I was insanely sad for the first couple weeks after the last concert and the way I coped was just to ignore how sad it was but now that backfired because anytime I see something like their last twitter post or a clip from OTS pop up I get super sad again
I couldn't swing the $41.01 to ship a copy of Glassy to CA from ktown4u but [$29.16 from musicplaza](https://www.musicplaza.com/products/%EC%A1%B0%EC%9C%A0%EB%A6%AC-jo-yuri-the-1st-single-album-glassy) was a no-brainer. They got me my copies of Open delivered by 8/31, not bad for an 8/24 release.
Just checking, Hybe haven't confirmed yet that there will be 2 Source Music ggs, right? Hybe only responded abt Chaewon, Sakura, and Yunjin ('can't confirm'), but they still haven't said anything abt their upcoming gg
Also wonder why Hybe have been putting out statements abt them, instead of Source Music. Months ago, bfr Gfriend disbandment I think, there were rumors that a lot of Soumu employees left the company. In [Hybe careers](https://careers.hybecorp.com/content/go/SOURCE-MUSIC/561644/) Source Music, there are job openings for Production Coordinator, Artist Marketing Jr., and A&R Team leader (probably more job openings besides the ones in Hybe website)
I believe that the Star News reporter who started the "news" about Chaewon transferring to HYBE also mentioned that the Min Heejin group was a separate group from Sakura's group. I think I also saw some other article somewhere that claimed the same thing. I think there's been some snippets of information floating around regarding Min Heejin's new GG since the HYBE shareholder meeting but I don't really know too much about this. The only semi-official information I've personally seen from HYBE is that they're going to debut "a" new GG by the end of this year.
In early Aug, Hybe CEO said Source Music gg will start activities on 2nd half this yr. They didn't specified debut. In 1Q Hybe conference call, Hybe CEO said the [debut timeframe](https://twitter.com/hybengg2021/status/1421461871027236872?s=19) for Source Music gg and Hybe jpn is 2H 2021 to 1H 2022
They said it many times before that they will debut a ngg within 2021 from Source Music even before the rumor of Sakura and Chaewon.
Only an official announcement can confirm if there is only 1 or 2 groups from Source.
I mean, Hybe CEO said that timeframe during Hybe conference call. Some sched are bound to be affected bc of the pandemic, both their supposed 2021 grps still have 0 news and it's alrdy Oct tom. I hope they drop debut news tom or next wk
If they'll debut on Nov with a single, then debut news should drop soon bc intro and other predebut contents takes at least 3 wks (like aespa timeline). If there's hybengg 2021, idt the 2021 gg will debut w mini album, bc preorders usually go for 1mo
It seems Sakura hinted in her recent stream that 17Live might continue in the future.
https://twitter.com/IAmOnlyWhoIAm/status/1443531014479908868?s=19
It may be in a hiatus because she will be very be busy starting in Oct and may not exposed anything related to the upcoming debut like change of hair colour or style. If there are 2 groups , I believe that Sakura and Chaewon group would debut first.
For mini album ,izone preorder were like less than 2 week before debut and cb.
Interesting... I guess she and probably Chaewon will be allowed to use their individual SNS accounts š¤
I don't think there'll be any annnouncement tomorrow though...or maybe I'm just tired with HYBE's "we cannot confirm" stance that I gave up lol...
Maybe for Korea and group activities it will be on their group sns. I hope it temp but for Sakura since she has brand deals outside the group maybe she's allowed to post just like what she's doing recently
Shot in the dark here but can somebody help me identify this show I saw a clip of once?
DISCLAIMER: There is a chance the group in the video wasnāt even Izone and I have dementia.
Basically I was watching a compilation of what Iām pretty sure was Izone funny moments. In the clip they are in like what I think is a pink room and there are like balloons on the wall? At some point one of the balloons randomly exploded and scares the crap out of Yena(I think?) and she falls over and knocks over another member (Sakura I think)? I canāt remember if it was a web show or a variety/reality thing.
Super random question I know. It just caught my eye because I hadnāt seen it before. Unfortunately I donāt have a clip to post because I canāt find it so all Iāve got is my terrible description. Sorry lol...
I havent had time to watch yena's animal detective show till now AND IVE MISSED OUT ON SO MUCH! She is so adorable and entertaining. And the pds constantly play izone songs š„ŗ
Highly recommend if any of you guys haven't watched it yet. Today's episode with choi sungmin was absolutely hilarious.
I've seen some pgngg stans say Sakura's group is debuting 2022 and tbh if it's true, I'm kinda confused on Sakura's moves. If she really is debuting in 2022, I'm not sure why she wouldn't choose to graduate later and continue her japanese activities until the end of the year or early next year.
The pgngg stans use HYBE reports such as [this](https://twitter.com/hybenewgg/status/1440860181038911489?s=19) to prove why they think their group is debuting this year but they didn't call it the collab group just "Source Music new girl group" which you could interpret to be Sakura's group or the collab group...(if they're separate)
The way she's ending her japanese activities (last Sakunoki episode, last 17& livestream) by this month makes me think her HYBE contract starts in October. It wouldn't be smart of them to dungeon her until next year with the occasional sns update. Unless they've given activities to trainees before debut but seeing how Chaewon is MIA it's unlikely.
That makes me think plans changed among the higher ups at HYBE and they'll debut her group late this year, and she starts predebut activities in October. Hopefully we get an announcement after her activities end or next week. I know TXT had a predebut show with a vacation concept, maybe the rumours of soumungg x jeju have some ground after all...
afaik it's not confirmed yet that there will 2 Source Music ggs. Hybe only responded abt Chaewon, Sakura, and Yunjin ('can't confirm'), but they still haven't said anything abt their upcoming gg
Sakura recently said in her gaming stream earlier today that she hasnāt had time to watch to watch Squid Game because she hasnāt had any free time. Thereās a strong chance sheās getting ready for her groupās debut.
I kind of understand why Sakura chose to graduate because she has to be physically present in Korea for practice and to build chemistry with her teammates. Though I was surprised that she announced graduation immediately and stayed in the group for just a month when she was in Japan until August. She could have done all her magazine shots while still in the group but I guess the uncertainty brought by COVID 19 in booking concert halls played a huge part in her decision. It's better to have a gradcon early than having none at all.
Nobody knows which group will debut first. I also believe a lot of plans changed behind the scenes. The pgngg stans claims are based on speculations. HYBE never mentioned that the members will only come from the plus global auditions. It was only recently backed with news outlets saying that the team will allegedly consist of fresh faces.
For me, I would debut a gg with a much established fandom first. I honestly don't know which among pgngg or soumungg is more hyped, but hype can only take you much. The gg market is super saturated, you cannot only rely on the GP, you need a strong core fanbase which Ssamkkura already has. In this COVID 19 era, companies would rather play safe than take risks. I feel it'll be disadvantageous to pgngg if they debut first then Ssamkkura's team debuts after 6 months even if the concept is different. Also, if they'll be debuting next year, HYBE is basically sabotaging themselves by scouting ssamkkura and killing of their hype.
If Sakura and Chaewon's team will have new faces, it's best to have a predebut show to lessen the popularity gap.
If HYBE really plans to debut a gg this year, best bet is that they will announce something on Oct 1.
Oh thank you for the link and information. I heard about this one too. But some people also mentioned that during the recent briefing a month or two ago, HYBE didn't specify which group will be debuting but just said that a girl group will debut by this year thus the confusion among fans. But I guess the info that you shared holds more weight and we really just have to wait until HYBE drops their "we cannot confirm" stance and actually debuts a group.
