HYBE stans want to ignore the giant elephant in the room, so I'll finally address it

    I have one word and one number for you.


    fromis_9


    There is this popular opinion, here and elsewhere, that a group that leaves the ecosystem of a big company, like HYBE, is doomed to less opportunities and lesser achievements.


    So I posit: That theory doesn't hold up at all if you look at fromis_9.


    They were unceremoniously released from HYBE, signed with a label none of you have ever heard of, AND lost 3 members (so now they're fromis_5)....yet:


    Most Searched Female Groups on YouTube South Korea in August:


    1. IVE — 15.2M points

    2. aespa — 12.3M point

    3. NewJeans — 8M pointss

    4. BLACKPINK — 7.7M points

    5. Fromis_9 — 4.3M points

    6. (G)I-DLE — 3.3M points

    7. TWICE — 3M points


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    They're doing better in a nugu company than they ever did at HYBE.


    This narrative that a group is doomed to irrelevance if they leave a big label for smaller but greener pastures is emphatically disproven by fromis_9.


    Props to the girls (pretty sure I'm the legit first international fan of the girls; I've never met anyone else who watched Idol School as it aired) for paving the way forward.


    :meme-think-about-it:

    As they should


    Their new song is so good.


    Tbh I don't think NJs will do badly if they leave Hybe their brand as a group and individually is huge


    Whether or not they will be bigger than they were before it's another story but they won't flop like how the haters and Hybe stans are wishing


    And they can redebut and be like biggest 5th Gen GG since Day6 is still not get the biggest 5th Gen GG as they are only the biggest 2nd 3rd and 4th gen GG

    Congrats to Fromis9!


    Quote from Yama-Chan

    I've never met anyone else who watched Idol School as it aired) for paving the way forward.

    Now you have. Underrated show with Natty before KiOF and Jo Yuri before Produce.


    Did you have a fave? Mine was always Hayoung.


    Obligatory post of a legendary performance below.


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    Quote from icyruios

    Tbh I don't think NJs will do badly if they leave Hybe their brand as a group and individually is huge


    Whether or not they will be bigger than they were before it's another story but they won't flop like how the haters and Hybe stans are wishing


    And they can redebut and be like biggest 5th Gen GG since Day6 is still not get the biggest 5th Gen GG as they are only the biggest 2nd 3rd and 4th gen GG

    that's the icyruios i like :meme-oh-yes::teddy-pepe: !

    Quote from icyruios

    And they can redebut and be like biggest 5th Gen GG since Day6 is still not get the biggest 5th Gen GG as they are only the biggest 2nd 3rd and 4th gen GG

    :meme-stare:



    :meme-oop:


    I stand corrected. And Hayoung is also my fav :pepelove: it was either her or Jiwon I always stanned


    And I've always LOVED this peak GFRIEND coded song and stage from them


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    Had it on loop the entire rest of the year.


    Also Unlock My World is arguably the best full album released by any girl group this decade. It's criminally underrated

    Daym, fellow Hayoung stan :finger-heart:


    She has to be one of the most underrated and well rounded idols.

    Fantastic singer and dancer, and a game queen to top it off.


    I really like her vocal tone/timbre. Her ad libs in so many of their songs is chef's kiss.


    Jiwon too, she might have one of my most fave voices in all of Kpop.


    Guess you've seen the masterpiece below?


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    I just thought she was the biggest sweetheart during idol school. I would've been devastated if she didn't make the final lineup, but I was confident she would precisely because of what you just pointed out. She's always had the best overall musicality in the group, even if Jiwon is clearly the most vocally talented :pepelove1:


    Fun Yama Fact: fromis_9's debut EP, to heart, is the first non-Mamamoo album I ever purchased. And I didn't buy another non-Mamamoo until How Sweet


    And yes, I've seen that clip, but will I gladly watch it again? You betcha

    HYBE did fromis so dirty. They had the talent, the charm, and the fanbase. Practically everything. Once HYBE got them, it was the same story: zero push, sloppy promos, shoved into bad schedules, and overshadowed by HYBE's "favourites." They never got the backing they deserved, just treated like filler until the company was done with them.

    Quote from BIGnorBANG

    HYBE did fromis so dirty. They had the talent, the charm, and the fanbase. Practically everything. Once HYBE got them, it was the same story: zero push, sloppy promos, shoved into bad schedules, and overshadowed by HYBE's "favourites." They never got the backing they deserved, just treated like filler until the company was done with them.

    They weren't even given a comeback until the members publicly complained to fans about being stuck in the dungeon.


    Now look at them thriving outside of that toxic company

    Quote from Yama-Chan

    They weren't even given a comeback until the members publicly complained to fans about being stuck in the dungeon.


    Now look at them thriving outside of that toxic company

    I still wonder why they wanted them, bar their catalogue. Even then, they aren't using it, so it seems pointless to have bought their contracts, despite some at Pledis being behind their discography until they left.

    It's doing well because it's Carly coded


    Seriously, Fromis_9 have always been huge in Korea and Hybe mistreated them. I remember supersonic had a very high peak against some serious competition last year. Hybe should've put resources to make Fromis_9 bigger than they were. They had the Korean market but why didn't Hybe with their connections try to push them for the Japanese market? I think they had a chance of doing well in that market but they didn't even attempt that for them.


    I think the main issue with Fromis_9 and Hybe is Hybe didn't create them. Hybe didn't want to push a group they didn't create which is why they never received a push like their other groups. It's a shame too because they have one of the best discographies, talented members, and they have personalities that can help them gain fans.

