Could K-POP be losing it’s edge? Who’s left to keep it afloat and who’s not?

Now that Global K-POP group BTS are actively doing their military enlistment, what is happening with K-POP now? 

In the few months, kpop seems to be on a steady pace but it doesn’t seem to continue the rise of kpop for audiences to pay attention to it other than the fan bases. In HYBE, groups like NewJeans, TXT, and Seventeen seem to be the focus of attention. JYP, TWICE and Straykids. SM, RIIZE and Aespa. Lastly, YG’s Blackpink.

However, it doesn’t seem enough for people to stay interested in as J-POP, Afrobeats, and Latin American Music are creating a stir on the music industry. If you noticed on the latest trends, K-POP seem to start catering to the western industry by making English albums, collabing with western artists to get on the billboard charts, creating international groups through recruitment, or doing the latest TikTok trends of Afrobeats.

South Korea has such rich culture that it makes it comical that such an industry that were once against catering to western music industry that they are now wanting to be recognized by them through heavy advertisments and getting media outlets to create notions that their groups are the next big thing on the K-POP scene when their sales and streams are not matching. 

Another issue is debuting children that are not yet out of high school or are currently in middle school. I understand children dream to be stars but is it at the cost of their education and mental health exposing them to the unforgiving world of adults that nitpick at everything.  Is it K-POP or is it now Kids Bop?

Third generation kpop groups seem to be at a standstill considering you got heavy hitters like Twice, EXO, BlackPink, NCT, and Mamamoo.

Problems stem from company over usage of reliance of these groups while creating a huge gap of the next generation living up to the standards of their seniors. You can also take notice that the demand of concerts not being sold out and companies having to overcompensate for the lost of ticket sales. 

It makes you wonder if kpop is going to survive without BTS being active to hold the fort down and other companies using their name to give their groups notoriety in the media articles they create through Forbes and Rolling Stone.

Can K-POP actually continue to compete with global artists such as Taylor Swift, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and more on their own? Whether you like to hear the truth or not, I honestly do not care. Facts are facts.