The IOI Curse

Thank you so much for watching. This video took a while to make so I hope it was fun to watch! Feel free to like, comment and maybe subscribe?
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Twitter: / jihoons_carat​​​​. .
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contact email: [e-mail]
FAQ
name: Sun
age: 22
pronouns: she/her
favorite groups: shinee, seventeen, gwsn, pink fantasy, twice, saturday
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:58 The Beginning: IOI
07:30 The Forgotten: DIA
17:33 The Missed Opportunity: GUGUDAN
25:12 The Unlucky: PRISTIN
36:16 The Underrated: WEKI MEKI
43:00 The Quiet: SOHYE
46:40 The Unknown Future Of: SOMI
49:31 The Flourishing: CHUNGHA
55:51 The Uprising: WJSN
01:10:21 A Lasting Friendship
01:11:26 Outro

[@jihoonscarat]

CORRECTION! & EXTRA INFO (please read before commenting x) A few of you have corrected me on the fact that Sei did not go to PD101 under Fantagio, but instead another company! My bad! I didn't have time to go back to watch the show and just trusted some sources and got that wrong! So Sei did not go into the show with the rest of the Weki Meki girls, and the fifth girl was Yejin! Also a lot of people say I forgot this or that, like some of Chungha’s releases. I did not forget, I just didn’t have time. Like with Chungha (and like I said in the video) I didn’t want to go over each release and she did a lot more than what I talked about. Thanks x

[@JJ-dj9gs]

You forgot to add Chungha released an English single: dream of you (with R3HAB) I think it’s also a pre release because it’s on her latest Album!

[@jihoonscarat]

Hi, I didn’t forget, I just didn’t add it. I did not talk about every single she released, as I said at the end of her section 😉 I wasn’t going over everything she did in her career

[@lsy7354]

WEKI MEKI recently did a stage kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqOYaaCopbZrqNE

[@kpopscenario1406]

Hiiii

[@MariaKawaiVT]

did yo uforget Chung HAand the girl from A.O.A the new rapper lady?..i didnt see you mention then...

[@klor6929]

Honestly I forgot that Chungha was in I.O.I. She gave such an "industry veteran" vibes like she's been a solo artist for decades.

[@HM-cn5sz]

True

[@klpl1737]

I got into kpop after ioi’s disbandment so I never knew chungha was in in. I always considered her one of the top female soloist and when I found out I was like “wow” 😮. She really made a name for herself.

[@klor6929]

@@klpl1737 exactly

[@iris7301]

She did that

[@gianaalexa4493]

@@HM-cn5sz and

[@Collfuse]

Weki meki is extremely unlucky considering every comeback they go up against big groups that overshadowed them

[@hellohello9008]

just another entertainment company making mistakes :(

[@Collfuse]

@@hellohello9008 not really fantagio really did try with weki meki When fans complained about lua not getting any lines in tiki taka they did change it by giving more lines to both lucy and lua in the next 3 comeback by letting them rap instead of yoojung. After oopsy and dazzle dazzle fans complained about the budget problems for the mv which fantagio listened and invested way more into cool. During the time that they “disappear” fantagio still getting the girls schedules covering other girl group’s songs on big stages. Yoojung been on a ton of variety shows since the beginning of 2021 and doyeon had gotten 3 acting role this year. Besides that the other members like suyeon has been posting covers on their KZbin channel and lucy got her wish granted by getting her first acting role. Fans also been asking for a mohae season 2(a reality show) which was promised but fantagio couldn’t due to the mohae production team which belongs to a different company shutting down and also budget reason. Fantagio however still tried their best by letting the girls do simple mini games that’s regularly uploaded to their youtube channel in order to satisfy the fan’s boredom. Fantagio has always been a company that treats idol very well and they won’t give up on weki meki(the girls have been hinting of returning soon)

[@Bambabababambam]

@@Collfuse they still give astro way more comebacks than wk which i think is unfair

[@Collfuse]

@@Bambabababambam from a company perspective they would be more likely to invest in a group that is more popular and make more money. Both weki meki and astro started out with the same promotion so both were on an equal playing field but since astro is a boy group they gained much more popularity. It makes sense for fantagio to invest more into astro as they generate more profits than weki meki. If you’re in their position you won’t risk losing money and put your company in debt just because some people on the internet demand equal treatment.

[@boo-vc2ru]

It depends. Comeback with big groups can also boost your exposure towards other fans.

[@neszsa]

I will never get over 'The Boots' not getting the appreciation it SO deserved!

[@bbypinkcherry]

i’m no gugudan stan or fan - just casual listener of music in passing, but that song really is soo good!

[@raeyni]

i miss every IoI group so much

[@ninanano]

They got attention with the acapella video and Jellyfish did nothing with that. In my opinion it would've been nice if Jellyfish made acapella videos their "thing" and had them do the same with other songs. Maybe even have them on You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook to further showcase their vocals

[@neszsa]

@@ninanano And it would definitely worked for their image. There are loads of dance covers but acapella? Not so much. If they did more covers of viral songs or redid an acapella version of their old songs let's say weekly... Would have worked wonders. But Jellyfish simply didn't care at all

[@dlmusic6185]

Maybe if Sejeong didn't get half of the lines it would have better recognition.

[@BoardGameDylan]

The produce shows gave birth to amazing groups that should have just continued together. I will always wonder just how big IOI would have been as a permanent group...

[@theresnoplatypuscontrollin6791]

Ikr they had so much potential

[@zanerobbins7604]

As far as i know at the peak of ioi's popularity they were just as popular as twice and there was kind of a rivalry between fans

[@Sonar_125]

They would have been the biggest girl group ever in history of music if they continued. Those 11 girls were like all aces picked from their respective groups.

[@winter6637]

Every produce group is very popular but the idol company would rather disband them and debut them in a group ,just for the other member to be call ,example "mirae and friends" since everyone just basically know that members

[@purplescarf5896]

ioi was the only produce group that have PAK. during their time, its really hard to achieved PAK bcs there's a lot of charts. if they're not disband i think theyre the same level as twice and bp

[@t3hyan3s3]

Honestly, Pristin's situation pisses me off the most because Pledis literally abandoned them. When Kyla was getting fat shamed and slandered, rarely if ever, did Pledis offer to press legal charges like other companies do. They were doing so good for a rookie group and could have been big but Pledis didn't even try. So when it was announced they were taking in Fromis9, I had to roll my eyes. No shade to Fromis9 cause it's not their fault, but Pledis already had a girl group, one with a lot of potential, and they threw them away.

[@oqp489]

Im also surprised at the fact that pledis didn’t speak out about the kyla & her brother scandal....

[@t3hyan3s3]

@@oqp489 at that point I think Kyla had already formally terminated her contract behind the scenes and because she was no longer tied with them, Pledis didn't feel the need to step in. It's just they left fans in the dark and had them believe she was still on a "hiatus"

[@t3hyan3s3]

I knew something was weird when photos came out of her back home working a part time job.