    Quote from BIGnorBANG

    I still wonder why they wanted them, bar their catalogue. Even then, they aren't using it, so it seems pointless to have bought their contracts, despite some at Pledis being behind their discography until they left.

    Because HYBE had no real plans outside of acquiring other labels to monopolize the industry to try to convince outside investors that they run and own it. They have an obvious inferiority complex to SM, and proving they're the big man on campus is all that matters to them.


    fromis_9 were utterly wasted at HYBE, as StanGIDLE just pointed out. They were never serious about maximizing their potential. f_9 were given moderately better treatment than GFRIEND, which is a very low bar.


    I won't lie. There were several weeks where LIKE YOU BETTER was charting better than any song from a HYBE group and I took great pleasure in it

    Quote from Yama-Chan

    Because HYBE had no real plans outside of acquiring other labels to monopolize the industry to try to convince outside investors that they run and own it. They have an obvious inferiority complex to SM, and proving they're the big man on campus is all that matters to them.


    fromis_9 were utterly wasted at HYBE, as StanGIDLE just pointed out. They were never serious about maximizing their potential. f_9 were given moderately better treatment than GFRIEND, which is a very low bar.


    I won't lie. There were several weeks where LIKE YOU BETTER was charting better than any song from a HYBE group and I took great pleasure in it

    The mantra at Hybe seems to be, "If you weren't formed by Bongo, you're not one of us." Applied to three groups: f_9, Gfriend, NewJeans.


    As for SM, it's a simple case of "If I can't beat you, I'll eat you" (buy them out in Hybe's case). That failed spectacularly, with Gramps being able to come back in February. In the three years since the deal was made with him, they've fucked themselves over more than NewJeans has come top in the charts.

    Quote from BIGnorBANG

    I still wonder why they wanted them, bar their catalogue. Even then, they aren't using it, so it seems pointless to have bought their contracts, despite some at Pledis being behind their discography until they left.

    They probably just bought because they had the money.


    They probably don't care if Pledis is incompetent when they go buying, they see it differently than us.

    Quote from BIGnorBANG

    The mantra at Hybe seems to be, "If you weren't formed by Bongo, you're not one of us." Applied to three groups: f_9, Gfriend, NewJeans.


    As for SM, it's a simple case of "If I can't beat you, I'll eat you" (buy them out in Hybe's case). That failed spectacularly, with Gramps being able to come back in February. In the three years since the deal was made with him, they've fucked themselves over more than NewJeans has come top in the charts.

    They truly could have had it all. Just look at this ranking again.


    Most Searched Female Groups on YouTube South Korea in August:


    1. IVE — 15.2M points

    2. aespa — 12.3M point

    3. NewJeans — 8M pointss

    4. BLACKPINK — 7.7M points

    5. Fromis_9 — 4.3M points

    6. (G)I-DLE — 3.3M points

    7. TWICE — 3M points


    Try to find the active HYBE girl group :pepe-magnify:


    This keeps those hateful executives up at night, and the kicker is that two of those girl groups WERE in HYBE, and HYBE intentionally sabotaged them.


    This is a nightmare list for those incels. And a little karmic justice too.

    Quote from Yama-Chan

    Because HYBE had no real plans outside of acquiring other labels to monopolize the industry to try to convince outside investors that they run and own it. They have an obvious inferiority complex to SM, and proving they're the big man on campus is all that matters to them.


    fromis_9 were utterly wasted at HYBE, as StanGIDLE just pointed out. They were never serious about maximizing their potential. f_9 were given moderately better treatment than GFRIEND, which is a very low bar.


    I won't lie. There were several weeks where LIKE YOU BETTER was charting better than any song from a HYBE group and I took great pleasure in it

    It should honestly be talked about more how Hybe failed them. I honestly think if they were properly pushed they could've been a borderline top 5 group among 4th gen idols (if you consider them 4th gen). They were a well rounded group with good quality music. They were just never pushed like their peers. Marketing goes a long way in kpop, and they never were marketed as an important group for Hybe. They were always an afterthought which never made sense when they charted well with a small marketing budget

    It's not that group from smaller comapnies can't be succesful it's just much harder form them. And Fromis 9 still have the benefit being from a Idol show and being know throw the bigger companies at the start.

    Quote from StanGIDLE

    It should honestly be talked about more how Hybe failed them. I honestly think if they were properly pushed they could've been a borderline top 5 group among 4th gen idols (if you consider them 4th gen). They were a well rounded group with good quality music. They were just never pushed like their peers. Marketing goes a long way in kpop, and they never were marketed as an important group for Hybe. They were always an afterthought which never made sense when they charted well with a small marketing budget

    fromis_9 becoming a legitimate high performing girl group should be celebrated more, because they really had to fight for recognition and survival despite releasing some of the best music of their generation.



    Quote from patrik-k

    It's not that group from smaller comapnies can't be succesful it's just much harder form them. And Fromis 9 still have the benefit being from a Idol show and being know throw the bigger companies at the start.

    You have no idea what you're talking about.


    Idol School had terrible ratings. That's why I was confident I was the only ifan who even watched it start to finish while it aired.


    Being from an idol show doesn't even guarantee success, and there are multiple recent examples of that. When is the last time you saw an EL7Z UP song topping any charts? You probably don't even know who they are.


    And way to miss the point, patty k, which is that fromis_9 left HYBE and got immediately, substantially BETTER results.

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