You still see people everywhere insisting things like “2nd‑gen and early 3rd‑gen girl groups were way more skilled!” or “Of course the old days were better!” But do these people genuinely believe that? I really wonder.To be clear, I’m not denying the legacy of the senior groups—Girls’ Generation, KARA, Wonder Girls, SISTAR, Brown Eyed Girls, 2NE1, and many more. Thanks to them, K‑POP girl groups became a global cultural force. And yes, that era had legendary main vocalists and lead vocalists: Taeyeon, Hyolyn, Eunji, Solji, and others who were truly
But when people on Q&A sites or social media say things like “Of course the old days were better!” or “Today’s main vocalists wouldn’t stand out back then!”—if you criticize that claim seriously, it’s honestly ridiculous.In fact, I’d argue the opposite:
Today’s idols are expected to excel not only in vocals, but also in visuals, rap, and dance—at a higher average level than before.
Concepts and genres have become far more diverse and complex: pure/innocent, girl‑crush, Y2K, futuristic/virtual, mix‑pop, JK‑pop (K‑POP × J‑POP fusion), etc.
Choreography has become significantly more complex and high‑difficulty since around 2018.It’s now a brutal global survival competition, with trainees from Korea, Japan, Thailand, the U.S., Indonesia, Malaysia, and beyond fighting for positions with less than a 1% chance of debuting.
And yes—if we look only at main vocalists, the early 2010s might have had a stronger top tier. But even then, look at the current lineup:fromis_9’s Hayoung, IZONE’s Jo Yuri, ITZY’s Lia, aespa’s Ningning, IVE’s Yujin and Liz, NMIXX’s Haewon and Lily, BABYMONSTER’s Ahyeon and Rami, izna’s Jeong‑eun, RESCENE’s Minami and Liv, FIFTY FIFTY’s Chanel, KIOF’s Bell, etc.
These are just the well‑known names—and even then, I can’t list them all. The talent pool is enormous.So yes, I’ll accept “There were more powerhouse vocalists in the past” or “K‑POP should stay mostly Korean‑language.”
But “The past was better!” or “Today’s groups are lower level!”—I absolutely won’t accept that.To use sports analogies:
Saying “Babe Ruth’s era was better than Shohei Ohtani’s”Saying “Maradona’s era was higher level than Messi, Ronaldo, or Haaland’s”Saying “Senna, Prost, and Lauda’s era was more high‑level than Verstappen or Hamilton’s”It’s that level of “What are you even talking about?” nonsense.For anyone who loves both K‑POP and sports, you know exactly what I mean.
As a side note:
The girls active today would absolutely hold their own in girl groups from 10+ years ago. And idols like Ahn Yujin, Ahyeon, Soyeon, Winter—these top‑tier 2020s all‑rounders would have been all‑rounders in any era, in any group.
submitted by /u/Dry-Look6328
[link] [comments]
