The PROBLEM with Cherry Bullet (why i'm worried ...)

[@celticsb]

when i saw fnc saying they’re making another boy group i was like huh😭 they can barely manage their current ones

[@gwenmloveskpopandmore]

Exactly their new Korean band hifi unicorn is barely getting any promo but I’m happy for Na Kamden though

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, most of FNC's group are doing okay but I wouldn't say they have any groups that are doing notably well; maybe besides P1Harmony. So lowkey makes me wonder whether this means less funds for certain existing groups like Cherry Bullet if they're gonna debut a new group

[@DumiNihi]

​@@gwenmloveskpopandmoredidn't even know they had a new one

[@clover4ever7]

​@@cloudchungxiaosf9 is also doing well

[@gemmamoon5998]

@@clover4ever7 Rowoon just left tho. Idk what that means for the future of the group, but it’s not a good sign.

[@lychie__]

I actually really love “Q&A” and saw it as one of the strongest 4th gen gg debut. As many people stated, the group having (video) game concept is such a refreshing concept which is why I think people enjoyed and want more from them. So I was kinda disappointed when after the 1st comeback, it seems that they totally abandoned. This is really just my theory but it felt like Cherry Bullet’s debut seems to be rushed. At that time, FNC Ent. are already dealing with them not giving proper management towards AOA (and eventually, the whole allegations regarding Jimin b*llying Mina). I really wish that FNC could have taken the time to explore a lore relating famous video games. I feel like not only will that help Cherry Bullet stand out, but it can also aligned with the 2 concepts that leans towards nostalgia (retro and y2k).

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, I mean the same year of Cherry Bullet's debut was the same year AOA did queendom too, which was their way of trying to rebrand into the 5 members left. But yea, I'm pretty sure that Mina situation did have some impact to Cherry Bullet, but not sure how big though. But yea, it would have been so dope to explore their own theme and concept.

[@lychie__]

@@cloudchungxiao I think with the AOA part, it’s more of knetz wanting FNC to see AOA as “that” girl group but unfortunately, due to many scandals (majority are just hatred tbh) and them losing Choa, FNC must have thought that relying too heavily on one girl group (who lost one of their most important members) is not going to help them in the long run. But yeah, it would have been cool for FNC to make a lore for Cherry Bullet out of video games. Like just imagine how refreshing it would be, especially if they perfect it (the same way they managed to successfully execute the mature and sexy concept for AOA).

[@cloudchungxiao]

Damm really? I only found them because of Queendom and was going to start stanning them a bit after that but didn't really get time to look at their previous scandals which hopefully was not to the extent of always generating this much hat as that whole Mina situation. Did hear about Choa though and how she really was that member along side Seolhyun. Yea exactly. Concept and sound are two complete different things. Like despite being video concept themed, Cherry Bullet could have explored different sounds if they wanted to branch out so they weren't completely limited if they stuck with the video game concept. It's a real shame that FNC didn't keep to it. Also thoughts on the idea that bingle bangle was supposed to be Cherry Bullets. That is one rumor that I saw which could kinda make sense in that FNC delayed Cherry Bullets debut and gave away potentially their "debut" or just another b-side song to AOA. Looking at the MV, it really is video game themed.

[@chelsietucker2208]

@@cloudchungxiao I was an aoa stan for years and Choa was a huge loss for the group, and none of their scandals hit the level that Minas did. I also think aloha oe was an absolute mess because Fnc were having to deal with the fallout of losing its biggest girl group as well as having artists who were involved in the gc scandal the year before. There was also the fact that Aoa were having a bit of a revival as well after their queendom appearance which made the fall so much harder. I think Cherry Bullet came at the worst time for Fnc? Not only were there numerous big scandals in the company in their early days, the very quick lineup change also didn’t help. A lot of people will see a group have a drastic lineup change and avoid them, I’ve avoided Blackswan because of DRs history with Rania and lineup changes but their gg history is also just absolutely mental. But yeah I think if their hadn’t been so much happening around fnc that overshadowed? Their debut then it could’ve quite easily have gone a different route

[@cloudchungxiao]

Ohh yea, Cherry Bullet may have come at a good time considering it was the introduction of the newest generation so it was a free for all in terms of all these groups trying to create a concept of how 4th gen was seen. However, the company did go through so much scandals which kinda did make a lot of people wary of the groups associated. But yea, that's kinda crazy FNC had someone involved in the GC scandal. Wasn't even sure what that meant until I looked it up. But also don't really understand that scandal too but I know it's real bad so that plus bullying scandal is such a terrible back to back combo of scandals to be associated with

[@Pamelalrene]

This group debuted with Produce hype (Haeyoon), 3 main vocals (Haeyoon, Bora, Mirae), 2 main dancers (Remi, Chaerin), a huge stan attractor (Kokoro), a large foreign line for the Japanese and Chinese markets (May, Remi, Kokoro, Linlin) and 3 insane visuals (Yuju, May, Jiwon). Chaerin, Linlin, and Jiwon are great idol rappers. Jiwon is the quintessential center. Their b sides hit so hard during rookie years... how did FNC manage to fumble this bag SO HARD??

[@inoyong8050]

I thought they would get famous the moment they debut and Jiwon would be the next it girl but FNC rocked again and screwed everything as usual

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, they had so much potential and so to see FNC almost treat them like a side thought is unfortunate.

[@tommytomikawa332]

As a fan of AOA, i remember that they said on record that their president and company didn't even know their names until after MiniSkirt's success. I feel the same energy was given to CheBul, like FNC is just hoping to get something out of them. Side Note: I love Remi and she definitely has been popping off on--at least LFBTQIA+--tiktok for her actual voguing and duets with Gravity Balmain. Like not real promos but it got me reinterested in the group

[@parkermaybe9018]

Yeah the thing about Remi is so cool. Yet another opportunity to showcase her abilities and thereby give the group some much needed personality and interest, but it just seems like FNC would rather chase trends and work Bora to the bone. At this point they would be leagues better off just handing the girls a budget and a team and telling them to make the next comeback themselves

[@cloudchungxiao]

I could defs see that still apply honestly because they kinda don't have that one strong hit song that when you play it, a good majority of people will know it. Plus if we look into AOA and their history with FNC's managing them, then you can also infer a lot more of things that could have-ish happened.