[@angel_shelly]

Pledis is so bad at managing their groups. Literally, the only reason why seventeen is successful is that they are self-producing and members like Seungkwan literally had to go and ask to be on tv shows himself because pledis wouldn't do it for them. Fuck pledis tbh. Also nu'est did okay but they literally had to go on produce 101 season 2 just to get promo since pledis wouldn't give them a comeback.

[@huijun7358]

Pristin is HELLA I really mean it HELLA TALENTED. THEY WON THE ROOKIE GIRL GROUP AWARD AND PLEDIS DISBANDED THEM LIKE WTHHHHH. I really got so pissed afterwards that.

[@King_Jonghyun]

I think the moment Chungha danced to Beyoncé in PD101 audition, we all knew she was destined to great things. She just has *it.*

[@freyaallan3267]

temporary groups are just evil tbh. making trainees work their asses off for debut just to disband shortly after and leaving them heartbroken. seeing ioi crying at their final concert was heartbreaking, and izone’s final online concert was even worse… these are kids

[@deluxis4991]

The paradox of WJSN is that after the chinese members left the music became better and the chinese members are more popular in China than in Korea. I'm really happy they are so popular there.

[@1rismono]

true, they've achieved so much in China, just look at all the brand deals and dramas Cheng Xiao has lined up

[@kyokugo6460]

The thing is, Is harder to do stuff with two different companies is harder to coordinate concepts and production.

[@annica5313]

Trueeee

[@MG-bt2xs]

I believe this too. However I won’t lie, an OT 13 comeback, even if it’s just for one song would be incredible. Maybe they’d actually give MeQui XuanYi and ChengXiao lines this time

[@annica5313]

Both WJSN and chinity became more famous after they left

[@justabuddy5678]

I always found the produce series and every show producing temporary groups to be rather cruel, no matter what they do these idols are never gonna get the same popularity in their groups as they did in the temporary ones, you’re just giving them a small taste of something they will never have again.

[@tangerinebreath]

This is very true, unless they choose to go solo. So far I think this is the most viable way to continue the popularity they received in these groups.

[@newzleaf1829]

Agree. But if I were them I'd go for it regardless to get some exposure and the money to get by later on. Starting from scratch is more hopeless

[@aleleliah]

I personally think most ex wanna one members are happy and successful since a lot of them debuted solo. Sure they wont be as popular as their popularity in the group but like u stated they’ve tasted what its like to be extremely popular. Now they’re happy going solo with a lot more flexibility in their choices and direction while still maintaining a decent fanbase. Esp kang daniel lol that guy is still doing so well. I also think the same about izone

[@softboy5573]

exactly! with groups like I.O.I, W1, IZONE and X1 is that fans fall for these groups as a whole not just the individual members, the fans will grow a connection with the temporary group and very few will follow them into their new group activities. the artist in the p101 groups may have a head start but that is all temporary and limited. the only one who was actually guaranteed a successful career was Somi and that was because she was hugely popular on the show, was part of JYP and now the Black Label all those things gave her an even better stepping stone. other members of other groups may be somewhat successful but nowhere near (with the exception of people like Chungha)

[@somethingisnotrighthere3831]

@@softboy5573 I agree with your last point especially! I feel like Chungha is much better soloist because she’s well rounded enough to put on a show by herself, and I feel like she didn’t really stand out that much in IOI. on the contrary, I feel like Somi would have been much better staying at JYP and debuting in a group. you could see a huge disparity in the quality of her solo performances and other soloists’ (especially compared to Chungha) + The Black Label is a subsidiary of YG, and their (female) artists’ discographies are almost always extremely scant. She was already set to debut in Itzy and she would’ve done super well with other members in a group to complement her talents 😭

[@Theunfathomable0]

I wanna freaking flip a table whenever I remember what happened to Pristin!! Like it’s one thing throwing spaghetti at a wall, but they were successful! PLEDIS literally had a diamond and we’re like…nah.

[@virtuokid1505]

I think problem happen after Pledis have business with CJEM and accept to manage Fromis, just my guess...

[@nanaa6322]

@@virtuokid1505 the pristin case was wayyy longer before fromis 9 come to pledis. Pledis literally failed pristin and did them dirty. They always did with their artist. Even with seventeen. They postponed seventeen debute a lot. If seventeen members didn't pushed theirself to learn produce song and choreos for they own debut, i've doubt the company still have them rn.

[@StrawberryPixels]

@@nanaa6322 honestly im glad pledis is part of hybe labels now atleast seventeen can breathe and not be punished for slacking off now

[@softboy5573]

@@StrawberryPixels doesn't bighit only have financial control though?

[@nanaa6322]

@@StrawberryPixels there's so much controversy about this accusation things if you dive deeper into svt fandom (carat). y'know, some childish stan of other group under the same label often said that carat should be thankful bcs after the accusation things, svt became big lmao. And hybe are doing charity for buying svt lol, there's no charity things in business. Hybe simply look theres potential group to brought under their label. Svt already big in physical sale before they joined them. Still, idk much about the freedom. We never know what happened behind the cameras

[@Butterball2829]

I watched kyulkyung on the chinese show 'hit the stage' and you can see (and the girls + host even says) that she's lost so much confidence in her performing since she hasn't done it in ages... its really sad to watch

[@fruitjuiceandzerocoke]

Where can I watch it?

[@nanaa6322]

I felt sorry for her. She's in the same agency with svt before right? actually I want to root for pristin (bcs of her, she's really charismatic and sweet) but they've got d word before I even know them 😭

[@theYouTuberfr]

stage boom?

[@erindonut]

please continue to support her! kyulkyung forever

[@Butterball2829]

@@theKZbinrfr oh that was the name of it!! i got it confused with something else

[@gabrielamarques7220]

Somi and Chung Ha have had extremely sucessful careers after IOI so I think the two are the exception, Gotta GO was the biggest song of 2019 in Korea and Somi does really well abroad specially with Dumb Dumb

[@Niven42]

Somi really had some struggles, though. I don't know how much of it was her maturity, how much was her "westernized" image, and how much was manufactured drama. But anyhow, she's going FANTASTIC now, and her album is FIRE.

[@gabrielamarques7220]

@@Niven42 agreed! So glad she succeeded ! XOXO is a masterpiece

[@peterjacob7664]

@@Niven42 yeah I mean I hate birthday, but xoxo is 👌

[@masterbitter7688]

@@peterjacob7664 i like birthday more than xoxo but they are both good

[@kainaa415]

Also sejeong, her debut flower way was allkill and fastest idol to win music show award at that time, in acting also she already had 3 drama and 2 more on the way.

[@yoongyus]

the worst part is that ioi actually set the stage for all the coming produce groups that did made it big and now most of their members are less successful than the ones that came after

[@vcookie.]

