Is the Music Industry Biased? Fourth-Gen Male Idol’s Outrage Over Girl Group Popularity

A previously posted community board discussing Yeonjun from TXT’s past admission about the unequal attention received by male idols compared to female idols has recently resurfaced online, garnering significant interest from netizens.

In the past, Yeonjun made an appearance as a guest on GOT7 BamBam’s YouTube channel, ‘Bam House,’ where he openly discussed the difficulties that fourth-generation male idol groups encounter.

Host BamBam asked, “The gap between the second and third generations was long, but it doesn’t seem like it for third and fourth-generation groups. How does it feel to do activities as a fourth-generation group? I think it’s different from us.”

Yeonjun candidly reflected on the challenges of being a male idol in the current industry when discussing promotion efforts.

“As a fourth-generation group, I feel like it’s a bit difficult. Male idols get less attention, which is unfortunate, and I hope that male idols receive more spotlight,”said Yeonjun.

BamBam agreed, noting that this sentiment is shared by many male idols. “This has been a similar feeling that all male idols have had for a long time,”he stated. “Male idols always longed for attention from the public.”

Yeonjun also added that he hoped for an increase in the recognition and appreciation of music from male idol groups among the public.

“If you look at the charts, they are mostly girl group songs. Although their songs are good, male idol groups also have a lot of really good songs, which is a bit disappointing,”he added.

The comments section of the post was filled with a diverse range of reactions, showcasing the polarizing views of netizens. A few netizens recognized the struggles encountered by male idols:

• “I think male fans not being into male groups is a big factor.”
• “True…seems like they can’t catch the general public.”
• “Female fans like both girl and boy groups, but male fans tend to only like girl groups…so I think girl groups have the advantage over the general public.”

Some noted disparities in style and shifts in the dynamics of fans.

• “The style of male idol groups isn’t appealing to the male public these days…for example… crop tees.”
• “For male groups, second-gen was a core and general public fanbase, and starting with third-gen, it was just core fandoms, so for fourth-generation, the core fanbase has already been split into so many different fandoms; I can understand why he feels like that.”

However, certain internet users were of the belief that the change in popularity was simply a natural evolution.

• “But since male groups were more popular in the past, the times have changed.”
• “I think male groups have a right to be disappointed because even though they produce music and dance while singing live, they still can’t beat girl group visuals…”
• “Honestly, I think boy groups had the upper hand all this time, and starting with the fourth-generation girl groups have finally gained the spotlight.”

The conversation further revealed the intricate nature of popularity trends in the K-pop world. While certain netizens pointed out that male idols typically have higher album sales due to their loyal fan following, others emphasized the importance of male groups also appealing to a wider audience.

“Male idols have better records for album sales. They have a core fandom with power. In order to gain the public’s support, they need to have songs that are easy with a killing part, but compared to girl groups, boy groups songs tend to be much more complicated.”

The complete video can be viewed here.