Nayeon 💟 So glad she did she well for herself even after shitty company promotions. Honestly what is stopping JYP from getting them good collabs and promotions? They sell out better than top idols and still this difference

I’m certain j-hope would be in top 5 if he had released physical albums during debut week. But him doing 50k without physicals is so insane 😂💜

Nayeon!!

So proud of her.

the #2 curse with bts members😖

https://preview.redd.it/rjoj99kcs3pe1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9489dc6f7f70f961667c892cc57b8b705bd3d92

Are there numbers released? Only positions?

PERIOD!! My Kookie eatin great as always 🥹💙

I genuinely wonder about the future of kpop solo acts from 4th gen in the USA. All these soloists are the big strongholds of bts, twice and blackpink- all hugely popular in the USA.

When you compare those numbers to say- stray kids and txt. Will they see similar results for their soloists one day? Who knows. We didn’t see these sorts of sales numbers for Yeonjun but ggum was really divisive. Maybe a more pop song would have better results? And this also makes me wonder what sort of results the rappers in stray kids will have if they do a solo project- seeing as the rapline in America sells fairly well.

And on a personal note Jimins sales vindicate what I have been experiencing for AGES as a Jimin bias in the states. It is freaking impossible to get him for group orders and it’s in no small part due to how popular he is. I also remember once going to a kpop shop and the owner asked me my bias and then interrupted before I could answer and said “let me guess… Jimin?”

Just an anecdote but I love having a number to point to the general vibe I’ve had for the longest. He’s very popular in America.

I also wonder if V will have more sales if his next project skews more pop? I know he’s making the music he loves and I am all for that! Merely voicing my own curiosity on the matter because I freaking love his music, don’t get me wrong. R&B and jazz are just not as strong of genres in America as pop or hiphop.

Korean here, G-Dragon / IU / Lee Hyori / Suzy / Psy / Karina / Cha Eunwoo / BTS(only as a group cuz many Koreans don't really know all the members) / Blackpink / Jang Wonyoung

This isn’t a popular truth in kpop spaces but the Super Junior variety show members are absolutely household names, Leeteuk, Heechul, and Shindong.

Edit: You can downvote it because you hate them. But I’ve seen little kids talk about Heechul even now. And older ladies love Leeteuk because of his hosting of a popular cooking show. Shindong is a very well known gagman/host. A-list doesn’t always mean shiney kpop fame, sometimes it means that guy on public broadcast tv both you and your mom and your grandma know the name of.

This is quite a difficult question to answer without offending anyone, but the simple answer is very few. JYP, PSY, Rain, I U for sure, but then they are not the traditional idol.

I'm afraid to say that from there the average person on the street out in rural areas will probably recognise Suzy, Lee Hyeori, Heechul and Leeteuk because they all have a large presence on tv. There will be others from older groups but to be frank, the younger 4th/5th gen groups all fade into eachother, mostly because every new release they change their hair colour and no-one can keep up with who's who! Try watching EXO's Call Me Baby, then you will understand!

Idol music isn't really that big in Korea and each generation has their own favourites but some of the older ballad or trot singers are huge.

Oops I forgot a huge one, Lee Sung Gi, all the grandma's know who he is! ❤

Lee Hi! Will always be my fave soloist. I've always been a big fan of vocalists who seem to sing in a very vulnerable way, and her voice never fails to hit me with all the emotions. Plus, love all her RnB tracks

Chungha is my FAVORITE soloist. Her discography never misses, she's an insanely good dancer, and her stage presence is wonderful.

I also love Taeyeon, Sunmi, Alexa, IU, Somi, and Hyuna.

BOA, Dean, IU, PUNCH, Lee Jin-ah, Lee Seung-gi, Lee Mujin and K.Will.

#SUNMI!!!!!!

I dunno how to make the letters look huge so please assume this to be HUGE

woodz. i mean he is in a group but they haven’t done anything in years and id say when people hear woodz they don’t usually think of uniq

Jungkook at #3 with one album released 1 month before he entered the military is crazy

Understandable. Baekhyun's voice color is so unique. Genuinely surprised by how low Taemin is I was sure he'd be top 5 at least!

Damn!!! I didn't expect Jin to be that high?! I love his songs so muchh!!! Deserved!

He’s not a 3rd gen idol… SHINee is from 2nd gen.