Who? the IOI members are the most popular of all groups members 🥴🥴🥴

[@fruitsalad2458]

I guess that is one of the drawbacks being the blueprint, in I.O.I case, Mnet at that time is still testing the water with these kind of shows like produce101, in result is lack of budget, messy schedule, members get called out to debut in another group, and the worst is contract changing, I've heard I.O.I contract is actually a whole year, but being torn down to only 8 month

[@STANSAT10N]

you had left out WJSN’s song As You Wish becoming Korea’s New Years Anthem charting to top1 on every New Year’s Day since it’s release. WJSN were suppose to have a repackaged album after Happy Moment but was unfortunately canceled for unknown reasons. WJSN’s Kiss Me was an Ad for the make up brand Kiss Me, that was why it wasn’t talked much.

[@jihoonscarat]

It’s hard to add everything into the video but thank you for adding that! Also I still consider Kiss Me a comeback / release, and thought it was interesting that this release went so unnoticed 🥰

[@sangwoossnacc9959]

No kiss me is not their comeback. Wjsn didn't even promote it on music shows. It's a promotion song/mv for a make up brand

[@tommythevenow3476]

@@jihoonscarat I think Kiss Me was only performed live once and never on a program. It was paid for by the brand Kis Me cosmetics and was definitely not a comeback just like Let Me In, which is out right now is not a comeback and hasn't been performed live.

[@pr3ttyhijabi]

Its still crazy to me how the produce fame really does not last for most of the idols. i think thats why mnet kept making the contracts longer like with izone and x1 even tho x1 did not even get 2 really enjoy that fame. the izone girls are probably gonna have more stable careers cause they got the most out of there group with many comebacks and the longest contract.

[@hellohello9008]

I have a feeling that most of the iz*one girls will be successful as long as their companies don’t pull a pledis. eunbi’s solo career is already going pretty well, I have a feeling if fromis_9 hadn’t made a comeback she would have gotten her first solo win (I stan fromis dont come at me here).

[@shycherrygirl]

I agree, and I think izone ended at a good time actually. I would have been happy with a longer izone contract but at the same time I feel satisfied with what they were. I think they had the perfect length for a group that was intended to be temporary, I don't think a longer contract would have given us anything new that we hadn't seen from them before (unless it had been a full length 7 years contract of course) It is a good time for them to start their new journeys

[@twicefan5116]

I think the main problem is that a lot of people that listen to groups aren't fans, but just casual listeners. So when the group disbands, and no more music is released, they forget about them. Not to mention that most fans don't keep up with all members, as that would be extremely difficult. Iz*One definitely has a lot of loyal fans, but Im not sure if that is enough.

[@mikaela7757]

keep in mind that when ioi debuted, kpop was on the rise gaining popularity and attention internationally. when iz*one debuted, they debuted during the time when kpop was really big internationally. i think that iz*one have more stability with their solo careers with the amount of attention kpop had during their time as an active group compared to ioi

[@asserm.8047]

agreed! every izone girl that has started their solo careers already is doing well so far. i hope the rest either debut solo soon (in order not to lose momentum) or continue promoting themselves extensively in different entertainment avenues, like wonyoung

[@saturnlabouff6168]

I think out of all of the groups, WJSN predicted pretty well the kind of luxurious and elegant concepts that have gotten semi big recenlty (esp with IZ*ONE) and were on the pulse of that long before it was more known, which helped their success. They're a really nice breath of fresh air in between the cute and girl crush concepts and it's clear that the audience for that IS there

[@camilleniel6484]

you forgot apink. their 2020 comeback got really big. and before that, they've been doing the luxurious and elegant concept when they changed to playm

[@saturnlabouff6168]

@@camilleniel6484 both apink and wjsn started doing more elegant concepts in 2018, but with apink it's more mature than whimsical, while wjsn's always had a magical element to it, also Apink was quite popular from the getgo, even with their cute concepts, but ye both groups got a hold of that specific sound early on

[@cottonclouds]

pristin's story really makes me sad. if you were there back when they debuted you know that they were HUGE for a rookie group. definition of monster rookies. seventeen loved them and were super excited about having a little sister group. i, to this day, don't understand how you can mess that level of fame up.

[@Geozuki554]

WJSN are a steady group. They've won number one almost 10 times and have decent album sales and CF too. Probably the most successful group from IOI

[@yokonamigaara]

As someone who ults Astro i really cant stress enough how much of a nightmare the whole Fantagio situation was. It was essentially a hostile takeover from the investors, who were firing all the Fanta staff, not letting employees have access to company cards (so artists had to pay for transport, makeup, food, etc out of pocket), etc. They were investigated for illegal operations because the person in charge of artists needs certain credentials by Korean law, which the investor replacement did not have. Once the CEO was fired, Astro's Moonbin literally became the most senior member of the company having been there the longest..... I'm glad the man was caught and arrested, but its clear the impact all that had especially in WeMe's first year of debut. As an Aroha, it feels awful seeing Astro succeed (not in small part due to Eunwoo's popularity) while knowing what happened with Helbi and now seeing similar things happen to WeMe, especially when their songs are that good!

[@user-us4yx6mu8q]

And for me fantagio is lack in connections within the idols industry *since they originally an actors agency* so that they dont know how to make their artists go to some popular varshow for promoting. But for now i see they try to make more varshow appearance even still begin with the most famous member such as eunwoo and moonbin on knowbros and yoojung and doyeon is often guest is amazing saturday.

[@Kassabonn]

Its a shame cause there's so much potential for their idols but that whole situation just complicated everything so much

[@biscomura]

It's kinda crazy how somi said "I don't know what will happen to me once IOI ends" and then she became one of the most popular soloists

[@StarshineStranger]

I'm still so livid that Korea let The Boots flop, and that Jellyfish didn't do more with pushing an acapella angle for Gugudan's music. There are *very* few groups that can convincingly pull off an acapella style, and that could have been the defining factor they needed to really stand out and get more recognition.Barring that, it was just incredibly stupid to debut the Produce members with a group; they should have all gone solo, or formed their own subunit, while the rest of the Gugudan members debuted on their own and got the opportunity to make a name for themselves instead of always being in the shadows of Mina and Sejeong.

[@-Matchuchu-]

I think youre forgeting 4 other title tracks lol

[@keayannadavis9836]

i'm still so lived that korea let Will You Go Out With Me flop. it had korea national anthem potential like gee and could've captured everyone's heart

[@starlighteuu]

the boots also suffered from proper promotion, it should have been a hit for them, instead it was ignored.

[@Keplerite]

Justice for The Boots 😭💔

[@dreamcaught3876]

chungha gets more attention in the west, but korea loves wjsn. also, wjsns discography is top tier, check out the b sides dont touch, pantomime, and you got for some of my faves. though the entire as you wish album is pure gold as well :)

[@salbenrosli707]

And it helps that the girls also writes and composed some of their stuffs too, and are kinda active even when they are not promoting on music shows.

