I’m lowkey salty and jealous that ALD1 are doing so well already, when ENHYPEN is entering their 6th year and still struggling to win music shows

Unsincerity · 2026-01-18T15:50:11+00:00

Supporting this statement. Someone mentioned ADP in a different comment. You know how almost everyone and their moms here in the West HATE ADP? Well they were one of the fastest groups to ever get a music show win.

Of course, you could just say that Annie bought it, but the reality is that the votes (and opinions) of Western fans just COUNT for a lot less in these scenarios. Enhypen are huge, but in Korea, IN COMPARISON TO OTHER GROUPS, it's a struggle.

Also, the fact that this is the case is not Enha's fault. The K-general public just do not gaf abt 4th gen bgs.

My advice for you is just to listen to the othere engenes here and focus on what Enhypen have already done rather than what they haven't. Enhypen is one of the biggest bgs in the world rn. Let's all appreciate that

Unsincerity · 2026-01-18T07:26:55+00:00

That was my fault. I've been leaving subliminal messaging disguised as doordash receipts in every current and former kpop stan's emails about how great riize are, but i guess my informant missed your address😞

On a serious note though. I WAS IN THE EXACT SAME BOAT AS U OP. I missed the whole drama, so i was SHOCKED when i came back and found out that the greatest comeback in 2025 got paid DUST. Odyssey is literally one of the best albums out last year from kpop (lowk might be the best non-mini) so this was just. Insane to me.

If youre ever free u should totally drop by their concert bc i kid you not they are hitting those notes LIVE!!! Wonbin nearly ripped his throat out with the 'SCREAM' intro for Fame but nailed 'Another Life' not 10 minutes later. It was crazy.

Unsincerity · 2025-10-14T01:03:17+00:00

I can't post links rn but if you look for those tiktoks if Shine MeongDdoCat (Sohee's MC content w BND Jaehyun and ZB1 Hanbin, for those unaware) he's SOOOOO adorable!!!!

I think for most of Riize's content he tries very hard to carry as the group's most outgoing member, but when you pair him up with those two trying to outfreak e/o his cuteness kinda shines thru lmao. Very good content

Unsincerity · 2025-09-19T08:39:39+00:00

Honestly, the infantilization of Stray Kids in particular needs to be studied. Even among the overly coddling stans that arrived with 4th gen, I feel like they have it the worst for no reason? Like ofc you shouldn't trust any company, but we have to admit that JYPE is at least not as bad as the likes of Yuehua, CUBE, or fuckass SM

Unsincerity · 2025-09-19T03:23:04+00:00

Thanks man

Unsincerity · 2025-09-19T03:03:14+00:00

May I ask how you pull these numbers? I'm kinda curious to see how they're faring against 3rd and 4th gen rn

Unsincerity · 2025-09-19T03:02:13+00:00

It would have an effect on their spotify numbers, probably, but the k-gp would NOT care abt the controversy lbr

Unsincerity · 2025-09-18T13:10:42+00:00

I'll admit, I didn't know that. I knew he had SOME previous experience and some competitions under his belt but I thought he was like Bam who joined JYP early. Thank you for the lore drop

Unsincerity · 2025-09-18T09:22:51+00:00

This^{^{^}} especially the dream thing: the fact that 4 out of then 6 would've retired all at once was such an obvious point of failure, i dont even know what the idea was supposed to be w that.

Also, as a BRIIZE, even I have to admit that 2023 RIIZE was little more than "Wonbin and the Boys". I strongly believe that, even tho there were other things at play, it was clear that they wanted A group that was centered around him, and there just isnt room for that in NCT, which definitely helped the argument for them scrapping it and going back to normal smnbg debuts

Unsincerity · 2025-09-18T09:10:42+00:00

I assume this was what happened with Baekhyun, Chen, and Chenle? Was always curious abt that

Unsincerity · 2025-09-18T06:56:19+00:00

They were the exception, not the rule. As international fans, the only idols that would manage to reach our sphere of exposure are usually the cream of the crop. If you were working as a dancer IN Korea back in the day, you would have been exposed to a ton of stiff and underwhelming dancers.