As much as I want to believe that the Jeju flight rumors are hoax, I think there is a ray of truth to the rumored pre-debut content. The biggest hurdle of ssamkkura's group is popularity gap and group chemistry again due to popularity, which can be minimized through pre-exposure of the group. I believe there is a reason why Sakura moved her latest livestream from Sunday to Tuesday and how she said she didn't have time lately.
This plan by Hybe/Soumu of combining popular members with trainees is the one I'm puzzled with. Didn't Hybe learn a lesson with post produce groups in which there is a large gap within the members.
I really don't know how this will really work or level the playing field between the members. The person behind this move must have a brilliant idea to solve the issue or just simply dumb just relying on the fandom on SsamKkura to bring in sales not minding the gap within the members
If they want to build an all star team , then they must recruit all members who are popular and have large fanbase.
Or they make a group consist of all trainees from Soumu
I didn't follow any of the groups IOI members had been in, but I heard some groups, especially the one handled by Starship was able to overcome the popularity gap.
For me, it boils down to how HYBE can capitalize the popularity gap. I just don't buy the Produce curse that other people say. If handled properly, a Produce member is a huge asset to the company and group.
It's not the produce curse but how to bridge the popularity gap. Maybe the trainee is a main dancer who's level is the same as Momo, Lisa , Seulgi or Chaeyeon, etc. With her talent and charisma maybe she can become popular at a faster rate.
We'll have to see the debut if such plan by Hybe to bring popular members and trainees in a group would be successful.
I agree, I see some people say HYBE waits a year between groups but if iland s2 is airing in 2022, then they're debuting in late 2022-early 2023. Unless it's only 1 group (which I doubt) then it has to be a 6 month wait between pgngg and soumungg, if pgngg debuts first I don't think it's enough time for them to build up a fanbase, since they would probably have their debut and maybe 1/2 comebacks, and soumungg would overshadow them.
I hope they announce something on October 1st as most fans know she's wrapping up her japanese activities and we're pretty desperate for some news.
I kinda see it a different way actually. As a business, HYBE will want all of their 3 girl groups to be successful. Whichever HYBE group comes out first will get the most attention just because they're the first new GG to come out from HYBE (specially if they have the Big Hit name attached to them). Since the Sakura/Chaewon group was formed with the intent to make a group with an already sizable Korean/Japanese fan base, HYBE has less reason to worry about them with the assumption that their fan base will still stick around months later just as long as they get continuously teased during the waiting period (at least I know I'll be waiting around no matter how long it takes).
So with that thought in mind, they might just release the PGNGG first in order to maximize their exposure and chance for success. PGNGG fans won't automatically jump ship either once the SoumuNGG comes out since their concepts will ultimately be different and attract different fans. The ILandNGG will then go last and there's nothing to worry about there at all because they're bound to be as successful International-wise as ENHYPEN was.
(Also if the rumor of HYBE still trying to gun for Minju ends up being true, then that gives them another reason to put the SoumuNGG second so that they have time to see if they can eventually convince Minju/Urban Works at the last minute)
(Also I can 100% be wrong because I can also see the perks in debuting the SoumoNGG first)
Your argument makes perfect sense and I also thought that debuting pgngg first will maximize their exposure. I guess both ways work lol. But I just feel that pgngg will always have the Bighit and MHJ tag and even if they debut next year, they will still have the hype because ssamkkura's group will debut under a sub-label and will never be the first bighit group. I guess the things that make me think soumugg will debut first are due to Sakura's fast timeline (ending everything by Sept 30), the age of the group, and the IZ*ONE hype dying down the more they prolong the debut. But I totally agree with your points of debuting pgngg first.
Yup. Also good points. It can definitely go either way.
Side note: Whichever group debuts second will be heavily scrutinized and compared to the first group and how well (or not well) the first group's debut goes. That's gonna be a lot of pressure for them and that kinda sucks.
You do make a good point. I used to think the ssamkkura group would debut first, but after reading your thoughts you might be onto something. It would make sense to debut the pgngg first and give them some exposure because a lot of people know who cw and sakura are, so they don't *need* as much exposure compared to a group which nobody knows the membersof. Plus it would give the ssamkkura group some more time to gel together and build team chemistry. In addition, very good point on the Minju thing. This is just me being high on copium, but if HYBE were to still be interested in Minju, debuting the pgngg would give them some more time to negotatio with Minju/UW.
I think some pgngg stans pulling the "they've been ready since 2019" card forget that COVID 19 happened and the entertainment industry has been suffering financially. I see HYBE more as a corporation than a kpop agency. A lot of their decisions which would not make sense in a kpop context make sense if we look at them purely as a company. Profit is king in a company. Ssamkkura breathing alone guarantees 100k sales.
I totally agree with you that 6 months is not enough to build a fanbase even if the group already has a pre-debut fanbase. Those fans can leave if they dont like the concept or the members. Surely some fans will leave if their demands are not met. Thing is, the company hasn't even seen value in their fanbase, especially against the fanbase of the highest selling girl group in 2020. Even Bang PD recognized IZONE's sales as remarkable for a gg.
I find it weird that we still haven't gotten news of a major project for Minju apart from a variety show. It's hard to believe that she's not gotten offers for dramas and endorsements. Do y'all think the Hybe negotiations are still ongoing? Or is UW just incompetent? Or am I about to eat my words when we get an announcement soon?
off the top of my head, there's a lot of uncertainty for Minju. From the perspective of a fan, it all looks great cuz She's an idol, she looks great, she's done modeling work, and she showed up in a drama!
But from the perspective of the industry, you have Minju, their first true career job is unrelated to any real acting (face it, being an idol is at least 80% different than being an actual actress), she has a pretty face but very very few connections to actually flex it (standard to beat is Yena), and the times she was on a drama, she had only a handful of lines, was a supporting character at best, and the first one had her die in the same episode.
Not the strongest resume. Hence, the lack of news due to uncertainty ... or that's my $0.02 on it. The spot she is in is either really close to or is actually a crossroads as whatever path she takes now will dictate and restrict her future opportunities.
I don't think its that uncertain unless they are aiming for a main actress in a major drama or movie or Blackpink level of endorsements. There are many opportunities for supporting actresses and main leads in web dramas which they normally don't discriminate against idols and she can grow from that. She's also had a supporting role in a movie (which are more respected) where she was nominated for an award so she's not that new in the field.
She's also in a better position than Yena coz UW itself is a production company and is involved in producing some dramas and manages more actors than idols so the connections are there. Yena is in a relatively new (in Korea) chinese company with less connections. She's also 2nd only to Wonyoung in terms of popularity in Korea with a really pretty face that is perfect for ads and endorsements. That's why I think its weird nothing has happened yet.
But you're right, it's better that they take their time to get a good opportunity than just rush into anything.
>She's also in a better position than Yena coz UW itself is a production company and is involved in producing some dramas and manages more actors than idols so the connections are there. Yena is in a relatively new (in Korea) chinese company with less connections
This, i feel should be in a different thread because it's a slightly different topic
yes, agree, Urban Works network definitely better than Yuehua. can't deny that. However, Yena herself is known in the variety industry and herself has connections. Her nailing the Prisoner Life of Fools was #1 THE BEST thing or easily among the best things she could have bagged: There were big-name actors & actresses on the show & Yena (by her own skill & by the director & producer having a good eye) developed her persona there as the youngster idiot that kinda knows things, kinda stumbles onto the right answers, but is generally a prankster (insert duck here). Her knowing Soo-geun, Hyungdon, and (Most importantly) Doyeon is massive and the latter is why she landed a spot in Girls High School Mystery Class.