[@zxcvbnm10984]

When Gugudan came back With 'The Boots' DIA had just got their First Win so the anticipation for Gugudan to Win with 'The Boots' was relatively high. Notice how Sejeong was basically pushed as main and front face of 'The Boots' (she is basically always at the spotlight lol, But on The Boots she almost sang the whole song and she basically appears on almost every bits on the mv). Unfortunately they failed to snag their First Win.

[@sooahnim]

Weki Meki does quite well domestically, but their promotions are always at the weirdest times. I do think that even though they put a forefront on Yoojung and Doyeon, Weki Meki is Weki Meki. Their line distribution has gotten so good and they're able to showcase all of the members' talents. I feel like they're doing the best out of the groups that came out of IOI

[@glencoconut]

Pristin won rookie and the year and then were just abandoned. I can't imagine what it felt like for the members to have such big hopes on their future only for Pledis to just give them radio silence. Also I feel so bad for Kyla, with people blaming her for their disbandment, I can't imagine how badly her mental health was affected.

[@nikkishy3024]

About wjsn, there's one thing that I thought would be important is the deteriorating relationship between China and Korea. There was one point in time when those chinese members can't promote in korea and were "stuck" in china. And then right after that (the THAAD situation), covid happened, making frequent travel really difficult. The koreans dislike chinese members in general. They also are paid much less than their korean members during korean promotions. On top of that, the chinese pays VERY well if they make it big. So it's not difficult to see why many chinese members end up leaving korea and peomote in china instead. Just an input! :)

[@bangzub]

A bit unrelated but can I ask, is that also happens to F(x) Victoria?

[@nikkishy3024]

@@bangzub I think it is a bit different. She wasn't promoting in China when the THAAD thing happened, at least not majority. She was one of the few chinese kpop idols who stayed in Korea until her contract expired, and she is now more active in China. She never broke off from her initial contract like many other Chinese kpop idols did. Initially, she was praised for being "loyal" to Korea, but now that she is active in China, I can already see the shift, with some knets grouping her with the other Chinese kpop idols who left. It's really the entitlement of knets for me 🙃 if this didn't exist, no doubt would there be more Chinese kpop idols promoting across both countries

[@kellymartinez7095]

What’s the THAAD thing?

[@disappointment3090]

@@kellymartinez7095 it’s the missile situation with China against South Korea having THAAD. This is the simplest way I can explain it 💀 (THAAD is a missile) I suggest looking it up for an in depth and accurate explanation.

[@nataliapluas4335]

The thing about temporary groups is everyone is talking about them until they disband because after that people act as if they do not exist. My favorite IOI post groups are Weki meki and Pristin (sadly the last one does not exist anymore) cuz their music are my taste but recently I am really in love with WJSN´s title tracks idk why hahaha they are good. Gugudan is not my cup of tea but their last comeback was incredible, not that type, it is so strong and badass and the boots is so iconic. Dia, I really like 2 songs of their Yolo´s album (I have to listen more of it, ik) and Woowa !!! Somi and Chungha are my favorite kpop soloist besides my pink girls because 1st) Somi´s music suits my taste and how is possible having 4 songs but they are so good??? Better sue Blacklabel for that but we are having a full album this year so mmm 2nd) Chungha´s music at first, for me, it was not good however her last album has no skips at all and I really appreciate her inspired Latin vibes :)

[@nataliapluas4335]

@ Nope I think they are in hiatus.

[@nataliapluas4335]

@ Noup because if they are disbanded, Fantagio would publish an article saying it

[@markigirl2757]

@@nataliapluas4335 uhhh they are on hiatus not disbanded I hope u realize that

[@nataliapluas4335]

@@markigirl2757 Yes I know, I was referring to Pristin

[@markigirl2757]

@@nataliapluas4335 u said “Noup” to the other person denying they weren’t on hiatus that’s why we were confused

[@johannaisolde]

I knew about the "curse" before through internetsnathan's video, but it was nice to hear about it in detail. Also thank you for talking about the chinese members of WJSN, I was wondering what was going on with them... Have you ever considered making a video about the chinese entertainment scene? I find it very interesting that there seems to be a lot of mismanaging in it, but most kpop idols that go back to China make way more money there than in Korea. Meiqi, Xuanyi and Cheng Xiao are a good example of that.

[@jihoonscarat]

I have made one video about a Chinese group but nothing more, but it is a topic I’m interested in!

[@Carolina-bw6gy]

I think they simply suffer what happened to Yixing from Exo. He started promoting solo on China in 2016 and then he stays until now there bc he became way more huge than he was while just a exo member who barely got lines, and currently always scheduled, represents the government in cultural events etc. The china trio of wjsn same thing, but what differs them is Yixing is from sm, china trio never was from the same company was the korean members of wjsn, so who is responsible for their management is the chinese company, not starship. The chinese trio worked for a while in a temporary chinese group but nowadays are actress, mcs or solo singers. And the contract with the korean company probably will end someday and they wont renew for the reason the last time they went to korea was...2018? So yeah as a casual ujung i dont think they will ever return.

[@mariadiallo5786]

@@Carolina-bw6gy I think the situation is slightly different. While I do think what you said is correct, let's also add that Lay did take part in their latest Korean release (Don't fight the feeling) and we can't exclude that he might keep taking part in Korean comebacks despite having an active Chinese career

[@teadora99]

@@mariadiallo5786 Lay is very adamant about him not leaving EXO most likely due to the great relationships he has with both the EXO members but also SM. He is still signed to SM but they let him promote extremely actively in China and have supported basically all of his promotions even supporting his decision to create an entertainment company of his own, while letting him join in EXO comebacks when he can like with Don't Fight the Feeling. EXO's contracts allegedly end next year to which I imagine he'll leave the company purely due to him literally having his own company but even then I don't think he'll leave EXO as SM is known to not disband their groups. This is especially likely as since he does have his own company, he has the authority to alter schedules and decide on schedules that work with any EXO comebacks that may arise. He's incredibly smart but he's also incredibly loyal and it's super plain to see.

[@1rismono]

Cheng xiao is doing amazing in China, she has so many brand deals and dramas lined up

[@asurafire5386]

IOI members current whereabouts Nayoung: acting Sohye: acting Doyeon: acting Yoojung: acting Yeonjung: WJSN activities Mina: MIA Sejeong: acting/solo activies Chungha: Idol activities Somi: preparing for a comeback Pinky/Kyulkyung: Doing Chinese activities Chaeyeon: MIA(On hiatus) I’ll edit this if anybody has any updates

[@jademarie_]

Doyeon and Yoojung are in weki meki.

[@justinexciya4061]

@@jademarie_ yes but they in acting more now

[@jademarie_]

@@justinexciya4061 no, not really. Yoojung had only 2 acting projects in her career and doyeon no more than 10.

[@asurafire5386]

@@jademarie_ what I mean is that while weki meki is on hiatus they doing acting

[@jademarie_]

@@asurafire5386 weki meki is literally preparing for a comeback wdym hiatus 😭

[@slabella9413]

"The Secret" is easily in the top 10 best mini albums in kpop.

