As Lee Jieun's International reputation rises, her iron grip in Korea gets loosened

  • Somebody paid for an ad of IU at the TImes square.


    Kpop's most reactionary/most anachronistic/most isolationist singer has significantly changed her position, and is now trying to appeal to the world, despite of her Japanese promotion having gone nowhere in 2012-13.


    As she changes her song style to be more palatable to the i-fans, Lee Jieun's Korean fans are increasingly turning back on her, which is why Brave Girls' Rollin is still going strong because the domesticists are now supporting BG, which is unlikely to promote outside of Korea.


    IU's haters are also flocking to Laboum, IU's arch enemy. While Laboum is not moving as fast as these people hope for, that is another sign that IU's grip in Korea is weakening


    Some people say IU is now old, and will be pushed aside by newer crops. Which I have pointed out for years since she had become a Senior Singer in 2014.


    I think that because of the fanatic fans of Brave Girls, Rollin will beat Celebrity at the melon yearly #1 ranking. Many of BG's fans, who didn't know or care who were BG until Viditor had put the fancam, were IU's fans but they have moved to BG because their sounds are more 'Korean'.


    For many years IU was the bastion of the domesticists, but when she finally decides to contribute something to KPop after many years of failing to do so, the K-O-R-E-A-N-S are angry and are moving to another domestic act.

  • I think that because of the fanatic fans of Brave Girls, Rollin will beat Celebrity at the melon yearly #1 ranking. Many of BG's fans, who didn't know or care who were BG until Viditor had put the fancam, were IU's fans but they have moved to BG because their sounds are more 'Korean'.

    Highly unlikely - do you understand how ULs and streams work? "Celebrity" has a 1.5 month lead in tracking over "Rollin" and its peak was higher (higher ULs and streams than Rollin's peak). "Rollin" will need more than 6 months to catch up without losing any of its viral steam. It's possible, but again highly unlikely.


    You have a fundamental misunderstanding of why Brave Girls is so loved in South Korea right now. Their sound is NOT any more Korean than any other kpop song, it's because people see them as a hardworking rags-to-riches Cinderella story that managed to overcome prejudice by not giving up. Similar to Gfriend's 2016 performance where they repeatedly got up again in the rain after falling.

  • Highly unlikely - do you understand how ULs and streams work? "Celebrity" has a 1.5 month lead in tracking over "Rollin" and its peak was higher (higher ULs and streams than Rollin's peak). "Rollin" will need more than 6 months to catch up without losing any of its viral steam. It's possible, but again highly unlikely.


    You have a fundamental misunderstanding of why Brave Girls is so loved in South Korea right now. Their sound is NOT any more Korean than any other kpop song, it's because people see them as a hardworking rags-to-riches Cinderella story that managed to overcome prejudice by not giving up. Similar to Gfriend's 2016 performance where they repeatedly got up again in the rain after falling.

    Brave Brother wrote a lot of Sistar's summer hits, and his songs to BG are also kind of summer songs. When it gets hotter Rollin will get stronger while Celebrity is a winter song so it will get weaker.


    GFriend was eventually defeated by Twice because JYP did its best to snuff the group ran by one of his former employees. Nobody is going to launch a campaign to bury BG since it does not touch anyone's interest. I have discussed the ephemerality of cinderella stories in this post


  • Rollin has a good chance of re-taking #1 this week which means the end of IU domination

    I mean its fine if it does, but i fail to see how it ends the IU domination in anyway when over 25% of the top 20 is still songs by iu, including a song from 2011..


    In one year, guess whose songs will still be charting in top 20.


    And it getting by celebrity with more than a months headstart is unlikely at best.

  • Rollin has a good chance of re-taking #1 this week which means the end of IU domination

    The records will show that IU extended her PAK and chart topping with this comeback. People don't really look at what happens weeks after release. Case in point, BBIBBI did not actually have the classic IU longevity but it'll always be remembered as a hit because it set records for first 24hr ULs and still managed to PAK.

    Brave Brother wrote a lot of Sistar's summer hits, and his songs to BG are also kind of summer songs. When it gets hotter Rollin will get stronger while Celebrity is a winter song so it will get weaker.


    That is a very big assumption. Viral songs in the past have typically not had the best longevity. Regardless, "Rollin" will need to maintain >100k ULs per day over "Celebrity" for 6 months to make up the 1.5 month lead. Songs after the top 5 are 30-50k ULs apart. You do the math yourself.

  • I honestly don't see IU trying hard to appeal to the rest of the world, especially not the West. Yes, she is popular with kpop fans there, because she is objectively amazing, but I don't see anything proving that her music is now made for a more international audience.

  • The K-O-R-I-A-N-S are angry?! :eek:

    They should stream Lilac

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  • I don't think you understand. Yeah, Lilac may soon get overtook #1 Melon in melon again. However, just look at how IU charting with their b-side and her title track?


    820k ULs for 24 hours and 9/10 are IU with the first 24 hours. Which group and artist can do that??

    Non can can even reach 820k and most of their b-side can't even chart as high as IU. Like IU b-side chart better than most of the group out there so I don't see where is the downfall of IU.

  • I honestly don't see IU trying hard to appeal to the rest of the world, especially not the West. Yes, she is popular with kpop fans there, because she is objectively amazing, but I don't see anything proving that her music is now made for a more international audience.

    Something did change and she is now using composers she had not used before, and is trying to attract more foreign fans. There is no more to prove before the domestic audience so she is now trying to use movie techniques in her music videos to get more i-fans

  • Acts like Laboum and Brave Girls have nothing to lose. They have much bigger prize if they can topple IU.


    Same thing which happened on 2011 when IU, who had nothing to lose, fought SNSD.


    Bigger acts have risk. If they fight IU and lose, their reputation is hurt . It might be why there are few collisions now between acts from bigger companies - they pre-arrange the comebacks so there would be no collision from which a winner and a loser will arise and the loser has to pack his bags.


    However, there are little downside for Laboum and Brave Girls to provoke IU, so they do that without impunity

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