It's crazy how weak the big 3's third gen girl group solo careers have been so far

    When you looking at the Big 3's third gen girl groups: TWICE, BLACKPINK and RED VELVET, it's staggering how undeveloped they are at this point in time, almost 7 years into their career.


    Looking at each of them:

    • TWICE
      • Completely non-existent until Nayeon's first solo past couple weeks
      • Not like it's any of the members' faults, but still has yet to do anything significant
    • BLACKPINK
      • Credit to them cos they have good success due to huge fanbase, especially Jennie's SOLO, which is a well-known song that even the public knows, not just among Kpop fans
      • However, just like group comebacks, they are VERY few and far between, only debuts, no comebacks, not fully developed careers yet
    • RED VELVET
      • They have done the most in terms of solo careers, but truth be told, so far it's been disappointing results
      • Joy's acting career is underwhelming
      • Yeri and Irene have very lightly dipped into acting, but only like one or two projects yet, and not exactly world shattering results
      • Wendy has a solo, but again, only just a debut, and decent results I guess.

    Why is this the case? For how big they are as a group, none of the top 3 groups have produced any significant solo career just yet.


    Compared to a similar point in time in the second gen

    What happened to the 3rd gen's solo careers?

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    Approved the thread.

    Take out covid time, no one would be stupid enough to go solo when noone was making any money during this time, now things are going back to normal (ish) you will see alot more going solo as group cb's slow down.

    Nayeons making history and breaking records left and right plus the number of "first" achievements that she has had for her debut... arguably from an objective point of view, she's one of the best soloist right now and doing better than some of the ones you've mentioned in your post.


    Like what kinda numbers are you expecting? BTS numbers?

    If blackpink actually had active solo careers they could go a lot farther


    Jennie smashed in Korea and did well internationally, solo at the time was only behind Bts and no charting wise internationally. To this day not a single 4th gen song has done better


    Lisa did well with lalisa and had some huge sales breaking even some of bp record, and money went on to be a viral hit internationally


    Rose despite 2 English songs charted well in sk and did well internationally, she rose her popularity a lot especially in Korea and no doubt her next comeback will do well


    Jisoo stared in snowdrop which helped her show her acting skills and even though it was a controversial drama did help her popularity. Her next drama will be one to watch for


    But that’s just the singing/acting bit. Black pink are also successful as brand ambassadors

    blackpink solo career did good though Jennie's solo #1 everywhere in Korea I doubt any female idol would reach her success and Rosé and Lisa selling 600k -800K. Not to mention that Rosé on the ground aka an English song peaked at 4 with over 400k uls and lisa's money went viral everywhere including Korea. I don't see that as being unsuccessful, I doubt any other girl group can have all their members doing well in their solos like blackpink.

    How many older female idols actually have successful music solos? Of the ones you mentioned only Taeyeon and Sunmi have successful careers in music and with Nayeon's overall success and Chaelisa doing well I'd say 3rd gen is doing fine. Not to mention people like Hwasa who also have successful solos

    3rd gen is the maturity of K-pop as a business and there agencies have pushed the "group" and prefer to suppress the "individual".

    Suzy factor is actually something agencies don't want, i.e. one person overshadowing the group.


    There was another thread discussing why agencies don't prefer to launch soloists. Lesser bang for buck on promotions and lesser control over the brand.

    That applies to Big 3 as well.


    And then K-pop solos offer nothing new to international scene, it was the group dynamic, synchronize choreo production etc., that was distinctive. Even with background dances, solos don't offer that.


    And within Korea, soloists from other genres tend to be more successful- trot, hip-hop etc. or IU.


    So all K-pop idols got going for them, is their fandom from group activities. That will not help them for long, unless they establish a formidable reputation separate from their groups.

    The only consistently successful case so far is Taeyeon.

    Others either still haven't distanced themselves from their groups, or not have been consistent or their groups weren't long/distinct in the first place.

    Quote from Baked Saffron Rabbit (729)

    Nayeons making history and breaking records left and right plus the number of "first" achievements that she has had for her debut... arguably from an objective point of view, she's one of the best soloist right now and doing better than some of the ones you've mentioned in your post.


    Like what kinda numbers are you expecting? BTS numbers?

    onces are starting to move like mys with their delusion lol nayeon is nowhere close to Jennie's success even Rosé's solo was better received with it came out with little promotion

    all the 2nd gen girls are like 15+years into the industry give or take, calm down. 3rd gen top ggs are still mostly doing group music activities, and the ones that had their solo have had well successful era.

