top-tier groups, the owner of numerous hits that are still well-loved to this day. 

2NE1
2NE1 had an edgy concept when they first debuted. 

2NE1 immediately stood out when they debuted because of their unique concept. Not going for a bright and innocent concept that suits the taste of the Korean public, 2NE1 chose a fierce, bold style and with an unmistakable musicality. 

2NE1
2NE1 has a distinctive musicality in K-pop 

However, when 2NE1 was enjoying the heyday of their career, Park Bom got into a controversy. 2NE1’s promotions were negatively affected and the group had no comeback for a long time. 

In 2016, 2NE1 officially announced their disbandment in the regret of fans and the public alike. Currently, each member has gone on their separate paths. Dara is active as a variety star and model. CL continues to be a successful soloist. 

Dara

2. 4Minute

4Minute is Cube Entertainment‘s first girl group that was launched in 2009 with 5 members: Jihyun, Gayoon, Jiyoon, HyunA and Sohyun. 4Minute was among the most successful 2nd gen girl groups. They quickly rose to the top of 2nd gen idols with the release of smash hits such as Hot Issue, What’s Your Name?, Mirror, and Crazy.

4Minute
4Minute was an A-tier group of Kpop 2nd generation.

However, HyunA was so popular on her own that caused other members to be overshadowed and 4Minute to be labeled “HyunA and friends“. This also became the reason why 4Minute ended up disbanding. 

4Minute

In 2016, 4Minute officially announced to put an end to their promotions as a whole. The members all headed on separate journeys. HyunA extended her contract with Cube to develop her solo career and continued to reap great success. However, in 2018, HyunA had her contract terminated by Cube following her dating controversy with Dawn. After leaving Cube, she came under another company and is still doing well as a soloist. 

HyunA
HyunA has an outstanding solo career

3. Wonder Girls

Wonder Girls caused much regret when they decided to disband after 10 years. The group first debuted in 2007. Initially, HyunA was part of the Wonder Girls lineup but quickly left after only 5 months due to health reasons. After that, Yubin replaced HyunA and Wonder Girls continued with 5 members including Sunye, Yeeun, Sunmi, Sohee, and Yubin.

Wonder Girls
Wonder Girls in the early days

Tell Me, So Hot, Nobody are Wonder Girls’ most famous and iconic songs with addictive and viral melodies and dance. Together with 2NE1 and Girls’ Generation, Wonder Girls is one of the Top 3 Kpop girl groups of the 2nd generation. 

However, from 2009 to 2012, entering the US market did not bring the group much success as expected. After returning to Korea to resume their domestic activities, Wonder Girls did not have many promotions and officially disbanded in 2017, ending 10 years of activities. Currently, Sunmi is the member with the most prominent solo career among former Wonder Girls’ members. 

Sunmi
Sunmi is one of the top K-pop solo artists.

4. S.E.S

Debuting under K-pop’s second largest entertainment company SM Entertainment in 1997, SES consists of 3 members Sea (Bada), Eugene and Shoo. SES was SM‘s first girl group during the time girl groups were still unpopular. With their talents, the 3 girls made the group’s name known to many in Korea and other Asian countries. In their heyday, SES was known as the first girl group icon.

S.E.S
3 talented beautiful girls of SES 

After 5 years, the group announced its disbandment as each member of the group had their own direction. While Sea took the stage name Bada and continued her musical career, Eugene switched to acting and the other member, Shoo, developed a solo and acting career.

S.E.S
Currently, each member has their own family and career.

Currently, Eugene is the group’s most famous member when although more than 15 years have passed, her beauty is still as top-notch as in her idol days. Her recent leading role in the hit drama Penthouse drew much attention. 

Eugene
Eugene created a buzz in Penthouse with her beauty and good acting.

5. Glam

Glam is Big Hit Entertainment‘s first girl group that debuted in 2012. Glam was greatly invested by the company and each member has their own talent. Unlike the above girl groups, Glam is the most scandalous name when disbanding after 3 short years of operation because of a member’s scandal. Specifically, the member Dahee of the group was sued by actor Lee Byung Hyun for blackmail and was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment.

Glam
Glam is the “older sister” group of BTS. 

The disbandment of Glam caused Big Hit Entertainment to incur a debt of over 300 million won. Many believe that Glam is the reason Big Hit Entertainment has refrained from welcoming girl trainees to their agency. Currently, each member of Glam has their own direction, but are not really outstanding.

Dahee
Member Dahee of the group was caught in a scandal that caused Big Hit to suffer.

These are all famous girl groups of the first generation, even though they have disbanded, the audience will always remember them for their passion on the stage. The music products of these girl groups are still covered by juniors.

Source
yan
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