K-pop group Solia disband 5 days after debut single’s launch – is the Korean pop music market oversaturated?
- The five-piece girl group had not made a splash since launching in June, but Solia disbanded just as the release of their first single gave them a shot at fame
- Some K-pop followers suspected a PR stunt, but scores of K-pop groups are launched every year, and most are immediately plunged into a fight for survival
On August 17, new K-pop girl group Solia released their first single, Dream. On August 22, they disbanded.
The five-piece group were managed by Space Music Entertainment, a small South Korean entertainment company that has attempted to debut several K-pop acts but seen minimal success.
According to a post shared on Solia’s official Instagram account by Space Music, “the company can no longer lead our team Solia due to its circumstances”.
It is unclear from the post why Space Music disbanded Solia, but the short timespan between the release of their first song and their disbanding, that left little room for music fans to respond to the group, garnered attention from K-pop followers around the world.
“It was such a short time, but [we] want to say thank you and sorry to the fans who supported us and loved us,” reads the post.
Their disbanding has raised questions about saturation and sustainability in the South Korean music industry. Numerous groups make their debut every year with little hope of succeeding. Solia was only unveiled in June and not even 70 days passed between their first Instagram post on June 16 and their final one. They ended their career just as it had some room to begin.