    Jennie smashed

    Rosé did really good in sk with 2 english songs and her international numbers were good too

    Nayeon doing really good in kr and Jp

    Lalisa had decent numbers and Money one of the biggest viral hits globally from a kpop act

    Hwasa did good with Mariah

    Joy had a successful ost and her solo did decent as well

    Quote from Tenderized Sour Horse (531)

    onces are starting to move like mys with their delusion lol nayeon is nowhere close to Jennie's success even Rosé's solo was better received with it came out with little promotion

    Holy shit blinks are toxic....it's no wonder people hate your fandom...


    Where in my post did I even mention or compare Jennie or Rose?
    You guys always try to play victim and insert yourself whereever you guys want and try to find a way to make it about you guys.


    Dude, the world doesn't revolve around you guys....why are you guys so insecured all the time?

    lmao, BP careers as soloists are already setted if they want to leave the group.

    Jennie is now investing in acting, hollywood acting with her connections and her fame she could easily be the biggest sk actress of the decade.

    Rosé popularity in sk has blown up and her voice still very much loved, 2 to 3 good osts and she will have a good career in sk if she doesn't want to leave the country.

    Lisa in Thailand is basically an icon, she can do whatever she wants, including music and acting, the former has a bigger route since Money and Lalisa obliterated almost every kpop female solo internationally sans Solo.

    Jisoo is the one with the least luck in her zone since Snowdrop was hated, but her acting is far better than other idol actors who have more dramas in their sleeves like Eunwoo or Joy, so she can still make a huge career in acting.

    They are nowhere weak, if anything they have the most probability of staying relevant like 2nd gen idols among their peers. And CL and Bom are nowhere the level of Taeyeon or Yoona, in fact they aren't even in Sunmi level with their careers, Dara maybe, since she had some dramas but nowadays she still not a hot topic. Very blackjack delusional take from you op to think they have a better career than 3rd gen idols

    3rd gen will be more successful than 2nd gen. Taeyeon is the only one who’s still doing well in music, acting is mainly only a few SNSD members. 2ne1 members have not being doing great and their peaks were short. Sunmi has fallen off as well.


    Meanwhile, Blackpink is set up for lifetime success based on fandom alone. Jennie is still very popular in SK and with one good song can perform well on charts, not to mention she has an endless line of celebrity friends domestically + internationally and can use these connections to do…literally anything. Lisa had THE MOST internationally successful kpop female solo debut, and with her fandom will perform high numbers anytime she wants to comeback. Rosé’s voice is loved in Korea and honestly, I think she could’ve charted better if her solo was more ballad-like and in Korean. Either way, she also will thrive if YG lets her collab with the dozens of artists who are clamoring for her. And Jisoo’s acting skills are above most of her idol actor peers (the exceptions that I can think of are Sejeong and D.O., not sure about others) and with a less controversial drama, she will do well. Not to mention, Snowdrop did really well internationally.


    As for Twice members, Nayeon already disproved all the naysayers with POP!; the other members lined up for solo debuts may mot have the same domestic success with their songs (since it really just depends on the song) but they will pull great international numbers undoubtedly. J-line members are set up for success in Japan, Tzuyu in Taiwan, and Jeongyeon or Jihyo I can see going into acting. They just need the activities to show what they’re made of (I’m looking at you JYP).


    As for RV, I think they’ve been all over the place in terms of success, but Irene has had her CF Queen run already, Joy has found some success in music and acting, I’m not too sure about the other three. All I know is that 2nd gen wasn’t doing too hot all the time either so idk why their stans exaggerate their success.

    2nd gen fans give such boomer energy it's ridiculous


    "why is the gen that was incredibly more Korean-centric doing more solo activities, especially situated in South Korea"


    Because kpop groups did not make as much money as groups currently do or have as large a market to play with. A majority of 2nd gen idols had to play in South Korea more and branch out to solo work early to maintain popularity as SK was one of the only markets they had relevancy in. 2nd gen members weren't making the same money as the top 3rd gen groups comparing them 2/3/4/5 etc years into their career despite solo careers.


    Suzy is irrelevant outside of South Korea, so are the 2NE1 members. Actually, CL and Bom are not even relevant in South Korea anymore. SNSD have one successful soloist in Taeyeon, their most successful actress is Yoona who is basically carried in every hit film she is in by popular co-stars and has a lot more unpopular tv shows than popular, she's not seen as some top acting talent. You'd think outside of Taeyeon the rest of SNSD members were cream of the crop in their respective fields when most are just not very popular musically or in the acting department despite putting more time into solo endeavours.


