Only 5 K-Pop Groups That Debuted A Decade Ago Haven’t Disbanded
A lot has changed in the last ten years in the K-Pop industry. In 2013, the third generation of K-Pop was just beginning, and the music genre wasn’t nearly as popular worldwide as it is today.
And throughout the past decade, tons of K-Pop groups have come and gone, with some lasting for years while others fizzled out too quickly. Of the dozens of groups that debuted in 2013, there are only 5 that haven’t officially disbanded, and there are even fewer who are still actively promoting.
To go in alphabetical order, the first of the five K-Pop groups that debuted in 2013 but haven’t “officially” disbanded is AlphaBAT. They’re still technically considered a group, but they haven’t released any new music since 2020. It’s possible that they will release music in the future once member G:amma returns from the military in June this year, but we will have to wait and see.
The second group that debuted in 2013 that is still technically together is Boys Republic. However, they haven’t released new Korean-language music since 2016 (with some Japanese releases in 2017), and the group has been on an indefinite hiatus since September 2018, so a comeback from them is highly unlikely.
The only group that debuted in 2013 that is truly flourishing today is BTS. While they are on a bit of a “break” due to their upcoming enlistment dates (and Jin‘s current one) to promote more as independent artists, they are still far from being disbanded or broken up in any sense of the word. In many ways, they are the most successful K-Pop group ever on a global scale, so they definitely made it past the 2013 debut curse that so many artists seem to have suffered from!
LADIES’ CODE is the only girl group that debuted in 2013 that hasn’t officially disbanded. They managed to get through the tragic car crash that ended up killing two of their members — EunB and Rise — and are still technically a trio. However, they left their former label, Polaris Entertainment, in February 2020, and they are currently on an indefinite hiatus so the members can pursue their own solo careers. It’s unknown whether they will get back together in the future to release new music as a group.
Finally, the last group that debuted in 2013 that hasn’t totally disbanded is ToppDogg, though they now go by the name XENO-T. Originally made up of 13 members, they’re now down to five, and similarly to other artists mentioned above, they haven’t released new music since 2018, after they rebranded and renamed themselves. No hiatus or disbandment has been announced, but the long time spent without an update from them isn’t encouraging.
For some reason, it just seems like 2013 was an unlucky year for K-Pop groups to debut. While it is true that many groups don’t last for a decade in the industry, the year has more artists than 2012 that are no longer active at all, and BTS really is the exception to the trend. And of that, we’re very thankful for!
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