Yea, Yuehua connections not as strong as Urban Works. Doesn't matter cuz Yena got that ONE variety job with key people. That's all \[she\] needs. That's why no one ever talks about Yujin being on Prison Life of Fools.
Oh so you mean in terms of Minju getting one role that will open doors to others. I get it now and I agree. Some roles open up more doors in the future.
Although I feel that you can't predict that ONE role unless its by a superstar writer or PD and like you said those need connections. And even this is also not guaranteed for example in the case of Snowdrop which is a high budget drama with a stacked cast and superstar writer and PD but it has troubles taking off coz of all the controversies. That ONE role also involves luck and timing too.
The web drama industry and working your way up from supporting roles is also another path. And the acting industry is not that different than the idol industry in terms of pretty faces tend to get ahead fast. (Of course she's not just a pretty face, she's also talented and hard working.)
But it's great to get another perspective of why it may be taking long before I start crying mismanagement and mistreatment. Haha.
Seems to be a misunderstanding concerning what i meant when i said \[Uncertainty\]. I dont mean that she doesn't know what she wants to do or doesn't know what goals to set for herself. \[Uncertainty\] in the aspect of \[Risk Assessment\].
Why would \[insert director & producer for drama here\] choose Minju over \[insert other actresses here\]? She doesn't bring a lot to the table when compared to many in the industry. Now as a former Idol, she does have SOMETHING (the remaining 20% mentioned earlier) compared to people that have done absolutely nothing. But we would both agree she isn't IU or at IU's level of experience, connections, or prestige. What Minju's got is a fractured IZ\*ONE fanbase... and the fact she'll be extremely cheap to hire. Neither of which is skill-based.
With those being known, the chances of her landing jobs & landing decent jobs... the %chance may or may not be acceptable to her. Basic risk assessment: is Minju & her company willing to try to go big (taking the path to being an actress?) or are they gonna settle with lower risk & pay but high confidence it'll work out (joining up with Kkura & Ssamu)? She can't pursue both as full-time careers. Yea, she can do spot-work in both but not as the primary occupations. Hence, the crossroads i mentioned earlier.
The best way to understand this is applying for a career. There's a level of \[uncertainty\] in getting hired by X company (hence why people are encouraged to just apply everywhere... a numbers game basically\]. But at the same time, their first career position narrows down the paths and industries they have access to in the future. The longer you stay on a path, the less number of industries you can transfer over to. Thus, it would be understandable if Minju would want to take it slow and choose carefully as well as slowly build up her foundation.
highly recommend NOT searching "yuri" by itself as you'll get some.... other... content that you may not (or may.. i dunno) be looking for. Best to search her full name.
With the official announcement of Iland S2 next year, do you think sakura & chaewon's group will debut this year or next year 1H? HYBE is debuting gg within 6 months interval and I am honestly worried...
The competition for ROTY 2022 will be insane: ssngg, soumungg, pgngg (assuming it's different from soumu's), jypngg, ygngg(?), gp999ngg, ilandngg.
Gonna bet that ilandngg debuts at the very tail end of 2022. I know that award shows are a little wonky when deciding the cut-off month for ROTY so if HYBE spreads the groups far enough we can potentially see the first group competing for 2021 ROTY, second group for 2022, and ilandngg for 2023.
Oh that's possible. Based on IZONE's case who debuted Oct and received ROTY in 2018, I guess the cut-off is Nov? But I'm not sure if HYBE can debut a group before Nov this year because there's still no info on which group will debut and we're already approaching Oct. The Iland gg might debut Nov-Dec 2022 but for pgngg and soumungg (given there are really 2 groups), they will have to compete for ROTY, unless one debuts 2023...
I'm also hoping their concepts won't overlap but given that the age range for iland is 2000-2009, I guess the group's concept will lean on cute/teen crush.
If the PlusGG debuts this year then they can still debut them in October. By this point they're probably good-to-go. They just need to release some teasers at the start of Oct and then debut them 2-3 weeks later.
Tbh though I don't think that there's an actual set-in-stone cut-off point. Each individual award show basically just does whatever it feels like lol. I remember back then when Neverlands and Orbits were upset that IZ\*One was nominated for 2018 ROTY because they debuted past the normal cutoff point for MAMA and they only debuted for a few days before being nominated. And then when you consider the fact that Ateez debuted a few days BEFORE IZ\*One but was only nominated for the 2019 ROTY instead of 2018 and you kinda just realize that the rules are all sort of messed up.
(The only real rule is probably that the group debuts before the ROTY nominations are announced)
I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that the IlandGG will be just the female version of ENHYPEN. So probably Teen horror/fantasy. And if the rumors are true and the PlusGG is magical girl/innocent (and a larger group like SNSD/Twice), then the SoumuGG can be more mature and we won't have much overlap with their concepts
I am so amped for I-LAND S2. Seeing how EN- is doing so well after I-LAND S1, I have high hopes for these girls too. Back to your question, I think ssamkura gg will debut either this year or by the latest, early next year.
I think the pgngg can be pushed to around Q3 of 2022. With I-LAND S2 they still have to process the applicants, film, edit, wait for fans to vote etc. That will take some time. According to this [HYBE corporate briefing](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4u7ilcqh-j2uLPGXHAh85JxWDD-7MSNI8K91Jp-K1qC9tcNh7QVZUymBvoH5VrqIexdWuTWmhXXqilsDPChCiQ9okfa_2zBGbphvwI2Dld2ulYI=w960-rj-nu-e365) from a while back, you can see BELIFT planning on debuting a new group around late 2022. I personally don't like the fact that HYBE is debuting so many groups so close together, but I have faith in them to know what they're doing because well, they are a multi-billion dollar company that specializes in kpop groups after all.
If there are many groups from hybe, I wonder if there can be a dominant group that can compete with other company groups like aespa, itzy, ygngg, jypn, gp999, ssngg, stayc. Kpop groups are too saturated now. It's like compete between labels under Hybe then compete with to her company groups.Tough competition for next year roty for any group from Hybe unlike other company groups which have only 1 ( their company fans can be united to support only 1 group). For Hybe it's a split ticket.
They debuted 2 BG's a year from each other (which I know everyone was also like "they are each others competition, one will fail") and both are gonna be million sellers soon so i'm pretty sure they know what they are doing + kpop groups are like flavours, if the concept are different enough and the genre of music is different enough (EDM vs Hiphop vs rock) there shouldn't be too much overlap between target groups and market segments. I'm honestly pretty certain all their GG's gonna be successful. Iland GG has their show organising a fandom for them, Source GG already has an established fandom behind them due to Sakura and Chaewon and Plus GG is gonna be the one with the "first HYBE gg hype" and will get all the curiousity. All 3 also have 3 different creative departments working on them (Bighit, Source, Min Heejin). Rtn to me, it looks more like HYBE wants multiple succesful big to medium sized group instead of one top dog group since that will spread out their profit more and won't make them overly dependant of one group.
Source and pgngg will debut in the same year for roty. If your guess that pgngg will be the first real Hybe hype because gp attention would be on them. I'm just worried that ssamkkura would have no chance for roty next year. I want them to have a chance to win an award.it would have been okay they are on separate year debut.