    Long story short, 2nd gen needed solos, 4rd gen didn't. Even with that, people put 2nd gen solo success on an incredible pedestal when there were only a few lasting stars from it.

    I'm sorry but wut? If the sun is setting on the Third Gen of Kpop, you can bet that the sun has blown up in a massive supernova with nothing left but a gaping black hole for the Second Gen.


    There is not a single relevant 2nd gen soloist except for Sunmi and Taeyeon. 2nd gen soloists are even being outshined by 4th gen soloists like Yuri and Yena.

    thread about 3rd gen soloists but blinks gonna forever find a way to insert aespa/mys obsessed fandom I tell you.

    Park Boom , CL ??? successful solo careers ? kkkkkk none of them have a large solo fanbase


    even Sandara who hasn't done anything related to music is more successful than them


    " no comebacks, not fully developed careers yet " Big solo fanbase drive solo career , fix that in your mind.

    And Bp are doing more than fine with their 60M followers

    I disagree about BP, I think they are huge individually


    As for the rest I agree. Those who think that Nayeon or even Izone solos are going to last because they had some sucess should be wary. 2nd had a lot of successful solos that didn't last.


    Have you heard of Brown Eyed Girls Gain? She was huge and had some really popular song. How about Secret's Jieun? She was #1 on Gaon. 2ne1's Bom had 2 huge songs, Sistar Soyou was algo incredibly successful with her collabs. Yet all of them are not around anymore, at least not in the same capacity.


    The fact that in 4th gen IU, Taeyeon, Sunmi, Hyuna and Suzy are still relevant, shows that they are successfull beyond their generation.


    In time, we'll see which 3er gen girlies survive but is very likely most of them are going to end up like the first group of soloists.

    Yeah but really, plenty of female solo artists have had equally weak careers. It's like we're blaming these girls for how hugely successful their groups are. It really stands to reason that one ninth of Twice or one quarter of Blackpink or one fifth of Red Velvet will not be as popular as the whole.

    A successful debut isn't always a guarantee their whole career will do well. 2nd gen already had soyou, eunji, hyolyn, park bom, etc having national hits and slaying all charts during their first releases. They didn't keep their popularity and are now struggling to chart their comebacks. The same could happen to 3rd gen girls who haven't proved themselves yet, especially after their group disbands or they leave, the fandom will not longer be united to support them. Even Sejeong debuted with Allkills and perfect scores but not even her acting career can help her releases.

    blackpink clearing 2nd gen and 3rd gen solos with ease with very few releases. antis keep crying. :pepe-joy:

    I don't know if comparisons are that easy to make.


    A lot of the 2nd gen artists might have had their successes, but aren't that successful or popular anymore.

    At the same time, 3rd gen solo artists have had more successes than are given credit in the OP: from Lisa's, Jennie's and Nayeon's success, to Wendy's and Seulgi/Irene's sales, Joy's, Hwasa's and Chungha's charting and Soyeon's success with K/DA.


    The only thing you could say is that 3rd gen doesn't have peak and longevity success divas like Taeyeon and Suzy. But the main reason for that is that YG are still holding back BP members, since solo wise BP are doing a lot better than 2NE1.

    Quote from Fire-Grilled Casserole of Duck (577)

    A successful debut isn't always a guarantee their whole career will do well. 2nd gen already had soyou, eunji, hyolyn, park bom, etc having national hits and slaying all charts during their first releases. They didn't keep their popularity and are now struggling to chart their comebacks. The same could happen to 3rd gen girls who haven't proved themselves yet, especially after their group disbands or they leave, the fandom will not longer be united to support them. Even Sejeong debuted with Allkills and perfect scores but not even her acting career can help her releases.

    No but Sejeong literally only had two mini-albums since her Flower Road debut and it was 4 years after, when Jellyfish has already milked her popularity to death.


    And she's only had one comeback after Uncanny Counter, and hasn't yet had one since Business Proposal, which was the real mega hit drama.


    I think it's abit too early to say whether her music career is successful or not.

    2nd gen has IU - singing & acting - hardly anyone can beat her in either field among idols, in Korea.


    3rd gen as yet, has no one comparable - who can delivery consistently on the top, in both fields.

