K-POP Girls and Apink in 2016
2016年のK-POPガールズとApink
Many idol groups experience a jinx around the 7th year since their debut.
After contract renewal, the trend is for groups to disband, change their structure, and undergo other changes.
Now in their 6th year, Apink is enthusiastic to present various music and albums as Apink.
Apink held a press conference on the afternoon of the 18th, prior to their 3rd solo concert "PINK PARTY: The Secret Invitation" held in Seoul, and spoke about their new album and concert.
Park Cho Rong said, "I thought it would be easier as I get older and gain more experience. But it's actually getting harder. When we make an album, I have to think about it because of past examples. I don't know what other people think, but I can't do the same thing twice. I have a hard time deciding what concept to show. I think I can do it well because I've worked hard so far. I think I'll be able to show you a variety of music and albums." She added, "Maybe because we're women and have shy members, they don't express themselves even if they feel dissatisfied. I tried hard to have a lot of conversations. I think I've been able to do it well because I've been adapting to them so far." (From K-POP News) The K-POP boom brought about by girl groups such as KARA and Girls' Generation peaked in 2013 and has been on the decline since then. They debuted in 2011 and set foot on Japanese soil in 2012. They released "MYMY" at the beginning of that year and started to attract attention as pure girls. It seems that this was just a formal visit to Japan to negotiate with the Japanese agency.
The negotiations seemed to have fallen through, and it took some time before they set foot on Japanese soil again.
A video of the scene at the airport has been uploaded to YouTube.
"They're cute girls...Isn't that girl pretty? Who is she?"
Fans and women at the airport were heard shouting.
Yugyeong, who would later leave the group, was also seen at this time.
With their popularity in Japan now firmly established, the girls also toured China after this.
Videos from this time have also been uploaded.
And so 2013 arrived...Yugyeong left the group in April.
In July, they released their third mini album, Secret Garden.
It reached No. 2 on the Gaon Album Chart.
As the year drew to a close, rumors of the end of the K-pop boom began to circulate online.
Amidst rumors of a slump in K-pop, 2014 was a breakthrough year for Apink.
The hit "Mr. Chu" made Apink known as a "pure group" in Korea.
The success of this song also seemed to open the door to their entry into Japan.
In the second half of the year, events such as the "1st Japan Showcase" and "mini-lives and member message card handover events" were actively started.
K-pop itself was persistent in the midst of rumors of a slump.
On October 22nd, they released their Japanese debut single "NoNoNo".
In November, they released their 5th mini-album "Pink LUV". The title track "LUV" became Apink's biggest hit.
In 2015, they showed their success that many K-pop fans knew about.
When considered overall, Apink's efforts were equal to the efforts of K-pop as a whole.
This is why many fans are humming "Mr. Chu."
This year (2016), TWICE, BLACK PINK, GFRIEND, and others have outperformed Apink.
With the wind of K-pop revival at their backs, each group's music was assertive and powerful.
➡ It's our turn. Leave the rest to us!
It was clear that they had taken over from Apink, who supported K-pop's slump with their highly skilled music.
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