Why do so few idols with acting success still continue to do idol-music?

    Reversing the question asked in the earlier thread


    Thread
    Why do most idols abandon music, once they find success in acting?
    The only exceptions seem to be IU and Eunji, everyone else either completely abandons or drastically reduce their work in music.

    Workload, profits can only be part of the reason.
    If they genuinely enjoyed perfoming music, why would they drop it so quickly?

    Not even Youtube covers etc.
    bbgc


    Majority of idols who find success in acting give up or reduce their idol-music activities,


    But for few cases - IU, Eunji.


    The reasons given are idols are sensitive to aging, it is high stress and low privilege in S.Korea compared to actors, idols weren't into music in the first place,

    Idols don't enjoy fan service and having their lives dictated by fan demands.


    So let me flip the question.


    Then why do so few idols who despite acting success, prefer to keep an active idol career?

    Edited once, last by bbgc ().

  • bbgc

    Changed the title of the thread from “Why do some idols with acting success still continue to do idol-music?” to “Why do so few idols with acting success still continue to do idol-music?”.

    Acting and creating music are difficult career choices. I think most people will agree with me when I say making art is very emotionally draining (actors have to cry on command, composers have to express difficult ideas, etc.,) and few people have the emotional gauge to work in both fields around the same time / simultaneously. Not to mention time management and physical energy. IU herself says that she doesn't have any hobbies; she just works.

    Quote from bbgc

    Does that mean rest of them don't enjoy music/idol work.. So were only faking it until they got into acting?

    So if you choose one job over another, you never liked / cared about the first job? Do you apply that to other things in life too? Many people switch career paths, majors, hobbies, ect., Preferring one thing over another doesn't mean you never cared about what came first, it just means you like the what you discovered later more. If I had to choose between being an actor or idol, I would choose actor. They're given more personal space and respect, they don't have to multitask nearly as much, etc., It's just a better personal life style.

    Quote from LavenderBobaTea

    Acting and creating music are difficult career choices. I think most people will agree with me when I say making art is very emotionally draining (actors have to cry on command, composers have to express difficult ideas, etc.,) and few people have the emotional gauge to work in both fields around the same time / simultaneously. Not to mention time management and physical energy. IU herself says that she doesn't have any hobbies; she just works.

    Then why do they prioritize acting over idoling, if originally they got into idoling because they loved it - music/fan service etc


    It is ok if some of them choose acting over idoling, but when it such a skewed majority, then the question arises whether they truly were into music/fans in the first place or just faking for the sake of celebrity life?

    Quote from bbgc

    Does that mean rest of them don't enjoy music/idol work.. So were only faking it until they got into acting?

    More or less


    I wouldn't really call IU idol-music the same way as say.... Blackpink.


    And yes- most aren't actual musicians, most are just performers, and being an Idol is a profession and a career starting point, not the end goal.


    There are very few idols who are, what I would call, actual "musicians", or being an idol/musician is the end goal.

    Quote from bbgc

    Simple enough, yet why is that so small a percentage?

    I don't know many idol actors so I have no clue on percentage, all the ones I know do both.


    It's possible that the ones that switched found that they liked acting more than they liked being an idol, or had more opportunities as an actor than they did as an idol. Or many many many other reasons why that we won't know about because we're not involved in their lives.



    I mean, I know back in the day SM had planned that Super Junior would be SM's gateway and that all their artists would debut in SuJu before moving on to either other groups or other careers. Shindong joined SM to be a host/presenter and never planned on being an idol but had to go through the SuJu step and just stuck with it.


    So it's possible that some of the idols that move to acting had that same career path, they wanted to be an actor but ended up being an idol first to either establish themselves to get better roles or were required to by their company or some other reason.

    Quote from bbgc

    Then why do they prioritize acting over idoling, if originally they got into idoling because they loved it - music/fan service etc


    It is ok if some of them choose acting over idoling, but when it such a skewed majority, then the question arises whether they truly were into music/fans in the first place or just faking for the sake of celebrity life?

