9 Huge “What Ifs” In K-Pop That Could Have Drastically Transformed The Industry
For the most part, K-Pop as a whole seems to be doing pretty well these days in terms of global impact and popularity. It has become increasingly popular over the last couple of years in particular, and there are a lot of different circumstances that have worked together to get us to where we are now. But that begs the question… What if some major events in K-Pop had turned out differently? Would we be in a much different situation with the industry than we are today?
Recently on Reddit, K-Pop fans mused over some major “what ifs” they had that will definitely have any fellow fans mulling over the potential consequences. Here are 9 of their top discussions from the post!
1. What if… TVXQ didn’t split up?
TVXQ originally debuted under SM Entertainment with five members in 2003; however, beginning in 2009 and over the next year or so, three of their members (who would later split off to form JYJ) got into a lawsuit battle with the label, eventually leading to the group splitting into two. But what if they had remained together all this time?
Comment
by u/Cutiepiest123 from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/ElectronicSample843 from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/mikarala from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/Kneesocks889 from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/9beanz from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
2. What if… “Future 2NE1” happened?
Back in 2012, YG Entertainment released teasers for a project dubbed “Future 2NE1”, which consisted of fromis_9‘s Seoyeon, soloist Roya, Billie‘s Moon Sua, and soloist Youha. Once trainees at the label, of course, they ended up not debuting as “Future 2NE1” and each went on to have their own successful careers elsewhere. But what if they had stayed?
Comment
by u/ReluctantCat from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/dominolova from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/MintMuch from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/ReluctantCat from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/keroppismacaron from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
3. What if… The IZ*ONE lineup hadn’t been rigged?
Back in late 2019, it was revealed that members of both X1 and IZ*ONE — both created through the Produce survival show series — had been rigged to join the groups unfairly. Fan votes were apparently not taken into account, and the final line-up was chosen instead by just a couple of individuals. But what if the members had been chosen fairly?
Comment
by u/etoilehannie from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/6pcChickenNugget from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/chicken_sandwichh from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/hogliterature from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/Dreaming-Of-Mars from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
4. What if… The Ark hadn’t disbanded?
The Ark was a short-lived K-Pop girl group that debuted in April 2015 and would go on to disband just a year later. Despite their short time together, however, their one released song, “The Light”, made such an impact on the industry that people can’t help but wonder what they would have achieved had they not disbanded.
Comment
by u/beancomrade from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/keroppismacaron from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/Sambaek28 from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
5. What if… Wonho hadn’t left MONSTA X?
MONSTA X fans were (and still are) devastated when Wonho left the group in late 2019 after a series of controversies and allegations made against him. In his effort to not let it negatively impact the other members of MONSTA X, Wonho left amicably, but many fans feel like the group has never been quite the same without him. What if he had stayed with them?
Comment
by u/Niight_Owl from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/Not_Idea from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/wafflesandsugar from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/One-Interview3668 from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/sweetmotherofodin from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
6. What if… X1 hadn’t disbanded?
As with IZ*ONE, the members of X1 were revealed to have been selected through rigging rather than through fair fan voting. Unlike IZ*ONE, however, X1 was only able to last long enough to release one mini-album before they were forced to disband due to the rigging controversy. But what if they had been able to stay together for their intended time?
Comment
by u/je-suis_meeeee from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/elswheeler from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/chicken_sandwichh from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/ElectronicSample843 from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/Jessmk14 from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/hayoonseo from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
7. What if… PRISTIN hadn’t disbanded?
PRISTIN debuted under Pledis Entertainment in 2017, and held a lot of promise due to their talented members including former I.O.I members Nayoung and Kyulkyung. However, the group only released two EPs during their time together before quickly going on a seemingly indefinite hiatus later that year, and eventually disbanded in May 2019 to the devastation of their fans, who blamed their label for poor management. But what if they had been able to be together longer?
Comment
by u/starboardwoman from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/xcsdv1 from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/Moondrop-Puppet from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/sunshinersforcedlaug from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
8. What if… B.A.P had been treated more fairly by their label?
B.A.P debuted under TS Entertainment in early 2012, and quickly drew a lot of positive attention for their power and charisma. However, just two years later, the filed a lawsuit against their label due to unfair working conditions and not receiving a fair profit. While they eventually reached a settlement, it seems that the members were never given the treatment they really deserved from their label, and by February 2019, all of the members had left the label. But what if they had been in a company that had managed them properly?
Comment
by u/sinabeuro from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/ok-peachh from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/tristemami from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/toxicgecko from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
9. What if… BTS had been able to do their Map of the Soul world tour?
Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, BTS were preparing to go on what would likely have been their biggest and most successful tour yet, with the Map of the Soul tour planned for 2020. Of course, however, when the pandemic hit, the tour had to be delayed and, eventually, cancelled, which many ARMYs still aren’t over. But what if they had been able to go on this tour?
Comment
by u/mcfw31 from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/MorlockEmpress from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/NathalieColferCriss from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/Low-Guard-1820 from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/6pcChickenNugget from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Comment
by u/artistictesticle from discussion What are your biggest kpop "what ifs" / alternate timelines?
in kpopthoughts
Share This Post
