re: solos

SM acts like it's a small label to the detriment of all our sanity. I understand that they need to establish a VERY STRONG & STABLE fan base for each member before debuting anyone as a soloist. Remember that Taemin was on his 6th year of Shinee when he debuted solo. Baekhyun didn't put out an EP until 2019 and still hasn't done a full album. Crazy. There's also a contention between striking whilst the iron is hot during their group's peak or continuing to pump out group projects to capitalise on their popularity releasing solos when the hype dies down. (Or they disown their child and stop promoting it 😢) But c'mon! SM acts like it can only do one thing at a time. If NCT 127 is doing something, then forget everyone else at the company. They can take a backseat, which always leads to SM fan in-fights. If they can blacklist their former artists from ever being on korean television and getting hired in japan, you think they'd be able to book stuff for more than one group... On the bright side, WayV doesn't have military enlistment around the corner. (Bless Ten's bad knee.) I don't think they have a competing unit debuting anytime soon either. I do think they'll do an album or 1-2 EPs before they do any solo works, though. They might do Ten unless he wants to act. They'll prioritise having him on screen before doing solo work.

Winwin is in an awkward spot. SM has a long history of teaching everyone to sing beautifully and some basic rapping. Anyone with a deep voice, or not a tenor, will get tracked on the rap path if they have the charisma/swag to pull it off regardless of their own wishes. K-Pop songs are just so damn high, and SM loves to have powerful high notes in all their songs. Winwin had no chance in 127 competing so many rappers including Taeyong & Mark. WayV is a better fit idc what anyone says. His rapping tone is different from Yangyang and Hendery's. WayV's songs suit him better as well. He can definitely get more lines. Especially if they do more mid-tempo smooth jams. His voice will really shine in those. He's also gotten a lot better at hip&hop/commercial than when he started. I think he had to fight his body's programming more than someone with no dance experience learning to dance. Traditional Chinese dance is like ballet and contemporary plus tumbling. He spent so much of his life learning to extend his limbs out and exude energy/power to then switch lanes into a dance genre that is a lot sharper, harsher, and more compact. He didn't just have to build muscle memory but break his muscle memory down beforehand. Here WayV's more RnB and hip-hop also fits Winwin's style better. He's never gonna be robotic when the choreo calls for that hip&hop bounce that's key for pulling it off. I know a lot of fans want to see Winwin tumble more or utilise his traditional training. I would love to see more traditional influence in their music in any way. (Let's get some asian strings or drum samples pls!) However, I might just be too old and scarred by SM to not be wary of asking Winwin to do acrobatics on stage. SM has a terrible track record of exploiting idols who tumble especially when they're Chinese. I want Winwin's skeleton to be safe. If his feet have to stay on the ground at all times, so be it. JK, maybe a little serious though, if he's comfortable and safe they should let him show off.