THE STRUGGLE OF LESS POPULAR MEMBERS IN IDOL GROUPS
CoolSmurf Domain
By: CoolSmurf
Idol groups, So Nyeo Shi Dae and Super Junior are currently two of the most definite idol groups active. Both groups have large number of members and have a total of 22 members if you add them up.
Super Junior - Hee Chul, Han Kyung, Ye Sung, Kangin, Shin Dong, Sung Min, Eun Hyuk, Dong Hae, Shi Won, Ryeo Wook, Ye Sung, Kyu Hyun and Lee Teuk
So Nyeo Shi Dae - Tiffany, YoonA, Jessica, Seo Hyun, Soo Young, Yuri, Sunny, Hyo Yeon and Tae Yeon
Although So Nyeo Shi Dae, Super Junior, etc enjoys immense popularity, but because of the many members, the ones who are able to take center stage belongs to just a selected few. The other members can only stand by the side and become “extras”. And those members who aren’t as popular has to fight for their survival in the competitive industry through other areas in order to raise their profile and popularity. Thus, they engage in hosting, acting, etc to make a name for themselves and constantly reminds the public that they are around. Anyway, each member has their distinct personality but are displaying it out in many areas of the entertaiment industry.
[ 1 ] ~ Popular members are always busy
So Nyeo Shi Dae member, YoonA is busy filming her daily drama, “You’re my Destiny” starting from early May and is now embarking on her acting career. Another member, Tiffany is often seen in product endorsements and CFs because of her fresh wholesome appearance. She is also kept busy with her numerous appearances on variety shows.
Kim Hee Chul and Kangin has also established with their sharp wit and talking skills. Although they debuted as singers, their
numerous identities as hosts, etc has definitely raised their profile.
[ 2 ] ~ Less popular members kept busy by improving themselves
Then what about the other members? Although they are in the same group, but alas, they just aren’t that popular and they number more than the ones who are always in the spotlight. But still they preservere on in many other areas, hoping that one day, their hard work and effort would pay off in the long run.
From 4pm onwards on 28th May, all So Nyeo Shi Dae members with the exception of YoonA went through two hours of vocal training. Super Junior Ye Sung and Sung Min went through two hours of song composition lessons on 26th May before another three hours of vocal practise on 29th May.
They all hope that through this, their scope of performing would be widened.
Meanwhile, for So Nyeo Shi Dae member, Soo Young underwent two hours of acting training from 7pm onwards on 26th May. On the same day from 10am to 5pm and from 8am to 2pm on 28th May, she was busy filming her movie.
Although these “extras” don’t appear often or at all on KBS, MBC, SBS, etc, they treat every opportunity to appear on cable programs preciously. Super Junior’s Sung Min, Paran’s Neo are all using their hosting gigs on cable programs to raise their profile. Jewelry’s Ha Joo Yeon and Kim Eun Jung are doing the same thing likewise, being active on a program through cable channels.
[ 3 ] ~ Relations between popular and less popular members
But with the huge disparity in popularity and opportunities, won’t there be problems between members in the group? This has always been a huge headache for management agencies who will always try to provide equal opportunities for them to shine. According to someone from Paran’s management, “When they just debuted, all competed furiously to become the most popular member so you could imagine the tension between them then. But through time and working with each other, they are now like brothers.”
Jewelry who welcomed two new members to their group faced the same issue. Kim Eun Jung expressed her understanding of their management for arranging them to be on programs, “Our nunas (Park Jung Ah and Seo In Young) have been in the business longer than us and thus they are more well-known then us. They have more programs to go to and a larger fanbase, that’s a given.”
I'm guessing this article / issue was brought up because of the recent rumored suicide attempt of a idol group member. Netizens have been speculating that "
HE" could be from
Super Junior, while other say he might be from
Shinhwa (which sounds impossible, since they don't live together anymore, as referred to the suicide attempt report). To those who are itching to ask, it's definitely not
Dong Bang Shin Ki, since they don't do DJ-ing and hosting (please refer to my previous post), they're very busy with their group schedule.
But back to the article, sad but true, but groups will always have this issue, especially the bigger ones like
Super Junior and
So Nyeo Shi Dae (SNSD). Its impossible for each member to have the same level of popularity as the others. These less popular members would surely feel a sense of insecurity towards the others, thus could psychologically pressure them if they continue to become bothered by it.
Super Juniorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_JuniorGirls Generation / SNSD http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNSDSpiderLiliezhttp://spiderliliez.livejournal.com
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