Popularity in K-pop is a fickle thing. Why some groups make it big and others don't is a mystery and companies are spending big bucks to try and crack that code as the industry becomes more and more saturated. K-pop's history is littered with the stories of groups and artists that had the talent but never found their groove. Today's Way Back Wednesday will revisit some of the best of the ones that never quite made it.
Keep Six
Even before YG Entertainment was called YG Entertainment, former Seo Taiji and Boys member Yang Hyun Suk tried his hand as a producer and the first boy band he created turned out to be an unmitigated failure. Keep Six was a three member group featuring Park Dong Ho, Shim Young Ho, and Lee Sae Young who debuted in 1996 featuring the pop/R&B single "Forgive Me". Unfortunately, the group disbanded that same year nearly bankrupting the young company but as fate would have it, they were followed by a team called Jinusean and the rest is K-pop history.
Han's Band
I was hesitant to put this group on the list because most older K-pop fans will immediately recognize the name and think that they were a success but in reality, they didn't quite make it. The three member group was a trio of sisters Kim Han Na, Kim Han Byul, and Kim Han Saem (hence the Han's) who each played different instruments. Their early songs "Teacher, I Love You" and "Arcade" were big hits but that they never could quite continue their success and faded into the K-pop abyss.
Another three member group, members Kim Hana, Park Ye Eun, and Chae Eun Jung (who later went into the world of modeling from what I remember) debuted in 1999 and scored a hit with their debut song "Good Time". The good times didn't last very long after a series of member changes left the group in disarray with the official end coming in 2004.
RyangHyun RyangHa
Who could forget these uber-talented twin brothers who debuted under JYP Entertainment back in 2000 at the tender age of 14? I don't know where JYP finds these kids but they had all the skills to make it but things just didn't pan out. The brothers did share a photo last year letting fans know that they're still around and all grown up.
Another one of YG's rare misfires, Lee Eun Ju, Ahn Nai Young, and Sung Mi Hyun comprised YG Entertainment's first girl group, Swi.T (Songs Will Tell). While the group didn't make much noise, member Lee Eun Ju became a headliner five years after the group's break-up when it was revealed that she had dated Yang Hyun Suk for nine years before getting married in 2010.
The SM Quintet: M.I.L.K, Black Beat, Shinvi, Trax, CSJH The Grace
This is not to bash on SM Entertainment, rather, it's to show that even successful companies like SM can fall into a rut, which they did the early 2000's. Following the break-up of H.O.T, the company lost its mojo for a bit and had a string of misses. However, Lee Soo Man and team were able to adapt, continued to recruit the best talent, and kept churning out groups and now, they're the biggest fish in a very large pond.
M.I.L.K
M.I.L.K (Made in Lovely Kin) debuted in 2001 with the single "Come to Me" and while the group fit the SM mold - pretty girls, cute songs - members Hyun Jin, Yumi, Bomi (every guy I knew had a crush on her), and Hee Bon were never able to gain any traction and the group ended up disbanding in 2003. M.I.L.K didn't have the most original concept and SM was just trying to replicate the success of S.E.S which obviously didn't work. The thing is, the concept did work six years later with Girl's Generation... sometimes it floats, sometimes it sinks.
Black Beat
Black Beat was one of the more interesting cases of not making it because the five member team was very talented but they never found any real success. Many of the members are still active in the entertainment industry and at SM like Jang Jin Young who is a vocal trainer and Shim Jae Won is one of the more well-known choreographers in K-pop.
Shinvi
To be honest, I didn't even remember Shinvi existed until I randomly stumbled onto their video while looking some else up. After watching it though, there's a reason this concept never made it. Shinvi went with the over-the-top cutesy angle with music that sounds like it should be in a Hello Kitty store.
TRAX
In my humble opinion, TRAX is the single biggest waste of talent in SM's history and the absolute worst name ever for a group, Typhoon of the Rose Attack on X-mas. How did they get this name you ask? Well, it's a combination of the names of the band members which means that yes, some poor kid was named X-mas. The thing is, aside from the horribly ridiculous concept of being a glam, punk band, these guys had real talent, especially guitarist Kim Jung Mo (of X-mas fame). SM had one of the better guitarists in all of K-pop and they wasted his prodigious talent with an asinine gimmick that was trying to copy the look of Japanese rock bands of the 80's-90's.
CSJH The Grace
I guess they just go by The Grace now but this group is another wasted opportunity for SM because, members Dana (who debuted in 2001 as a solo singer), Stephanie, Lina (who was a part of another failed SM group, Isak N' Jiyeon), and Sunday had tons of potential and attained some success back in 2007 with their hit "One More Time, OK?". Sadly, they could never really put it together and I don't think SM knew how to promote the group then or now. Each member is doing their own thing now and I doubt if we'll ever see the full group together again.
Those are just 10 of the many groups that never quite made it in K-pop. They each had different levels of success with some having some big hits and others barely registering on the radar but in the end, they all fell into the footnote section of the history books. Some of these groups will never be back but hopefully, we'll see a few of these groups give it one last shot.
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