The infamous "seven-year curse" coincides with when most idol band members reach their mid-to-late 20s. The seventh-year is also when most contracts expire, in line with a 2009 rule from the Fair Trade Commission stipulating that contracts between artistes and agencies cannot exceed seven years. Beyond that benchmark, the artists can decide for themselves about whether to renew their contracts or leave. Often, one or two band members can get better terms from another label; one reason many girl groups call it a day.
According to an industry insider, "if a girl group reached its peak within three to five years of its debut, the agencies try their best to renew contracts in the second round, giving better profit distribution to popular members individually." He also added that "Due to the profit gap, some members decide to leave the agency or find better offers with other labels, causing the band to separate."
Usually, boy groups are the ones to last longer because they know they might just be better off together with larger fan bases to tap for concerts and sales of albums and merchandise. However, in the case of girl groups, vocalists tend to break away and go solo, as seen in the cases of Bada of S.E.S., Lee Hyori of Fin.K.L., HyunA of 4Minute, Sunmi of Wonder Girls, Hyorin of Sistar, and CL of 2NE1.
Another route that girl group members usually take is acting careers. For example, Girl's Day Hyeri, Hello Venus' Kwon Nara, and many others have built successful acting careers. However, such is not always the case. There have been times where groups have successfully defeated this curse. Here's a list of some of the most notable groups that have defeated the seven years curse.
1. APINK
At the end of their initial contract, APINK might have disbanded. However, APINK's leader Chorong gave them the amount of reassurance they needed to trust the process and renew their contracts. During an episode of TMI News, the Apink members spoke about them renewing their contracts with Play M Entertainment. When it came time to renew their contracts, Chorong wanted all the members to trust her, as she wanted everyone to renew their contracts. The members proceeded to speak about how important Chorong was to them and how they would never have succeeded had someone else been their leader.
2. SHINHWA
SHINHWA is famously the only group with a career of over 20 years. They even hold the world record for the longest time that a group has been together without disbandment. The members came together again after a four-year hiatus during their mandatory military service and even opened up the SHINHWA Company to continue their artistic and creative endeavors. If that isn't dedication, we don't know what is.
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3. SUPER JUNIOR
Super Junior has been around for 15 years now, and they're still going strong. Although some members decided not to renew their contracts and went their way to carve a solo career in the industry, others stayed and continue to be active members in the group with music releases and comebacks regularly.
4. SHINEE
SHINEE is twelve years old now, having been formed in 2008. Despite going through unimaginable pain because of the heartbreaking loss of Jonghyun and then separating due to mandatory military service, the boys have not given up, and it is only a matter of time before SHINee becomes one again and meet Shawols with brand new music. Meanwhile, Taemin has made a successful solo career for himself and is also part of SM Entertainment's supergroup Super M.
5. BIG BANG
BIGBANG has been together for 14 years now. Even though they're not a five-piece anymore due to a terrible scandal in which Seungri found himself and consequently decided to leave the group and the entertainment industry forever, the four remaining members of BIGBANG are all set to make a comeback. However, their plans had to be canceled because of COVID concerns. Fans hope that this does not mean another indefinite hiatus.
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6. BTS
Finally, BTS. BTS has been together for seven years, and they have actively renewed their contracts for seven more, bringing joy, happiness, and hope to ARMY's all around the world. BTS is the perfect example of an ideal idol group, and we hope they stay together forevermore.
