BUBBLES BURSTING
Lesser-known K-pop bands struggle amid the pandemic
SEOUL, South Korea — While popular K-pop bands like BTS and Blackpink have gone from strength to strength during the coronavirus pandemic, lesser-known acts are struggling.
The gap between the world famous and more obscure K-pop acts has never been greater — a situation exacerbated by the pandemic, which has been a huge blow to music-related industries around the world.
Global K-pop bands have managed to expand their fan bases through various online gigs. But others, including Girls Alert, have seen concerts canceled and personal appearances postponed due to social-distancing measures.
Girls Alert, which debuted in 2017, didn’t see it coming, just like everyone else.
By late 2019, the young five-piece group — made up of Jisung, Saetbyul, Gooseul, Narin and Seulbi — had toured all around South Korea. Like other lesser-known bands,
they’ve performed pretty much everywhere, from military bases to orphanages.
The members of Girls Alert said they initially chased glitz and fame just like other new K-pop acts. But they said that after their debut, they found that the reality of the business was far different from what they had
expected.
Jisung, who is in her early 20s, said the band had to take care of everything — outfits, dance training, hair and makeup — by themselves, unlike more popular K-pop acts that have entire entourages of staff members.
While juggling her band responsibilities, Jisung also had to work at a sushi restaurant and help out at her parents’ cold bean noodles restaurant.
Gooseul, meanwhile, doubled as a dance trainer while navigating the band’s schedule.
Members said things improved when a new label led by Kim Taehyun took over the group.
Kim’s own career has been turbulent. He worked as a manager of Im Chang-jung, a wildly popular singer-songwriter in the 1990s, and lost a hand in a car accident in 2002.
Since taking over Girls Alert in 2017, Kim said he has spent approximately $734,000 of his own money, which includes fees for the band’s accommodation, van maintenance, hair and makeup, and a personal trainer.
In April, Kim — whom members describe as a fatherlike figure — asked the band members if they wanted to terminate their contracts and seek better opportunities elsewhere, as the pandemic showed no sign of easing.
Jisung said she asked Kim if he was abandoning the group, and refused to leave — a sentiment echoed by Gooseul and Seulbi.
Saetbyul and Narin elected to leave the band.
The pandemic has been a heavy blow to musicians around the world, but K-pop acts are more vulnerable, with many lacking the financial and social skills necessary to make ends meet. The majority of young performers spend nearly their entire adolescence — as long as 10 years — training and abiding by strict rules imposed by labels that often include strict dieting and rigid practice schedules.
Around 200 to 400 K-pop bands have debuted in the past decade, according to multiple South Korean media reports. With a success rate of less than 1%, it’s already a risky game, and with pressure from the pandemic, some lesser-known groups such as Spectrum and NeonPunch have disbanded in the last year.
Despite the difficulties, Kim said he’s not ready to abandon hope for Girls Alert.
“If they don’t give up, I won’t give up,” he said.