not all idols has the IT factor to become a soloist

The competition is brutal for solos, you really have to stand out somehow. Even someone like Kwon Eunbi who has literally everything a solo needs is only doing 'ok' at best, just enough to keep going and for the company to keep investing. The vast majority of solos (specifically the ones of idol group members) suffer from constantly declining sales and just fade out after the initial hype.

more than it factor, it requires high artistic sense and more about making music thats relatable

Quote from jinaland

more than it factor, it requires high artistic sense and more about making music thats relatable

also more about songwriting and producing skills

Quote from john098

I realize this forever but recently I come across several soloist mvs and it hits harder than usual that you need to have the 'soloist charisma' in order to stand out and carry yourself. like, they are talented, even some of the best in their respective group, but once they perform outside without the members, they become dull and sort of unconvincing. this is not limited to heavy-dance soloist but vocal-focused soloist too. anyone can go solo but not everyone can has the IT to do it alone no matter how talented they are. but nevertheless i believe the potential is there for everyone.

When it comes to solo songwriting and producing skills matter more. Most idols dont have that so most cant be soloist

Quote from john098

I realize this forever but recently I come across several soloist mvs and it hits harder than usual that you need to have the 'soloist charisma' in order to stand out and carry yourself. like, they are talented, even some of the best in their respective group, but once they perform outside without the members, they become dull and sort of unconvincing. this is not limited to heavy-dance soloist but vocal-focused soloist too. anyone can go solo but not everyone can has the IT to do it alone no matter how talented they are. but nevertheless i believe the potential is there for everyone.

It has more to do with general popularity of your ex group...

Quote from Xifo

It has more to do with general popularity of your ex group...

That's a huge factor but it can't carry you, if that's all you have it will be a state of constant decline over time. If all you have is the pre-existing fanbase of your previous group without any influx of new fans the solo run will have an expiry date. I think this has been seen time and time again. Sadly I think we are seeing some of this with the IZ*ONE solos, as much as I love all of them. Across the board their sales seem to be declining, although even the declined sales can still be considered very good and more than enough to keep the solo career going for a long time.

Of course if you are looking at short term success this might even be THE most important factor.

One interesting note is that the solos of group members seem to do much better while the group is still active, before disbandment. This makes perfect sense since you have a huge fanbase supporting you while a large portion of those fans might move on to stanning other groups after disbandment.

The real test is having a successful solo career for years, long after your previous group has disbanded. Very few succeed at this and it requires something special.

Quote from Xifo

It has more to do with general popularity of your ex group...

I think the thread is about most idols (who try to go solo) not having what it takes to still be successful as a soloist 2-3+ years into their solo career after group disbandment.

Obviously that's true. A more interesting question is "what does it take to be a successful idol soloist?". I think this is hard to answer because the few successful soloists all have taken different paths. It's more varied and individual than groups.

Quote from hammerstan

I think the thread is about most idols (who try to go solo) not having what it takes to still be successful as a soloist 2-3+ years into their solo career after group disbandment.

Obviously that's true. A more interesting question is "what does it take to be a successful idol soloist?". I think this is hard to answer because the few successful soloists all have taken different paths. It's more varied and individual than groups.

They carved a niche for themselves. Their path are different but still unique.

for many people it's not just about the talent (or lack thereof) in a group that causes them to stan the group

it can be a combination of many factors and thus when you have a soloist who came out of a former group you don't always have those factors in play

ie. the group as a whole is greater than the sum of individual members

Quote from trollacc

The competition is brutal for solos, you really have to stand out somehow. Even someone like Kwon Eunbi who has literally everything a solo needs is only doing 'ok' at best, just enough to keep going and for the company to keep investing. The vast majority of solos (specifically the ones of idol group members) suffer from constantly declining sales and just fade out after the initial hype.

Very damn true. Eunbi has come out with consistently great music but it's clear the GP has little interest in her. Thankfully, she still has a viable Wizone fanbase that continues to support her, her Hanteo numbers have been relatively stable 40-50k, with Gaon a little above that. Normally you see huge drops in album sales for Kpop soloists but her and all of the Izone soloists have benefited from the fierce loyalty of Wizones. Yuri also remaining stable with three releases. Chaeyeon doing so much better than i expected with 35k on Hanteo.

The GP only cares about Taeyeon and IU when it comes to female soloists and a bunch of musty trottists, balladeers and "rappers" when it comes to male soloists.

Couldn’t be byun baek but y’all stay safe tho.

Quote from trollacc

That's a huge factor but it can't carry you, if that's all you have it will be a state of constant decline over time. If all you have is the pre-existing fanbase of your previous group without any influx of new fans the solo run will have an expiry date. I think this has been seen time and time again. Sadly I think we are seeing some of this with the IZ*ONE solos, as much as I love all of them. Across the board their sales seem to be declining, although even the declined sales can still be considered very good and more than enough to keep the solo career going for a long time.

Of course if you are looking at short term success this might even be THE most important factor.

One interesting note is that the solos of group members seem to do much better while the group is still active, before disbandment. This makes perfect sense since you have a huge fanbase supporting you while a large portion of those fans might move on to stanning other groups after disbandment.

