All K-Pop groups always have a huge amount of talent and visuals to add to the industry, but as a highly competitive industry, not every group manages to make it. Here are 9 groups that ended up disbanding, but had tons of potential to be huge, according to fans.
1. Pristin
Pristin was a girl group formed in 2017, under Pledis Entertainment. The group had already garnered tons of attention, for out of the 10 members, 7 were Produce 101 contestants, and 2 of the members (Nayoung and Kyulkyung) had even made it to the final lineup of the hugely successful group I.O.I.
When they finally made their debut in 2017, they gained attention for their fun debut song, visuals and talents, and also snagged several rookie awards at the year-end award ceremonies. They continued this momentum of success with a comeback the same year, and followed it up with unit promotions in 2018.
After no news of the group for almost a year, Pledis Entertainment announced in May 2019 that after 2 years, Pristin had now effectively disbanded. Most of the members ended up leaving the agency, with only Seungyeon, Kyulkyung and Yehana choosing to continue remaining under Pledis Ent.
Members Roa (Minkyeung), Yuha (Gyeongwon), Eunwoo and Rena (Yaebin), with the addition of Bada as a new member, eventually ended up making their re-debut in HINAPIA, under OSR Entertainment in 2019.
With how much attention and love the members were receiving, fans truly believe that it was a shame that despite having lots of potential and promise, the group ultimately disbanded, and believe they could have been huge.
2. I.O.I.
As the final lineup for the survival show Produce 101 was selected, fans knew that I.O.I would only be a project group and would soon disband. What fans didn’t know, however, was how much they would come to love the group, and how popular and big the group would become at the time of their disbandment!
Produce 101, the first season of the idol group survival show, aired in the early half of 2016, and debuted the final lineup of the girl group the following year. The group achieved tremendous success, winning several rookie awards and gaining tons of fans with their talents and charms!
I.O.I, however, was active for less than a year, and subsequently disbanded at the end fo their contract in January 2017. Fans believe that had the group been allowed to continue, they would have gone on to great heights as a girl group!
3. The Ark
The Ark was a girl group formed by Music K Entertainment in 2015, and was made up of 5 members, most notably famous ex-YG Entertainment trainee Euna Kim.
The group released one single titled “Light”, and uploaded tons of dance covers on YouTube, gaining praise for their sharp and accurate dance skills. The group, however, ended up disbanding in 2016, and fans believe that had the group continued, they would have definitely stood a chance to become a much-loved girl group!
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4. KHAN
KHAN was a duo consisting of former The Ark members Euna Kim and Minju, formed by Maroo Entertainment in 2018.
The group released one single titled “I’m Your Girl?” in 2018, and then mostly remained inactive for the remainder of their time as a group, until Euna Kim confirmed that the group had silently disbanded in 2020. Fans believe KHAN had great potential to be big, and consider it a pity that they didn’t stick around for longer.
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5. X1
X1 is the boy group formed by the latest season of Produce X 101, which aired beginning May 2019. The final lineup of the group debuted as X1 in August 2019 with the single “Flash”.
Their debut single broke tons of records, and X1 won their first music show award a week after their debut. They also snagged rookie awards at year-end award ceremonies, and were on an upward trend to becoming a well-established boy group.
Soon after, however, due to the vote manipulation controversy, X1 ultimately disbanded in January 2020, making disappointed fans wonder for what could have been.
6. SPICA
SPICA was a girl group formed by B2M Entertainment in 2012, and was a group noted for their especially strong vocal abilities.
Despite gaining some attention over the years, the group ultimately disbanded in 2017, and till today, are sorely missed by fans!
In 2019, after almost 2 years since their disbandment, former members Kim Boa and Kim Bohyung announced that the two would be debuting as a duo under the name KEEMBO (a play on their names; both their last names are “Kim” and their first names begin with “Bo”), and subsequently made their debut with the single “Thank You, Anyway” under Ara-Line Entertainment in April 2020.
7. History
History was a boy group that debuted in 2013, and was formed by LOEN Entertainment, the same label that manages IU.
The group was on a slow upward trend, and were really picking up traction in 2016 with their fifth mini-album HIM, and title track “Queen”.
In 2017, however, LOEN Entertainment announced the group’s disbandment, but maintained that the members would continue to be signed under the agency as individual artists. Many disappointed fans believe that had they stuck around, the group would have picked up lots of fans and cemented themselves as a great K-Pop act!
8. BESTie
BESTie was a girl group formed in 2012 by YNB Entertainment. Members Hyeyeon, Uji and Haeryung were originally part of EXID‘s original debut lineup, before leaving the group and re-debuting in BESTie.
Soon after, the group promoted for around 3-4 years, but soon, the members began leaving YNB Entertainment one by one. Hyeyeon soon joined another agency in 2018, leading fans to believe the group has effectively disbanded.
9. Wanna One
Wanna One is the boy group formed by the second season of Produce 101, which aired in 2017. The final lineup of the boy group debuted as Wanna One in August 2017, and enjoyed considerable success as a group.
As Wanna One was another project group formed but the survival show, they disbanded in January 2019 after promoting for a year and 5 months. While the members are all loved for their individual promotions post-Wanna One, fans sorely miss the group together, and believe that if they were to continue promoting, they could have been even bigger than they ever were!
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Source: Koreaboo
