Once-prominent boybands, girl groups make impressive, but less than stellar return to stage

The 90s-nostalgia is back in full swing as mega stars of the bygone era are either preparing, or have already returned, to the mainstream K-pop scene dominated by teen boybands and girl groups.
S.E.S., cited by many as one of “first-generation” girl groups, released “Remember - 20th Anniversary Special Album” on Monday to commemorate its debut in 1997. The group was one of the first all-female groups to gain nationwide popularity, and is a forerunner to the parade of girl groups that dominate the K-pop scene today.

Sechs Kies (YG Entertainment)

Boybands of the era made the long-anticipated return too, as former titan Sechs Kies made a comeback late last year with the albums “Three Words” and “2016 Re-Album,” a remake of the band’s smash hits. The formerly 6-member group returned without Ko Ji-yong, but its reunion via popular TV show “Infinity Challenge” was well received.

Shinhwa, Korea’s longest running boyband with nine years under its belt, released its 13th official album “Unchanging - Touch” Monday. Although its activities as a unit were hindered by the separate acting and music careers pursued by individual members, the team maintains that its identity as a group still stands.

“The word ‘disband’ just doesn’t suit Shinhwa, nor have we ever separated from each other,” the group said in a recent interview with a local media outlet.

Boyband NRG is also reportedly preparing for a comeback while girl group Baby V.O.X. is also rumored to be considering making a return.

The ‘90s is considered the dawn of the boyband and girl group trend. While there have been popular singing groups prior to the era, ’90s was the first time that talent agencies began “producing” groups in multi-year projects. Today, it is considered natural for singer-wannabes to undergo years of singing, dancing and even PR training before their debut.

Critics attribute the resurgence of 1990s K-pop to nostalgia of the generation who were in their youth in that era.

“People who enjoyed their music in the 1990s are now in their 30s and even 40s, and are in leading positions of the society. They have become fond memories of the time,” said music critic Im Jin-mo.

Im said that the return to old-school is nothing new.

“While popular music looks to make trends, at the same time it reminisces upon the music of the past,” he said, pointing out that various music styles have repeatedly come into fashion and back to obscurity over time.

Nostalgia naturally factors in. Im said that the older generation who are new to the trending hip hop and EDM styles often finds music of the past “comforting.”

“I think the retro trend can widen the spectrum of listeners to bring back those who have lost interest in the current music trend,” he said.

The variety show ”Infinity Challenge“ offered such a stage for both fans and stars of the 1990s through its project “Saturday, Saturday is for Singers,” which featured popular “idol” groups of the time performing their hits.

But while groups of the past are enjoying flashbacks of their former glory, numbers indicate that the ’90s craze may just be limited to the children of the era.

S.E.S. (S.M. Entertainment)

”Remember“ by S.E.S. hovered under No. 50 in local Genie and Melon charts before dropping below No. 100 and notching up to just 92nd place in the respective charts as of Wednesday, four days after its release.

Even upon the highly-publicized release, the single failed to crack the top spots in the charts.

Naver Music chart, sorted by generation, showed that recently-returned idol groups of the 1990s were popular almost exclusively with 30-somethings.

Songs by S.E.S. took No.1, No.13 and No.20 among men in their 30s and No. 10 among 30-something women. But the group’s highest ranked song “Remember” was 83rd overall and its popularity was confined to that age group -- those who spent their youth in the 1990s.

Only Shinhwa’s “Touch” -- 11th among 20-something females -- and “Couple” by Sechs Kies -- 13th among females in 40s -- made it to top 20 of any other generation.

“The main users of music streaming and downloading services are the younger generation, which means the singers of the past are unlikely to have huge impact on the charts,” said Im.

This is evident in the fact that most of the users of the S.E.S.’s official fan site “Issue” are fans in their 20s and 30s, reminiscing about how great it is to see their “idols” back in action.

Does this mean the retro trend will eventually die out? Unlikely.

“The public enjoys familiarity (in pop music), particularly in times of hardship. This is why the retro trend is prominent during economic crisis … There has always been a retro trend in music. The only difference is that the target era has shifted from 1970s~80s to 1990s,” Im said.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)