Can we finally say SM is NOT the company "setting trends"/being innovative?

No

Quote from godkingteshub

This is what SM stans kept saying for YEARS, and they emphasized NCT's rotational group and Aespa's metaverse concepts as reasons. But those are already over and done with. I'm seeing other companies and groups setting trends more than them.

Please give specific examples.

Yeah, they haven't been industry-changing trendsetters arguably since Red Velvet. They have started smaller trends, like a few smaller companies started trying the ai concept thing. But nothing on a market-changing scale.

Yes

Every BG sounds like NCT (derogatory) to me so idk if this is true 🫡

Considering they’re the only company whose acts don’t sh*t the bed when it comes encore time - I’d say they’re at least innovative in continuing to debut groups with members who can actually sing.

We can say that but do you really think the Pink bloods from the Seoul Forest would agree

Their prime was long gone

Indeed

Rofl. I WISH SM were setting trends, if only it were true that more companies would follow suit and be more adventurous and audacious/risk-taking in their endeavours, whether that be creatively, music wise, concepts and ideas or otherwise.

It would certainly make the K-pop scene a lot more colorful, surprising and interesting - and varied.

Instead most companies play it safe, not straying too far from the mainstream or what they know - which I can understand coming from the smaller companies, but for the bigger companies doing things like that it almost feels criminal.

And sure, some of SM's more recent experiments like Aespa's multimedia metaverse, NCT's modular unit structure and music/concept tryouts, though more successful than most people expected, haven't been setting trends as former experiments of theirs like going for large groups were.

But I think deviations from the standard/mainstream like SM's hit-and-miss experimenting, but also other examples like Dreamcatcher's rock/horror brand, (G)I-dle's video concepts/song styles, KARD's co-ed group format and so on bring extra, unexpected spice and variation to K-pop - and frankly, K-pop could use a lot more of that.

Aespa was the final peak, the blowoff top of the girl crush trend in Kpop. Started in 2016 by BP, cultural reset achieved in 2018 with DDDD, many GGs followed with GC concepts like Itzy, EG and Loona, with Next Level finally ending up as the peak of this trend.

yes

Quote from BlackpinkHouse

Aespa was the final peak, the blowoff top of the girl crush trend in Kpop. Started in 2016 by BP, cultural reset achieved in 2018 with DDDD, many GGs followed with GC concepts like Itzy, EG and Loona, with Next Level finally ending up as the peak of this trend.

Good one grandpa

What do you mean "finally"? lol

You're 5-6 years too late with this thread, that's how long ago they stopped being all those things.