[@Kamsohyun]

Who's here after hearing the news

[@Chideera]

😭😭😭

[@Hanni._.Bubblegum.]

Here unfortunately 😢😢

[@raijaeger5798]

😔

[@cloudchungxiao]

I wonder what was the trigger for FNC to call it quits

[@pjama6859]

I still remember the last words from CB's member in Queendom Puzzle when they got eliminated: "please don't forget us." I was bawling my eyes and started crying. Sometimes we forget that "idol" is also a job. No matter how talented the member, if the company mismanaged them, it will go downhill. Even the mediocre members can looks very talented if the company can play the card right (of course if the company keep giving the idol member a proper training as time goes by, the "mediocre" could improve to be a really talented member). Same as our regular job. Even the most talented team member would looks so dumb in the hand of wrong management.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, that parting comment doesn't give the best hope for their future. Hopefully they continue to get attention to the point that FNC has to start recognising their increased influence. I know their already half way into their career but their is still more to give.

[@countryboyiloveu420]

BRO THAT HITS SO DIFFERENT NOW THEY HAVE DISBANDED WTF

[@bingbingdan]

i've been so nervous for the past 3 months cause it seems like fnc scrapped the 1 comeback per year thing which was the one thing keeping me from going insane...the d word is getting bolder and bolder

[@cloudchungxiao]

Scrapped? says who? Why haven't I heard anything about that or is it just because they usually comeback in the first few months and the fact that FNC hasn't said anything, it's just assumed. But yea, Cherry Bullet really like WJSN. Like both are not that bad but the companies don't want to put effort into doing anything.

[@bingbingdan]

@@cloudchungxiaodid i jinx it tell me i didnt jinx it😭😭😭😭

[@cloudchungxiao]

Hahaha, you saw the signs.

[@Nicolesid1]

I feel so bad for Ella. She has the vocals and charm but just can't seem to keeping. I hope she is happy and healthy. 😢

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, I wonder what her future might be. Like is being in another group worth it to her. i mean the only good thing is that we were able see such contrasting sides considering how different Cherry Bullet and Pixy were

[@Fallphoenix18]

​@@cloudchungxiaoConsidering she left Pixy due to her mental and physical health not being able to keep up with the idol lifestyle, I don't think she'll look to debut again

[@ChloeBx]

​@@cloudchungxiaoshe left pixy 😭 I miss her

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, that’s true. She was doing pretty decent-ish. Plus Pixy lost another member along with Ella so I do wonder like whether their was more to it that might mean she could be open to the idea of re-debuting elsewhere?

[@Fallphoenix18]

@@cloudchungxiao Satbyeol left for the same reason, she's very active in messaging fans and has been open about leaving because she was tired and mentally exhausted, so it really just seems like the wrong thing for both her and Ella. Satbyeol has said she doesn't want to be an idol and she's happy where she is now, and I haven't seen much of Ella since she left so I'm not too sure.

[@Chuu_Vault]

This reminded so much of another video i saw, explaining why Cherry Bullet didn't or has popped off as much as Lullets want (if i find it, i'll put it down here). I think my main problem with the group is that they ditched their concept after on concept. The videogame concept was so original. Also i feel bad for Ella & Bora, she went through 2 groups and none of them popped off the way she wanted, and left for her health. And Bora has become the new Chaeyeon. And yes, i would like a video of Bvndit, like how Chungha was the same company as them, and MNH didn't gave them at least the bare minimum. But then i remember MNH is....MNH so i dunno.

[@gwenmloveskpopandmore]

Oh yes exactly searching for elris

[@gwenmloveskpopandmore]

Chungha left mnh on her own will

[@gwenmloveskpopandmore]

Like they’ve gone from cute to girl crush to summer to cute and elegant again they can’t really stick with a concept unfortunately

[@Chuu_Vault]

@@gwenmloveskpopandmore yes that video, but also this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGjVY4eZaMeEa8Usi=6OUZP21WauVu-Dti

[@gwenmloveskpopandmore]

But yes Chungha exposed Mnh for their disbandment and most likely BVNDIT disbanded cuz of 8Turn (which I don’t hate cuz I’m an Turning, 8Turn fan and unfortunately I’m worried they’ll get mistreated in the long run)

[@kzajac2544]

Not a Cherry Bullet stan, but I am super affectionate to them after falling in love with Bora's vocals in not one, but TWO survival shows. I am genuinely upset that she didn't make the final line up for EL7UP, she has an amazing voice.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, I do kinda wonder what factor is really preventing Bora from finally achieving some success on survival programs. She's been in a lot and for the most part she's always close but never reaches the "end end"

[@claireshi7384]

Either Haeyoon, Yuju, or Remi should've went to queendom puzzle instead of Jiwon. Looking at who succeeded in queendom puzzle, it's the members that have not previously went to a survival show: - Rocket punch's Suyun and Juri were both on Produce 48, but Yeonhee made it - H1-key's Riina was in produce 48, but Hwiseo made it - Purple kiss's Goeun was in produce 48. She didn't go to queendom puzzle, but Yuki made it I'd say keep Bora since she's the most successful from girls planet, but if someone else instead of Jiwon went, cherry bullet has a better chance.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, the split between Ellzup's line up was 3/7 were senior artist with relatively existing fanbases and then 4/7 were first time survival show competitors. Yuju would have been a good one considering her acting career was doing her well so she could potentially generate more attention. I feel like it would have to be Haeyoon or Bora as the next Cherry Bullet members because there would be too much comparing if you brought both of them. Then either Remi or May as the wildcard for sure.

