HYBE faces criticism following the controversies faced by its popular girl groups

By: Gelene Peñalosa - 8 months ago

HYBE seems to have lost the plot when it comes to K-pop.

K-pop, as a genre, is said to be an “all-encompassing genre showcasing a wide spectrum of musical and visual elements,” with some even saying that it is a treat for both the eyes and ears. However, in most recent times, there has been a gap between the two elements mentioned.

In a now-viral post on the South Korean online community Nate Pann posted last April 14, 2024, an OP expressed their opinions on HYBE and how the corporation was “ruining” K-pop.

Here is a DeepL translation of the post:

“The three major agencies of SM, YG, and JYP made idols with overall skills after a hard practice period and sent them out slowly. I feel that HYBE is ruining K-pop since they merely push out kids with lacking skills for mass production, while media playing that they are BTS’ younger brother/sister groups.

Honestly, have there been any controversies about SM, YG, or JYP idols who were active until recently?

SM: SHINee, EXO, Red Velvet, NCT, aespa
JYP: Stray Kids, ITZY, NMIXX
YG: WINNER, BLACKPINK, TREASURE, BABY MONSTER

But what’s more problematic here is that HYBE’s ignorant sewer fans are okay with this, and they casually make brain-crushing remarks about how a blindfolded idol did a good job, saying that singing skills are not important.

When you refute, everything you say is wrong.”

The post, as of writing, has received 2,140 upvotes, with most of the comments under it agreeing with the OP’s take.

One said, “The music industry has changed. It’s like faceless singers on the charts these days. Instagram stars. Even if we fought three or four times, we kept a certain line, but nowadays we just beat them with money.”

Another said, “They’re talented, but HYBE is just a K-pop dump…Starting with concert prices, this is where most of the bizarre bullshit started.”

One other commenter said, “It’s not just the fans, is it? There are also stockholders. That’s why entertainment companies should not go public. It’s amazing. The stocking gaggers are so protective. SM used to be good at this, but now it’s HYBE.”

Another commenter also set apart the idol groups that HYBE acquired from other companies to the ones that they produced. “Apart from all the idols they took over (SEVENTEEN, fromis_9, etc.), all the idols they have produced themselves, are not at the level of singers if you listen to their live singing…including BTS.”

Most K-pop fans were in total agreement with this, as well. Some called out HYBE for not prioritizing singing for their idols, and for focusing on acquiring vocal AI instead. Others also mentioned GFriend, Source Music’s former girl group until HYBE decided to disband them.

Fans of HYBE groups refuted this, however, and were very much all hands-on in their defense of their faves.

https://twitter.com/soobloop/status/1778381945187238274

The criticism against HYBE comes soon after criticisms were thrown at two of their girl groups since the beginning of the month. First on the list is ILLIT, formed by Belift Lab (a sub-label of HYBE), and debuted on March 25, 2024.

The group’s debut single, “Magnetic”, did reach to unbelievable heights on the day of ILLIT’s debut, climbing its way to the Global Spotify chart, and later on April 17, 2024, reached the 11th spot in Spotify’s Top 50 Global chart. “Magnetic” also got ILLIT’s first music show win and trophy on SBS’ music show “The Show” on April 2, 2024.

However, on the same day, ILLIT’s victory turned sour following their performance during their celebratory encore stage. While there were people defending the rookie girl group’s encoure stage saying that it was all due to their nerves and jitters after winning, K-pop stans and K-netizens didn’t hesitate to voice out their criticisms regarding ILLIT’s shaky voices.

https://twitter.com/parkistp/status/1775105917958369433

https://twitter.com/TheLastOfJK/status/1775336448784290296

Others pointed out how HYBE has been placing less and less focus on their idol trainees’ vocal training, and how it was completely evident with ILLIT.

And then on April 14, 2024, LE SSERAFIM performed on the Sahara stage at Coachella, and there were varying reactions to their performance. People who saw them live said that they did great and there was nothing wrong with it, but comments online were the complete opposite.

There was a huge backlash surrounding LE SSERAFIM following their stage at Coachella and only escalated following Sakura’s Weverse post shortly after.

The comments and criticisms against HYBE, ILLIT, and LE SSERAFIM haven’t stopped, as of writing. Just check out K-pop Twitter and LE SSERAFIM’s personal Instagram accounts.

 

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