[@MG-bt2xs]

I dont follow a lot of kpop, but my friend showed me "secret" and its my favorite kpop songs and one of my favorite songs in general.

[@multistankpopiee7678]

which group mini album is secret?

[@slabella9413]

@@multistankpopiee7678 WJSN (Cosmic Girls)

[@multistankpopiee7678]

@@slabella9413 tq

[@jessnope4803]

Gugudan has so much potential, great songs, they're so underrated

[@-Matchuchu-]

“Had”

[@-Matchuchu-]

Ngl i miss them

[@ajurice2682]

As someone who watched PD101, supported IOI and followed all their respective groups, it really breaks my heart how most of them struggled to maintain their fame for their groups. But I guess that's just how it goes.

[@SSJiYeon]

Why is no one talking about my girl Sohye i think she is the most lucky person out there, i mean like she is originally in an acting company but then she paved the way to becoming ioi people should get to know her more, darn you short lines (she had the shortest line in ioi)

[@ozoz3444]

WekiMeki still has the potential to break out. They need to continue releasing music and performing. Could have a Brave Girls moment.

[@geenamalone]

Gugudan should’ve debuted as 3 with Semina. They would’ve had a better impact and probably would still be relevant today

[@tangerinebreath]

I remember some talk about how Semina were not initially meant to be part of Gugudan, but were added due to their success in Produce 101. It's been a long while so I might be wrong.

[@mrkickinthesky]

dont get me wrong,the 3 are talented but arent they like younger more coy version of mamamoo minus moonbyul? regarding their style?

[@ggundercover3681]

@@mrkickinthesky I want more like mama moo tbh. those girls are so unique and have personality. I wouldn't object to more like that. and they love experimenting with music.

[@basma7806]

Honestly nothing angers me more than gugudans disbandment like…. Wtf???????? There was NO REASON to put them on a hiatus like that they were doing pretty well and all their songs were bops! (‘I remember watching the boots MV like everyday while I studied in high school) like jellyfish j threw away gugudan for 1 poor selling album- genuinely wtf.

[@harleyqueeen]

Were there getting CFs because album sales never cover cost of production.

[@alanamileras2329]

@@harleyqueeen That's not true at all. Album sales can and do cover the cost of production, depending on the company, the group, the sales, the expenses and whether they engage in "creative accounting" i.e. fraud. However, CFs are *all* income and no expenses, which is why they are important for groups and soloists to land.

[@theYouTuberfr]

@@alanamileras2329 they *can* cover the costs but the point is that they rarely actually do

[@tangerinebreath]

Their sales were going down and so was attention. After the subunits (even Semina) and the final comeback didn't get the attention of the public, the company decided to cut its losses...

[@Nykizta]

I will say, Mina was in Hotel Del Luna as a pretty important side character and was genuinely AMAZING in the role! She's kicking ass in the acting realm and I hope she gets all the credit she deserves from it.

[@usagitsukino8284]

I love Mina's character in Hotel Del Luna sm she truly is an amazing actress

[@elmin82]

honestly didn't know that Chungha was in this group , i thought she started as a solo artist since the beginning

[@littledewdroplets]

-Drip was such a good song, I was so sad Hinapia only lasted one release. -Weki Meki is so underrated, literally one of my favorite groups. I love the IOI girls of course, but also LUA has my heart and I ended up getting attached to everyone SO MUCH. I'm so worried about this group I swear I need it so much -What is it with companies releasing PUBLIC STATEMENTS that contradict each other instead or finishing their deals and arrangements behind closed doors. It makes them seem like petty middle schoolers.

[@yoongyus]

DRIP AND GET IT WERE SO UNDERRATED AND FOR WHAT?!?!?

[@urmom4618]

Wait do you know why hinapia disbanded?

[@yoongyus]

@@urmom4618 apparently bc of money issues

[@soraya131]

AHHHH as a lua stan i get what u mean, i am so so attached to weme and i wish the best for them. they seriously need to stop having comebacks at such weird times bc they have so so so much potential and their title tracks since picky picky has been nothing but bangers. it j sucks how they are overshined by bigger groups when they do promotions bc they fed us so so well in 2020

[@blaqkswan]

WJSN managed to get a loyal fanbase that helped them grow and be stable as a group, specially after As You Wish became a semi-hit, Somi does amazing as a soloist every time she comes back, her songs are all sleeper hits, they climb up the charts with time, and Dumb Dumb is probably her best performing single, SeJeong was already doing well when she came back as a soloist after I.O.I disbanded and got a win before Gugudan even did 😭 and after her acting career also blew up she managed to become a well-stablished artist, ChungHa does well and has a loyal fanbase which is surprising (but deserved) considering she wasn’t one of I.O.I’s most popular members, and 2019 was SUCH A YEAR for her and was literally challenging for SOTY with Gotta Go. Except for WJSN, what all these girls have in common is that they made use of the fact that they had an individual fanbase already and debuted as soloists because usually if they debut in new groups a lot of fans who don’t feel like supporting a whole group leave. And there’s also a lot of akgaes that come out of those groups which makes the rest of the girls get a shit ton of hate 😭 in SeJeong’s case even though Gugudan disbandments hurt me, i think it benefited her the most, she already had the biggest fanbase and Gugudan was going nowhere so it was only holding her back :/ Most of these girls (if not all) would’ve been so much more successful if they all debuted as soloists from the start. Specially the really popular ones, YooJung and Doyeon should’ve had debuted either as a duo or a soloists to maintain their popularity even though i love every post-I.O.I group.

[@casualsuede]

There are many cases where you capture "lightning in a bottle", where success doesn't translate into other formats. It usually happens when a group breaks up and members try to make it as soloists.

[@vcookie.]

They are going well thank you.

[@ninanano]

In my opinion Chungha is the most successful act since she has the most GP recognition. I don't think album sales matter that much in this context specially considering how k-pop fandoms organize to mass buy albums - WJSN's boost in sales can be easily attributed to the growth of their Chinese fandom after Xuanyi and Meiqi debuted in Rocket Girls 101. And it’s not like I.O.I themselves were selling tons of albums but they were a household name regardless. Chungha on the other hand is the only act to have hit songs with the public. Roller Coaster and Gotta Go are certified platinum and helped solidify her status as one of the top soloists in the industry. She's up there with Sunmi who's her senior of almost 10 years, that's quite a feat. WJSN are definitely the most successful group of the bunch, seems like their momentum got ruined for a moment but they're a popular group and their name is known. They also seem to have sleeper/seasonal hits with songs like As You Wish that chart every New Years day, since Koreans believe that the first song you listen to that year dictates how your year goes.

