I frequently mention the great idol wars of the 1990’s when the first
generation of idol stars were part of fan fueled rivalries pitting
groups against each other. While there were many different players, at
the center of the frenzy stood the two most important companies of that
era: SM
Entertainment and DSP Media.
These two companies have had an interesting relationship over the years
as SM has always been viewed almost as a big brother to DSP’s little
brother in the way they have developed and debuted groups. However,
there is no doubt that each has helped shaped the landscape of K-pop. On
today’s Way Back Wednesday, we’ll look at how the rivalry between the
two companies began and how it’s still continuing to this day with their
contributions to the world of K-pop both past and present.
H.O.T. vs. Sechskies – Rise of the Boy Bands
H.O.T
and Sechskies
defined the SM/DSP rivalry of the late 1990’s. Lee Soo Man
of SM Entertainment changed K-pop forever with how he created and
marketed the first boy group in H.O.T. The strategy of DSP Media
(Daesung Enterprise at the time) CEO Lee Ho Young was
to respond by creating what was initially viewed as a copycat group but
Sechskies had their own distinct style and personality. Rival fans have
always been a part of Korean music but it was the rise of the boy bands
that led to a new generation of fandom with specific colored balloons
(white vs. yellow) and synchronized chants (I had a friend who used have
them ALL memorized). Much of this activity is still part of the fan
experience today. I think the rivalry existed more in the minds of fans
than between the actual groups but the popularity of the two groups
probably opened the eyes for the entire music industry about how
powerful the (then) new generation of music fan could be. From H.O.T and
Sechskies came the basic outline of how to market an idol group:
showcasing individual personalities but always as part of the larger
group. It’s still exactly how most companies operate today.
SES vs. Fin.K.L – Rise of the Girl Groups
Even with all of the very talented young women in K-pop today, SES and Fin.K.LI’m Your Girl” and it was an instant hit making
them stars overnight. Their cute, wholesome image worked with fans as
they became the first idol girl group in K-pop. Fin.K.L debuted just a
few months later but didn’t have the initial success they had hoped for
but that all changed with their second single “To My Boyfriend”
which propelled them to become one of the most popular groups in K-pop
history. Like the boys, the rivalry between the group mostly existed
among fans but those fans were fiercely loyal. Both SES and Fin.K.L grew
beyond their role of just idol musicians into almost iconic figures
with fans copying their fashion, hairstyles, and more. They became
major product endorsers and were sought after guests on TV shows. The
girls were basically marketed as all-around talents rather than just
singers and encouraged to show multiple sides of their personalities to
forge that personal bond that fans latch onto. Sound familiar? SM and
DSP still do that today. are still
my two favorite girl groups of all time. SES debuted in 1997 with the
single “
TVXQ vs. SS501 – Going Global
SM and DSP took everything they had learned from H.O.T and Sechskies
and took it to the next level by going global with the next iteration of
boy groups, TVXQ
and SS501.
Both groups had success in Korea (TVXQ more so than SS501) but the
rivalry really kicked off when the companies made the jump into the
Japanese market. Traditionally, the Japanese market was not easy for
Korean artists to crack but through constant effort from previous
artists such as BoA and Korean cultural exports (think ‘Winter
Sonata’), the doors slowly began to open. By the time the two
groups came along, they were able to kick the door down and paved the
road to the Japanese market that many of the current idol groups enjoy
today. I think it’s fair to point out that while SS501 had great
success, TVXQ just did it bigger and better. During their heyday, the
group boasted the largest fan club in the world, were the most
photographed celebrities in the world and had much broader success over a
longer amount of time in both Japan and Korea. It’s unfortunate how
that story ended but there’s no denying their impact on the world of
K-pop.
Girl’s Generation vs. Rainbow – The Mega Girl Group
When Girls’
Generation first debuted back in 2007, the majority of the
talk surrounded the fact that there were nine members and that SM was
on some weird big-huge-group kick as Super Junior
and their thirteen members debuted just two years before. There were
questions about if that same concept could work with a girl group and if
fans would be able to identify with each member which is so important
in K-pop. The answer was a resounding yes. GG was the benefactor of the
full marketing prowess of SM but it wasn’t until their 2009 monster hit “Gee”
that they became international stars. That same year, DSP introduced
their seven member Rainbow
which followed the trend of huge girl groups performing intricate
choreography taking advantage of their sheer numbers. While individual
members of the group have become popular, the group itself hasn’t
reached the same level of success as their rivals. This was more of a
clear example of DSP following in the footsteps of SM, but it’s not just
DSP. Other companies like Core Contents Media and Pledis
Entertainment have followed suit with groups like T-ara and After School
growing to eight members each. All of that was from the success
stemming from SM as they showed it was possible for these large line-ups
to become popular.
EXO vs. A-JAX – The Next Evolution
In 2012, K-Pop was all about new boy bands and their powerful
concepts. EXO‘s
highly anticipated debut was the blueprint for
many, incorporating apocalyptic themes in their music and big powerhouse
vocals. As far as concept is concerned, A-JAX followed this
formula the closest. Currently, it seems A-JAX moved on to doing their
own thing with their singles “2MYX” and “Hot Game”. But until EXO makes
their comeback, we’ll just have to wait and see how this rivalry will
turn out.
This article might seem like I’m painting all SM groups as
revolutionary and all DSP groups as meager followers. Not so. It is true
that SM Entertainment has been on the cutting edge of the K-pop idol
industry and could be called innovators. It’s also true that DSP Media
has been in a following position debuting groups after a similar group
comes out from SM but so has the rest of the industry. What DSP was able
to do though was create groups that were able to stand up to the SM
groups and that challenge forced each company to produce cooler music,
choreograph more creative dances, envision forward fashion, and overall,
made each company, each group, and even maybe each member better. And
that’s why rivalries are a good thing.
Credit: allkpop
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