[theqoo] NEWJEANS DISAPPEARED LEAVING BTS IN A LONG HIATUS.... THE VOID OF "POPULAR MUSIC"

The group NewJeans left the music industry due to a dispute with their agency, and BTS is taking a long hiatus due to military service. Both groups, despite being idol groups, were considered "public friendly groups" whose music retained its appeal.

Currently, major domestic music charts like Melon, Genie, and Bugs show that idol music with high streaming rates, driven by fandom rather than the general public, dominates the top ranks.

Among them, the songs featured on the OST for the Netflix original animated film "K-Pop Demon Hunters" are proving their popularity both domestically and internationally. As the OST for a globally successful film, their performances are a direct reflection of the public's interest.

Of course, it cannot be denied that ‘Rich Man’ (aespa), ‘Jump’ (Blackpink), ‘Famous’ (ALLDAY PROJECT), and ‘XOXZ’ (IVE) are music by popular domestic artists, but it raises a question as to whether their music is music that unites multiple generations and attracts popularity among the general public.

While NewJeans and BTS both do idol-themed music, and their high chart rankings are built on the back of dedicated streaming from fans, their music is based on "easy listening," easily accessible to a wide range of generations.

NewJeans has been known for its easy listening, non-provocative tracks like "Hypebob Boy," "Ditto," "Supershy," "Bubble Gum," and "Attention," which feature relatively consistent melodies.

BTS has consistently released upbeat tracks like "Dynamite," "Boy With Luv," "Butter," and "Yet to Come." While they've occasionally released powerful tracks like "Fake Love" and "DNA," which showcase their dazzling performances, the group has been filtering out the powerful, hip-hop-based music they aimed for during their debut.

What they have in common is that they release songs that are not just popular among fans in their 10s and 20s, but songs that people of all ages can sing along to and have likely heard at least once. Their agency, HYBE, has maintained the popularity of both groups by firmly establishing this musicality.

In particular, their music has established itself as easy-to-listen-to songs that can be used as background music anywhere, to the point that it has been inserted into numerous scenes of various broadcast programs, including entertainment shows.

However, NewJeans, who were at the peak of their popularity, became embroiled in a dispute with their agency just three years after their debut and halted their activities. While BTS hasn't faced any significant controversy, they are considered a senior idol group, having already celebrated their 10th anniversary. Nevertheless, BTS continues to command a keen interest both domestically and internationally, and their music is undoubtedly highly anticipated.

As the songs of the two teams that represented K-pop music took a brief hiatus, it became difficult to find songs that could be called “pop music” in the current music industry.

As the absence of those who represented HYBE music and domestic music continues, it seems that the public's ears have lost their place to go.

source: https://m.entertain.naver.com/home/article/009/0005573763

original post: here

1. I like both NewJeans and BTS but they're not all that

2. BTS...???????????? It's actually more peaceful nowt that they're not there

3. I don't feel the vacuum at all though

4. Why are they not mentioning the DUI case?

5. I only agree with NewJeans

6. BTS songs... The last public friendly song they released was 8 years ago with Spring Day alright..

7. I'm an ARMY and I'm happy having so many other songs to listen to. The article is weird

8. Has BTS ever released a song that was popular across all generations?

9. BTS has never released any widely public friendly song though