[Bonus] Kpop Free Agency: End Of The Rainbow

Another group bites the dust. Rainbow is the next act to say goodbye, and with that it is time to debut a new series called "Kpop Free Agency." It will explore the landscape of Kpop groups and member changes, if only to appease my desire to make the industry more like a game. Though technically, this isn't the first time I've ever written a piece like this (though it is ancient). Also, these will be much easier to write than reviews. But rest assured, those are still coming! There are a handful of November comebacks on the way and I'll try my best to not miss many. Anyways, I'm going to pick a few names from disbanded groups and try and place them into new groups. Mostly for fun, but some decisions will be more serious than others. Let's start!

Youngji to April
Look, by now DSP is a relic of the past. KARA is finished, and Rainbow has now joined them. Youngji made her way to stardom by becoming a member of KARA, so joining April - the last surviving DSP girl group - makes sense logically. Sure, there'd be a pretty significant age gap between her and the youngest member, but that isn't something foreign to groups anyway. Plus, Youngji is certainly capable of turning to the bubblegum pop side. I'd never like it if that actually happened, but hey this is all theorycrafting anyway.

Hyunyoung to Sistar
Hyunyoung has one of the best bodies in Kpop. Which group also features some of the best bodies in the industry? Why Sistar, of course. Not only would she be a good fit in terms of appearance, but they could all hit the gym together, too (and often). On a more serious note, Hyunyoung would bring a fantastic velvety voice to the group, and do most of her work in the lower register. She could make a strong combination with Soyu, and of course Hyorin. At the same time though, it may be too polarizing and difficult to get her into the rotation, but I could see her taking some of Dasom's lines.

Gayoon to After School
This seems like a cruel joke, because she'd essentially be going from one sunk ship to another, but hear me out. Let's pretend this group can be relevant again. When After School was active, they have lacked a distinct vocal leader (and I'd argue this has been a thing since the days of Bekah and Kahi). Raina is good, but not spectacular. Gayoon isn't spectacular either, but adds an element of power to their music. She could be the main vocals with Raina in a secondary role. Gayoon also has striking visuals to compliment a roster with people like UEE and Nana.

Jiyoon to 9MUSES
Jiyoon has already planned out her solo career (at least the debut part of it), but if 9MUSES (which is another group losing traction quickly) were to rebuild and add new members, she would be a heavy favorite. Jiyoon has plenty of versatility to back her up, and could easily function as the main rapper (splitting time with Sojin) or play second fiddle to Hyemi (because I think she's a better singer than Keumjo or Kyungri for the most part). She would fit in image-wise, and provide some sassy attitude that the group lost when Erin departed.

Sungah to Secret
Technically speaking, 9MUSES is still an active group, but at this point they're almost completely different from the 9MUSES of old. Most people expect Sungah to be the next muse to leave, which would make the Amuse lineup the de facto 9MUSES lineup. Even though she's likely not returning to the music industry, I could see her making Secret a quartet again in a distant universe. Hyosung and Sungah would be a fantastic duo to support Jieun. Let's be honest, Sunhwa was a pretty terrible singer, so Sungah would be an immediate upgrade. Plus she has flexible options in trading rap and vocal parts with Hana.

As ridiculous as some (heck, probably all) of these sound, they are, they were really fun to draw up and see who could be a good fit where. We'll be seeing a real-time application of this when IOI finishes promotions and the members disperse into futures with other groups. More importantly, I think this series will serve as an idea vault for future "Wild Kpop" installments, which will hopefully return with an EXID and BESTie episode in the month of November. Until next time!