[@claireshi7384]

@@cloudchungxiao Remi would've benefited A LOT from Queendom Puzzle. She always gets the least lines in cherry bullet. (I'm glad she got something in love so sweet and love in space, but her only line in POW is "that's what I want" like wtf?) She's cherry bullet's main dancer but she's always in Chaerin's shadow. If she can make something in Queendom Puzzle then she'll be like May in girls planet.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Omg I was shocked to see Chaerin's performance of Bicycle. Like while looking into Cherry Bullet and finding out Chaerin was main dancer, I wondered why her performance was like that. But yea, Remi defs need more opportunities.

[@cocazade7703]

I would like to see a video on BVNDIT. I feel like they were pretty unique for a girl group, with 4 out of 5 having deep singing voices. They had quite a mature sound too. They had consistent high quality releases for their first year. Then they disappeared for 2 years straight. In 2022 they returned with a mini album that probably didn't meet expectations in terms of sales/views/streams due to inactivity for 2 years, so they were disbanded. Which I think was really unfair and wasted potential of a genuinely talented group

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, they came back at the time when the kpop competition was fierce as with the amount of kpop girl group rookies just instantly dominating. It was basically a reset; almost like their first two years were for "nothing." But defs will have a deeper look into what happened.

[@peanutbutterjellybelly_]

Update ! Kokoro has now debuted again in the jpop girlgroup ‚,ME:I“ formed trough the first season of „Produce 101 Japan The Girls“. their getting a lot of attention and they had their first promotion in Korea recently definitely check it out ! 💗 she is now called cocoro by the way !

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, I saw. So cool that she's getting her second chance at an idol life. Not sure how impactful those shows are in Japan but surely she can event thrive once the Me:I also disbands too.

[@tmiloa.8021]

⁠​⁠@@cloudchungxiaoI’ll add to this! ME:I is a permanent group so Cocoro will be here for a while. Also their debut album has sold around 230,000 in the first week. I was rooting for her during Produce and I’m so happy she’s getting another chance!

[@cloudchungxiao]

Nice, didn't really check out the season but will they balance Japan and Korean promotions or mainly just Japan promotions?

[@tmiloa.8021]

@@cloudchungxiao ME:I seems to have a big chance of gaining international attention, especially with Cocoro and Miu in the lineup, plus their label LAPONE is a subsidiary of CJENM so they will promote both in Japan and Korea.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Ohh nice. I do remember during MA, there was always the additional appearances from Jpop groups formed from some survival show and so I can potentially see Me:I do something like that. Will be interesting to see the reception for them.

[@sato_prettyvillage323]

I think we all saw this coming, but I didn't think it'd be this soon. Idk what happened, but I do have to wonder if the girls who terminated their contracts watched Produce Japan, saw Cocoro debut and thought to themselves why they're still in a failed group. I really don't know where the other girls will go from here, but I wanna focus on May, because as far as debuting again as an idol goes, she's really the only that still has the best chance age wise. So if they have Produce 101 Japan season 4 (and if it's a girls' season) in 2025, because the Japanese spinoff seems to be a once every two years show, she'll be 21, the same age as Sakurai Miu when she joined Produce 101 Japan season 3

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, respectfully I don't think I would have seen Cherry Bullet continue beyond seven years but to end it quits at five is sad. I'm kinda surprised that Chaerin and slightly Yuju decided to stay with FNC though

[@cherielullet1955]

Thank you for bringing light to this. Q&A was such a solid debut and I was so excited to watch this group flourish with an original concept and unique sound, only for FNC to fuck it up and now they're flopping. They have been my ults since debut, and I will always support the group and the members, but FNC is making it hard for me to remain a stan

[@cloudchungxiao]

I feel like they haven't reached their potential. Some of them are lowkey establishing themselves through acting but I feel like Cherry Bullet can thrive more if FNC actually put in a bit more effort. The whole one comeback a year is so weird because it's not like they're doing extremely bad to think it's not worth

[@2wo2n]

please do a class:y one they’ve been generous with releases last year but now they’re MIA 😭😭

[@ChloeBx]

They did a dance video recently but they need more because they had a fair amount of success and need to ride the wave

[@cloudchungxiao]

STOOOPP, little spoiler but that's my next video following the Purple Kiss video I'm releasing this week. They're active on socials which is kinda good for fans who actually follow the groups. However, they wont be able to grow without being able to promote new releases and show themselves like that

[@fleem5]

And they’re gone. So sad and mad. Will miss them…

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, they were still promising so kinda weird to just disband them.

[@TomsMusicCorner]

there are still a few things I noticed. - There was a behind the scenes video with Kokoro sometime during the Really Really era where she seemed very unhappy (maybe cried) and that was just before she suddenly "disappeared". - Mirae/Ella/Kyungjoo was the leader and after she left CB, Haeyoon had taken over that role but since then it seems to me like FNC has completely switched to Bora as main vocalist (I mean as the main main, if you know what I mean). As much as I like Bora, Haeyoon should not just be the leader but also as the 1st main vocalist. People don't say she's the little eardrum friend for nothing. - May did pretty good in gp999 but still has the least lines. It's a shame. I wait for the day, when she and Remi will follow Kokoro and Linlin... :( - FNC & KZbin. I heard, that they were involved in some problems with KZbin because of ads. Since then they can't have any. I don't know what happened, only read about that in the YT section of one of their videos. Maybe someone here can tell me details? Edit: Really Really was really good (no pun). I don't know why people say, that the song was bad or so.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Wait so that second point, are you saying that FNC kinda "dropped" Haeyoon by giving Bora more of the main vocal lines? But yea, both of them are really great vocalist that they defs deserve the attention. For May, she did well in GP999 and yea, she's been able to lift herself a bit more within the general fandom of Cherry Bullet because of that so Idk if she would just randomly gap like that. Remi though, that's like actually what is FNC doing.

[@TomsMusicCorner]

@@cloudchungxiao yep GP999 xD I will correct it. I don't know if FNC dropped Haeyoon but to me it looks like they are pushing Bora way harder than her.

