Lee Jieun met her 17th anniversary since debut.
She was 15(actually 1,335) years old when she debuted, so since she is 32(1,352) years old now she spent more than half of her supposed life as an idol.
However, it seems 2024, her 17th year since she debuted in 2008, seems to be her last year of relevance.
There was nothing for her to celebrate. Her Flower Bookmark 3 bombed, and her last attempt to spite aespa and Huntr/x failed spectacularly. Although her remaining fans still showed faith on her, there were few comments from foreign fans, having left after she began losing at melon.
In fact Lee Jieun is the first idol , ever, whose heyday lasted beyond her 15th year.
That gives a challenging question to acts who have been there for a while.
BTS debuted in 2013 so its 17th year is 2029
Red Velvet debuted in 2014 and its 17th year is 2030
Twice debuted in 2015 and its 17th year is 2031
BlackPink debuted in 2016 and its 17th year is 2032.
And so on.
Plus Lee Jieun debuted when she was 15 (1,335) so considerably younger than members of some other acts.
Those who had talked about 'longer career' for BTS, etc simply spoke from their behinds. There are no longer careers for idols; they grow old and their fans grow old of that.
The primary reason for Lee Jieun's decline is that there is nothing more to see from her. her singing style has become predictable and she now relies on her dramas , more than her songs, to maintain her popularity.
I have said many times that it would have been better for BTS to ditch Korea at its height, collect $5-10 billion income, silence Taylor Swift and disband or at least go into long hiatus in 2026. Seokjin, Yoongi and Hoseok could have served in the military if they wanted, while the younger members would have fought Taylor Swift to oblivion.
Now BTS is no match against Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen, Kendrick Lamar, Huntr/x, Saja Boys, Alex Warren, Stray Kids and others. All because 1) Bang wanted to keep the Korean courts happy and 2) Seokjin refused to leave the group , which would have gained the act at least 2 more yeares to fight Taylor Swift.
Same logic could be used to Red Velvet, which is already winding down; Twice; and BlackPink.
Those who failed arithmetic do not understand the concept of 'shelf life'.
The fall of Lee Jieun has become a benchmark for other idols. Shinee is still around, but its tour has gotten smaller over time.