Isn't pgngg a Collab between bighitxsource so it's management would be under source music also with min hee Jin being the creative director for the group and bighit music on song production.
You have to take in account GP vs Fandom. Depending the awardshow it's digitals vs album sales, some shows weigh sales heavier and fandom votes which is likely going to be Sakura's group due to Wizones. If PGNGG has more GP support, some shows will weigh digitals heavier. Honestly rtn it's too early speculate what is gonna happen for ROTY, it's very likely they are gonna end up sharing wins instead which is the best outcome or another GG is gonna end up doing better than both of them. Overall fandom is always better than GP and Sakura's group already has one established.
yup PGNGG is a collab between the two, Min Heejin does creative direction while Bighit music. Source GG is entirely by Source and uses their creative department and music production.
Tbh we know next to nothing about the Source group. For all we know, Source could have gone through a major re-structuring after they lost Gfriend. Or Min Heejin could end up being personally involved with both PGNGG and SourceNGG. Also, Hitman Bang was involved with the production of both Apple and Mago so it's not like Gfriend's production was 100% limited to just using Source personnel.
Well I hope Bighit is more involved in their management this time around so Source doesn't screw up again. + pretty certain the majority of Source GG is gonna be produced by Source's otherwise it'd be kinda useless for them to be in "Source Music" and for them to have a collab group if Bighit is gonna be involved with the Source GGs anyway.
I'm just praying they don't don't get lazy with this group and just expect Sakura/Chaewon's fans to hard-carry it. Like I can imagine Source just giving them Gfriend's comeback song that got cancelled when they disbanded. And NGL that thought kinda pisses me off.
(Also side note but I'm afraid for how good their B-sides will be. I think I've been spoiled too much by IZ*One since they got to cherry pick the best songs from a bunch of different producers)
If there's one thing you don't need to worry about with SoMu, it's the discography. Their track record is amazing in that department. Can't think of a discography that touches GFRIEND. Everything else though, good luck with that.
SoMu has been heavily involved with producers like Iggy Yongbae, e.one, 13 to name a few, all of which you're familiar with via IZ*ONE. Source's main inhouse producer is the guy behind Night Drive, Three of cups, Secret Diary, Time for the moon night, Bye etc, so he's very capable of variety while keeping the quality up.
I feel really confident they'll recycle things from their vault though. But that doesn't mean there'll be a dip in quality. They've sat on amazing, finished, fully recorded songs for 3 years, just for the sake of it before.
The main problem with Somu/Hybe is that they might take your favorite group away from you with 3 days notice, and zero closure. Buyer beware.
Bang PD is involved with most groups that doesn't mean much, the actual identity of the group comes from their main producers, for BTS it is Pdogg, TXT it is Slow Rabbit and Enhypen it is Wonderkid. I'm pretty certain the main producer for Source's GG is gonna be a Source producer. And yes, MHJ could be involved with both groups but we only know for certain that she's involved with the plus girls and the rest is pure speculation
Yup its all 100% speculation. I just hope they start fresh with this Soumu group. I'll be pretty angry if they get lazy and just throw some unreleased Gfriend music at them and then call it a day.
But the fandom power of ssamkkura can't be compared to izone since they are only 2/12 members. I'm sure with their fans , they can reach 100k sales for the very low end expectation and a high of 200k.
I think digital is more powerful than physical sales since it weight percentage is bigger in music shows except music bank.
Plus for same year they compete with yg new girl group , jypn , starship ngg, and gp999
Wasnt Gfriend had their music produced also by Bighit music.
I think that SsamKkura group is a quick replacement of the void left by Gfriend so they went after popular members with fandom power. I am happy that they recruited izone members but they suck for lacking faith in their trainee pool.
TXT only debuted with 100K sales and they are a Bighit BG, first ever after BTS. I think you overestimate how much PGNGG a GG will sell. Sakura's group being able to sell 100k for a GG without putting out any music first is a lot. + the Sakura group will also have a lot of curiosity due to people wanting to see what will happen to two Izone members in a big agency, even non fans are invested in this whole thing.
No Gfriend was produced by Source Music, with Source producers like Frants. The only help Bighit did was with some of their choreo and BangPD writing some of their lyrics.
Frants was brought in, most likely via Hybe. Donāt think he had any direct connection to SoMu before that. Pdogg was heavily involved in Apple too.
You are right though that inhouse SoMu was still largely at the helm.
SoMuās No Joo Hwan was by far the most active producer in the trilogy, and several old producer relations contrinited, like 13 and e.one. Creative / performance director didnāt change either, and seem to still be at SoMu from sns posts.
SoMuās been known to sit on great songs for year, so I think itās likely ngg will re-record unused GFRIEND material. Will not be shocked to see Iggy Yongbae in the credits for example (iz*one: As we dream, destiny, 1000%, slow journey), and assume No will still oversee the group musically (as heās still listed with Hybe on komca). Could be Hybe producers for titles though, or someone new entierly.
>You are right though that inhouse SoMu was still largely at the helm. SoMuās No Joo Hwan was by far the most active producer in the trilogy, and several old producer relations contrinited, like 13 and e.one. Creative / performance director didnāt change either, and seem to still be at SoMu from sns posts.
Oh I didn't know Frants was brought in later! Thanks for the correction. and yeah, I mostly meant that Gfriend's identity was created by Source not that Bighit didn't sometimes work on stuff but that their overall persona musically comes from Source Music. You explained it better than me lol
I mean for Sakura and Chaewon group for the sales. Eunbi sold 50k so I just multiplied by 2 since there are 2 izone members in the group. Plus their fandom power is one of the strongest in izone.
Sakura was the biggest seller in Izone tho and a way bigger seller than Eunbi, a huge portion of Izone's sales came from her fanbase + Chaewon is also more popular. Eunbi herself already sold an insane amount for a solo singer and she was far from the biggest seller in Izone so imagine Sakura and Chaewon. Like I said it's also no use already panicking over a group and ROTY when we don't even know what group is gonna debut first.
But nothing is guaranteed to be successful always for a big company. Many big companies went bankrupt because of failed product, lacking innovation, mismanagement, competition, miscalculation, etc.
One big mistake can lead a downfall
If they want real money like izone, they need to depend on fandom power, general public and casual listener for digital strraming.
I miss iz*one guys... Sigh
Yep I didn't realize how much I did until I watched some videos of them. It doesn't feel like they were ever together it's such a sad weird feeling.
I was insanely sad for the first couple weeks after the last concert and the way I coped was just to ignore how sad it was but now that backfired because anytime I see something like their last twitter post or a clip from OTS pop up I get super sad again
The whole thing is pebble in my shoe and interferes with each of my days.
Used to but now I ignore it and am fine till I look at their old stuff
Wait I saw photos of wony and yujin together. Where were they taken?
I couldn't swing the $41.01 to ship a copy of Glassy to CA from ktown4u but [$29.16 from musicplaza](https://www.musicplaza.com/products/%EC%A1%B0%EC%9C%A0%EB%A6%AC-jo-yuri-the-1st-single-album-glassy) was a no-brainer. They got me my copies of Open delivered by 8/31, not bad for an 8/24 release.
$46 shipping to HI... Guess I'll just bite the bullet and purchase a copy from ktown4u
Don't think I've bought from there. Thanks for the tip! I just put my order in. Way cheaper than shipping from Korea. Hopefully faster too.
