EXO’s legacy is overhyped and built on nostalgia — let’s be real for a second

This is not inspired by anything that happened in kpop,i listen music now more than following whats going on,its what got me thinking recently at the job and when i was at college and i was seeing ageism before against older idols,especially female idols and against older fans who literally have jobs and money with which they are buying merch and tickets btw But it never made sense to me how it always seemed like even the fans that state they like kpop music, with this behaviour calling older idols hags and grandmas/grandpas in rude way,it seems like they dont see music as a real job and like they dont see idols as real people who literally work,they act like music is the industry where only you have to be there on certain type of age,i guess people who are above 30s/40s shouldnt work at all anywhere bc its "creepy" to work with younger people,right? I literally work with people of all ages,because all of these people come to work to earn money in fair way I guess it makes me a "creep" and a "hag" to work with someone who is '06,right? Jobs where people actually do the work are jobs,and no you arent a hag for aging and having a job and having interests This was more rhetorical and i was wondering what others have to say about this submitted by /u/Alley_bat272 [link] [comments]

I’ve been listening to BTS’s Love Yourself trilogy again (Her, Tear, and Answer), and honestly, it’s still one of the most impressive rollouts I’ve seen in K-pop. The way the albums connect with each other, both in sound and message —feels super intentional and well thought out. Her starts off bright and energetic, with songs like “DNA” and “Best of Me” showing the excitement and highs of being in love. But even then, there are hints that things aren’t perfect. Then Tear comes in and flips the mood completely. Songs like “Fake Love” and “The Truth Untold” hit hard, and the production gets darker, more emotional. The shift doesn’t feel forced either , it’s like a natural next step in the story. Then there’s Answer, which ties everything together. It doesn’t just repeat earlier songs — it adds new ones that feel like a real conclusion. Tracks like “Epiphany”, “Magic Shop”, and “Answer: Love Myself” move the focus from love for someone else to love for yourself. It’s not preachy or cheesy, it just feels honest. One song that really stands out for me is “Euphoria.” It’s not just pretty (though it really is) — it feels like a breath of fresh air in the middle of all the emotional weight. The vocals, the production, the overall feeling of the track… it just lifts everything. It’s one of those songs that feels good no matter when you hear it. What I really like is how every part of this trilogy — the music, the lyrics, the visuals, even the tracklist order — feels connected. It’s rare to see that level of detail and planning in a pop album, let alone three. Even years later, it still holds up really well. P.S: Serendipity is the most beautiful and majestic song I've ever heard. 2018 BTS is PEAK submitted by /u/Swimming_Strength727 [link] [comments]

Okay, I’ll be honest, I read (and still do tbh) a lot of K-pop fanfics. BTS and Stray Kids ones mostly on Wattpad and some on AO3, and I even read some about groups I don’t even listen to like EXO, SHINee, NCT, etc. Now, if you’ve been in the K-pop space you know of Jackson Wang from Got7, and it’s a very popular joke that he’s a popular person who shows up in fanfictions, and most of the jokes are about how he always hosts these awesome parties (or he’s the villain for some reason?) But like… I’ve read a lot of fanfic, ones with over a million views and even some underrated ones, and I have never seen Jackson make a single appearance in any of these stories. Never hosting any parties, never seen him as the bad guy, tbh most fics I have read don’t even mention him at all. So like, where did this joke come from? Because with all the reading I’ve done from across many fandoms, Jackson never appears. I’m genuinely curious though if there’s like one fic in general that popularized this joke, or if everyone’s just saying this because they’re going along with the crowd. Anyways, this isn’t even an issue or anything but it’s just confusing to me onto why Jackson has this stereotype around him if I haven’t even seen it happen once 🥲 submitted by /u/Bangtan_Kiddo [link] [comments]