[@inoyong8050]

​@@TomsMusicCornerbora is more popular so ofc they will push her more but if you follow cherrybullet you will know bora was always the one with more lines (and belting notes) than Haeyoon since debut.. Nothing new

[@ChloeBx]

I miss that Q&A era it was soooo soo good 😭❤️

[@cloudchungxiao]

I wasn't there when they did Q&A but it still hits til this day

[@ouriiangel]

the predebut show, q&a and really really... such great eras:( linlin was my bias and then 💔 im so glad she joined babymint

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, also the concept was concepting. Feel like if they continued with it, they would have been able to slowly distinguish themselves. Plus they were still doing great too.

[@Chideera]

I would love to see a video about bvndit & purple kiss...

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yess, Purple Kiss is next on my list and I'm so surprised we really don't get to hear much from them. Bvndit's would defs be another good one too. The only thing though is whether I should kinda let them be since they're already disbanded. Unless I reimagine the concept of the video

[@gwenmloveskpopandmore]

@@cloudchungxiao yes it doesn’t have to be a why I’m worried about. It can be the wasted potential of BVNDIT which searching for Elris does Similar vids like that

[@cloudchungxiao]

Defs will do something Bvndit related because a lot of people do wanna discuss about them, but thanks for the youtube reccomendation-ish. Didn't realise their were more youtubers who did this whole idea of worried/wasted potential. As for Dream Note and Pink Fantasy, I will defs consider them. Will have to see whether I'm interested enough but also whether their isn't any video that explains it pretty well too. Don't really wanna "remake" and regurgitate anybody's video if someone else has done the group a bit more justice.

[@Hanni._.Bubblegum.]

22/04/24 Update - Cherry Bullet has now disbanded. Making them the first KPOP group to disband in 2024. RIP Cherry Bullet (2019 - 2024)

[@maskedorbit]

I think FLORIA (a very unknown girl group) is the first kpop group to disband in 2024 RIP Cherry Bullet 😢🍒

[@Hanni._.Bubblegum.]

@@maskedorbit Oh did FLORIA disband? I also wouldn’t have known that. Cherry Bullet only lasted 5 years :(

[@cloudchungxiao]

Hopefully there aren't too much more that disband unexpectedly like this.

[@Hanni._.Bubblegum.]

@@cloudchungxiao Apparently, A groups called ‘Nature’ has disbanded. But this one doesn’t seem unexpected as it was ages since their last comeback.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Forgot about my comment. Damm not both of them in the same week.

[@anarecinos1590]

You also forgot to mention how scrambled FNC got after the AOA scandal. It was quite noticeable in my opinion when they group released Aloha Oe. I also believe that the AOA scandal affected the group cause people associated Cherry Bullet with them which made people wonder if they were bullies too.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, I feel like the whole controversy impacted all FNC groups as a by-product of the negative image from how FNC was handling that scandal. But the main attention was on AOA and so nothing too major came out of it for the other FNC groups. I think the whole Aloha Oe controversy itself, kinda put more attention in a negative way for them

[@inoyong8050]

​@@cloudchungxiaothe scandal affected CB too cause people thought they were bullies too especially that they lost 3 members

[@cloudchungxiao]

Really? Not too sure on the severity of that scandal to Cherry Bullet but I think that for sure it may have been a little shady for others when they were initally trying to connect the dots, but overall, the impacts were not completely felt enough to feel like it lingers to this day. This could also be because of the reversal that happened within that scandal too; but yea, saw some people mention it but overwhelmingly to think it impacted them like that.

[@maskedorbit]

I still can't believe Chebul disbanded. I hate FNC

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, at such a random time too. What are your thoughts?

[@jobul2444]

This is the end!

[@cloudchungxiao]

FNC is so foul for this. What are your thoughts?

[@NMIXX_MyImpetus]

I want them back so bad…

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, atleast give them a disbandment song. Can't believe POW is their final title track

[@sato_prettyvillage323]

Kokoro has broken the Cherry Bullet curse and made it into ME:I, the new group from Produce 101 Japan

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, kinda crazy that she barely made it but wishing her the best.

[@sato_prettyvillage323]

​​@@cloudchungxiaobtw, ME:I has released their schedule for the pre-debut season/MV release and we'll finally be able to see Cocoro in a music video again on March 25th (insert 'it's been 84 years meme here)! Btw, would you be willing to consider making a reaction or analysis into ME:I/other groups under Lapone Entertainment sometime in the future? I know you do Kpop content, but ME:I can be considered "Japan localised Kpop"

[@jennstewart3003]

Hands Up is how I learned of the group. I really like it

[@cloudchungxiao]

Nice, I learned about them during love so sweet. How did you feel about their other songs considering Hands Up seems to be a one off

[@altofficialreact8621]

It's official, they are disbanded today...

[@cloudchungxiao]

Literally why though. They still had a decent momentum. Plus they were the only active female group too so could have been kept for diverse audience targeting. What are your thoughts?

[@ipw6fp]

Awww! Thank you for covering Cherry Bullet. Its really sad FNC has been largely neglecting them and theyve never been able to come back as big as their debut since the 3 members left. Its so sad too because they have some of the best vocal members (Haeyoon, Bora) and it just feels like a waste for FNC to hold them in the basement and only let them appear once a year 😢

[@cloudchungxiao]

Honestly though, their vocal abilities are so out of this world. I do hope we get more from them but I'm not sure how much effor they wanna put into the group considering so much is happening for everyone besides Cherry Bullet.

