K-pop groups focus efforts outward, neglecting domestic fans

MONSTA X, a seven-member K-pop boy band, performs at iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on Sept. 21. / Courtesy of Starship Entertainment

By Jung Hae-myoung

The way global superstar BTS rose is unique. Word of the seven-member boy band spread to Koreans after the group hit the U.S. mainstream market.

Before BTS, there was a single, fixed success formula for K-pop bands. They had to be successful domestically first. Only then would word spread abroad, enticing overseas agents to invite them to perform.

BTS broke that “domestic success-driven” model, after PSY also showed the possibility of achieving success in music scene abroad.

Inspired by BTS, several other Korean bands are trying to emulate the “outward-looking” K-pop model to follow in the group's footsteps.

These boy bands include MONSTA X, NU'EST and NCT.

All three have toured the world, especially in the United States, to promote their international profile. They have appeared on U.S. TV shows, such as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “Good Morning America,” to appeal to U.S. fans and go on world tours to increase their popularity.

World tours are the first hurdle for the groups to perform in front of international fans. Like BTS, who went straight abroad two years after their debut in 2013, MONSTA X and Seventeen, both of which debuted in 2015, also went on world tours two years later in 2017.

“Since the debut, Seventeen has been pursuing and focusing on live performances. After seeing the possibility through Asian concerts, we have seen a drastic growth in fandom and the concert hall size has also grown six times from the first time in Taipei,” a staff member from PLEDIS Entertainment, Seventeen's agency, said.

MONSTA X has appeared at the iHeart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas, taking part in a collaborative performance with well-known DJ Steve Aoki. The group also performed at GMA, “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and on the Ellen show, raising fans' expectations that the group may be the next BTS.

NCT, an 18-member boy group, has set up a sub-unit called NCT 127 to build its global fan base. The group has performed in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Asian countries. Similar to MONSTA X, NCT 127 also performed at the “Jingle Ball Kickoff” organized by iHeartRadio, last Friday.

These global idol groups have built their global fan base, but their appeal domestically is weaker. For MONSTA X, its sixth album topped domestic music charts for the first time last November. But it missed all the Rookie of the Year awards because of its tight overseas schedule. The band members are not even seen much on reality shows because they spend so much time on the road.

NU'EST, a five-member boy band, is another “outward-looking” group. However, Korean fans have been finding it harder to see them perform in Korea because the members have focused more on overseas tours since their debut. Consequently, Hwan Min-hyun had to participate in “Produce 101” season 2, a popular music channel in Korea aired on Mnet, to boost the band's domestic popularity.

Their absence in Korea has caused some fans here to feel isolated because they think their idols pay little attention to them. On one of the biggest entertainment websites Instiz, dozens of posts are uploaded every day complaining about their idols' absence. Twitter users mock the situation, saying K-pop idols are giving a “visiting concert” in Korea when the stars perform at home.

The main reason for taking this outward tactic is the extreme competition here.

“This is a tactic for many mid-sized agencies to survive among many other companies in Korea,” said Lee Gyu-tag, an assistant professor of Cultural Studies at George Mason University.

“A more realistic cause can be that artists and the company can earn more money in other countries and get more in profit from overseas performances.”

24K, a seven-member boy group that debuted in 2012, has attracted fans in Europe and South America, although not so much at home.

“As a mid-sized agency, there were some limitations in promotion and marketing,” said Kim Sung-gwang, director of Choeun Entertainment. “After monitoring the U.S market, we decided we could even the odds by producing EDM music.”

“There have been ongoing efforts since the first generation of K-pop idol like H.O.T, and the result is only showing now,” said Seo Jung-min-gab, another music critic. “This is not only just for K-pop idols but also for musicians in various genres. On the music scene, the idols no longer deem a world tour as something special, but a must-do if they are not to fall behind.”