What will SM do with WayV?

WayV is doing fine. They were obviously hampered in their progress and promoting in China by first the Hallyu ban and then the COVID pandemic. This certainly changed the plan of Chinese-focused promotion, but what it did do was help create a wider fan base.

The most recent cb shows there is a strong and thriving fan base that grew in China, Korea and internationally with the combination of the Resonance boost and attention, more fun and funny content and continued engagement on Chinese platforms like Weibo and Owhat and international platforms like IG and YT, and the hard work of the guys.

They reached #1 on Gaon album charts, reached #1 and #2 on different Chinese QQ charts for the first time (music, MV), the most streamed Chinese group on Spotify, biggest first week on Hanteo by a foreign group, certified platinum in Korea and #1 on iTunes Charts in 25 regions. I’m too lazy to go track down the other achievements on this most recent cb, but a few notes to illustrate the growth:

You can really see the growth in Korea here:

and in this chart

This is quite an accomplishment in the Korean market for a Chinese group singing primarily in Mandarin.

Now that WayV can work in China, SM is moving the focus there - members are working in China and other members have indicated they will be heading there later in the year. Nonetheless, I would not expect them to stop pursuing both the Korean market and the global market. Kpop is international, so why wouldn’t they expand their opportunities to succeed in all?

It’s also worth mentioning that I would not expect a group that debuted in 2019 to have the same fan base and level of sales that groups that debuted three years earlier than them had. (And that’s not counting any fan base or awareness built through SM Rookies activities for many Dream and 127 members. While several members of WayV were also in SM Rookies, they did not go straight from Rookies into their fixed groups, like Dream and 127 did.) Because the NCT sub-units are bundled in discussion, I think people expect them to all be performing the same and forget that there is a gap in building attention, awareness and sales..

Tl, dr: they’re doing fine.

i heard they have five years leav in their contract. I can't see them succeed there.

SM should stick to one market for WayV. they should pick China as WayV's home ground. promote them in China and let them do extra activities there like variety shows, acting. lobby for them to gain as much opportunities as you can

Quote from Haolat

SM should stick to one market for WayV. they should pick China as WayV's home ground. promote them in China and let them do extra activities there like variety shows, acting. lobby for them to gain as much opportunities as you can

But promoting in Korea and with nct also helped them reach 300k+ sales latest cb. It was difficult for them all to promote in China last year since some members aren't from mainland iirc, and ppl always say cfans are mostly solo fans. Focusing only in China would bring a fandom for Lucas and Winwin maybe, but what about the whole group?

While promoting in Korea brings them both kfans and ifans for everyone, like Xiaojun who went viral last year

Kpop isn't korean restricted now, it's the best way to be known worldwide. Look at Jackson Wang.

it would be a bad decision to give up kpop when cpop market could be even more difficult for the group to break out.

Quote from 4d-maknae

But promoting in Korea and with nct also helped them reach 300k+ sales latest cb. It was difficult for them all to promote in China last year since some members aren't from mainland iirc, and ppl always say cfans are mostly solo fans. Focusing only in China would bring a fandom for Lucas and Winwin maybe, but what about the whole group?

While promoting in Korea brings them both kfans and ifans for everyone, like Xiaojun who went viral last year

Kpop isn't korean restricted now, it's the best way to be known worldwide. Look at Jackson Wang.

it would be a bad decision to give up kpop when cpop market could be even more difficult for the group to break out.

The members don't have a future in Korea. Yes there were able to reach 300K sales but how much does that pay the members after taking out production cost, SM share of the money then diving by 7 members. The other members can get popular in China too if they never try we would never know. What is the use of SM creating a NCT unit for China if they are just gonna promote to the same crowd that two other NCT units are promoting to?

Xiaojun went viral but do a significant amount of Kpop fans even know him? There is money to be made in China that's why Kpop even targeted China in the first place.

I definitely think SM can find a balance between promoting to ifans and promoting them in China. Their songs can never even chart on melon or become known in Korea. SM should settle on a country for WayV and the country that would be the most beneficial to all members will be China

If SM is smart they should use the ban on produce shows on their advantage, leave Wayv on China and try to gain more fans and fame there since the market is not gonna have the competition that was the produce groups.

Probably will try to conquer China or send them to Mars to colonize and create a real country there

Sm needs to release groups rarely do well in China compared to solo artists. That’s why China keeps calling for winwin and Lucas because it’s who they want. I feel bad for the other wayv members because the popularity difference will become extremely apparent in the oncoming years.

They are doing fine, after NCT 2020 they getting better tho?

And some wayzennie said the members is teasing they are going to promote their new album in China this year... I hope it's true

Quote from Stub

They are doing fine, after NCT 2020 they getting better tho?

And some wayzennie said the members is teasing they are going to promote their new album in China this year... I hope it's true

Kun said it in fancalls.

Quote from sparkkay

Sm needs to release groups rarely do well in China compared to solo artists. That’s why China keeps calling for winwin and Lucas because it’s who they want. I feel bad for the other wayv members because the popularity difference will become extremely apparent in the oncoming years.

Yes, I don't get how SM promotes a whole group in China because people only call for one or two members, the solo act may bring some fans to the group, but it does not help much actually, and there is not a lot of stage/music shows for Wayv as well.

I wonder this as well. Maybe because LabelV isn't big enough in China?

COVID obviously made it nearly impossible for Wayv to really promote in China last year. I think SM was just trying to adjust and make the best of the situation. They couldn’t predict what happened and that’s how things just go sometimes. NCT 2020 did wonders for some Wayv members and some members were able to gain a little bit of a Korean fan base. While also promoting in Wayv, I think SM should integrate some of the members back into the NCT units. Probably Ten, Xiaojun, and Lucas? Knetz complain about foreign idols all the time but they still buy the albums and their fandoms still support them. I don’t think Wayv turned out to be as successful as SM was hoping but they are leaps and bounds ahead of where they were in the second to last comeback.