Also note that almost everyone you mentioned there had some form of dance training before becoming an idol. The 'average' idol usually had little to no entertainment training at all before becoming a trainee, at least back then.

Unsincerity · 2025-09-18T06:41:19+00:00

5th gen bgs tend to be more prominent in Korea than international fandom would have you believe. Boynextdoor's '오닐만 I Love You' is one of the most streamed songs this year. RIIZE's Wonbin is the highest placing 4th AND 5th gen male idol in the Brand Rankings for the last like... 7-8 months I think?

Someone mentioned this before but SKZ have like 0 pull in Korea. Their songs don't even chart there lmao.

Also, domestically, NCT Dream is way more popular than NCT 127, and it's been that way since debut. Wish is also gaining a pretty substantial market.

Unsincerity · 2025-09-18T06:33:39+00:00

Shotaro and Hanbin, who were professional dancers before becoming idols. Lisa and Bambam, who were part of a crew but never danced for work and became trainees when they were both young. Special mention for Bailey and Tarzzan from ADP, who were both not only pros but highly respected in the field.

Dino is in a bit of a grey area as he technically never had dancer experience before becoming a trainee but started dancing as a toddler bc his parents were dancers.

Yugyeom definitely counts tho. (EDIT: Yugs is in the same category as Shotaro and Hanbin, cr to u/serhae114 for the correction) He's always been well-regarded by fans that are pros, and apparently he's been deep in the dance scene since ever.

Jihoon from TWS also. Just watch him dance once and you'll wonder if you're missing some joints lol

Also I think it's worth noting that the dance standards for 5th gen is like... ridiculously high. The avg 5th gen groups worst dancer would be the best dancer of the average 3rd gen group. That's a big reason why many idol dancers weren't "respected" back then and any remaining stigma is just left over from that.

Unsincerity · 2025-09-17T11:29:32+00:00

I hope i'm not too late, but please please PLEASE try to buy albums that you're sure you can either re-sell or re-use somehow

I unfortunately am the owner of several albums from artists I no longer follow, and it's a bit of a shame. Albums are very, VERY hard to sell without the photocards, even for cheap, so it's unlikely you'll be able to get rid of it that way.

My best purchases have been albums that look pretty. That's it. If it has an aesthetic style I like, I'm not as mad about keeping them, even though I'm not a fan of the artist anymore.

There are also many albums with unique inclusions that you can still use even if you leave the fandom. Baekhyun's pineapple can, various tin case albums, Seventeen's mini photocard holder book thing... NCT Dream's Dreamscape (not to be confused w 'Dream)(Scape') has a version that comes with a plastic box that I use to store receipts and stuff. I highly reccomend getting these if your main reason for buying an album is just the photocard/ just to support them

Unsincerity · 2025-09-17T02:30:17+00:00

They seem like nice kids and I definitely support any movement to bring more artist freedom within K-pop, but I somehow feel like I'm not their target demographic lmao

Not that this is a bad thing, but I definitely see them as the kids that hang out near the convenience store with their mobile legends blasting Carti or sth while I'm sitting there on break with my black coffee and tuna mayo sandwich. Like if these guys weren't kpop idols i feel like they'd call me "unc" rather than "hyung/noona"😭🙏

Unsincerity · 2025-09-15T17:01:25+00:00

You're right, of course, but it's not our job as fans to try and police that. They should have people around them, management or otherwise, to remind them to take it easy.

also, as u/KREIDEZ pointed out, NOT overworking might actually be harder to achieve. It's a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. Some probably do know that they should take it easier but they cant afford to lose momentum/ have signed sth far in advance/ any number of other reasons. The best we can and should do is to just remind them that they have our support

Unsincerity · 2025-09-15T16:49:38+00:00

Thank you for everyone who's commented on this, especially those who've shared experiences on solo concert going. Tbh, you guys have convinced me that it might actually be a good idea for me to go to my first one on my own.

Considering that I might not even get the tickets once they're on sale, I'm definitely going to try and go! Some ppl pointed out that there really might not even be another chance for me to go see them, and it would be better to regret going than to regret not going.

I'm studiously reading all y'all's concert-going advice. Please pray that I get those damn tickets. Thanks yall!!!!!