[@Junayd150]

Chung ha was it’s SOMI now

[@cider2384]

@@Junayd150 Not necessarily, Somi did well to get a top 10 hit with Dumb Dumb but that's only her 1st top 10 hit. Chungha has multiple hits, Roller Coaster, Love U, Gotta Go, Snapping, Stay Tonight. PLAY peaked #14 on Gaon and Bicycle peaked #38. Chung Ha is well known in the public although her chart performance has declined recently. Snapping and Gotta Go peaked #2 and are her biggest hits so far. Somi hasn't had a top 3 hit yet. Dumb Dumb went viral because of TikTok challenge and dance, but TikTok is not a sustainable path to success. Somi needs at least 3 more successful cbs and higher chart performance overall to be more successful than Chung Ha. Right now Somi is more relevant than Chung Ha but not more successful.

[@porkinapie2636]

@@Junayd150 lets be honest somi has a huge headstart due to yg, plus she's only gotten actual recognition during dum dum

[@Junayd150]

@@porkinapie2636 that’s great but remember Chungha only really took off after Gotta Go. Somi being with black label doesn’t mean anything lol a solo artist in Korea always has it hard. Chungha had such. Huge it that’s better than a backing of any label. Somi’s career is booking right now. Be happy for both ladies

[@Junayd150]

@@cider2384 Chungha has hits but her current releases all tanked. Her album sales wasn’t that big as well. She’s doing great she just not the most popular one at the moment . Somi just started she’s doing well . Chungha career really took off after Gotta Go you can have a top 10 but the impact matters. Girl

[@AngelaChan97]

Guys weki meki are apparently preparing for a comeback this year so please help us to stream and vote for them so they could finally get their long awaited 1st win 😭 and no they won't be disbanding any soon cuz fantagio seem to not want to give up on them (even during financial and internal crisis) and since they finished recruiting for their yearly fanclub membership

[@statesofgracie]

I think part of the issue is that all of the members (excluding somi) came from smaller to medium companies, most of which were pretty new to managing kpop groups. they didn’t have their own notability and reputation as a company yet and it’s clear the uncertain success was making them uneasy since they didn’t all have extra money to blow. some clearly expected the ioi members popularity to be enough and depended on it way too much and I don’t think any of them could’ve foreseen that a good portion of ioi stans only wanted to see them in ioi or on their own which is why they didn’t all flock to their new groups. the best example of this being with gugudan and sejeong. you can also see this with izone in the case of yena and everglow where it’s been a constant argument on whether or not she’d join the group and many yena stans beginning to throw hate towards everglow and say that she was too good for the group. yuehua made the right decision in debuting her solo so it wouldn’t in turn harm everglow but I do think that most of izone member’s companies have seen the patterns from ioi and are nervous to debut them in groups as we’ve already seen eunbi, yuri, and now yena making or preparing for solo debuts. hopefully their companies can learn from the ioi companies mistakes, especially since most seem to be more financially established and have more experience with managing kpop groups.

[@dtimoon]

I would say for a Kpop idol career, Somi is most successful and for other activities (acting, hosts) Sejeong is probably most well known, I loved her in Business Proposal.

[@mahoushoujo7278]

MBK really done it wasted DIA and Shannon. + Chungha's Stay Tonight is criminally underrated. All of the gays lived and I guess the heteros died

[@atinymoonizen]

Enough🙄 We all lived. y'all are so annoying with that

[@gierer797]

mbk is terrible with their entire history of artists

[@courtonjohnson1191]

“Crush” was such a good song and the way almost no one discusses it- like the visuals, beat and choreo were all good only for it to get swept under the rug

[@soraya131]

crush was such song, so was oopsy la la la dazzle me cool tiki taka..... im so upset how underrated these girls are

[@ttc958]

So hard to believe THE chungha was in this group.

[@tangerinebreath]

And the funny thing was how she was never the member that was pushed the most in I.O.I, back then it was Sejeong, Mina, Somi, Yoojung, Kyulkyung, maybe even Nayoung before Chungha.

[@cho61wa53]

Somyi of DIA now is an 19+ content creator, she said that is earning more money now than in DIA 😭

[@franklantic]

I'll never forgive the human race for sleeping on The Boots. That song deserved so much more. 😭

[@darrenchua1555]

Gugudan deserved so much better.

[@annanguyen9523]

As a fantagio stan altogether, I hope Doyeon can act in a hit drama and build their popularity like Eunwoo did. That’s only ONE way. Ofcourse hopefully through music and shows as a group. And can FANTAGIO give them their OWN SHOW like they did QUITE LATE for astro? That way fans can learn more about them and their personalities and grow fanbase.

[@SuperAsrain]

they had their own reality show on Mohae channel

[@thrynx]

The thing about temporary groups and survival shows is that the companies rush to debut them when the contract ended (except gugudan which debut while IOI is still promoting) to keep the hype, but the problem is that there becomes a surplus of groups, and fans cant support them all, and the original members become way too popular compared to other members. Yeonjung's case is different since the group is established first before she was added so she didnt shadow the other members in the group.

[@pinkpearls411]

Speaking of Fantagio, it honestly bothers me a lot to know that they are/were planning to debut another girl group (as they already have the line up) when Weki Meki doesn't even have a lightsick or a full album. Overall, looking at Fantagio's track record with girl groups, I don't know why they have the great idea to debut another girl group.

[@sakshiy11]

It was just a rumor, according to the rumor, they were going to debut girl group in second half of 2021 but now it's already October,and we don't see any hint of any gg debut. Also, WeMe are hinting a comeback, so they would probably have a comeback before this year ends.

[@yoongyus]

i think they actually arent, bc many of their trainees went over to other combany to debut as ichillin

[@pinkpearls411]

@@yoongyus they still send one to girls planet.

[@pinkpearls411]

@@sakshiy11 Yes, that's why i said "are/were", they already had the girls perform at an event and recently one of their trainees participate in girls planet. I know we don't have any news about it but when the news came out i was mad.

[@rosie_rose19]

Yeah they mostly promote Astro despite them being successful they should at least promote Weki Meki too

[@swtvic]

wjsn was the only group to dodge the ioi curse but i still think that they would've been even bigger if the chinese members situation would've been handled way better

[@OPPAWONTMARRYYOU]

Amazing video. I stil can't believe how underappreciated Weki Meki are. Fantagio already having plans to debut a new gg and not giving them a comeback while Astro has had multiple ones already during that time is concearning.

[@mariadiallo5786]

That's disheartening. I think ASTRO members (especially Cha Eunwoo) deserve a holiday after months of nearly non-stop work, while Weki Meki deserve a better amount of comebacks and a lot more exposure and traction

[@OPPAWONTMARRYYOU]

@@mariadiallo5786 Definitely this

[@sakshiy11]

Idk why y'all bring Astro in every WeMe conversation. Astro made a comeback this year after 11 months. While WeMe had 3 comebacks in 2020. It's not abt promoting. All Fantagio groups stans know how much the company lacks in terms of promotions. Ppl know Astro mostly bcoz of Eunwoo's dramas. I think same goes with Weki Meki bcoz everyone know Do-daeng through IOI. It's just sad that the company really doesn't have proper promotion strategies for groups. That's why they try to promote the already famous members more.

