writing this as a korean-australian fan of riize, i’m pretty familiar with how the group’s perceived both inside and outside south korea. what pushed me to speak up is the way people — especially in english-speaking spaces — talk about riize like they’re a failed project. like they lost all their momentum, lost fans because of the ex-member situation, have weak vocals, or are somehow sm’s worst group. i’ve seen these takes everywhere, and i just want to say: that’s not the reality. i’m not here to rehash every piece of drama since most of you already know the discourse.
yes, they lost a lot of western listeners. but for korean fans, it barely registered. we weren’t shaken by it, and we’re not chasing western approval either. it’s just not our priority. as long as the albums are selling and the music’s being heard, what’s the issue? i don’t get why the internet’s surface-level opinion gets treated like the final word on a group’s worth.
people love to claim riize lost their fanbase, yet their follower count keeps climbing and their first full album ‘odyssey’ sold over 2 million copies. not being recognised by someone in new york doesn’t mean they’re irrelevant — it’s just as meaningful when someone spots them in seoul. not hitting a million spotify streams on day one doesn’t make the comeback a flop when they’re charting across korea, japan, and china with tens of millions of streams. every track from the comeback made it into melon’s top 100, with the title track peaking at #2. so no, i don’t care if they didn’t debut on spotify us or billboard 200. those are cool milestones, sure, but they’re not more important than the impact they’re making in their core regions. again, enough with the western validation.
then there’s the vocal criticism. people say they’re underwhelming compared to other sm artists, but most of that comes from quick tiktok clips and recycled hate. it’s clear a lot of folks haven’t even touched their b-sides like ‘another life’, ‘ember to solar’, or ‘the end of the day’. instead, they judge based on a title track designed to be easy-to-listen to. it’s easier to join the hate train than to actually listen. and honestly, if their vocals were that bad, why would sm invest in them at all? they’ve already shown they belong in sm’s lineup of standout groups.
right now, riize is on a global tour, and next year they’re doing a 3-day concert at tokyo dome, a dream venue for so many k-pop idols. so who’s really flopping? maybe they’re flopping in your eyes, but from where i’m standing, they’re still rising. and they’re not done yet. stream their new single on november 24th and maybe this time, just let the music speak without picking it apart. it’s just a boy group from korea doing what they love.
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