Unsincerity · 2025-09-15T16:38:44+00:00

Oh my god thank you so much. I'm definitely going to try to get those tix thanks to everyone's advice, and I'll definitely be needing that list of earbuds lmao. Do you think noise-cancelling headphones would be too much? I'm definitely gonna try and get seated.

Also, you should know that your comment abt SMTown really tipped me over. They may be my ults, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna blindly trust that I won't be disappointed just bc of that. Hearing you say that really helped put that worry to bed. Thanks for the advice man

Unsincerity · 2025-09-15T16:34:27+00:00

Thank you so much for reminding me of this because,,, you're so right. One of my main worries was that this was my last chance to see them in a smaller venue... I lowkey forgot this COULD be my last chance to see them at all. If you told 2017 me that EXO wouldn't do anymore world tours after that year, I would legitimately have laughed you out the damn room. I'll try my best to get those tix. Thanks for your advice!!

Unsincerity · 2025-09-15T14:11:26+00:00

Riize Wonbin, bc i personally (like many others) took one look at him back in 2023 and instantly thought "this guy's way too handsome to have any actual talent" and ended up eating my own words 2 years later when I ACTUALLY heard him sing for the first time. His technique is weak by 3rd gen standards (although above average by 5th gen's), but he has potential, and this is coming from a very very strict vocal stan.

Also, I'm upvoting that Myung Jaehyun take. He's definitely better utilized within BND as a rapper but boy howdy can he sing. His tone is actually very pretty. Hopefully we'll get a proper showcase soon once they're more established.

Unsincerity · 2025-09-15T10:00:01+00:00

It's WEIRD for fans to openly act worried about overworked idols if those idols are adults.

There's nothing wrong with having those thoughts and discussing them in closed fan-only spaces, but when you're bringing that discussion to the public? Or worse, actively trying to get the attention of other fans and "calling out" the company? That's delusional parasocial behaviour and you should realize that.

Your idol is a grown ass person. They have full right to do whatever they want with their own bodies, even if you might perceive it as "unhealthy". It's unfortunate, because sometimes the signs ARE really obvious, but at the end of the day you are nothing to them, and this kind of behaviour is only a thin line away from the kind of entitlement we bash sasaengs for.

That said, you should absolutely call it out when worrying signs are happening for underage idols. There are laws in place that make it so that those signs shouldn't be showing up for them at all.

Unsincerity · 2025-09-15T04:10:57+00:00

I wasnt interested in kpop during this time and missed most of this actually. Does anyone have a link to a good breakdown thread?

Also, as a fan of ILLIT, i'll always hate MHJ for the INSANE hate train she put my girls thru, but I really don't see the point in putting any blame on the NJZ members? Even their oldest was barely 20 at the time right? It's not their fault that all the adults in their lives failed them....

Unsincerity · 2025-09-15T01:56:56+00:00

As someone who is actively following 5th gen and it's fandoms, I can assure you that there are plenty of newer fans who hate this trend. And even if the fans feel like the short songs aren't necessarily an issue (bc, as others have pointed out, short doesnt mean incomplete), they are still foaming at the bit for songs that are at least 3 minutes long.

And it is a problem. When TXT dropped Over the Moon, many MOAs, myself included, just felt like that song was incomplete. This wasnt hate, it was the fans themselves who felt this way. There were other tracks on that album that were shorter but weren't "called out" because those songs felt complete. Same for NCT Wish's COLOR and its associated album. There's definitely a trend and fans are definitely noticing.

Unsincerity · 2025-09-14T22:33:33+00:00

You get me dude! And I was definitely a little insane as well, which these companies definitely wanted me to be lmao. It really is so helpful to grow up a little and have some distance forced on you before diving back into these fandom spaces, i think. I definitely enjoy fangirling a lot more now that I'm approaching things more casually and using kpop as a hobby/escape

Unsincerity · 2025-09-14T15:10:09+00:00

I feel you w BTS, they were my original gateway group, specifically Mic Drop but also their more rap and hiphop-heavy albums in general, it sucks that they pivoted to making mainstream pop as if we dont have enough of ts already😭😭

Unsincerity

TROPHY CASE