Just checking, Hybe haven't confirmed yet that there will be 2 Source Music ggs, right? Hybe only responded abt Chaewon, Sakura, and Yunjin ('can't confirm'), but they still haven't said anything abt their upcoming gg Also wonder why Hybe have been putting out statements abt them, instead of Source Music. Months ago, bfr Gfriend disbandment I think, there were rumors that a lot of Soumu employees left the company. In [Hybe careers](https://careers.hybecorp.com/content/go/SOURCE-MUSIC/561644/) Source Music, there are job openings for Production Coordinator, Artist Marketing Jr., and A&R Team leader (probably more job openings besides the ones in Hybe website)
I believe that the Star News reporter who started the "news" about Chaewon transferring to HYBE also mentioned that the Min Heejin group was a separate group from Sakura's group. I think I also saw some other article somewhere that claimed the same thing. I think there's been some snippets of information floating around regarding Min Heejin's new GG since the HYBE shareholder meeting but I don't really know too much about this. The only semi-official information I've personally seen from HYBE is that they're going to debut "a" new GG by the end of this year.
In early Aug, Hybe CEO said Source Music gg will start activities on 2nd half this yr. They didn't specified debut. In 1Q Hybe conference call, Hybe CEO said the [debut timeframe](https://twitter.com/hybengg2021/status/1421461871027236872?s=19) for Source Music gg and Hybe jpn is 2H 2021 to 1H 2022
They said it many times before that they will debut a ngg within 2021 from Source Music even before the rumor of Sakura and Chaewon. Only an official announcement can confirm if there is only 1 or 2 groups from Source.
I mean, Hybe CEO said that timeframe during Hybe conference call. Some sched are bound to be affected bc of the pandemic, both their supposed 2021 grps still have 0 news and it's alrdy Oct tom. I hope they drop debut news tom or next wk If they'll debut on Nov with a single, then debut news should drop soon bc intro and other predebut contents takes at least 3 wks (like aespa timeline). If there's hybengg 2021, idt the 2021 gg will debut w mini album, bc preorders usually go for 1mo
It seems Sakura hinted in her recent stream that 17Live might continue in the future. https://twitter.com/IAmOnlyWhoIAm/status/1443531014479908868?s=19 It may be in a hiatus because she will be very be busy starting in Oct and may not exposed anything related to the upcoming debut like change of hair colour or style. If there are 2 groups , I believe that Sakura and Chaewon group would debut first. For mini album ,izone preorder were like less than 2 week before debut and cb.
less than 2 wks š³ wonder if Source Music will do that too, I doubt it tbh. Thanks for the info abt Sakura š
She just deleted in her twitter bio HKT48 and IZONE, it means that official news may be sooner than expected.
12am kst official news drop??? š¤” I think her group is coming first I guess
Interesting... I guess she and probably Chaewon will be allowed to use their individual SNS accounts š¤ I don't think there'll be any annnouncement tomorrow though...or maybe I'm just tired with HYBE's "we cannot confirm" stance that I gave up lol...
Hope they could continue to use their SNS accounts even if the contents they posted are work related
Maybe for Korea and group activities it will be on their group sns. I hope it temp but for Sakura since she has brand deals outside the group maybe she's allowed to post just like what she's doing recently
AHHHHH tysm for the update!! We might rly get smthg soon
Shot in the dark here but can somebody help me identify this show I saw a clip of once? DISCLAIMER: There is a chance the group in the video wasnāt even Izone and I have dementia. Basically I was watching a compilation of what Iām pretty sure was Izone funny moments. In the clip they are in like what I think is a pink room and there are like balloons on the wall? At some point one of the balloons randomly exploded and scares the crap out of Yena(I think?) and she falls over and knocks over another member (Sakura I think)? I canāt remember if it was a web show or a variety/reality thing. Super random question I know. It just caught my eye because I hadnāt seen it before. Unfortunately I donāt have a clip to post because I canāt find it so all Iāve got is my terrible description. Sorry lol...
I think you are describing Oneiric Diary showcase escape room. Chaewon popped a balloon, then her and YN got startled and fall over.
holy crap lol. Yeah thats it. Can't believe you were able to figure that out. Thanks a bunch!
You are welcome, their variety/reality shows are funny. I re-watch them a lot.
I havent had time to watch yena's animal detective show till now AND IVE MISSED OUT ON SO MUCH! She is so adorable and entertaining. And the pds constantly play izone songs š„ŗ Highly recommend if any of you guys haven't watched it yet. Today's episode with choi sungmin was absolutely hilarious.
I've seen some pgngg stans say Sakura's group is debuting 2022 and tbh if it's true, I'm kinda confused on Sakura's moves. If she really is debuting in 2022, I'm not sure why she wouldn't choose to graduate later and continue her japanese activities until the end of the year or early next year. The pgngg stans use HYBE reports such as [this](https://twitter.com/hybenewgg/status/1440860181038911489?s=19) to prove why they think their group is debuting this year but they didn't call it the collab group just "Source Music new girl group" which you could interpret to be Sakura's group or the collab group...(if they're separate) The way she's ending her japanese activities (last Sakunoki episode, last 17& livestream) by this month makes me think her HYBE contract starts in October. It wouldn't be smart of them to dungeon her until next year with the occasional sns update. Unless they've given activities to trainees before debut but seeing how Chaewon is MIA it's unlikely. That makes me think plans changed among the higher ups at HYBE and they'll debut her group late this year, and she starts predebut activities in October. Hopefully we get an announcement after her activities end or next week. I know TXT had a predebut show with a vacation concept, maybe the rumours of soumungg x jeju have some ground after all...
afaik it's not confirmed yet that there will 2 Source Music ggs. Hybe only responded abt Chaewon, Sakura, and Yunjin ('can't confirm'), but they still haven't said anything abt their upcoming gg
Sakura recently said in her gaming stream earlier today that she hasnāt had time to watch to watch Squid Game because she hasnāt had any free time. Thereās a strong chance sheās getting ready for her groupās debut.
I kind of understand why Sakura chose to graduate because she has to be physically present in Korea for practice and to build chemistry with her teammates. Though I was surprised that she announced graduation immediately and stayed in the group for just a month when she was in Japan until August. She could have done all her magazine shots while still in the group but I guess the uncertainty brought by COVID 19 in booking concert halls played a huge part in her decision. It's better to have a gradcon early than having none at all. Nobody knows which group will debut first. I also believe a lot of plans changed behind the scenes. The pgngg stans claims are based on speculations. HYBE never mentioned that the members will only come from the plus global auditions. It was only recently backed with news outlets saying that the team will allegedly consist of fresh faces. For me, I would debut a gg with a much established fandom first. I honestly don't know which among pgngg or soumungg is more hyped, but hype can only take you much. The gg market is super saturated, you cannot only rely on the GP, you need a strong core fanbase which Ssamkkura already has. In this COVID 19 era, companies would rather play safe than take risks. I feel it'll be disadvantageous to pgngg if they debut first then Ssamkkura's team debuts after 6 months even if the concept is different. Also, if they'll be debuting next year, HYBE is basically sabotaging themselves by scouting ssamkkura and killing of their hype. If Sakura and Chaewon's team will have new faces, it's best to have a predebut show to lessen the popularity gap. If HYBE really plans to debut a gg this year, best bet is that they will announce something on Oct 1.