[@OPPAWONTMARRYYOU]

@@sakshiy11 Because they're under the same company and are getting promoted better than WeMe? I don't know why y'all think it's not valid criticism when it obviously is. Fantagio isn't great at promoting and that's true. BUT Astro has released a full length album in April and a mini (with 6 songs, which many of the full albums nowadays have) in August. Their earlier comeback was in May 2020 so almost a year before the full one (which isn't that weird since it was a full album.) Tomorrow will mark a year since the last mini from WeMe (so longer than Astro) with no news in sight. No one is dragging Astro here so I don't see what's the problem. It's nothing new that a company is treating their GGs like freaking toilet paper while caring more for the boy group.

[@mariadiallo5786]

@@sakshiy11 I'm not bringing them up to say "oh, they're growing so fast, it's their fault is WeMe are not shining" or for any other reason you may ascribe to your statement. What I want to point out is the imbalance of workload, not only necessarily promotions. And I don't just mean group activities, but also individual ones

[@farkhodovakamila7]

u did *really* hard work. I can't believe what u did is possible. appreciate u so much!!

[@m-5089]

I seriously want to cry when I think about PRISTIN's wasted potential. They were a monster rookie group that was winning major awards so it wasn't a lack of popularity that led to their disbandment. It was mismanagement and mistreatment by PLEDIS. It was incredibly frustrating when Kyla went on hiatus without providing any explanation leaving fans worried about whether it was due to the relentless hate that she was getting only to find out on our own that it was because she got hurt while filming the MV for 'We Like' and had a concussion. There was also radio silence during the period between 'We Like' and Pristin V's debut in which the girls weren't allowed to interact with fans. What kills me the most is that they had to find out about the disbandment at the same time as the public which was through articles. Pledis lied in their official statement claiming that they had long discussions with the members but Yaebin revealed that they were working on their next album at the time and had *NO* idea about it. It makes me sick that these girls trained for years under Pledis (Xiyeon specifically spent *11* years with the company starting from the age of *9* !) only to be disrespected like this. They deserved *SO* much more and I truly believe they would have flourished under another company.

[@yosoybeef]

Still waiting for a Weki Meki lightstick and full album :/ I'm glad Astro is getting promoted well, because they're my ults, but Weki Meki is my ult gg so I don't want them to pull a Pristin

[@jihoonscarat]

yea. like i was worried people were gonna take it the wrong way. it's not that i dislike astro, im happy for them. it's the company that should be putting in equal amount of work and time into the groups

[@gwenmloveskpopcecmore]

Somi and Chungha are some of my favorite soloists and here are my fave tracks by each group Gugudan- the boots, a girl like me, get it (subunit), and Semina (sub unit) WJSN- Unnatural, Boogie Up, Butterfly, easy (sub unit), HMPH (sub unit), Dia- mister potter, woo woo Weki meki- IDLYG, Dazzle Dazzle, Oopsy, Picky picky, Cool

[@-Matchuchu-]

Isnt the song get it one of pristin sub unit songs

[@gwenmloveskpopcecmore]

@@-Matchuchu- yes it’s by Pristin V

[@-Matchuchu-]

@@gwenmloveskpopcecmore oh ik its just that you put pristin v with gugudan and semina

[@gwenmloveskpopcecmore]

@@-Matchuchu- oops

[@romifox_k]

So I basically need to rewrite my Old comment cuz, There have been new Updates for each group: •Dia-Released a new album "Rooting for you" with the Title Track [The Blinding Past], Implying that they had Disbanded as a group. Somyi wasnt participating as she had already left the group •Chungha-Released a new album for her Title track "Sparkling" •WJSN-They ranked 1st Place on Queendom 2 and after that, they Released their new song "Last Sequence" •Weki Meki-Yoojung made a Solo debut with Sunflower •The rest havent gotten any updates yet

[@yovampirehusband]

Somi hosted MAMA this year and was pretty much loved by everybody, gaining even more popularity 💜 (although she still hasn't released any new songs 😅)

[@brynndolynn]

Weki Meki better stay right where they are rolling out bops and crushing it pls I love them 🥺

[@OPPAWONTMARRYYOU]

Oh my, it's gonna be so late for me. On one hand I'm hoping for a short-ish video because of that BUT I WANT A LONG ONE SINCE I LOVE YOUR CONTENT. THE STRUGGLE

[@jihoonscarat]

I know I’m sorry 🥲 if you can’t join, it’s no worries because the video will be available as soon as it’s done premiering so you can watch it whenever you want

[@OPPAWONTMARRYYOU]

@@jihoonscarat Oh no, I'm gonna watch it anyway. Uni lectures can wait LOL But that's lovely of you to say that

[@jihoonscarat]

hahah thank you I appreciate it ❤️ please don’t forget to study hard though 🥰 see you tonight

[@Nicolesid1]

I feel like Rocket girls would be a great group for you to talk about, they were a whole mess. Also, I did know about all this as I watched the first produce and have followed the girls. I just hope all are happy in whatever they do.

[@stephanieviolet1931]

Agree!!

[@snoopypeanut12354]

What happened.?

[@Nicolesid1]

@@wjnter @Kuro_329 there fate was very similar to ioi. They were formed and then the fight of staying in an exclusive contract vs one they could return to their groups. Then when that ironed out, they got only a few singles songs and mvs. One song they got was on an OST and many people were not happy as it was talking about weight, exercise and not eating. From there they really just faded into disbandment. Also like ioi, there was a member that many thought she was in the group only because she was a pretty actress that they angel edited. That is about all I know there could be more.

[@peribling]

@@Nicolesid1 they were so famous and popular in China tho like they were called no.1 girl group before they disbanded after 2 years of activity

[@nientiendo1986]

I've liked The Boots since the release, but it really breaks my heart to know it wasn't truly appreciated when I thought it was breaking the charts :(

[@arsonvamp]

i am so sorry i can’t over the fucking lasagna del rey shirt at 1:00:55 😭 incredible styling

[@martynaarmycaratengene7216]

Finally someone talked about Weki Meki! I love them so much and I stan them since Picky Picky. They are so talented, but so underrated. I'm so scared they will disband because there's no comeback and they don't have any wins

[@jihoonscarat]

Yea I’m very scared about disbandment, but I’m gonna keep my hopes up

[@AngelaChan97]

Fantagio made a statement few months ago that weki meki's contracts will expire in 2024 im assuming that they won't disband before that

[@sakshiy11]

I think Weki Meki is going to have a comeback soon. I hope its before this year ends! 🤞

[@user-us4yx6mu8q]

I dont think they will *d word cause even with hellven they still keep it until their contract ended. And even with their actors all of them leave the agency after their contracts ended. I hope they will give their best to support their artist till the contract is end. :)

[@mariri725]

as much as i still wanna see wjsn as ot13, im still happy they all reach success.. i think having the right company and loyal fandom really help secure the group even with 3 chinese members gone (mind you cheng xiao was quite big in korea at that time)

[@jihoonscarat]

Exactly. I love all the girls and miss them in WJSN but they are also going amazing in China so I can’t really fault them

[@pascal5566]

Apparently Chungha and the whole of MNH is in danger. Querencia didn't do as well as expected and thats why MNH would be broke now. The sister group BVNDIT didn't have a comeback in the last 12 months I believe and we havent heard anything big from Chungha either.... So yeah thats that....

