[Blog] The Argument For Subunits

Yeah, I know. Two consecutive blog posts, especially given the duration between posts is certainly unexciting. Even more dull (or annoying, depending on your perspective) is that I'm going to be talking about subunits again. The last time around I devised some subunits for girl groups I'd like to see, and that happened not too long ago. Do I feel cheap for doing so? Yes, but at the same time it's been busy busy busy for me (not to mention this is only the 7th overall blog post of this season) and this will be refreshing in some way. Upon closer inspection, I last wrote about subunits in November so it's not too bad.

There are many things about the Kpop world that I'd change. But one of the more intriguing ones would be to make subunit promotions. If nothing else, having subunits around would spice everything up more often. Rather than having a group make comeback after comeback, a subunit appearing once in a while would be a change of pace. Now of course this doesn't apply to all groups. Usually you'd need a large enough group to justify it, and be popular enough that having this break wouldn't ruin income shenanigans. Nonetheless, the reasons for utilizing subunits are many. First, you could bridge the downtime between full group promotions. There have been many examples of groups that simply take forever to have comebacks, whether it be due to their schedules or non-music activities. But for those members who don't have anything (because not all members were created equal), a subunit would be a chance to shine. Furthermore, rather than have a group comeback if a member is busy or sick, maybe a subunit would be more helpful. Though in those instances you're only looking at missing one member. EXID don't have to follow this route with Solji still not healthy, but groups like Super Junior have also consistently performed with different lineups due to all the military service and other shenanigans.

Then, you could use a subunit to help spotlight some of the lesser known or less popular members. Classic examples of subunits that do this would be AOA Cream and Bastarz (of Block B). From Chanmi to P.O, there will always be a member (sometimes a few members) that people just forget about. But suddenly, they're one of the focal points of the group. Honestly that's it. Not much more needs to be said. Whether the group member is simply overshadowed by the super popular ones, or has hidden talents that need to be showcased to the world, subunits are an opportunity for the group to balance the scales, so to speak.

In other instances, sometimes a subunit is simply a more efficient way of promoting a certain style of music. The easiest case would be AOA's band subunit. Not that the full group couldn't pull off a band concept if they wanted - because I think they could, but having a subunit known for the band concept is really nice. Sistar19 also took a spin off the stereotypical Sistar formula with songs like "Ma Boy" even if the subunit itself is really just Hyorin feat. Bora. More groups could benefit from the whole subunit specialization scheme. Rather than have the entire group change styles, pick a few members that would be most appropriate and work with them. Could be really interesting to see, say, a few of the Apink members doing some harder stuff, or