[@AuraZ42]

AOA scandal, CNBlue & FTIsland losing a member with the other scandal. 2015 was the labels' peak followed by massive blows to their top 3 groups back to back. Im pretty sure this trickled down to all the new groups. N.Flying had some signs when they added a new main vocal but overall sf9&cb just couldnt get promoted to that level

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, the way you're describing it; it's giving cube vibes. Like I remember that period where members were leaving from groups because of scandals and it was just a clown show. Now it's like G-idle's company and everyone else is being neglected or mismanaged

[@CorruptedDivinity]

It’s crazy how many survival shows the members were in and they’re still so overlooked

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, Cherry Bullet kinda the group equivalent to Lee Chaeyeon

[@24chibimanga]

Q&A was one of my favorite debuts of that year, I listened to it so often. But everything after that was just a letdown compared to Q&A. I wanted to like all the comebacks they had, but I just didn't vibe with the direction they were going. It definitely would've been better if they stuck with the video game concept for a while longer, it was so unique at the time! FNC just really doesn't know what to do with so many of their groups.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Omg did you not like love so sweet? That was a vibe too hahaha. But yea, like I've been saying to a few commenters, video game concept still could have allowed them to do so much because the genre of videos games could evolve and make their songs more versatile. But is that kinda also the same thoughts you had or were you thinking strictly Q&A type of video game concept only?

[@julianhoornstra780]

cherry bullet really deserves better from FNC, it's really disappointing to see such talented young women not getting the support they need from their company

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, and the sad thing is that this really does happen to so much groups.

[@Artisun2]

Nice summary. Loved the comparison to P1Harmony. Would love to see a recap of the numbers though. Charting, album sales etc would provide even clearer picture of the situation. Personally, I'm not a huge Chebul fan, but Love So Sweet and Love in Space just hits home for me, imagine if those two came directly after Q&A. Their one comeback a year is very disheartning, and POW was not well received this year. Hopefully they can pull it all back next year!

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, chart metrics and album sales do play a part for sure as numerical factors for entertainment companies; potentially one of the bigger parts on how they might treat a group. But I did want to look beyond that just to see the many other factors because there is more than just that. But yea, your mind is legitness because that would have been an excellent follow up to Q&A. Didn't realise POW was not well received? You mean negatively or in a non-existent way?

[@ubergamer2010]

Once CheBul released POW it was over. Their company is riding out their contract and doesn't want them to be successful, cause then they have to invest more money.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Ohh why do you think it was over after POW was released? But yea, defs potentially gonna ride out their contracts without pushing them as much

[@Izfar916]

POW is mediocre at best. Like the song is more like a cf for a product instead of a proper comeback.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Damm really? I kinda vibed with the song hahaha

[@Izfar916]

@@cloudchungxiao yup, the intro was a bit weird to start the song. I prefer love so sweet and was happy when they changed their concept from video game to girls next door type.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, love so sweet still remains superior to me in terms of their title tracks

[@Yan0Kos]

I do not agree that the FNC does not promote Cherry Bullet at all. They sent the group to foreign festivals three times in 2023. At least once a month, Cherry Bullet gives a concert in the Korean army. Of course, it looks like FNC is saving money on advertising and promotion, but on the other hand, they give the girls at least some kind of work. By the way, Bo Ra recently reached the finals of the TV show “King of Mask Singer” and was close to winning, and on December 31 she was invited to this show as a guest. In my opinion, the main mistake of FNC is that they, having several Japanese women in the group, never promoted Cherry Bullet in Japan, did not release songs in Japanese. Instead, the agency created a new girl group in Japan "PRIKIL", which did not carry out any activities after debut and eventually two of the five members left, and the third re-debuted on the show "UNIVERSE TICKET". The money spent on "PRIKIL" should have been invested in promoting Cherry Bullet in the Japanese market!

[@cloudchungxiao]

Damm, didn't know much about PRIKIL but that's kinda wild considering they're still fairly new. As for Cherry Bullet, from a GP perspective, they seem to not be well marketed. FNC is putting them in niche places that only certain few will see that things are being done for them, but it feels like they're on year long hiatuses.

[@choerry_pies]

well!

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea ....

[@junaimitsu]

i don't understand why they are given just.. one comeback a year😭 chebul deserves pretty much better :

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, very similar to WJSN now. Kinda weird considering the momentum that they lowkey have been building up and all they can do is one comeback??

[@junaimitsu]

@@cloudchungxiao i love wjsn too😭🥹💔💔💔 i rlly miss them like omg its been so long since last sequence 🥹

[@kinoko-d3x]

IMO Cherry bullet has a really good line up (visual/vocal/rap/dance) but it feels like FNC never cared enough to promote them properly. The GG competition is pretty fierce these days and you can’t expect success by doing the basic minimum.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, there really is so much competition these days that the bare minimum could kinda help you a little, but it's a real slow trajectory to the point where it'll almost feel like nothings changing too. Plus also lowkey feels like FNC aint even doing the bare minimum too from time to time

[@tenleeso10]

I still remember the whole Q&A mv being uploaded on Cherry Bullet’s official Twitter and fans panicking that it would affect the views on KZbin, also AOA’s Bingle Bangle MV having a video game concept too so some people thought it should’ve been Cherry Bullet’s debut lol.

[@cloudchungxiao]

I saw that while looking into Cherry Bullet. I could see that because Bingle Bangle would have been a great summer comeback for Cherry Bullet.

[@khinozseiji]

they just disbanded 😭😭😭

[@cloudchungxiao]

I know. That's literally so unfortunate but also the days were passing without that yearly comeback so it did feel like something may be happening.

[@Custom299Clips]

IM INTERESTED IN BVNDIT!!!! LOVE UR VIDS

[@cloudchungxiao]

Thanks, and yea I got into Bvndit because of Chungha and literally I thought they would rise like a dark horse but then to see how they were treated was foul

[@Forever_inSomnia]

FNC should be banned from ever debuting a girl group ever again..such wasted potential

[@cloudchungxiao]

Not too sure about AOA's treatment but going based off of Cherry Bullet then hell yea.

[@Kpopisntforkids]

They disbanded 😭😭

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, that was not on my kpop bingo card. What are your thoughts?