All 7 BTS members are in this 🙌

Baekhyun has been fucking killing it, seriously proud of him.

Please suggest some songs

V is at 6th

I believe Jk had a late 2023 album release and AgustD had no release in 24, rest of them had a release if I am remembering properly.

If BH used US sales for fan calls and raffles - it would help immensely with these numbers. Jin had good numbers on Hanteo but I think those are some from army from US too.

👏🏾 B 👏🏾 T👏🏾 S!

💜💜💜

Nayeon making it on to the top 10 is so impressive, I’ve loved both her albums and hope she keeps getting more recognition outside Korea.

If they go solo they're not gonna be very successful, they're not THAT popular as individuals. The hype around them is gonna slow down when Izone disbands, we've seen this happening already with IOI and Wanna one.

Kpop fans always vastly underestimated how hard it is to be successful solo artist especially for girls as gp support is almost a necessity. You’re also completely overestimating the individual popularity of the members none of them except wonyoung are anywhere near popular enough for it to be a sure bet. That’s not to say none of their companies should try but it’s not going to be the walk in the park some fans think it will be.

yes everyone can go solo, doesnt mean everyone can have a career out of it

I think they should be added to small groups in their company with 4-7 members max.

I don't think kpop fans know how hard is to survive solo in music industry as a idol, is harder than in groups. Izone members also don't have much individual recognition.

Rain is so successful as a solo artist that most people don't even know he used to be in a K-pop group.

Edit: This post contains acting and modeling too but still it might be helpful.

Edit 2: According to the post in the link Somi, Chungha, Jessi, Zico, Hyuna, Lee Hyori, DPR Ian, Woodz are more successful as solo singers.

kim wooseok, who's (used to be?) a part of up10tion. he definitely found a lot more recognition after finishing second on pdx 101 and becoming a part of x1 than he did as a part of his original group. he may not be extremely popular, but he has music show wins when up10tion has none, and his solo eps even have more sales than the group's latest few albums.

lee jinhyuk, also from up10tion with the stage name wei, also participated in pdx101. he didn't make it to the final lineup and isn't as successful as wooseok, but he got a lot more fame after going solo than he'd have ever gotten in the group.

Maybe HyunA ?

X1 was crazy big wasnt it? Not counting that as his group though since they were a temp group, just curious

Block B was and is in incredibly popular in SK. Zico is one of their most popular members, but I def wouldn’t onsider Zico for this

Right? I also have my own data (ref: brikorea) — For many months/years now, Kim Heechul has been the 3rd to 5th youngest among the top 50 entertainers. That field values age, 'familiarity,' and experience.

In contrast, among the top 50 K-Pop idols, Kim Heechul is the oldest. That field values youth, 'freshness,' and beauty.

That said, variety/TV is one of very few paths, within entertainment, that KPop idols can go to once the idol spotlight dims. The other alternatives: Go solo, do a YouTube show, or go to acting field.

Super Junior, though, is still very much thriving and busy, even as they enter their 20th year this November. They seem to be proving that idols in their 40s can still go for it. But their advantage is that they’ve been involved in both variety and idol fields since day one. Maybe that’s the golden formula for longevity. (Shindong, Kyuhyun, Siwon, Leeteuk and Eunhyuk are also very much active in variety).

I do remember, though, that Lee Kyung Kyu (I think) and a few other comedians/variety personalities have warned Heechul that once his beauty fades, it will be much tougher for him in variety, because by then, he’ll be competing on pure wit and variety talents against those who are real comedians-- subtle way of saying variety shows only get idols for their beauty and to draw in younger fans.

Started watching some K-Variety shows in 2011. When I was reading the names I thought... All these people I know getting old... And a few seconds later realizing that I also get 40 this year. We grow old with them:-)

Im curious who will be the next yjs and khd? Or even will there be someone like them who really consistent doing their works.

I think this is a result of the internet. Back when there were only a few TV channels, if you were famous the entire country or world knew who you were. Now, everything is so spread out you can't get as famous.

Are there any really famous American movie stars these days? The really famous ones are all old. I can't even name a young star anymore.

Same with poker players. The really famous names are from back before the internet took off.

What's more sobering: X-Man is 20 years old.

I remember watching the 144p uploads on Youtube of the "Of Course" game.