[@xxxXKPoPXxxx]

latin pop isn't really a big thing in Korea. You had egotistic from mamamoo and even then SK preferred starry night.

[@cooper6035]

Dia releasing woowa was such a fun comeback just a shame they never got great recognition.

[@loaf8506]

that minkyung interview broke me, i love her so much and she and all the pristin girls deserved so much more

[@beahartemisia5249]

Funnily enough, I didn't even realize this was a 1h+ long video until the very end. Very well done and careful. Love it. I really think that one of the best things all of them got from IOI was their friendship. It's clear they're really still friends and care a lot about each other.

[@starrynightmp3]

will never be over pristin :( they were my favorite group out of all of the ones that debuted and idk i feel regret even though i didn't have anything to do lmao...as for chungha and wjsn, i'm so happy for them! they're definitely doing amazing and not sure about the latter, but chungha is very known in mexico! so i hope wjsn becomes even more huge, they deserve it

[@CKC19933]

WJSN is really a top tier group 👌 all their songs are wonderful

[@aizen3347]

I feel as of now Chungha is declining as a artist. yes she’s still at top but she is not getting much of a public notice as she did back in 2019. I feel she already reached her peak with gotta and snapping unfortunately hopefully that will change.

[@zee6671]

Weki meki is one of the most consistent and versatile girlgroup, all songs are unique and all are bop, dancing is just perfect and very in sync, plus the visuals, people should stop sleeping on them i hope that they'll have a comeback soon, plssss

[@marsfromneptune]

Omg already so excited from the title!

[@salbenrosli707]

I love how WJSN never concentrated too much on Yeonjung and instead concentrate on each members' strengths. Thats the reason why eight of the members have acting gigs, Dayoung being a DJ and getting a show with Kang Hodong, and recently got one of the furniture companies sponsoring the group. Think they will be the only group left that will go beyond the seven year curse from the post IOI groups.

[@harleyqueeen]

The IOI curse is just about right.

[@oliviagrace9650]

These videos are always so interesting, I’m so excited to watch it!

[@kylajadexo3331]

Wow I never realized “the boots” nor the group didn’t get big because I was obsessed with it especially the acapella version, I’m most surprised because I saw so many people talking about it. It’s really a shame.

[@dmj2691]

There was so much more with Somi. I feel her section was cut short. But she is doing so well compared to when she was floating from survival show to temporary groups. Now she’s modeling, singing, and doing her thing on variety shows. I hope she also takes up acting. She is a ball of energy! Love her

[@IonIsFalling7217]

Not me imagining if my teachers had taking my bullying 1 one hundredth of the seriousness netizens take kpop bullying allegations

[@toshigem1]

it hurts how gugudan was such a miss opportunity. that acapella of boots? really?

[@isalorentzen2999]

It really is shocking to me that the “group” that is doing the best after IOI is WJSN, I remember thinking the were the ones to flop the first when they came out! But it is all earned to the group and members♥️

[@simpletons3296]

The reality unfortunately imo was they weren’t together long enough and all their agencies had different agendas and competing interests…. One only has to look at ‘Sixteen’ and the permanent group that came out of it…. Despite the sad vote-rigging controversies, the resulting groups were pretty popular, I really only followed IOI and IZONE, but frankly the longer term contract of IZONE really helped…. I hazard to say if IZONE had been a permanent group, the sky was the limit for them…

[@reveluvharu0506]

Imo WJSN did suffer from the “blank and friends” trope because their line distribution was inconsistent when Yeonjung joined the group. But they got better in recent years.

[@jihoonscarat]

maybe at the start yea, but i do think back then another outstanding member was Cheng Xiao. It's gotten better, even some people forgetting she's in the group fljghkfjg

[@kwaddles7936]

when somi’s title wasnt “the dungeon’d” lol great video though… while i look forward to a video for izone years down the road, it will definitely be bittersweet🥲

[@eiffeling]

I am never forgiving jellyfish ent for disbanding gugudan

[@-Matchuchu-]

They are gonna pay for there sins with there lives!!!

[@elllana]

As a Pristin stan I do honestly feel like there was something else going on behind the scenes aside from the company. Either member conflicts or maybe disagreements between the company and some members, with other members siding with the company etc. I don’t know if we’ll ever find out, but I just find it hard to believe it was just random. It just made no sense with how successful there were getting, Pledis is dumb but not dumb enough to ignore money.

[@jihoonscarat]

I have to kind of agree with you there

[@christianibarra1804]

ugh WJSN is doing so good, i’m happy for them~

[@laurakamilla]

why do i feel like ioi members got this curse and izone members are getting the blessing side of it, all redebuted members so far have been kinda successful right? im very curious to see how lesserafim will do

[@thrynx]

I think agencies of IZ*ONE members learned from this. Almost all of them is debuting SOLO.

[@AI-tj3ot]

And yet it seems that not even that has worked for them, and that is because their situation was that their fans wanted them together or nothing, at least the ones that I see surviving from all this are Chaeyeon and Sakura

[@thrynx]

@@AI-tj3ot we will find out when they made their debut again

[@yerism]

@@thrynx with chaewon and sakura it is rumored that they will join hybe and many actually wants a hybe gg so we will see how it turns out

[@n1ghtflight]

the boots is SUCH a good song

[@SienAppelsien]

its funny how you basically manifested a weki meki comeback into existence

[@lisperz]

Great video. As someone with an extraordinarily large wealth of information about produce 101 and post show/group idols, I found this overall to be very well done. A small correction though: While Weki Meki's Sei did compete on Produce 101, she competed so under the label LOUDers. She transferred to Fantagio after she was eliminated from the show, and was confirmed to be in the company when she appeared in Astro's first comeback music video. The 5th Fantagio trainee on the show was Chu Yejin, who did not debut in Weki Meki in order to focus on acting, though I'm not sure what became of that.

[@jihoonscarat]

Thank you! Someone pointed this out to me as well! The sources I used added her, which in return made me assume she was under Fantagio! Thank you for the correction !

[@honeybee4060]

the way u cringed after hearing dia, gugudan and pristin one after another. after having watched all of ur series about these groups i felt only sheer disappointment knowing the fate of all of these girls.

[@skrattaddu8135]

I think the reason why some of the members did not age well in the industry is because their companies have became greedy and debuted them separately despite still promoting in ioi dividing the attentions of their fans.

[@hyunjinsanity]

Crush by Weki Meki may be the best song in existence.