[@softgrungewitch]

I think Cherry Bullet have mostly been undone by FNC’s lack of consistency in terms of concept and release schedules. I think they thought that pivoting CheBul’s concept would magically work like AOA’s pivot to sexier concepts did, but forgot that AOA pivoted at a time when there were only 2 other notable ‘sexy’ girl groups and the industry wasn’t as saturated so you had more time to grow & evolve, vs 4th gen when debuts were 10 a penny & almost everyone did some version of girl crush at some point so they became just like every other girl group instead of standing out

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, with how oversaturated KPop has become; the amount of leeway for making a "mistake" in your concept, sound or direction can kinda be a bit more impactful.

[@avsambart]

Even without watching the video, I already one thousand percent agree with the title. I've been worried all year and even MORE worried since Queendom Puzzle because they were the only artists that didn't have anything to announce as they got eliminated. It's not like they're unpopular and it's not like FNC is broke but FNC is doing NOTHING for them. It absolutely PISSES ME OFF FNC didn't give them a comeback immediately after GP999 and Queendom Puzzle. It pisses me off to no end.

[@cloudchungxiao]

FNC be giving Cherry Bullet one comeback every year and they literally had a comeback before Queendom Puzzle so we might have to wait a whole year before we get new music from them.

[@inoyong8050]

​@@cloudchungxiaono way they will get comeback after the massive hate train they got during queendom puzzle because of the evil editing. It's too risky

[@cloudchungxiao]

That's the thing though. I don't think the hate train was strong enough to truly impact them. Might see a slight dip but queendom puzzle didn't get enough attention for a general audience to kinda boycott them. Plus most international fans were able to clock the editing so maybe this break will help offset any lingering connotation to their experience on Queendom Puzzle.

[@reneeroesler9944]

Considering groups that had members on Queendom Puzzle are now getting comebacks FNC needs to get their act together. I don't expect them to renew contracts tbh.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, we did see a lot of them announce comebacks but with the pattern of yearly comebacks and Cherry Bullet announcing one before Queendom Puzzle, we might waiting a bit longer tbh. As for contract renewals, I could see potentially Yuju and either Jiwon or Bora as the only members to renew. Obviously not the best management, but they kinda do in some sense look after them in terms of solo activities and so to have the stability of being with a company or being seen still as "nugu-ish" and finding a new company, they could stick with a safer option like renewing.

[@Nicola1279]

I'm a cherry bullet fansite and this video is so accurate, so many of us worry about the girls so much. The staff didn't announce which was the last fansign until it was over, meaning some people, including me, missed it. They were supposed to be on music shows for a week extra but the last week got cancelled. The fansigns aren't full, at least in person, and it's clear the members know about it. the members weren't allowed to attend birthday cafes (apparently a company rule), and they only changed the rule recently for Jiwon's birthday. The members are the sweetest girls in the world and I love them so much, but it's hard to see how it's going for them, Yuju promised me another comeback this year, as I was originally due to leave Korea at the end of the year, but I lose hope that it's going to be true. The fanmeeting was a small venue, which did sell out but it was the same people at both shows, and it wasn't available for broadcast, plus they sold the tickets on the weirdest site that all the fans hated lol. There's so much more other stuff that I know from staff/members/other fansites that I can't share publicly, but I really worry about the girls and the lack of support they get

[@cloudchungxiao]

Damm was all this relating to the whole POW comeback? But yea, it's really feeling like FNC trying to do the bare minimum when they really don't even have the much going on for them to kinda justify the low effort their putting. Cherry Bullet is doing pretty decent for themselves despite the lack of promotions and so its almsot like FNC is pushing it to see at what point do they have to put in bare minimum effort and still get similar results.

[@gomezcried]

FNC is a very dirty company bruh, the way they don't care at all about cherry bullet and live neglecting them is quite depressing. They are so talented and have a lot of potential to explore further, but when your own company doesn't put an ounce of effort into you and leaves you aside, it ends up making everything very difficult. The video was amazing ♡

[@cloudchungxiao]

Thanks. And yea, it really is unfortunate to see them kinda waste these member's talent and time. They could defs go beyond this but it seems like FNC are too busy diversifying their profit without putting that much effort.

[@XlAOTlNG]

tbh cherry bullet might be doing not as well but i would consider them the most popular nugu girl group, their sales are pretty high compared to other nugu ggs and they still have quite abit of public attention/listeners that tune in to their comeback unlike rocket punch/lightsum/purkiss which are other high tier nugu ggs! but obv they arent are marketable as their bg so comparing them with other nugu ggs on their level wont be a question :/ also cld u do a video on the downfall of kep1er i feel like they were done soooo dirty by wakeone!

[@ChloeBx]

Rocket punch should stick with either Bouncy like concept or Flash because that's what suits them the most Idk what their agency is doing but they ain't doing it right .

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, they seem to be able to retain their fans which is a good thing in building momentum. But it's always that risk of losing all that progress considering that don't get too promote as much as a group as they do only comeback one a year and that's kinda the only "group activity" for the most part. I'm a little delulu right now and don't want to completely accept that their is any downfall of Kep1er. And then the most unfortunate thing was to plan a comeback during Chuseok which halved their promotional activities and ability to generate hype for this comeback. Like it's actual sad things. As for Rocket Punch, I mean it's Woolim ... the company that did some weird stuff that ultimately saw most of Lovelyz leave despite their one thriving comeback after Queendom. That's all I kinda know so might be wrong with how they're managing Rocket Punch but sounded like they might also be focusing on Japan promotions potentially based on the first ep on Queendom Puzzle

[@XlAOTlNG]

@@cloudchungxiao yea tbh as a lullet im surprised that chebul manages to increase their album sales every era despite the lack of promos.. 37k is really big for a “nugu” grp.. even elzzup is selling arnd the same… i just hope that their next comeback will continue to rise and not freefall like the other ggs on the similar level as them.. i feel bad for rocket punch, lightsum n purple kiss not doing as well and constantly getting lower n lower sales…. but as long as chebul maintains this mid level popularity i think it wont be that they will be considered that unprofitable for fnc…? i mean ngl im scared for them cuz of the new bg coming but i still hope they get 1 cb a year at least!