The real test is having a successful solo career for years, long after your previous group has disbanded. Very few succeed at this and it requires something special.

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Spot on.

That is why I dismiss all the hype over BP, BTS or Twice solos. The true test is when the group has gone inactive with no promise for the future and then still the solos succeed.

It is a matter of extents, but IMO only Taeyeon has built that kind of a career, in the recent past. And of course Hyori in the 1st decade.

Others aren't that consistently successful - Hyuna, Sunmi, Chungha, Somi etc., a mix of hits and misses.

And BGs EXO, Bigbang - there has not been enough distance from the groups.

But G-D can make it, I don't see him trying much though.

Baekhyun, DO maybe. We will have to see.

Izone solos may not even do as well as Chungha or Somi.

As to pure soloists, it is even worse. Heize, Lee Hi, BOL4 (now), Ailee - they are in the gray area of Kpop. Bibi seems to one doing the best recently.

The only exception to all that is IU.

My analogy is that Kpop soloists are like Doubles players in tennis. Never mind their achievements, they will be ignored mostly.

If they are successful singles players as well, then they may get some attention, but only as long as they are ranking high in singles.

So in a weird reversal

Kpop to Tennis: Groups = Singles & Solos = Doubles

Quote from bbgc

Spot on.

That is why I dismiss all the hype over BP, BTS or Twice solos. The true test is when the group has gone inactive with no promise for the future and then still the solos succeed.

It is a matter of extents, but IMO only Taeyeon has built that kind of a career, in the recent past. And of course Hyori in the 1st decade.

Others aren't that consistently successful - Hyuna, Sunmi, Chungha, Somi etc., a mix of hits and misses.

And BGs EXO, Bigbang - there has not been enough distance from the groups.

But G-D can make it, I don't see him trying much though.

Baekhyun, DO maybe. We will have to see.

Izone solos may not even do as well as Chungha or Somi.

As to pure soloists, it is even worse. Heize, Lee Hi, BOL4 (now), Ailee - they are in the gray area of Kpop. Bibi seems to one doing the best recently.

The only exception to all that is IU.

My analogy is that Kpop soloists are like Doubles players in tennis. Never mind their achievements, they will be ignored mostly.

If they are successful singles players as well, then they may get some attention, but only as long as they are ranking high in singles.

So in a weird reversal

Kpop to Tennis: Groups = Singles & Solos = Doubles

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Wut? Izone soloists have all matched or massively outsold the IOI soloists. Chungha averages like 20k on Gaon, Somi got around 50-60k on Gaon last i saw. Depending on whether youre looking at Gaon or Hante0, Yena doing 110-130k, Yuri doing 75-90k, Eunbi doing 40-60k, even Chaeyeon doing 35k on Hanteo.

If you're talking about digital relevance, then sure, Chungha has outcharted them all easily, with Somi and Yena the only others to have a top 10 hit.

Quote from BlackpinkHouse

Wut? Izone soloists have all matched or massively outsold the IOI soloists. Chungha averages like 20k on Gaon, Somi got around 50-60k on Gaon last i saw. Depending on whether youre looking at Gaon or Hante0, Yena doing 110-130k, Yuri doing 75-90k, Eunbi doing 40-60k, even Chaeyeon doing 35k on Hanteo.

If you're talking about digital relevance, then sure, Chungha has outcharted them all easily, with Somi and Yena the only others to have a top 10 hit.

I talk only digital relevance, because Physicals are purely fan driven.

Izone obviously will have more on that scale because they were a group for a longer time and are more recent in the past.

Physicals are irrelevant to the context of the post, soloists can't succeed without winning over the GP and rarely have they managed to grow fandoms to rival the groups.

ex-group soloists start with the group fandom, but that only shrinks over time and individually they don't grow much either.

Even the exception to most K-pop trends, IU is no exception to that. It took her almost 12 years to get an album bonsang, despite being the dominant digimonster.

I agree with you partly, I do think some people work better as group but about having a successful promotional single (not really about taking the world by storm) you just need to find what works for you and that doesn't always match with doing what you like

The market is oversaturated, they have to really stand out

and let face it, most kpop idols groups are famous because young teen fans. Once those teens grow up, the stan less and less. For a group is not easy to endure, for a solo even harder.

and there is a reason why companies debut groups and not solo artists

They do that for few reasons,

Quote from loneranger1

The market is oversaturated, they have to really stand out

and let face it, most kpop idols groups are famous because young teen fans. Once those teens grow up, the stan less and less. For a group is not easy to endure, for a solo even harder.

and there is a reason why companies debut groups and not solo artists

Market is oversaturated for groups as well,

And soloists actually do better with older age groups, who don't care much for dance music - which is group based.

So those aren't the reasons.

Kpop agencies prefer groups for the following reasons.

1. Probability of catching a viral moment is more with multiple people - hence a group. Recent example Billlie's Tsuki.

2. Company's control on the brand will be stronger with groups, than solos who can easily walk away because they alone are the brand. If IU quits EDAM and moves elsewhere, they can't put another person as IU, whereas it is less difficult to do with groups - adding/removing/replacing members.. note "less difficult"

3. Group dynamics- intergroup comparisons, rivalries, friendships etc., are more appealing to the fandom