Hi! We're a small team working on ways to make the concert day more fun and meaningful for international fans visiting Korea. If you’ve ever traveled to Korea to see a concert — any artist, any genre — we’d love to hear what you think! Here’s what the experience could look like: ✨ Connect with other K-POP fans & trade photo cards 🍜 Enjoy a casual local experience and meal 📸 Visit and take photos at places your favorite artist has been to 🌿 Feel comfortable even if you came alone 🎤 Return to the concert venue before the show begins This could be perfect for people… who arrived early but have nowhere to stay who are bored while waiting for the concert who want to make use of the waiting time who want to meet and interact with other fans who want to make the day more memorable 💲Estimated cost: Around 30,000–40,000 KRW ($22-$29 USD) per person ⏳Duration: Around 3–4 hours, including transportation Would something like this interest you? Please let us know in the poll above!👆 (There’s a quick concept visual in the comments if you’re curious!) View Poll submitted by /u/NoPlant305 [link] [comments]

Will a few girls form a smaller group? Will some of them be going solo? Will some turn to acting? If they are doing separate paths I would hope that Na Go Eun will still do music at the very least. I really wish they would all stay together and join another agency but that won’t be happening. submitted by /u/Snw2001 [link] [comments]

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Maybe it’s just me, but I genuinely hate watching idol content where you can see all the cameras, lighting rigs, and production crew in the background. It instantly takes me out of it. I get that K-pop is super polished and everything’s controlled, but when you’re watching something that’s supposed to feel “natural” or casual and there’s a literal production team in every reflection or frame… it just feels off. Like, how real can anything be when there’s a dozen lenses pointed at you? It makes the idols look more like actors being watched than real people. Even their reactions start feeling scripted just because of how heavily staged everything looks. There’s no warmth, no spontaneity just this weird artificial vibe that’s exhausting? I lowkey miss when things felt a little rougher around the edges, even if it was still produced. submitted by /u/VioletInference [link] [comments]

SEVENTEEN sold over 5.2 million copies of their latest album 17 IS RIGHT HERE in the first week — sounds impressive, until you realize they're nowhere to be found on major digital platforms. Where are the matching streams, chart positions, or cultural impact? Let’s break it down: Despite selling millions, the album didn’t chart on the Billboard 200, not even in the lower ranks. Spotify Global: No song from the album entered the Global Daily Top 50, and the highest-performing track barely scrapes into the 200s for a day or two before vanishing. Apple Music Global? Non-existent. YouTube: No music video is pulling explosive numbers outside of the fandom bubble. No Hot 100 entries. No long-term charting. No virality. Meanwhile, look at Stray Kids: Multiple #1 albums on Billboard 200, including 5-Star and ROCK-STAR Songs like “LALALALA” and “S-Class” have charted globally on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music They dominate YouTube Trending, Apple Music global charts, and have growing GP recognition Their numbers are backed by real-time engagement, not just first-week bulk sales SEVENTEEN drops an album with 20+ versions, fans bulk buy, and they shoot up on Hanteo and Circle — but when the dust settles, there’s no impact outside their fanbase. It’s a textbook case of manufactured success that doesn’t translate into digital relevance or organic growth. Until they can back those sales with sustainable streams, chart presence, and actual hits, it’s fair to call their sales fraudulent in nature — inflated and hollow. SEVENTEEN is selling millions, but who’s actually listening? submitted by /u/Swimming_Strength727 [link] [comments]

Lets make a boy group and give some underrated Idols some more visibility! And your Visual is: Jinwoo of Ghost9 (one of the top biases nice pick!) Here are a couple rules to follow: Only one member per group Here's a list of the already represented groups: Oneus, P1Harmony, Xikers, XLOVE, The Boyz, Ghost9 No members from a Big 3 group, Hybe, or Ateez (I love these groups I just want to see smaller groups get some recognition too!) Please only comment an Idol only once and upvote if you see the one you wanted to say! Please only one member per comment. Please comment member and group they are from. I will make a post around the same time everyday and voting will be open for about 24h. Day 7 time to pick your FOTG! submitted by /u/MegaGlaceon22 [link] [comments]

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Personally I don't really consider myself a fromis_9 stan but I do like some songs, but I have the absolute soft spot for jiheon, smher smile makes me melt I just want to protect her. submitted by /u/hearts4him_ [link] [comments]

