Considering the immense popularity of every song that has come out from them, it feels like NewJeans have been here forever. So, news of NewJeans disband discourse is the funniest thing ever. Because, like, they literally debuted a year ago. Barely a year and already people are fearing the worst from a group that dominated the global charts? Iconic behavior, honestly.
To be fair, NewJeans probably signed the same contract deal as other groups, which usually spans around 5-7 years. So that means the earliest they’ll disband is in 2027 or 2029. And considering the girls’ young ages and heights of success, it’s likely they’ll go the Twice route and renew their contracts as NewJeans. The sky’s the limit for them and it has been amazing to see their meteoric rise to power.
But I also get the fear of NewJeans possibly disbanding. I mean, another group that had similar levels of global popularity was Fifty Fifty with their song ‘Cupid’ and, well, that didn’t exactly pan out well. Fifty Fifty practically speedrun the K-Pop experience, crashing and burning at the end. But NewJeans are different due to a number of factors. So, in today’s K-Pop Karousel, let’s discuss them!
Table of Contents
NewJeans: A Y2K Phenomenon
NewJeans is one of those rare bands that had no fanfare prior to their debut, yet managed to make a splash so big, it drowned everyone else out. Honestly, for a HYBE group, they were talked about very little, compared to another girl group debut from the same company. And yet, that understated promotional work did the most work, allowing the members to shine when ‘Attention’ came out.
And really, it was their concept that sold it. Before them, other 4th generation groups such as IVE had debuted with a very elegant, almost rich heiress style concept. LE SSERAFIM, on the other hand, were haute couture and edgy. Kep1er was a little more traditionally girl crush. However, NewJeans were something fresh. Sporting natural hair colors and casual fits from the early 2000s, the girls were more girl-next-door. With their charismatic beats and soft vocals, NewJeans felt almost relatable.
And like, don’t get me wrong. K-Pop’s main appeal for me is the over-the-top visuals and music, it’s what makes it so unique and fun. But as someone who grew up in the era of TLC and Atomic Kitten, I loved the call back to the casual western girl groups of the new millenium. Y2K was already on the rise, NewJeans merely accelerated it.
NewJeans Won’t Be Disbanding Anytime Soon:
So, when you stand out, you have lasting power. And if there is anything that NewJeans’ rise to power has taught me, it’s that a bombastic debut isn’t all that makes for a strong girl group debut. It’s NewJeans consistency to their aesthetic and music that is making sure they stay on top. Which is why I can’t see them disbanding in the near future.
I mean, the girls have only just started out and yet they have become a global phenomenon. NewJeans is a leader in the fight of the 4th gen K-Pop groups, with immense success in both their domestic markets and the international ones. Last time I saw a girl group gain this much mass appeal upon debut, it was BlackPink. Just like them, NewJeans brought something new.
And their success hasn’t stopped. After ‘Hype Boy’ went as viral as it did, NewJeans came back with ‘Ditto’ which was just a winter pre-release. And yet, it became the anthem of winter that year. And then this year, TikTok blew up with ‘Super Shy’, making NewJeans reach the Billboard Top 100 and becoming the song of the summer. Like, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who wasn’t doing the dance challenges.
All of this cemented NewJeans as a girl group that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, let alone through disbandment when they haven’t even reached the peak of their musical career together. These girls aren’t even 18 and they’ve achieved so much.
And really, that speaks to the longevity of their music as well. NewJeans was something, well, new and fans can’t wait to see what they do next.
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