Why Are Fans Split Over K-pop Supergroup SuperM?

By Caitlin Kelley


Last week, Capitol Music Order and Korean label SM Entertainment formally reported the launch of a K-pop supergroup called SuperM. Dubbed "the Avengers of K-pop," the new boy musical group features some of SM's most popular idols: SHINee's Taemin, EXO's Baekhyun and Kai, NCT's Mark and Taeyong, along with WayV's Lucas and Ten.


Given that the seven members' distribution of talent is heavily weighted toward dance prowess, it makes sense that SM founder Lee Soo-man envisions SuperM to specialize in "performance-based music with songs that highlight choreography." The order is set to debut in the U.S. This October.


"We have put with each other seven super talented artists to perform differentiated music," Soo-man stated. "SuperM will show you the core values of K-pop with music efficiency, style, and videos. All on a fully different scale, each with exceptional talent in dance, vocal, and rap."


K-pop has been relying on risk aversion in recent years, front-loading the fan-attracting process with competition shows and pre-debut promotions. A strong fandom can make up for a rookie group's growing pains. Not to say, fan mobilization has been instrumental in putting K-pop on the international radar within the past couple of years.


However SM Entertainment — largely allergic to reality TV — is taking that to a whole new level. SuperM is blending the talents of traditional superstars who have over 35 years of post-debut experience between them. Saying their fanbases are built-in could be a vast understatement. The main question is: Will these three fandoms work with each other to support SuperM?


for now, reactions have been mixed.


While rumors of the supergroup circulated ahead of schedule, backlash was swift after the official announcement on August 7. The hashtag #SuperGroupDisbandParty trended on Twitter, while most of them of comments on SuperM's first tweet came from embittered EXO-Ls, the fandom in back of EXO. On paper, the A-team sounds like a stan's dream come true — plus it is… for some people! However the separate fandoms of the pre-established groups — SHINee, EXO, NCT, and WayV — have their reasons for the blow up.


because the loudest contingent, EXO-Ls' concerns are heightened by the fact that EXO members are beginning to enter their mandatory military enlistment period. Two members have already enlisted, and EXO won't have a full lineup for a couple of years. So, fans are worried about the remaining members — particularly dancer and singer Kai — developing solo careers before they go on hiatus. Not to say, singer Baekhyun, who made his successful solo debut in July, will have to enlist by 2021.


Fundamentally, every fandom has the same concern: Why spend resources on SuperM whenever you can invest in your traditional groups? As Redditor u/AnthaMi put it, "the timing seems pretty awkward: Exols and Shawols have been asking for better promotions for years, and even for exols, have been rather disappointed. … It should be the moment where they set their solo career up, as an alternative they are busy re-debuting in another group."


The biggest takeaway from the backlash is that it's not that easy to combine the powers of numerous fandoms. While international K-pop fandom has historically been more helpful to multifandom (i.E. Stanning more than one categorize, single order stans appear to be growing stronger amid increased competition for stateside promotions and attention. This factor already poses challenges for the NCT brand because the members shapeshift into endless subunits without centralized lineup, which causes friction between NCT fans.


It's insufficient for a fandom to have mass. Fan mobilization requires a certain level of corporation and coordinated efforts. The hugest fandoms rally around promotional objectives to help their idols reach greater success. As it stands, Shawols, EXO-Ls, and NCTzens have very different fandom identities. Still, SM has high hopes for the potential of SuperM's super-fandom. "We're attempting to unite the fandoms," Chris Lee, SM A&R, mentioned in an interview with Billboard. "Fans, please don't worry about it. We'll make you all happy."


On top of that, fans were confused about the choice of a U.S. Debut. NCT 127 is already making headway overseas, and so they reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200, making them the second-highest ranking K-pop categorize on the chart of all time. The Seoul-based subunit previously signed with Capitol Music Order and Caroline for global distribution, and up until this point, they've seemed poised to break big in the U.S. Market thanks to their international roster.


Then there's the fact that SuperM is being introduced to American crowds with an overly complex categorize structure. It's already overwhelming for the average American to watch groups with more than five members. Although add numerous groups with shared members into the mix? That's a tough sell for the general public. SM is gonna have to stick with their built-in fandoms — who don't all seem to be into it right now.


And if SuperM doesn't attract K-pop fans, appealing to U.S. Crowds might be even more of a challenge for reasons in back of their supergroup structure. There's the idea that Residents of the United States typically latch onto artists who appear to be self-made. Some days, the appearance of genuine artistry is marketing spin in the States.) The U.S. Market is obsessed with "authenticity," and that's become a key word in crossover pushes for BTS, BLACKPINK, and Monsta X, amid Western press that still pegs K-pop as "manufactured."


The truth, although, is that pop is hyper-industrialized around the globe. Labels like SM Entertainment just happen to be more direct about the controlled environment their artists work in. In a separate interview with Billboard, SM's Lee talked about the company's philosophy of "cultural technology." At one point, he openly talked SM's objective of IP expansion: "You know, these artists, if we imagine them as intellectual property," he mentioned, "they're not products nevertheless as an analogy they can be looked at that way."


That ethos hasn't deterred the supporters of SuperM who, at the end of the day, would simply rather give attention to the time and energy their idols have invested to get this far. "Prove them wrong," one Twitter user wrote. "Ill support you. Super m lets debut proudly. Youve worked hard." The dissenters might be more vocal than the rest, nevertheless the fact that SuperM trended worldwide for a number of hours shows potential. That level of engagement means that there really is widespread interest in the categorize — right now it's just a matter of turning public suggestion around.