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| K-pop act Brave Girls / Courtesy of Brave Entertainment |
K-pop stars struggle to break through 7-year agency contract barrier
By Dong Sun-hwa
Brave Girls and Momoland have become the latest victims of the K-pop industry's "seven-year curse."
According to the Fair Trade Commission, seven years is the longest single contract period between a singer and a K-pop management company. They can renew it if they want to maintain their partnership, but if they don't, they can terminate it and part ways. If the majority of members in a group decide to end their contracts and find new agencies, this often leads to the official or unofficial dissolution of the group. Industry insiders call this phenomenon the "seven-year curse," and a legion of prominent acts like Lovelyz, Miss A and 2NE1 have all fallen prey to this curse, going their separate ways.
On Thursday, Brave Girls' agency Brave Entertainment revealed that its contract with all four members ― Minyoung, Yujeong, Eunji and Yuna ― has expired and the members decided to break up "beautifully" following an in-depth discussion. Brave Girls debuted in 2011, but the group has seen some changes to its membership. The current members joined in 2016, seven years ago.
"We sincerely appreciate all four of them for their passionate performances over the past seven years," the company said in a statement. "We will always support their new activities."
It added that "Goodbye," which hit multiple streaming platforms Thursday, will be the final digital single from the quartet under Brave Entertainment. Although two members ― Minyoung and Yujeong ― stressed that the contract expiration does not mean Brave Girls has disbanded, it will become harder for fans to see all members perform together on stage, as they are likely to ink contracts with different agencies and pursue different career paths.
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| K-pop girl group Momoland / Captured from Momoland's Twitter account |
It did take a few years for the group to grab the spotlight, but after 2021, Brave Girls put out many other songs like "Chi Mat Ba Ram" (2021) and held its first-ever U.S. tour in July, 2022.
"I feel bitter," an internet user commented. "It seems the group has faded away without showing everything it had."
On Jan. 27, MLD Entertainment, the company behind Momoland, announced that it has terminated contracts with all six members ― Hyebin, Jane, Nayun, JooE, Ahin and Nancy. Momoland also debuted in 2016 with the EP "Welcome to Momoland." It was propelled to fame with its 2018 release "Bboom Bboom" and basked in popularity at home and abroad, particularly in South America and the Philippines. However, it also could not escape the "seven-year curse."
"All six of us decided to chase our own dreams and support each other's new beginnings," JooE told her fans on social media, Feb. 14. "We will disperse, but will always remain as one team."
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