[@XlAOTlNG]

@@cloudchungxiao tbh i feel like rocket punch has a higher chance of surviving than chebul… cuz unlike fnc.. woolim artists are doing that great compared to them… eunbi is the most profitable with decent album sales and low investment due to being a soloist.. whereas in fnc there is p1h which became super pop and hitting the 200k sales and the upcoming bg with kamden which will def be big like most bp debut.. so its kinda scary for chebul… also im salty there wasnt any evvnne/jbj for produce 48 n gp999 as a gg stan 😭

[@XlAOTlNG]

@@cloudchungxiao i really hate w1 sm.. they set kep1er up so bad… with queendom aft just debuting and shortening the time for their contract… horrible promo (only this era they started to send the girls to many shows/solo sched)… and just the wrong title tracks… i just feel that they are the most mismanaged produce group.. their debut hype and performance was so big.. ill say as big as eleven n fearless internationally… but after up.. it just went down.. and while song/cb performance usually fluctuates w every group in general.. popular groups are able to maintain or grow their album sales but kepi just went down… from 400k to 130k now… its so sad to think abt…

[@Hanni._.Bubblegum.]

Since they are now disbanded. Some members stayed in the company due to solo activities and the others terminated their contract. TERMINATED - Haeyoon - Jiwon - Remi - May STAYED - Yuju - Bora - Chaerin

[@cloudchungxiao]

I'm surprised that a decent chunk of them stayed. I wonder how much promotion they might get for staying.

[@Molly-iw1rc]

Hands up slapped

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, kinda viby for sure. Plus the sampling was wow af.

[@seradotwavv]

i think their concept is similar to red velvet's, with the cherry concepts representing cute and fun songs and bullet concepts being more mature like hands up and pow

[@cloudchungxiao]

Whether it was intentional or not, people pointed this out in the comments and it still blows my mind. Idk if POW is really mature though. Still feels more like a cherry concept.

[@gelordph5342]

They should have followed red velvet concept, having cherry as the bubbly bright concept and bullet as the girl crush concept.

[@dpgf3518]

And that was the idea since debut, but they've never done a bullet concept again because most koreans hated Hands Up, and i think that's why they've never perform that song again :(

[@cloudchungxiao]

Wait but how did I not notice that. Cherry = bright and Bullet = girl crush. But yea, could have been an interesting musical journey for sure. Just as long as they incorporated video game concept then it would have been the perfect combo of musical identity with group concept

[@deanab-se5op]

Lack of comebacks but too focused on individual activities (only Yuju is active THOUGH). Hoping to succeed by sending members to survival shows but not getting picked by Koreans AGAIN, FNC should have figured it out already. I like Love So Sweet & Love in Space more than Hands Up. The latter is too edgy but not easy on my ears. They should stick with the concept of video games. They can still do badass/horror/cute or any concepts but they're still video game based. 😪

[@cloudchungxiao]

LITERALLY THAT LAST COMMENT THOUGH. The way video game concept is treated allows for them to do different sounds of concepts within concepts. So i dont get why they said yea nah to that.

[@JamesCedricAlowaCureg]

FNC ALSO DID THIS TREATMENT ON AOA THEY CHANGED THE CONCEPT ON THE S*X THING WHEN THERE'S A YOUNG MEMBER ON THERE

[@cloudchungxiao]

Wait what?

[@neszsa]

Wait they were in FOUR survival shows? Holy moly, they fought so hard to get their group more popular, but fnc still treats them so horribly.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, i don't get it tbh

[@ArnstQwert]

well

[@cloudchungxiao]

Big yikes

[@forg_tful.]

this randomly showed up in my recommended, and it was a good watch to find out their situation. (i'm not a fan of theirs, i only know hands up and love so sweet, for reference, i'm an army). as an outsider, from your video, it seems clear FNC does not respect foreign members/trainees, as some other korean companies have the tendency to do, and it baffles me. 2/3 members who left are foreign, and you mentioned the foreign line being disregarded. secondly, the whole thing about concept changes and impact on fandom is so interesting to me. i'm gonna explain it through a bts tangent, but i'm just using it to illustrate my point because it's who i know best, sorry hah - pretty much since their 2nd year as a group, bts have consistently changed their sound. they had a decently sized fandom (got them their first music show win in 2015, for the first comeback marking their first big title track sound change, i need u), but not the amount of fans that they have today, of course. however, their fans stuck around and multiplied even through those sound changes because their music and "concepts" (though i would not call what bts do concepts (it would downplay the craft), rather maybe ideas), they always sound and feel like bts, no matter how different between each other they are. i mean, we went from blood, sweat and tears (kind of a tropical house sound, but darker style), to spring day (ballad, soft, sad and emotional), to dna (true edm, colourful), to fake love (rock/hip hop sound, dark) with title tracks all in a row in 2 years haha, and that was their biggest period of growth that established them as mainstays before 2019 and all that transpired after. and even through all those different ideas, there's something distinctly bts in every single comeback they do. i think it correlates to musical identity. bts have a very, very strong one, and they usually cover correlated ideas, rather than one-off concepts. and that is what seems to be a big weakness in kpop. kpop companies don't really seem to care about musical identity in the slightest? it's why random concept switches fail. another one other than cherry bullet that comes to mind is weeekly, that group that did after school. they had so much hype, but their company did a very odd, unrelated switch in sound and concept, and confused and kinda chased away the audience they compiled. so, in order to switch concepts like that and still retain your audience in the industry, you need either funds and promotion or you need a strong musical identity that will latch your audience onto the new music, and for the music to be really good and solid, of course. i fear though that with cherry bullet, it's FNC not being able to multi-task with their many groups and focusing on only the one they think will bring them the most money, and also not caring about their artistic and musical identity at all. similarly to pledis (ignoring fromis_9 for seventeen), to even the big 3 tbh (jyp ignoring itzy for stray kids and nmixx, sm ignoring red velvet for nct, aespa and co, for example). only multi label systems like hybe can work well with multiple groups (because it's still all different labels within the system working with their one or two groups), one label with many groups is a recipe for disaster for most of those groups. so yeah, that was kind of my thought process watching this. i feel bad for them, seriously. i hope something works out for them in the future. sorry to jump in as a non-fan, it was just an interesting morning watch haha, and i thought it was an interesting perspective to see things from.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, I get what you mean. A lot of companies do focus on instant success through following the trends. I want to say that the oversaturation of kpop plays a part in this, where it's harder to garner success so making something general public friendly is their way generating success, but this doesn't translate to long term success because there almost isn't this strong association that you could correlate them too. As for the managing multiple groups, I do think it's relatively possible. It just kinda depends on the company obviously but also the more successful that a companies gets, the more inflated their ego is to think they can take on another group or translate the same success to another group to almost diversify their success. But then they forget kpop esp in this new generation has become so fickle

