Documentaries on K-pop artists become increasingly popular

K-pop girl group Mamamoo's documentary series "MMM_Where Are We Now," released on Wavve, Friday / Courtesy of Wavve

By Lee Gyu-lee

Documentaries on K-pop stars have been soaring in popularity, offering fans a glimpse of their personal and behind-the-scenes stories.

Homegrown streaming platform Wavve released its original documentary starring four-member girl group Mamamoo, "MMM_Where Are We Now," Friday.

The four-part docuseries follows the seven years of the group's career since debuting in 2014 with the single "Don't Be Happy."

The group members ― Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, and Hwasa ― go on their dream trip together and share their personal accounts of the group's rise to global stardom from being an underdog K-pop group. Singers like Lee Hyo-ri and Baek Ji-young also make appearances to offer the perspective of fellow K-pop artists who have witnessed their success from the sidelines.

"The documentary, shedding light on Mamamoo's incredible journey to success, will deliver a message of hope and empathy to the young adults of today," the streaming service said in a statement, Friday. "It shares the group's effort to aim and fly higher even after seven years. And that will give viewers an opportunity to think about what true happiness is."

Scenes from K-pop group VERIVERY's documentary "Let's Face Who We Are" / Courtesy of Jellyfish Entertainment

K-pop boy group VERIVERY also released "Let's Face Who We Are," a documentary on their global tour in the United States, earlier this month.

The seven-piece group, which debuted in 2018, went on their first U.S. tour, "2021 VERIVERY 1st TOUR IN U.S.," last year, holding concerts in six cities ― Tempe in Arizona, Dallas and Houston in Texas, St. Louis in Missouri, and Fort Wayne in Indiana.

The docuseries, which premiered on the online fan community platform Weverse on March 16, captures the group members on the tour, preparing for performances and spending time on the road between each concert. It also takes the viewers backstage at the concerts to give an up-close look at the group behind the scenes.

Other K-pop stars have also been sharing their personal stories aside from the shine and glamour of their musical acts. Last July, veteran K-pop star Kim Jae-joong, a member of the group JYJ, debuted a biographical documentary film "Jaejoong: On the Road."

In the film, directed by Lee Jae-han who led the hit 2004 romance film, "A Moment to Remember," the artist walks through the 18 years of his life in the K-pop scene and shares a deeply personal side of him as a man in his 30s.

Four-piece girl group BLACKPINK also released several documentaries in the past two years, starting with "Blackpink: Light Up the Sky" on Netflix in 2020. The group's agency YG Entertainment released a special film, "BLACKPINK THE MOVIE," last August to mark the group's fifth anniversary of its debut.

The film highlighted the group members ― Jennie, Rose, Jisoo, and Lisa ― walking down memory lane as they reflect on their career, sharing an in-depth look at the group.

BTS' documentary "Break the Silence" also garnered global popularity after being released on Weverse in 2020. The documentary was re-edited into a film and hit the theaters around the world, topping the box office in Korea, Germany, and the U.K. upon its release.

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