How far do you think KPop will retreat in 2023? I think, a lot.

  • Myself, I don't have too much hope on KPop in 2023.


    To my eyes, it looks like 1813 in Napoleonic campaign.


    BTS was taking the blunt of the KPop revolution and it is now gone. There is no Yet to Come, like the Beast/Highlight song "Shock" which ends with the line "This song is not over".


    Already Harry Styles has taken the top position of Pop, previously occupied by BTS, and BlackPink's concert is not a world event like BTS' concerts, contrary to popular expectations. Plus , in K-O-R-E-A, they crowned IVE as the premier girl group while BlackPink was away.


    With the huge umbrella maintained by BTS gone, the 4th Gen acts have to establish themselves quickly in the overseas without a clear leader. IVE is not from a large company so it will have a very hard time convincing its leadership over acts from larger companies.


    Without a clear leader, various 4th Gen KPop acts will attack the world in a disorganized way, and I expect them to be defeated piecemeal without even a decisive battle.


    In 2023, I expect the erstwhile allies of BTS to turn against KPop, and all these 'friends' who submitted to KPop's Power will show their true colors as KPop is in full retreat. All of the various acquisitions of Mr.Bang's Hybe will prove to become ineffective, since the only glue that held the alliance for KPop was BTS, and now it is gone, a massive backlash against KPop is inevitable.


    The individual members of BTS would be busy pending for themselves to avert this massive collapse never seen since the world wars.


    It is very commendable that Circle (Gaon) is finally stopping to count the domestic chart. We don't need younhas and Lim Youngwoongs to launch a stab in the back. Of course, the most determined foe of KPop, Lee Jieun, will do something to celebrate her 30th (actually 1,344th) year on earth but I won't go deep on that for now.


    If lucky, KPop could return to where it stood on 2018, with some presence in Japan and southeast Asia and a little presence in the rest of the world.


    But more likely KPop's enemies will force it to be destroyed as a cultural force, and by 2024 it might return back to a local fad, as if everything up to 2022 never really occurred to begin with.



    Like the words written in the sand

    Where the waves are

    I’m afraid you’ll disappear

    - from "Through the Night", a poem by Lee Jieun, written in 2017.

  • WhyKnock

    Changed the title of the thread from “How long do you think KPop will retreat in 2023? I think, a lot.” to “How far do you think KPop will retreat in 2023? I think, a lot.”.
  • Honestly, kpop becoming main stream is my worst nightmare. K-pop going big will ruin k-pop. Look at the terrible year ITZY has had until the Cheshire release. I believe a large part of the issue is JYP trying to go international. As Blackpink goes more international I've liked their music less and less. k-pop needs to stick to it's Korean foundation. If the rest of the world likes it great, if not, at least their not losing the foundation. Playing to the rest of the world won't work because most of the world is unwilling to put in the work K-pop and J-pop really need to be fully experienced. The only advantage k-pop going main stream has is the ability to buy CD's at the local music store. I'd still end up ordering it through other means.

  • Honestly, kpop becoming main stream is my worst nightmare. K-pop going big will ruin k-pop. Look at the terrible year ITZY has had until the Cheshire release. I believe a large part of the issue is JYP trying to go international. As Blackpink goes more international I've liked their music less and less. k-pop needs to stick to it's Korean foundation. If the rest of the world likes it great, if not, at least their not losing the foundation. Playing to the rest of the world won't work because most of the world is unwilling to put in the work K-pop and J-pop really need to be fully experienced. The only advantage k-pop going main stream has is the ability to buy CD's at the local music store. I'd still end up ordering it through other means.

    The juncture was 2016, when GFriend, the last act with the older style of KPop, was replaced by Twice, who began to appeal to the global fans.


    The revenue they can bring from Korea is very limited. The money is with international fans. However, given the way it is going, KPop is set to lose most of its international base within a couple of years, so it might return to the music some older KPop fans liked.


    Once companies find it is no longer profitable to promote in other countries they will stop.

  • Honestly, kpop becoming main stream is my worst nightmare. K-pop going big will ruin k-pop. Look at the terrible year ITZY has had until the Cheshire release. I believe a large part of the issue is JYP trying to go international. As Blackpink goes more international I've liked their music less and less. k-pop needs to stick to it's Korean foundation. If the rest of the world likes it great, if not, at least their not losing the foundation. Playing to the rest of the world won't work because most of the world is unwilling to put in the work K-pop and J-pop really need to be fully experienced. The only advantage k-pop going main stream has is the ability to buy CD's at the local music store. I'd still end up ordering it through other means.

    Money says no.



    The good thing is that there are many groups.


    So if your faves get too international, you can drop them for another group that is more kpop.

  • The juncture was 2016, when GFriend, the last act with the older style of KPop, was replaced by Twice, who began to appeal to the global fans.