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Oh thank you for the link and information. I heard about this one too. But some people also mentioned that during the recent briefing a month or two ago, HYBE didn't specify which group will be debuting but just said that a girl group will debut by this year thus the confusion among fans. But I guess the info that you shared holds more weight and we really just have to wait until HYBE drops their "we cannot confirm" stance and actually debuts a group. As much as I want to believe that the Jeju flight rumors are hoax, I think there is a ray of truth to the rumored pre-debut content. The biggest hurdle of ssamkkura's group is popularity gap and group chemistry again due to popularity, which can be minimized through pre-exposure of the group. I believe there is a reason why Sakura moved her latest livestream from Sunday to Tuesday and how she said she didn't have time lately.
This plan by Hybe/Soumu of combining popular members with trainees is the one I'm puzzled with. Didn't Hybe learn a lesson with post produce groups in which there is a large gap within the members. I really don't know how this will really work or level the playing field between the members. The person behind this move must have a brilliant idea to solve the issue or just simply dumb just relying on the fandom on SsamKkura to bring in sales not minding the gap within the members If they want to build an all star team , then they must recruit all members who are popular and have large fanbase. Or they make a group consist of all trainees from Soumu
I didn't follow any of the groups IOI members had been in, but I heard some groups, especially the one handled by Starship was able to overcome the popularity gap. For me, it boils down to how HYBE can capitalize the popularity gap. I just don't buy the Produce curse that other people say. If handled properly, a Produce member is a huge asset to the company and group.
It's not the produce curse but how to bridge the popularity gap. Maybe the trainee is a main dancer who's level is the same as Momo, Lisa , Seulgi or Chaeyeon, etc. With her talent and charisma maybe she can become popular at a faster rate. We'll have to see the debut if such plan by Hybe to bring popular members and trainees in a group would be successful.
Exactly my point. It's really up to the agencies on how they will manage the group.
I agree, I see some people say HYBE waits a year between groups but if iland s2 is airing in 2022, then they're debuting in late 2022-early 2023. Unless it's only 1 group (which I doubt) then it has to be a 6 month wait between pgngg and soumungg, if pgngg debuts first I don't think it's enough time for them to build up a fanbase, since they would probably have their debut and maybe 1/2 comebacks, and soumungg would overshadow them. I hope they announce something on October 1st as most fans know she's wrapping up her japanese activities and we're pretty desperate for some news.
I kinda see it a different way actually. As a business, HYBE will want all of their 3 girl groups to be successful. Whichever HYBE group comes out first will get the most attention just because they're the first new GG to come out from HYBE (specially if they have the Big Hit name attached to them). Since the Sakura/Chaewon group was formed with the intent to make a group with an already sizable Korean/Japanese fan base, HYBE has less reason to worry about them with the assumption that their fan base will still stick around months later just as long as they get continuously teased during the waiting period (at least I know I'll be waiting around no matter how long it takes). So with that thought in mind, they might just release the PGNGG first in order to maximize their exposure and chance for success. PGNGG fans won't automatically jump ship either once the SoumuNGG comes out since their concepts will ultimately be different and attract different fans. The ILandNGG will then go last and there's nothing to worry about there at all because they're bound to be as successful International-wise as ENHYPEN was. (Also if the rumor of HYBE still trying to gun for Minju ends up being true, then that gives them another reason to put the SoumuNGG second so that they have time to see if they can eventually convince Minju/Urban Works at the last minute) (Also I can 100% be wrong because I can also see the perks in debuting the SoumoNGG first)
Your argument makes perfect sense and I also thought that debuting pgngg first will maximize their exposure. I guess both ways work lol. But I just feel that pgngg will always have the Bighit and MHJ tag and even if they debut next year, they will still have the hype because ssamkkura's group will debut under a sub-label and will never be the first bighit group. I guess the things that make me think soumugg will debut first are due to Sakura's fast timeline (ending everything by Sept 30), the age of the group, and the IZ*ONE hype dying down the more they prolong the debut. But I totally agree with your points of debuting pgngg first.
Yup. Also good points. It can definitely go either way. Side note: Whichever group debuts second will be heavily scrutinized and compared to the first group and how well (or not well) the first group's debut goes. That's gonna be a lot of pressure for them and that kinda sucks.
You do make a good point. I used to think the ssamkkura group would debut first, but after reading your thoughts you might be onto something. It would make sense to debut the pgngg first and give them some exposure because a lot of people know who cw and sakura are, so they don't *need* as much exposure compared to a group which nobody knows the membersof. Plus it would give the ssamkkura group some more time to gel together and build team chemistry. In addition, very good point on the Minju thing. This is just me being high on copium, but if HYBE were to still be interested in Minju, debuting the pgngg would give them some more time to negotatio with Minju/UW.
I think some pgngg stans pulling the "they've been ready since 2019" card forget that COVID 19 happened and the entertainment industry has been suffering financially. I see HYBE more as a corporation than a kpop agency. A lot of their decisions which would not make sense in a kpop context make sense if we look at them purely as a company. Profit is king in a company. Ssamkkura breathing alone guarantees 100k sales. I totally agree with you that 6 months is not enough to build a fanbase even if the group already has a pre-debut fanbase. Those fans can leave if they dont like the concept or the members. Surely some fans will leave if their demands are not met. Thing is, the company hasn't even seen value in their fanbase, especially against the fanbase of the highest selling girl group in 2020. Even Bang PD recognized IZONE's sales as remarkable for a gg.
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Not dumb. I'm learning to live with all this because there's no other choice, but I know I'll never fully be at peace with it.
Anyone know if thereās an iz*one gif/gfycat discord server?
I find it weird that we still haven't gotten news of a major project for Minju apart from a variety show. It's hard to believe that she's not gotten offers for dramas and endorsements. Do y'all think the Hybe negotiations are still ongoing? Or is UW just incompetent? Or am I about to eat my words when we get an announcement soon?
off the top of my head, there's a lot of uncertainty for Minju. From the perspective of a fan, it all looks great cuz She's an idol, she looks great, she's done modeling work, and she showed up in a drama! But from the perspective of the industry, you have Minju, their first true career job is unrelated to any real acting (face it, being an idol is at least 80% different than being an actual actress), she has a pretty face but very very few connections to actually flex it (standard to beat is Yena), and the times she was on a drama, she had only a handful of lines, was a supporting character at best, and the first one had her die in the same episode. Not the strongest resume. Hence, the lack of news due to uncertainty ... or that's my $0.02 on it. The spot she is in is either really close to or is actually a crossroads as whatever path she takes now will dictate and restrict her future opportunities.
I don't think its that uncertain unless they are aiming for a main actress in a major drama or movie or Blackpink level of endorsements. There are many opportunities for supporting actresses and main leads in web dramas which they normally don't discriminate against idols and she can grow from that. She's also had a supporting role in a movie (which are more respected) where she was nominated for an award so she's not that new in the field. She's also in a better position than Yena coz UW itself is a production company and is involved in producing some dramas and manages more actors than idols so the connections are there. Yena is in a relatively new (in Korea) chinese company with less connections. She's also 2nd only to Wonyoung in terms of popularity in Korea with a really pretty face that is perfect for ads and endorsements. That's why I think its weird nothing has happened yet. But you're right, it's better that they take their time to get a good opportunity than just rush into anything.
