In becoming an idol, there are usually only two paths available to you. You either become a star with all of Korea adoring your every breath, or you just never get off the ground and bask in the darkness of your eternal irrelevance.
However, there are some individuals that straddle the line between these two paths. These idols are neither adored nor are they irrelevant. They simply exist, latching onto the fame of their more recognized group members. It can be hard to argue that these idols are unpopular, but they certainly don’t have the same popularity that is proportionate to others in their crew. These individuals, while underappreciated, are immensely talented in their own way. The companies that house them should reconsider how to market them. Let’s take a look at four idols who are being left at the wayside.
Soyu – SISTAR
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Jia – Miss A
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Contributing to Jia’s lack of fluency (and probably Fei’s as well) is how much of their pre-debut activities were spent in China. Jia had only been signed by JYPE in 2007, with much of 2009 being spent in her home country. It’s very likely that Jia is not as strong in Korean as Victoria or Amber, making her public appearances very limited. JYPE actually tends to distribute lines extremely evenly between all members of a group, but for that reason it’s hard for members to truly stand out, especially in a group where the scope of talent is fairly uniform. Popularity in miss A is largely based on solo activities. For Jia to improve her popularity, she should honestly just put herself out there. It doesn’t matter if you can’t speak the language well, use it to your advantage.
Dongwoon – BEAST
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Jungshin – CNBlue
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These four individuals are just a few of the idols that really make you want to take another look at those popular groups. Sure, when you think about a group, generally the most popular comes to mind first. However just think about that member in the back, who seems to not belong. While the public might not recognize him/her for whatever reason: marketing strategy, language barrier, personality, you might come to realize he or she was placed in that group for a reason.
How about you Seoulmates? Who do you think deserves more attention than they get?
(Cube Entertainment, Starship Entertainment, AQ Entertainment, FNC Music, zjqskaus1, weilunangeljia, B2STshow, st57lucy)