So this post is not really about the YGE typical concept/sound being good or bad. If you like it, cool, if you don’t, also totally fine. But it’s hard to deny that what is viewed as a blueprint for YGE girl groups has been plenty successful for a long time now, starting from the 2nd gen and to the current 5th gen. I think 15 years of continuous interest from the public is a decent indicator of it not being a fluke.
And interestingly enough YGE girl groups get to claim that entire lane without being really challenged. As an example, the same is not true for their male counterparts. The pattern of a self-produced boy group with a strong rap line and charismatic performers, first popularized in Asia by BigBang and then made famous worldwide by BTS, does get utilized by a lot of labels. Treasure don’t get to be unique in that regard, since groups like Stray Kids, ATEEZ and others are also active and killing it. While the pattern of a girl group with a charismatic rap line and hip-hop/EDM based music isn’t utilized to the same degree despite a proven track record of success.
Obviously we had a girl crush wave at the beginning of 4th gen, partly due to BP’s meteoric rise, but groups like ITZY/Aespa/Le Sserafim weren’t particularly similar to BP despite having certain elements in common. Maybe Everglow had some singles in that lane.
It helped BP because nobody was offering what they offered, so they could maintain all of the interest and attention more easily even without putting out as much content. But the biggest beneficiaries were certainly BabyMonster. Their rollout was messy, they debuted without their most popular member, the promotions were subpar for a big company, their concepts were not exactly original, but they still practically sleepwalked into becoming arguably the biggest 5th gen girl group.
And the truth is that there’s nothing groundbreaking about why they are successful. They are charismatic and skilled live performers with a hip-hop/EDM based discography, they release bangers that make people want to attend their shows, basically the same reasons why their predecessors did so well too. They just don’t have a lot of competition in that lane despite the consistent interest from the general public and K-pop fans alike over the last 15+ years.
If you’re the only pizzeria in a big city, you don’t have to be exceptional to be in demand, you just need to make a good pizza.
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