    Quote from Fire-Grilled Casserole of Duck (577)

    A successful debut isn't always a guarantee their whole career will do well. 2nd gen already had soyou, eunji, hyolyn, park bom, etc having national hits and slaying all charts during their first releases. They didn't keep their popularity and are now struggling to chart their comebacks. The same could happen to 3rd gen girls who haven't proved themselves yet, especially after their group disbands or they leave, the fandom will not longer be united to support them. Even Sejeong debuted with Allkills and perfect scores but not even her acting career can help her releases.

    This. It's hard to keep that longevity if talking solely about charts. IU is the only one that can do this for so long but she isn't considered kpop? It's better to go into acting for longevity.

    Quote from Oven-Grilled Apple & Lavender Boar (532)

    2nd gen has IU - singing & acting - hardly anyone can beat her in either field among idols, in Korea.


    3rd gen as yet, has no one comparable - who can delivery consistently on the top, in both fields.

    i think a few of the blackpink members have a chance if only YGE let them release more music like a mini album or even another single. not too sure about longevity like IU. it's difficult. she's truly one of a kind in SK.

    Quote from Cured Saffron & Shallot Beef (417)

    Iu is not an idol

    So they keep saying, whenever their faves are being challenged.

    But when others' faves need to be challenged, she is an idol.


    Convenient.


    Anyway she has called herself an idol, MAMA, MMA, GDA all consider her in the same category as groups.. So does every other k-pop ranking.


    So random internet opinions hardly matter.

    Quote from Stir-Fried Southern-Style Bear (421)

    This. It's hard to keep that longevity if talking solely about charts. IU is the only one that can do this for so long but she isn't considered kpop? It's better to go into acting for longevity.

    She isn't considered k-pop by whom?

    Random internet people?


    MAMA, MMA,GDA etc consider her in the same category for awards as K-pop groups, that makes her Kpop by the industry influencers.

    ok bbc

    and you're also a random internet opinion so hardly matters to me too :wellr:

    People using IU as if she wasn't an anomaly in the industry and she only started transitioning kpop in late 2017

    Quote from Fried Mint & Mustard Mutton (45)

    IU fans are really trash in AKP

    As opposed to what?

    " Non IU fans are trash everywhere"?


    If you don't have the skills to articulate an argument even in anons and resort to name calling, then indeed you should be very familiar with trashiness.

    Quote from DooDoo Panko Surprise (441)

    People using IU as if she wasn't an anomaly in the industry and she only started transitioning kpop in late 2017

    Which "industry" is that?


    If she transitioned to K-pop only in 2017, then why were MAMA and others, awarding her under Kpop categories in 2011, 2017?


    If she is an anamoly, that is just resignation that no other K-pop idol can match her incredible success as a soloist in S Korea in singing and then as well in acting.


    If that's an anamoly then all top achievers in any field..Magnus Carlson, Tom Brady are all anamolies.


    The industry prefers to debut groups, that doesn't make "soloists" as not idols or not K-pop. And that doesn't make her an anamoly.


    Again OUR opinions are nothing compared to MAMA, MMA, GDA, KMA who all have categorised her as K-pop

    She is not an idol, she never has been. Kpop is a genre, its literally pop in korean, doesn't necessarily mean she is an idol. Also the topic is about idol soloists who are or were a part of kpop idol group. Idol never has functioned like a typical idol since debut and she is a stand alone soloist.

    IU is a border case. In theory, she shouldn't be regarded as an idol just like most other Korean solo artists that have never been in a k-pop group aren't seen and treated as idols.


    But in the Korean media and k-pop media she has often been regarded as an idol nonetheless.

    Quote from Cured Saffron & Shallot Beef (417)

    She is not an idol, she never has been. Kpop is a genre, its literally pop in korean, doesn't necessarily mean she is an idol. Also the topic is about idol soloists who are or were a part of kpop idol group. Idol never has functioned like a typical idol since debut and she is a stand alone soloist.

    Exactly, IU is a soloist and the type of music she does, soft music and ballads, have always put her as above kpop in everyone eyes, she is just putted in kpop category cause there aren't ballad performance awards. And she isn't even important to the topic, she isn't an idol. Taeyeon is the only 2nd gen idol to keep her career afloat, so no one can say that 3rd gen are doing poorly in comparison to 2nd gen when we have like 10 active idol soloists doing better thanTaeyeon internationally and as good as her mid songs in SK

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