K-Pop Predictions: 2017

There is no industry perhaps as volatile or competitive as k-pop, which makes every year (hell, every week) an exciting new world of opportunity, shifting popularity, and yes sadly, loss (aka disbandment) and heartbreak (aka that terrible new hairstyle on your Ultimate Bias). Just for fun, I have compiled my own list of k-pop predictions for what is to come in the year 2017.

*If more than 50% of these come true, I will buy myself an amaaazing prize.

Relatively Safe Predictions

  • Rookie groups SEVENTEEN, Astro, Pledis Girlz (official name TBD) will break out from the pack and shine
  • NCT will begin to dominate the boy group idol scene (heeeere’s Johnnnnny!)
  • A rise in solo debuts, especially from idols whose fellow group members are going into the army
    • *They’ve proven to be mildly successful in 2016, and I can only imagine becoming more so

Slightly Riskier Predictions

  • Co-ed groups will become the new hot trend (PLEASE, IT’S ABOUT TIME)
  • Gfriend, APink, and SISTAR will decline in popularity
  • Jackson from GOT7 will have a mental meltdown
  • Disbandment of groups: 100% and CLC
  • T-ARA will fully break out in the Chinese market, and completely abandon S. Korea
  • Super Junior will have a relatively successful comeback this year
  • Dean, MAMAMOO, and Day6 will grow in popularity
  • CL will become a household name in the US

Completely-Pulled-Out-of-My-Ass Predictions

  • Another idol couple will get engaged (see: Moon Hee Jun and Crayon Pop’s Soyul)
  • H.O.T. will follow the trend of first-generation idol groups returning to the stage and make a comeback
  • There will be a major scandal involving VIXX
  • Park Bom (of 2NE1 fame)returns to the music scene as a solo artist under YG
  • Disbandment of U-KISS and WINNER, the latter as a possible dissolution into one promoting group with iKON

Leave me a note if you agree/disagree with any of these predictions, and I guess we’ll see how I did in 362 days!

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