Link to the Google Form survey • Rank (up to) your top 25 U-KISS songs. #1 gets 25 points, #2 gets 24 points, #3 gets 23 points, etc. • You can list <25 songs if you want. • You can choose to vote EITHER by filling in the Google Form above OR by leaving a comment down below. • (If you are using Reddit markdown, please do not number every song as 1, while it will show up as 1-25 publicly, when I retrieve the comment using my automated process, it returns all 1s) . • Songs released under an individual member's name are not allowed. • Officially released remixes/alternative versions will be counted as separate songs. • Japanese/Chinese/English songs and unreleased songs are eligible. • Japanese/Chinese/English/Korean versions of songs will be considered the same song. List of U-KISS songs: https://kprofiles.com/u-kiss-discography/ Spotify playlist of U-KISS's discography (Full discography): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4XSiQWh84BT056sTHjNJoB?si=c5d32326af174f75 Spotify playlist of U-KISS's discography ("Highlights/Essentials" ver.): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DZ06evO1xLuKA?si=17335782613f4fdc Schedule: August 12th: SF9 August 19th: Sejeong & Somi August 26th: ONF September 2nd: Verivery (Full schedule can be found in the spreadsheet linked below.) Link to the A.C.E results . Google Spreadsheet with all past results and full schedule Spotify channel containing all Top Ten playlists YouTube channel containing all Top Ten playlists Want to be reminded for future TTTs? Please fill out the 2025B TTT reminder form here: https://forms.gle/pDM68J4fSkG8Uf418 Interested in doing more song rates? Come join r/kpoprates, where we have K-Pop song rates on a regular basis! Here are the currently ongoing rates: The "Early Gen 3" Boy Groups Rate! TTT lists are always due by Monday, 6 AM Pacific. submitted by /u/Zypker125 [link] [comments]

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I am asking this because I'm a dude, 29 years old now and I used to be a big fan of older boy groups. Super Junior, Shinee, Infinite, B1A4, Nu'est, Vixx etc. (basically 2nd and some 3rd gen) But nowadays I can't find a male group that just clicks. I get into groups for a while (like Ateez with IOMT, the styling and song were really cool, some OOF titles, KickFlip's Knock Knock, TWS' hey! hey!) but I just remain unimpressed as a whole. The only modern boygroup I have been a fan of for a significant amount of time is Seventeen but that's mostly due to Going Seventeen, not their music, at least in the past few years as their sound has changed. I also have some gripes about modern bgs pandering heavily to parasocial female fans, and I do understand why, as that pays the bills and that's 99% of their fanbase. And it's not really for lack of trying. I do listen to basically every new comeback from every group I come across but it doesn't click. Maybe I'm honestly just getting too old for this lmao and 20 year old boys trying to act cool doesn't hit anymore. Two groups I'm relatively invested in right now are 82MAJOR and CLOSE YOUR EYES, they seemingly have a lot of potential but maybe I'm just more empathetic because they're nugus. submitted by /u/SAMPAS [link] [comments]

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Every time a post about BLACKPINK’s global popularity pops up, there’s always a few ONCEs in the replies crying about how “TWICE deserves that level of success.” But here’s the thing — deserve doesn’t mean receive. K-pop is a global industry now, and the audience doesn’t care about who’s been around longer or who releases more music. They care about impact, image, and presence. And that’s where TWICE has consistently fallen behind. ONCEs love to talk about how TWICE works harder, releases more music, and has “better vocals” — but where is the actual push for global success? Where are the fandom-wide streaming projects, the virality, the hype-building? They can’t even be bothered to promote TWICE's English releases properly — the songs drop and vanish, while BLINKs will literally camp out on every platform making sure a BLACKPINK release dominates. It’s also ironic how ONCEs constantly whine about unfair comparisons but only bring up BLACKPINK when trying to validate TWICE. “TWICE paved the way for GGs!” “TWICE has better discography!” “TWICE would be bigger if they had YG’s budget!” It’s been almost a decade — maybe it's time to accept that they simply took different routes. BLACKPINK went the global domination, fashion-icon, brand-ambassador, viral route. TWICE took the domestic consistency and idol-fan-service route. And that’s fine. But stop acting like one deserves the other’s success without doing the legwork. You can’t complain about being “underrated” forever while ignoring the reality of marketing, branding, and international relevance. If ONCEs want TWICE to have BLACKPINK’s success, they need to act like it — not just whine on Reddit every time someone praises BP. submitted by /u/Swimming_Strength727 [link] [comments]