BLACKPINK, BTS cause Kpop to decline, fans are disappointed, waiting for a name to break through

The silence of Korea's two top music groups, BlackPink and BTS, seems to be causing the Kpop industry to seriously decline. Both domestic and international fans were disappointed, looking forward to a name that could fill this huge void.

Blackpink and BTS are always the leading groups in Kpop. They are considered worthy opponents of each other and together opened a new era for the music industry that has taken Asia by storm for many years.

Up to now, BTS is still a miracle of Kpop. The group's enlistment in the army will bring many difficulties when they are at the peak of their career. BTS will fully reunite in 2025.

During this time, the audience has high expectations for Blackpink. However, the 4 girls took turns opening their own companies and cannot work as a group for now.

Since BTS and Blackpink have been absent from the music industry, the public has no longer been able to witness No. 1 on the Billboard 100, record YouTube views, huge album sales and digital music streaming.

Some groups that are expected to be able to replace such as TWICE, Seventeen, NCT... are still a long way from BTS and Blackpink.

BTS's records are also a "wall" that Kpop groups find difficult to overcome. They have collected a total of more than 70 Daesangs after 10 years of operation.

Including group products, collaborative products and solo products, BTS has had 45 songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Among them, BTS is the first and only Kpop artist to rank Top 1 (with 8 songs) in history.

BTS is the only Kpop artist to be nominated for a Grammy Award for 3 consecutive years (2021 to 2023), and many other major awards.

The period 2018 - 2020 also marked the remarkable development of Blackpink. The group released a series of hits "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du", "Kill This Love", "How You Like That" (all entered the Billboard Hot 100) and made history when performing on the stage of major music festivals America's best Coachella.

Those unprecedented achievements will put great pressure on the entire industry in finding ways to maintain and surpass the milestones created by BTS and Blackpink.

Looking back at the situation of 4th generation music groups, the trend of Kpop is turning.

According to Allkpop, after the success of trainee selection programs, idol groups are created that no longer require the perfection of skills but focus on appearance and attraction to fans.

Continuously new music groups are created every year, but it is difficult to make a mark and go a long way. Many music groups release short songs with repetitive choruses to create a "trend" and cliché lyrics.

Continuously released songs just over 2 minutes long still have good results thanks to the large fan base, but demonstrate the short-term vision of the management companies.

Lee Ji Hyun, PR Director at Starship Entertainment, the management company of girl group IVE, said: "To reach today's young generation, who are used to watching short content, we have to omit the part that might make them bored".

According to Korea Joongang Daily, this is in complete contrast to Kpop hits more than a decade ago. Of the 10 songs that topped the Melon chart in 2012, not a single one was shorter than 3 minutes.

Entering generation 4, entertainment companies impose form, turning artists into "industrial chickens" no more and no less, falling into exploiting labor to reap profits.

In addition, experts say that Kpop is entering a complex and unstable period when artists constantly have disputes with their management companies and massively set up their own companies.

That recklessness can be a driving force for innovation for artists, but it will make the already crowded market even more competitive.

Lacking ambition and strategic vision, the new generation can cause Kpop to gradually die, when "the global music market is witnessing the strong rise of music with distinct regional characteristics", according to music critic Kim Sang Hwa.

BLACKPINK, BTS were 'surpassed', miserably behind one name, Kpop fans 'fell flat' Pinky19:31:19 11/03/2024The two leading Korean music groups, BlackPink and BTS, seem to have no competitors in the Kpop realm. However, recently, according to experts' statistics, both were surpassed by another group, shocking Kpop fans.