    They prioritize acting because they like acting more :pepewhat:

    It's "ok" if all of them choose acting over "idoling," because it's their life and their career choice. Idol work is a good pre-requisite to becoming an actor. In the same way a student can major in physics or chem instead of bio before they go to med school. They're ultimately going to pursue medical school and biology, but that doesn't mean they "faked" liking chem or physics while they were majoring in it.


    People don't have to stick with the same thing for their whole lives to of enjoyed doing it. Tons of olympic athletes don't go anything (or much) sports-related after their career is over, even though they could become coaches, judges, etc., That doesn't mean they were "faking" loving their sport. They just reached a point in their life where they were no longer interested in or suited for it.


    Anyway, I'm leaving this thread because you've obviously already reached the cynical conclusion that idols don't care about their music and just use their platforms for fame and you're not going to accept anything else :peperun:

    Whether to call IU an idol is a different discussion, but since she herself has spoken and sees little difference .


    Idols or at least idol training is increasingly becoming a common entry point in Korean entertainment, with the ultimate goal of being an 'actor'.


    Is that healthy for idoling, acting or music - I don't know?


    Seems the career is ideally - for women

    Idol till around 25,

    Actor till around 40,

    Then variety and such.


    Men would have longer shell life in each stage.


    When it comes to age, music (not idol) is the one they can keep doing the longest as the main focus, if they are good at vocals.

    But they should keep the career decently active.


    In any case, even the successful idols aren't truly into music/dance or their supposedly eternal loyalty to fans.


    Very few are enjoying it, rest are just chasing "celebrity life", whatever the medium and idolwork is not a preferred medium, if they succeed in other options.


    That maybe the reason-feedback cycle why in Korea, idols aren't valued as much actors.

    Maybe.

    I know the reasons for each case will vary.


    Yet it is a valid question when it comes to statistics.


    Whether I or anyone accepts your reasoning or not, or you accept my reasoning or not - is not the purpose of the discussions.


    But just express our perspectives on things of common interest.


    Nobody is winning anything worthwhile, by convincing others.


    Also long as egos aren't fragile to be elated by wins or shattered by loses..

    I mean a bit of a chicken and the egg problem here. Are idols going into acting at 25 because that's their goal the entire time, or that groups over the age of 25 start to decline in popularity and sales relative to the new groups popping up?


    Early on, I think most young people just see being an Idol as a way for a popularity and arts career. They listen to idols, their friends do, these people get to wear great clothes and look good. It's a status for young people.


    But once your in the industry it's different, and as you get older priorities change. Most either transition to treacly ballads or acting for that very reason - that's the expected career path, but its' also the more respected one.


    Honestly, I think very few are in it for the music. Like I think I could count about 5 idols I know of who are 100% just musicians who happen to be idols.

    Idols are ephemeral.


    One can't expect the idols to do the same kind of dancing numbers when they are , say , 38.


    If one can successfully transition to an actor, the person will continue to do so for a long time.


    Besides, groups are dependent upon the actions of other members too. If some member messes up it affects all of the group.


    So eventually the idol moves on to become a full time actor. Eunji is now almost an actress exclusively, and as I have written a few days ago, if IU had not been defeated so thoroughly by Park Bogum at Scarlet Heart- Moon Lovers, she would have taken full actress route as well.


    One can't blame these idols planning for their post idol future. They can't really perform on their own if their group disbands.

    While age is a factor for Idoling, music itself can be pursued at top levels even at 40, 50,60 etc.

    They can become vocalists, composers, producers etc. When point choreography is tough.


    Yet they mostly dump all music activities.


    Eunji truly likes music even outside of Apink, regularly releases covers etc. That's true love.


    As to IU, your delusions about Scarlet Heart apart, she still killed it My Mister and HDL, and in the past years gets many "love calls" from PDs.

    At least one could say that given the levels of success IU has in music and her high degree of autonomy, setting her own pace to work etc. She is an outlier.


    But Eunji definitely deserves appreciation for sticking with it.

    Sure as an actress she had some hits, many misses, but so do regular actresses/actors.


    Those who dump idoling/music, even when they are young enough and have a good success as idols - I think merely wanted to be celebrities and not particular about the field.

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