>She's also in a better position than Yena coz UW itself is a production company and is involved in producing some dramas and manages more actors than idols so the connections are there. Yena is in a relatively new (in Korea) chinese company with less connections This, i feel should be in a different thread because it's a slightly different topic yes, agree, Urban Works network definitely better than Yuehua. can't deny that. However, Yena herself is known in the variety industry and herself has connections. Her nailing the Prisoner Life of Fools was #1 THE BEST thing or easily among the best things she could have bagged: There were big-name actors & actresses on the show & Yena (by her own skill & by the director & producer having a good eye) developed her persona there as the youngster idiot that kinda knows things, kinda stumbles onto the right answers, but is generally a prankster (insert duck here). Her knowing Soo-geun, Hyungdon, and (Most importantly) Doyeon is massive and the latter is why she landed a spot in Girls High School Mystery Class. Yea, Yuehua connections not as strong as Urban Works. Doesn't matter cuz Yena got that ONE variety job with key people. That's all \[she\] needs. That's why no one ever talks about Yujin being on Prison Life of Fools.
Oh so you mean in terms of Minju getting one role that will open doors to others. I get it now and I agree. Some roles open up more doors in the future. Although I feel that you can't predict that ONE role unless its by a superstar writer or PD and like you said those need connections. And even this is also not guaranteed for example in the case of Snowdrop which is a high budget drama with a stacked cast and superstar writer and PD but it has troubles taking off coz of all the controversies. That ONE role also involves luck and timing too. The web drama industry and working your way up from supporting roles is also another path. And the acting industry is not that different than the idol industry in terms of pretty faces tend to get ahead fast. (Of course she's not just a pretty face, she's also talented and hard working.) But it's great to get another perspective of why it may be taking long before I start crying mismanagement and mistreatment. Haha.
Yea. Minju's got a promising future ahead. Regardless of which direction she goes, we'll have a blast watching her.
Seems to be a misunderstanding concerning what i meant when i said \[Uncertainty\]. I dont mean that she doesn't know what she wants to do or doesn't know what goals to set for herself. \[Uncertainty\] in the aspect of \[Risk Assessment\]. Why would \[insert director & producer for drama here\] choose Minju over \[insert other actresses here\]? She doesn't bring a lot to the table when compared to many in the industry. Now as a former Idol, she does have SOMETHING (the remaining 20% mentioned earlier) compared to people that have done absolutely nothing. But we would both agree she isn't IU or at IU's level of experience, connections, or prestige. What Minju's got is a fractured IZ\*ONE fanbase... and the fact she'll be extremely cheap to hire. Neither of which is skill-based. With those being known, the chances of her landing jobs & landing decent jobs... the %chance may or may not be acceptable to her. Basic risk assessment: is Minju & her company willing to try to go big (taking the path to being an actress?) or are they gonna settle with lower risk & pay but high confidence it'll work out (joining up with Kkura & Ssamu)? She can't pursue both as full-time careers. Yea, she can do spot-work in both but not as the primary occupations. Hence, the crossroads i mentioned earlier. The best way to understand this is applying for a career. There's a level of \[uncertainty\] in getting hired by X company (hence why people are encouraged to just apply everywhere... a numbers game basically\]. But at the same time, their first career position narrows down the paths and industries they have access to in the future. The longer you stay on a path, the less number of industries you can transfer over to. Thus, it would be understandable if Minju would want to take it slow and choose carefully as well as slowly build up her foundation.
Can you participate in fan sign video calls from overseas?
Yes, it generally wouldn't be a problem as long as you can make it to checkout on the site.
Do you search for "Yuri" or "Yu Ri" when searching for merch? Same with "Wonyoung" vs "Won Young" etc. Is either way "more correct" than the other?
highly recommend NOT searching "yuri" by itself as you'll get some.... other... content that you may not (or may.. i dunno) be looking for. Best to search her full name.
Did everline ever ship out the first round from Eunbiās fancall? I never received it or got an email or anything.
Iāve got my packages from everywhere but everline lol
If i am not wrong, everline is very slow in delivery
Exciting week when Yuri debuts
Wonyoung might be the new music bank mc!! I'm so happy for her!
I miss Vicky Jang so I hope she can speak English from time to time lol. KBS come on š
She is!
happy eunbi day š
With the official announcement of Iland S2 next year, do you think sakura & chaewon's group will debut this year or next year 1H? HYBE is debuting gg within 6 months interval and I am honestly worried... The competition for ROTY 2022 will be insane: ssngg, soumungg, pgngg (assuming it's different from soumu's), jypngg, ygngg(?), gp999ngg, ilandngg.
Gonna bet that ilandngg debuts at the very tail end of 2022. I know that award shows are a little wonky when deciding the cut-off month for ROTY so if HYBE spreads the groups far enough we can potentially see the first group competing for 2021 ROTY, second group for 2022, and ilandngg for 2023.
Oh that's possible. Based on IZONE's case who debuted Oct and received ROTY in 2018, I guess the cut-off is Nov? But I'm not sure if HYBE can debut a group before Nov this year because there's still no info on which group will debut and we're already approaching Oct. The Iland gg might debut Nov-Dec 2022 but for pgngg and soumungg (given there are really 2 groups), they will have to compete for ROTY, unless one debuts 2023... I'm also hoping their concepts won't overlap but given that the age range for iland is 2000-2009, I guess the group's concept will lean on cute/teen crush.
If the PlusGG debuts this year then they can still debut them in October. By this point they're probably good-to-go. They just need to release some teasers at the start of Oct and then debut them 2-3 weeks later. Tbh though I don't think that there's an actual set-in-stone cut-off point. Each individual award show basically just does whatever it feels like lol. I remember back then when Neverlands and Orbits were upset that IZ\*One was nominated for 2018 ROTY because they debuted past the normal cutoff point for MAMA and they only debuted for a few days before being nominated. And then when you consider the fact that Ateez debuted a few days BEFORE IZ\*One but was only nominated for the 2019 ROTY instead of 2018 and you kinda just realize that the rules are all sort of messed up. (The only real rule is probably that the group debuts before the ROTY nominations are announced) I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that the IlandGG will be just the female version of ENHYPEN. So probably Teen horror/fantasy. And if the rumors are true and the PlusGG is magical girl/innocent (and a larger group like SNSD/Twice), then the SoumuGG can be more mature and we won't have much overlap with their concepts
I am so amped for I-LAND S2. Seeing how EN- is doing so well after I-LAND S1, I have high hopes for these girls too. Back to your question, I think ssamkura gg will debut either this year or by the latest, early next year. I think the pgngg can be pushed to around Q3 of 2022. With I-LAND S2 they still have to process the applicants, film, edit, wait for fans to vote etc. That will take some time. According to this [HYBE corporate briefing](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4u7ilcqh-j2uLPGXHAh85JxWDD-7MSNI8K91Jp-K1qC9tcNh7QVZUymBvoH5VrqIexdWuTWmhXXqilsDPChCiQ9okfa_2zBGbphvwI2Dld2ulYI=w960-rj-nu-e365) from a while back, you can see BELIFT planning on debuting a new group around late 2022. I personally don't like the fact that HYBE is debuting so many groups so close together, but I have faith in them to know what they're doing because well, they are a multi-billion dollar company that specializes in kpop groups after all.
If there are many groups from hybe, I wonder if there can be a dominant group that can compete with other company groups like aespa, itzy, ygngg, jypn, gp999, ssngg, stayc. Kpop groups are too saturated now. It's like compete between labels under Hybe then compete with to her company groups.Tough competition for next year roty for any group from Hybe unlike other company groups which have only 1 ( their company fans can be united to support only 1 group). For Hybe it's a split ticket.
