7 Idol Groups from '3rd-Gen K-pop Wave' You Should Stan: BLACKSWAN, XG, WayV, More!
These 7 idol groups who came from "K-pop 3.0" are truly worth checking out - from their visuals to skills, they never disappoint!
As K-pop continues to expand in the music world around the world, the so-called "K-pop 3.0," the third wave of K-pop Hallyu, has been created.
In particular, while "K-pop 1.0" introduced groups with only Korean members and "K-pop 2.0" is about teams with foreign members, "K-pop 3.0" refers to localized groups that followed the K-pop system.
Here are Idol groups from 'K-pop 3.0' you should be stanning NOW.
BLACKSWAN
In 2020, the K-pop girl group BLACKSWAN debuted with Korean members. But after re-organization, the newly-formed team in 2022 has only foreign members.
BLACKSWAN
Currently, they promote as a five-member multinational girl group consisting of Senegalese-Belgian, American, mixed Brazilian and Japanese, German, and Indian members.
Among the members, Fatou, who is a black member, became a hot topic as it is the first time that a K-pop group debuted a member who is not Asian or white.
In May, they continue to capture international fans' attention, especially with their new single, "That Karma."
XG
In March 2022, XG, who's also a K-pop group without a Korean member, drew attention as they dropped songs "LEFT RIGHT" and "SHOOTING STAR."
However, as an all-Japanese group promoting in South Korea with only English songs, the perspective of locals was not all good. Koreans questioned if they could be really considered as a "K-pop" group.
As a response, XG's agency said:
"I think Korea's cultural industry is the most intense and high-quality market in the world. Because our biggest goal is to introduce XG music to the global market, we are delivering our music message based on English, the most widely used language in the world."
NiziU
A Japan-based girl group released by JYP Entertainment, NiziU was also the fruit of "K-pop 3.0," wherein the company localized groups by using the K-pop fostering system of Korean agencies.
Promoting this, companies see groups having more advantage of being able to succeed more stably.
WayV
Among companies, SM Entertainment is one of the proprietors of making localized groups with WayV.
NCT, a large global-scale K-pop group, introduced its China-based sub-unit WayV, and attracted the attention of both Korean and international fans by re-debuting members in the unit after already making their names in Korea.
&TEAM
HYBE, home to powerhouse acts BTS, SEVENTEEN, and NewJeans, debuted its first Japanese group &TEAM in December 2022.
&TEAM is a nine-member group that debuted through "&AUDITION - The Howling," and is a multinational boy group consisting of seven Japanese, one Taiwanese, and one Korean.
JO1
Formed through the Japanese spin-off of "Produce 101," JO1 is a fixed group managed by Lapone Entertainment, a label created through the partnership of CJ ENM and Yoshimoto Kogyo.
With the combination of K-pop and J-pop, JO1 drew interest from music fans, leading to grow as a global group.
INI
Just like JO1, the team INI was also formed through the Season 2 of "Produce 101 Japan." Since their debut, INI has been making waves in the country.
Who's your favorite "K-pop 3.0" group, and what's your favorite song of them? Don't forget to tell us in the comments below!
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