The “Queendom 2 Curse”: Kep1er’s popularity is on the decline, LOONA and WJSN are on the brink of disbandment 

Apart from VIVIZ, other Queendom participants did not obtain the popularity boost they were hoping for. 

“Queendom 2” was born out of the hype and hope for lesser known groups to find new spotlight and recognition in K-pop. However, after 8 months of wrap-up, the produced effect was actually the contrary for the participating girl groups. 

Brave Girls

After the resurgent sensation by “Rollin’” and the performances at “Queendom 2,” in the end, Brave Girls members still decide to disband and part ways with their company after their contracts expire. One reason for the departure was the company’s poor management of the group. There is no additional information whether Brave Girls will continue their activities as a group or not. 

LOONA

As the runner-up of the show, LOONA is hanging by the threads now that the members have all filed an injunction to suspend their contracts with Blockberry Creative after Chuu was removed from LOONA. In response, Blockberry also filed a petition to Korean entertainment industry bodies to “ban” LOONA members from conducting their activities in the industry. In the latest development, it was said that Universal Studios Japan has filed for exclusive management rights over LOONA so there are speculations that the group will promote in Japan with a 12-member formation. 

WJSN

Despite winning the crown in “Queendom 2,” contrary to an expected high-flying career, WJSN is still lying low with no further activities from Pledis to take advantage of the post-show hype. As the contract expiration period is coming closer, fans are worried about the future of the group and the members’ individual plans. 

Kep1er 

As a girl group formed through the survival show “Girls Planet 999,”  Kep1er made the best efforts to make use of the active time to boost their popularity and gain more recognition. However, even with “Queendom 2,” Kep1er could not garner as much success as the rookies debuting at the same time such as IVE and NewJeans. Through the compilation of Circle Chart, Kep1er’s album sales declined with three comebacks. Their first EP “First Impact” recorded 396 thousand copies sold, but their recent EP “Troubleshooter” only had 267 thousand copies sold. 

VIVIZ

VIVIZ is the only group that is able to maintain their heat after the show. Their third mini-album “varioUS”  with the title track “Pull Up” received positive feedback from listeners, a step forward from their previous releases. 

Source: billboard