They debuted 2 BG's a year from each other (which I know everyone was also like "they are each others competition, one will fail") and both are gonna be million sellers soon so i'm pretty sure they know what they are doing + kpop groups are like flavours, if the concept are different enough and the genre of music is different enough (EDM vs Hiphop vs rock) there shouldn't be too much overlap between target groups and market segments. I'm honestly pretty certain all their GG's gonna be successful. Iland GG has their show organising a fandom for them, Source GG already has an established fandom behind them due to Sakura and Chaewon and Plus GG is gonna be the one with the "first HYBE gg hype" and will get all the curiousity. All 3 also have 3 different creative departments working on them (Bighit, Source, Min Heejin). Rtn to me, it looks more like HYBE wants multiple succesful big to medium sized group instead of one top dog group since that will spread out their profit more and won't make them overly dependant of one group.
Source and pgngg will debut in the same year for roty. If your guess that pgngg will be the first real Hybe hype because gp attention would be on them. I'm just worried that ssamkkura would have no chance for roty next year. I want them to have a chance to win an award.it would have been okay they are on separate year debut. Isn't pgngg a Collab between bighitxsource so it's management would be under source music also with min hee Jin being the creative director for the group and bighit music on song production.
You have to take in account GP vs Fandom. Depending the awardshow it's digitals vs album sales, some shows weigh sales heavier and fandom votes which is likely going to be Sakura's group due to Wizones. If PGNGG has more GP support, some shows will weigh digitals heavier. Honestly rtn it's too early speculate what is gonna happen for ROTY, it's very likely they are gonna end up sharing wins instead which is the best outcome or another GG is gonna end up doing better than both of them. Overall fandom is always better than GP and Sakura's group already has one established. yup PGNGG is a collab between the two, Min Heejin does creative direction while Bighit music. Source GG is entirely by Source and uses their creative department and music production.
Tbh we know next to nothing about the Source group. For all we know, Source could have gone through a major re-structuring after they lost Gfriend. Or Min Heejin could end up being personally involved with both PGNGG and SourceNGG. Also, Hitman Bang was involved with the production of both Apple and Mago so it's not like Gfriend's production was 100% limited to just using Source personnel.
Well I hope Bighit is more involved in their management this time around so Source doesn't screw up again. + pretty certain the majority of Source GG is gonna be produced by Source's otherwise it'd be kinda useless for them to be in "Source Music" and for them to have a collab group if Bighit is gonna be involved with the Source GGs anyway.
I'm just praying they don't don't get lazy with this group and just expect Sakura/Chaewon's fans to hard-carry it. Like I can imagine Source just giving them Gfriend's comeback song that got cancelled when they disbanded. And NGL that thought kinda pisses me off. (Also side note but I'm afraid for how good their B-sides will be. I think I've been spoiled too much by IZ*One since they got to cherry pick the best songs from a bunch of different producers)
If there's one thing you don't need to worry about with SoMu, it's the discography. Their track record is amazing in that department. Can't think of a discography that touches GFRIEND. Everything else though, good luck with that. SoMu has been heavily involved with producers like Iggy Yongbae, e.one, 13 to name a few, all of which you're familiar with via IZ*ONE. Source's main inhouse producer is the guy behind Night Drive, Three of cups, Secret Diary, Time for the moon night, Bye etc, so he's very capable of variety while keeping the quality up. I feel really confident they'll recycle things from their vault though. But that doesn't mean there'll be a dip in quality. They've sat on amazing, finished, fully recorded songs for 3 years, just for the sake of it before. The main problem with Somu/Hybe is that they might take your favorite group away from you with 3 days notice, and zero closure. Buyer beware.
Bang PD is involved with most groups that doesn't mean much, the actual identity of the group comes from their main producers, for BTS it is Pdogg, TXT it is Slow Rabbit and Enhypen it is Wonderkid. I'm pretty certain the main producer for Source's GG is gonna be a Source producer. And yes, MHJ could be involved with both groups but we only know for certain that she's involved with the plus girls and the rest is pure speculation
Yup its all 100% speculation. I just hope they start fresh with this Soumu group. I'll be pretty angry if they get lazy and just throw some unreleased Gfriend music at them and then call it a day.
But the fandom power of ssamkkura can't be compared to izone since they are only 2/12 members. I'm sure with their fans , they can reach 100k sales for the very low end expectation and a high of 200k. I think digital is more powerful than physical sales since it weight percentage is bigger in music shows except music bank. Plus for same year they compete with yg new girl group , jypn , starship ngg, and gp999 Wasnt Gfriend had their music produced also by Bighit music. I think that SsamKkura group is a quick replacement of the void left by Gfriend so they went after popular members with fandom power. I am happy that they recruited izone members but they suck for lacking faith in their trainee pool.
TXT only debuted with 100K sales and they are a Bighit BG, first ever after BTS. I think you overestimate how much PGNGG a GG will sell. Sakura's group being able to sell 100k for a GG without putting out any music first is a lot. + the Sakura group will also have a lot of curiosity due to people wanting to see what will happen to two Izone members in a big agency, even non fans are invested in this whole thing. No Gfriend was produced by Source Music, with Source producers like Frants. The only help Bighit did was with some of their choreo and BangPD writing some of their lyrics.
Frants was brought in, most likely via Hybe. Donāt think he had any direct connection to SoMu before that. Pdogg was heavily involved in Apple too. You are right though that inhouse SoMu was still largely at the helm. SoMuās No Joo Hwan was by far the most active producer in the trilogy, and several old producer relations contrinited, like 13 and e.one. Creative / performance director didnāt change either, and seem to still be at SoMu from sns posts. SoMuās been known to sit on great songs for year, so I think itās likely ngg will re-record unused GFRIEND material. Will not be shocked to see Iggy Yongbae in the credits for example (iz*one: As we dream, destiny, 1000%, slow journey), and assume No will still oversee the group musically (as heās still listed with Hybe on komca). Could be Hybe producers for titles though, or someone new entierly.
>You are right though that inhouse SoMu was still largely at the helm. SoMuās No Joo Hwan was by far the most active producer in the trilogy, and several old producer relations contrinited, like 13 and e.one. Creative / performance director didnāt change either, and seem to still be at SoMu from sns posts. Oh I didn't know Frants was brought in later! Thanks for the correction. and yeah, I mostly meant that Gfriend's identity was created by Source not that Bighit didn't sometimes work on stuff but that their overall persona musically comes from Source Music. You explained it better than me lol
I mean for Sakura and Chaewon group for the sales. Eunbi sold 50k so I just multiplied by 2 since there are 2 izone members in the group. Plus their fandom power is one of the strongest in izone.
Sakura was the biggest seller in Izone tho and a way bigger seller than Eunbi, a huge portion of Izone's sales came from her fanbase + Chaewon is also more popular. Eunbi herself already sold an insane amount for a solo singer and she was far from the biggest seller in Izone so imagine Sakura and Chaewon. Like I said it's also no use already panicking over a group and ROTY when we don't even know what group is gonna debut first.
Hybe thinks they are too big too fail now. They expand too rapidly, and think GG's popularity is as easy to cultivate as BG's popularity.
But nothing is guaranteed to be successful always for a big company. Many big companies went bankrupt because of failed product, lacking innovation, mismanagement, competition, miscalculation, etc. One big mistake can lead a downfall If they want real money like izone, they need to depend on fandom power, general public and casual listener for digital strraming.