It’s time for another episode of Seoulbeats Chat Box! Following our Kcon NY 2016 episode, I am joined by Lo and Cat of Ahjummas Anonymous for some girl group lovin’ with 4Minute, Nine Muses, and Miss A — groups that have either disbanded, or lost members in past few weeks.

Huge thanks to Lo and Cat for joining me for this episode; you can find a detailed synopsis below!

After briefly discussing the upcoming US election, and between bouts of Pledis-bashing, we get right into:

4Minute (from the start)

  • Is this how we expected things to go down?
  • We take a look at sales figures, and they paint a grim picture for 4Minute
  • Basically, business people are stupid
  • We attempt to predict the career paths of the non-Hyuna members
  • Can we hope for a 2Yoon reunion?
  • Will Jiyoon follow up on her Unpretty Rapstar 2 noteriety?
  • No-one remembers Jihyun in “Hate.”
  • Did you know the meaning behind 4Minute’s name?
  • And in case you didn’t notice, Lo is not a tuba fan.

20160806_seoulbeats_ninemuses_minha_starempireNine Muses (about 22 minutes in)

  • AKA the group with more former members than current
  • Comparing Namyu to Jewelry takes on an eerie tone when we realise both are/were under Star Empire
  • From terrible debut to one of the best singles discographies in K-pop (starting with”News”)
  • But “Wild” is “the holy paragon of the Nine Muses discography.”
  • Which Muse graduation affected us (and you) the most?
  • So Namyu can function without a standout vocalist… But can they make do without a standout rapper like Euaerin?
  • I cannot remember who the shortest member of the group is.
  • Our favourite Namyu dances get a shout-out
  • How will the upcoming girl group’s affect older groups like Nine Muses?
  • Does terming departures as ‘graduations’ lead to more positive outcomes?
  • And will a K-pop group ever have the forsight to have a ‘goodbye tour’ before disbanding?

Miss A (just before the 40-minute mark)

  • Jia shows us how to do an amicable departure.
  • So Miss A is dunzo, right?
  • We have round two of how to say EXID
  • Now most groups can’t afford to lose momentum
  • We’re a bit worried about Twice and Got7
  • Was “Breathe” the right choice for a sophomore single?
  • We all love “Hush”
  • Lo wants Drake to listen to “I Don’t Need A Man”
  • So, how did we end up with “Only One” as a final single?

This podcast was recorded before some of the newer updates came out, so they are not discussed here; but hopefully, we can get around to them when we meet up again to talk about the girl crush concept!

(Soundcloud. Images via: Elle Korea, Cube Ent., Star Empire Ent.)