Mistreated K Pop girl groups who deserved much better than what they received feat The Ark, 4MINUTE & more

With the many positives that mostly overshadow the K-Pop industry, the negatives and disadvantages of the industry aren’t still too far from it. There are countless young children wanting to grow up to be like the idols they see on screen and many innumerous idol groups which are formed and disbanded - completely vanishing into thin air. In an extremely competitive industry, it’s crucial to make one’s mark. 

Making a mark isn’t easy when you’re a newbie battling it out with the very famous superstars who keep on climbing. But it becomes a bit easier with the right strategies and promotions an agency comes up with. Unfortunately, there are many girl groups too that were denied better promotions and mistreated by their agencies. It’s also pertinent to note that it wasn’t that the girls didn’t have talent, they had plenty of it. 

Let’s take a look at the five girl groups that were mistreated but deserved better. 

The Ark 

Disbanding right after they debuted, the five member girl group didn’t get enough time to shine. They debuted in 2018 and disbanded in 2019, between which they released only one single. The group was loved by many and rumours have it that they disbanded because the main vocalist was unable to sing because of vocal nudes while another rumour is that it was actually because of the company. Their agency wanted them to change their concept to being ‘flashy’ which the members didn’t accept. 

Miss A

A popular girl group from JYP Entertainment and Sisyphus: The Myth’s Suzy’s first venture, Miss A members started leaving the company one by one. The group debuted in 2010 and was officially disbanded in 2017. Many fans believe that it was the textbook strategy of focusing on one rather than the whole group as Suzy had started gaining recognition for acting. Their second album was released in 2013 and then they released an EP two years later in 2015. The members then left one by one to follow their individual careers but it does make one think, couldn’t a big agency as JYPE manage the girl group as well as their solo ventures? 

PRISTIN

The ten-member girl group debuted under Pledis Entertainment in 2016 and disbanded in 2019. Pledis Entertainment has had a sad history with managing girl groups. PRISTIN was one of the girl groups that had a chance to be big but poor management left them nowhere. They achieved moderate success, even after two I.O.I members (Nayoung and Kyulkyung) were a part of the group. After their second album release in 2017, member Kyla was sent to the US for treatments and then suddenly, a subunit was announced in 2018. Seven members chose to depart from the agency in 2019 and the group disbanded. 

After School

Another girl group from Pledis Entertainment, the girl group is famous not for their music, but for being the perfect example of how the company doesn’t know how to treat a group right. Their last Korean release was in 2013 and they were then shifted to Japan. They released two albums in Japan with a two-year gap, in 2012 and 2014, respectively. After no comeback or albums happening for months, members decided to leave one by one. Even though the group hasn’t officially disbanded, it only has Nana as the last remaining member of the group. 

4MINUTE

Known to be one of the most prominent K-Pop girl groups, it’s disheartening to know that 4MINUTE weren’t treated right. There are many reports that stated the members still wanted to be a group but it couldn’t happen. They even said that before they could realise and talk about activities beyond the group, their contract with CUBE Entertainment ended. They also added that they didn’t want to disband, but had to because of the company. The girls disbanded in 2016, six years after debuting. 

Also Read: Why ATEEZ and SF9 starrer K drama Imitation is a must watch for young fans

What are your views on companies not treating their artists right? Let us know in the comments below!