[@sliverhalo9286]

Such a shame the company failed them... they could be stayc popular

[@cloudchungxiao]

Could be in the realms of Stayc. Love so sweet was so good and if they took that direction of music, I think they could have slowly built up themselves.

[@sato_prettyvillage323]

This may be an unpopular opinion (or not, Idk), but maybe it might be better if Remi and May leave Cherry Bullet and follow Cocoro-san's footsteps and debut in Japan. I'm sure CJ ENM (the company that made the Produce and Planet series) still has plans for expansion into Japan. Also, for those who don't know, Lapone Entertainment is owned 70% by CJ ENM

[@cloudchungxiao]

I could see Remi try do something in Japan but idk about May. But yea, do you think they should have done something with Cherry Bullet in Japan?

[@sato_prettyvillage323]

​​@@cloudchungxiaolate reply, but they could've done something, but FNC being FNC, made a Japanese GG called "Prikil" instead

[@re-life4772]

Literally, I remembered terrible It and then I heard all their songs like UNA and really really are really solid songs, but the other songs are not that good

[@cloudchungxiao]

Sorry, not sure what you're referring to. You remembered what? and then what's UNA?

[@chaechae2424]

aint kokoro on produce 101 japan right now?

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea she is

[@CharmfulCarlie]

Cherry Bullet and Rocket Punch were so promising during their debut but they seem to have not reached their full potential.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Funny you mention both of them because Queendom Puzzle had this whole thing about them being rivals during the first episode. But yea, don't know too much about Rocket Punch to make a comment

[@Cosmicles]

😢😢😢😢😢

[@cloudchungxiao]

Actual sad things

[@Sonar_125]

Not only cherry bullet but rocket punch, weeekly and itzy are all going downhill interms of success.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Don't really know too much about Rocket Punch so can't say much. Weeekly took a really long hiatus but are coming back which I'm interested to see how much fans they were able to retain with doing Queendom Puzzle recently which might have boosted them up slightly. Then for Itzy, they're doing pretty decent. Like chart and era impact not as strong, but on an overall basis of comparing with other groups, they just will always will be up there. But yea, we really don't feel Itzy's imapct like their first two or three years.

[@Sonar_125]

@@cloudchungxiao yeah for Itzy it all went downhill when they released Mafia song.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Kinda though. not sure if it's because the whole concept was such a switch up but it just kinda dipped for them. Do you think if you reverted back to their debut sound, their music will kinda get better or they just gotta evolve somehow at some point?

[@caroldias5219]

How do these girls pay the bills omg

[@cloudchungxiao]

Hahaha, they're recent comebacks are doing decently in terms of album sales and a lot of them are getting acting roles too. They're making do with what they got.

[@Yummyyumiix]

Cherry bullet and Pristin would’ve dominated kpop if they stayed as 10

[@cloudchungxiao]

Omg, lowkey wanna do a Pristin vid because literally what???

[@Yummyyumiix]

@@cloudchungxiao you should but should start off with a little bit of Afterschool they are the Korea’s pssycat dolls

[@cloudchungxiao]

Ohh really? I know them but also not really. Defs will check them out.

[@Yummyyumiix]

@@cloudchungxiao Definitely the pssycat dolls are just like any other kpop group but 2nd gen

[@sarangsea]

What I got from this video is FNC is trash...

[@cloudchungxiao]

Hahaha i mean kinda yea.

[@simultaniity]

They all look like loona members if someone drew them from memory

[@cloudchungxiao]

What?? based on the thumbnail or the video stage mixes?

[@n1ghtflight]

HELP why is this kind of true

[@DreamyCheshire-up9rf]

6/10/23 ( Friday ) 9.04 am. Although the narrator kept on comparing Cherry Bullet with BlackPink, I think it is more similiar to CLC situations. The end of Cherry Bullet is coming near.......

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, I would compare Cherry Bullet and their career to Blackpink but those certain situations more like. But yea, the end isn't near for Cherry Bullet. I wouldn't say they are doing that bad where FNC would be dropping them out of nowhere, but they do also seem like they're not putting anymore attention on them.

[@cupcakkefowlerdotcomm]

i am sorry to tell you that they disbanded 😭

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, I'm kinda surprised that FNC decided to say yea nah to them. What are your thoughts?

[@cupcakkefowlerdotcomm]

@@cloudchungxiao its so sad that fnc mistreated them so bad and just banned them silently 😭

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, plus they weren't doing extremely bad where it "made sense" to disband them too so it was so weird.

[@claireshi7384]

They disbanded 😭

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, that's so sad. What are your thoughts?

[@claireshi7384]

@@cloudchungxiao Can't say I'm surprised when they were managed that badly. As an avid nugu group stan I've already accepted the fact that nugu groups are going to end really quickly. I'm still sad over how much talent is wasted tho :(

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, they defs had a lot going for them. Plus, lowkey they were in between nugu and like mid tier so there was defs a chance for them to become more prominent but FNC said yea nah and for what.