    The revenue they can bring from Korea is very limited. The money is with international fans. However, given the way it is going, KPop is set to lose most of its international base within a couple of years, so it might return to the music some older KPop fans liked.


    Once companies find it is no longer profitable to promote in other countries they will stop

    I think there is some profit to be made but only if they don't alienate Actual K-pop fans by reaching for EVERYONE. There's a lot of people like you and me who really really love k-pop. We're willing to explore a different culture and language to understand and enjoy the experience. It will be interesting to see if anyone can pull off getting both fan groups.

    Very true, thats why I don't just buy ITZY cd's just because they are ITZY. I only buy what I like. Hopefully there will always be companies and groups who stay true to being Korean.

  • People have been predicting the end of K-pop since the second gen ended or when K-pop was banned in China years ago.


    K-pop will be just fine internationally, it will go on and be the phenomenon it has always been. Girl groups are the 4th gen leaders domestically, however it will be interesting to see which boy group rises and cements itself as a top boy group like BTS and EXO did before them.

  • it depends on how good newjeans, lesserafim, aespa, and ive are when they come back. girl groups are leading the fourth gen world. some of those groups have the actual potential to break through to the U.S. market as big as BTS with time- some more than others. if not then it falls into the hands of 3rd gen actives.


    kpop should be fine.

    The problem is the generation change has already occurred in Korea and KPop fans around the world got the news. Existing 3rd gen acts will maintain their fanbases but won't probably expand them.


    If at least one of them can grow as big as BlackPink, fine, but I am afraid that might not occur.

  • They will CB in 2023 specifically in April (popular belief lol)


    You'll be surprised 😌


    BP still haven't started putting out promoted eng singles, who knows what kind of numbers they will pull once they start 👀

    Hope so. Given they wasted so much time, it is time to push it

  • I think there is some profit to be made but only if they don't alienate Actual K-pop fans by reaching for EVERYONE. There's a lot of people like you and me who really really love k-pop. We're willing to explore a different culture and language to understand and enjoy the experience. It will be interesting to see if anyone can pull off getting both fan groups.

    Very true, thats why I don't just buy ITZY cd's just because they are ITZY. I only buy what I like. Hopefully there will always be companies and groups who stay true to being Korean.

    Actually, Korea only accounts for 10% of world activities



    The max an artist can make in Korea is around $25 million by IU in 2021. At that time she owned her company, so after expenses she pocketed around $17 million herself.


    But, while that is enough to sustain a one-person agency like Edam (Shin Sekyung was added but she has her own accounting and did not make too much in 2021), it is not enough to sustain companies like SM, JYPE or Hybe.

  • The problem is the generation change has already occurred in Korea and KPop fans around the world got the news. Existing 3rd gen acts will maintain their fanbases but won't probably expand them.


    If at least one of them can grow as big as BlackPink, fine, but I am afraid that might not occur.


    unconcerned for newjeans or lesserafim. just give it time.

  • my faves were never famous anyways


    there's nothing to ruin, nothing to worry about, just disbandment


    they sell 5k? whatever.

    they get witchunted again? who cares, i can list easily twice as many things your faves have done.

    a member goes on hiatus? please comeback soon. but it's happened before.


    they disband? what a shame. you will always live in my heart.

  • That's not even factual


    BP has released music every year with 2021 being the sole exception so it's not even far fetched to say BP will definitely release new music next year based on their established pattern 🚶

    I looked up their discography to see how many songs they have released and got confused but I realized something. They re-release a lot, both in copying songs from one album to another and in various languages. I'm not gonna count it out because I'm lazy today so I'll concede since after giving it thought I realize, I don't know a ton about black pink other than I like their early music and I like lovesick girls. So you win today. 8o

  • I looked up their discography to see how many songs they have released and got confused but I realized something. They re-release a lot, both in copying songs from one album to another and in various languages. I'm not gonna count it out because I'm lazy today so I'll concede since after giving it thought I realize, I don't know a ton about black pink other than I like their early music and I like lovesick girls. So you win today. 8o

    hardy winning???

    that's a first

  • 2023 is the glorious year when Suga, Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook will officially debut as soloists. :pepe-toast:


    The world ain't ready :pepegrin:

    Suga is just a few months younger than Seokjin so he will also be dragged to the military base with K-O-R-E_A-N incels cheering.


    Plus , given the solo performances of other members , I don't see them making a big stir in the world

  • At least Momoland had its day under the sun. It was just mismanaged.

  • Suga is just a few months younger than Seokjin so he will also be dragged to the military base with K-O-R-E_A-N incels cheering.


    Plus , given the solo performances of other members , I don't see them making a big stir in the world

    Suga and all of BTS are returning in 2025


    Oh and we shall see baby about them making a stir or not :iconpepe:

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