The paradox of Kpop girl group popularity

The paradox of the contrasting domestic and international reputations of many girl groups raises important questions about strategic direction regarding the long-term sustainability of entertainment companies in the future.

The reputation of many Kpop girl groups is declining domestically.

Recent industry reports have pointed to a decline in the domestic market for many K-pop girl groups, with both rookies and established girl groups seeing significant drops in album sales, chart positions, and fan engagement, according to the Korea Times.

YG Entertainment's Baby Monster, for example, struggled to make a mark on the Melon Top 100, while JYP Entertainment's ITZY and NMIXX saw a sharp decline in sales of their latest releases. Similarly, LE SSERAFIM's latest mini album saw its first week sales drop by 20%.

Baby Monster's domestic performance was disappointing. Photo: YG — Baby Monster's domestic music performance has been disappointing. Photo: YG

However, in contrast to the domestic gloom, K-pop girl groups are achieving unprecedented success internationally, gaining popularity in the world's top music markets such as the US, Japan and many other countries.

Recently, NewJeans was honored as Group of the Year at the US Billboard Women in Music Awards. NewJeans and LE SSERAFIM also won the New Artist award at the Japan Gold Disc Awards. TWICE has just become the 3rd Kpop girl group in history to top the US Billboard 200 album chart…

Causes of paradox

Experts point out that there are many underlying factors that cause Kpop girl groups to distance themselves from their domestic fan communities.

Although K-pop groups often interact with domestic fans during their debut period, more and more groups are prioritizing overseas activities, focusing on highly profitable markets, especially Japan, the United States and Europe.

This change contributed to the weakening of domestic fandom, and significantly reduced the number of fans in China - which is the biggest spending market for Kpop girl groups.

aespa's new album sales have dropped significantly in the Chinese market. Photo: SM — aespa's new album sales drop in the Chinese market. Photo: SM

“The trend of targeting the international market by increasing English lyrics and the participation of Western composers, as well as expanding overseas activities, seems to be taking these groups away from the attention of the domestic public,” Kim Jin Woo, a senior researcher at Circle Chart, also pointed out.

A K-pop management company executive said that groups are relying on fan signing events to boost album sales in the short term, but that they are “not a sustainable model.”

The aging of senior executives with decision-making power is also said to be a cause of YG and JYP's poor performance.

“As companies age, they can become less sensitive to change. It is important to continually recruit talented young producers to innovate, just as HYBE has successfully brought in Min Hee Jin to lead NewJeans,” said a K-pop company executive.

NewJeans is considered a model of development strategy. Photo: HYBE

Solution

Industry experts believe it is too early to declare a crisis for K-pop girl groups, as they are growing steadily in overseas markets.

However, to overcome the decline in domestic performance, management companies need to re-evaluate their strategies to ensure the longevity and vitality of Kpop girl groups.

Music critic Kim Do Hun suggested, “The recent increase in the number of rookie girl groups has led to market saturation and stagnation. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce competition for album sales through fan signing events, and reduce the frequency of new girl group debuts.”

On the other hand, the current challenges facing K-pop girl groups may become a catalyst that pushes entertainment companies to innovate to adapt to the landscape.

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