Periodic Rookie Groups Report No. 18
Technically, this is Rookie Groups Report No. 18, but much as with No. 17, it does not feel as if I am covering one period, with distinct, set edges. On the contrary, it feels difficult to cleanly separate the rookie groups that debuted in 2019 and were active in 2020, from those that debuted in 2020 and were active in 2021. Like time post-March 2020, they exist along the same long, unbroken continuum.
The numbers certainly do not help. It is not that they are the exact same as much as they all point to the same thing, which is an overall decline. Indeed, while most year-end assessments of k-pop hold that 2021 was mostly a positive year, that does not apply to rookies. For them, 2021 managed to not only match but surpass 2020 when it comes to just how low things can go. Debuts and comebacks were down, while disbandments remained high.
Previously I have cautioned against using what happened with rookies one year to predict what they may do the next, although I said that at a much different time. Before an increase or decrease in the numbers, no matter how dramatic, could be attributed to the natural ebb and flow of the industry. Last year was different though in that the cause of the shift in numbers is not only obvious and nameable two years on has no real solution. This all but guarantees that rookie groups in 2022 will be facing the same problem, albeit not maybe the same outcome. Still, in the face of all of this, it is hard to be optimistic about the future of rookies, yet here's hoping 2022 proves me wrong.
2020 Rookies
Of the 79 groups that debuted in 2020, twelve groups—six boy groups, four girl groups, and two co-ed groups—have disbanded. Ten of those groups did so in the first half of the year, eight of which I covered in the previous Rookie Report: BECZ, BLASTAR, B.O.Y, Daydream, H&D, OFF THE CUFF, XUM, and SSAK3. The additional four groups are as follows:
A-REAL: A former member of the girl group (August ‘20), Dabi, revealed in a March 2021 Instagram story that the group had disbanded. She did not give a reason for the break-up.
CHECKMATE: On December 18, 2021, Grace Company Entertainment posted a statement on the co-ed group’s (September ‘20) YouTube channel announcing that they had disbanded. According to that same statement, the members would be pursuing individual activities. (As of publishing this statement has been deleted, but survives in news articles about the group’s disbandment)
DUSTIN: LPA Entertainment announced in a May 24, 2021 statement that the boy group (January ‘20), was disbanding due to “internal circumstances.” (Following this announcement, all of their social media was deleted, and as a result, the statement only survives in re-posts)
MY.ST: In a July 17, 2021 Instagram post, a member, Keonwoo announced that the boy group (March ‘20) had disbanded, due to their company’s mismanagement and poor financial situation.
Subtracting these four disbandments brings the total number of active rookie groups to 67 groups—30 boy groups, 34 girl groups, and 3 co-ed groups. Of these 67 groups, 58% or 39 groups released new music at least once this year, with 20% or 12 groups doing so both in the first and second half of the year.
This is slightly better than 2020, where only 47% of the groups that debuted in 2019 released new music in 2020. At the same time though, it still falls below the rates seen pre-pandemic, like in 2019 where 70% of groups that debuted the year before released new music, or 2018 where 67% of groups did.
Releases from ‘20 Rookie Groups: July to December
Note: Releases marked with an asterisk (*) indicate an additional release from a group following their initial release
July
05 BXK - “Excuse Me” (Single)
August
04 Weeekly - Play Game : Holiday (Mini Album)*
07 2Z – Song 4 U (Mini Album)*
12 MAKA` MAKA - “Hey U” (Single)
19 CRAVITY - Awakening : Written In The Stars (Album)
26 F.able – “Run Run Run” (Single)
31 MCND - THE EARTH: SECRET MISSION Chapter 1 (Mini Album)
September
06 STAYC – STEREOTYPE (Mini Album)*
09 Q.O.S – “Oh Yeah” (Single)*
29 E’LAST – “Dark Dream” (Single)
October
05 aespa – Savage (Mini Album)*
07 Bandage – “Youth21” (Single)
07 CRAXY – “GAIA” (Single)
14 Black Swan - “Close to Me” (Single)
26 XRO – “All In” (Single)
27 Secret Number - “Fire Saturday” (Single)
28 DKB - “Rollercoaster” (Single)*
29 SWAY – “Sunset” (Single)*
November
04 TO1 - RE:ALIZE (Mini Album)
11 DRIPPIN – “Vertigo” (Single)*
16 SWAY – episode finale. (Mini Album)*
25 GHOST9 – NOW : who we are facing (Mini Album)*
26 2Z – Plz Luv Me Again OST (Album)
30 cignature – Dear Diary Moment (Mini Album)
December
08 LUNARSOLAR – “Christmas Is You” (Single)*
20 aespa – “Dreams Come True” (Single)*
Still fom GHOST9's "Control"
2021 Rookie Groups
Last year, in 2021, 59 groups—22 boy groups, 34 girl groups, and 3 co-ed groups—debuted. This is the lowest year-end total since I started tracking debuts in 2013.
Although boy groups experienced the greatest dip, with a 39% decrease, or 22 groups debuting in comparison to last year, it was not just them; numbers are down across the board. Girl groups saw a 13% decrease with only 34 girl groups debuting, while co-ed group debuts decreased 40%, with only 3 groups debuting.
March saw the greatest amount of debuts with 8 groups debuting.
April and May saw the least amount of debuts with only 3 groups debuting each month.
No boy groups debuted during July and August.. In fact, this is the first time since I began tracking rookies that the number of girl groups debuting has been greater than boy groups for two consecutive years.
Methodology: https://blog.mjohnso.com/methodology
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