Another girl group is passing themselves off as "the last big-shot" from K-Pop to debut in Japan. This time it's 5-member group, Wonder Girls with their album "Nobody for Everybody" (7/25) whose debut has been made public.
"Wonder Girls debuted in 2007 in Korea. Their single 'Tell Me' was a major hit, and they quickly rose to stardom. They debuted at the same time as Shojojidai, who are at the top of the domestic market in Korea, and KARA, who are popular in Japan, but since then their popularity has fallen. In 2009 they made full-blown advances into the American market, and they became the first Korean singer to chart on Billboard's Hot 100 with 'Nobody' (#76). They continued promotions there until last year when they came back after a two year absence to the Korean market and reached #1 with a new song there," said one Korean entertainment reporter.
Wonder Girls have been promoted in the Japanese media as, "The last important K-Pop artist [to come to Japan]" and "K-Pop's ultimate weapon," heralding their coming with great fanfare, and these claims must be true, right? "Truthfully, I don't think so," said one K-Pop entertainment writer.
"In short, they advanced into the American market, but they weren't able to sell. And when they came back to Korea, in the time that they were away from their homeland, their status had fallen and it was Shojojidai's big break. They definitely got a #1 single after a 2-year absence, but compared with Shojojidai, they didn't have much power on the charts. In the end, it seems they've already passed their peak in Korea, and are looking at Japanese promotions as a means of survival. However, doesn't it seem like it's too late for that?"
They were rejected by America, then rejected by their homeland, and so they've had to try their hand in Japan, even with the K-Pop boom losing steam. We wonder what will happen when these "former big-shots" come to Japan with K-Pop already in its final days in Japan.
Source - Cyzo
Translation - qummydino