The “7 Year Curse” is a term that comes up again and again whenever a K-Pop group disbands after several years in the music industry. Maybe you've stumbled across the term yourself and wondered what it's all about.
If you do a bit of research, you'll quickly notice that many well-known groups that have disbanded were active together for almost exactly seven years. Coincidence? Probably not. In this article you'll find out what the “7 Year Curse” is all about and why it's also mentioned in connection with groups that are still active and successful.
Until 2008, it wasn't unusual for idols to have to sign a contract before their debut that tied them to their agency for more than 10 years in some cases. After three members of the boy group TVXQ sued their agency SM Entertainment over their 13-year contract, the Korean Fair Trade Commission issued a new regulation in 2009 stating that contracts may run for a maximum of seven years in the future. That's why most idols today have a 7-year contract.
When this contract expires, the idols have to decide whether to sign a new one or go their own way. After seven years in an idol group, it's understandably not uncommon for at least one member of the group to want to do something different. Some would rather continue solo; usually those who already released solo music during their time in the group and were successful with it. Others might want to focus more on other areas such as acting, and still others don't want to be an idol anymore at all. In some cases age also plays a role, because girl groups with an innocent image in particular lose popularity over time. Popularity is another keyword: many groups simply disband because they aren't successful enough and either the idols or the agency come to the conclusion that a contract renewal isn't worth it. Of course, there are also cases in which the idols and the agency can't agree on a new contract. Then the end of the group is usually sealed, because it's difficult to continue with the whole group at a new agency.
Basically, the Seven Year Curse is about whether groups renew their contracts or disband.
Victims of the 7 Year Curse
The curse has become a big topic in the K-Pop world, because over the years more than just one popular group has fallen victim to it. These include, for example, 2NE1, 4Minute, Sistar, MissA, Kara and B.A.P. Each of these groups was very successful until their disbandment; fans were accordingly shocked by their end. Just recently, in May of this year, the popular girl group GFriend also disbanded after their contract expired. K-Pop fans undoubtedly still think back wistfully on these groups, but perhaps it's a comfort that more and more groups are surviving the curse unscathed.
Among the countless K-Pop groups that debut every year, there are of course some that disband after just two or three years. So it's already an achievement to even reach the 7-year mark.
The “survivors” so far include mainly groups of the second generation such as Apink, 2PM, Big Bang, C.N.BLUE, F.T. Island, f(x), T-ara, Girls Generation, Super Junior and SHINee. All of these groups have now been active for over 10 or even over 15 years!
The absolute front-runner, however, is Shinhwa, the longest-running K-Pop group in history. Shinhwa debuted in 1998 and thus still belongs to the first generation. The boy group is now 23 years old!
The curse couldn't harm third-generation groups such as NU`EST, EXO, BTS, GOT7, Mamamoo and Winner either. By the way, GOT7, 2PM, Mamamoo and SNSD are proof that even groups whose members are with different agencies can still be active together!
In July, all of Seventeen renewed their contracts, which is especially impressive given the number of members. The boy group has only just started its seventh year, but with the new contract they have presumably agreed on at least two or three more years of activities together. Recently, the girl group Laboum also announced that four of the five members have extended their contracts and will continue to be active. Since Yujeong has left the group, though, you could say that Laboum was hit by the curse anyway, even if not fatally.
It can be assumed that groups like Red Velvet and Lovelyz, who debuted in 2014, will be faced with the choice this year of whether to continue as a group or disband. In the following years, many more third-generation groups will be put to the test.
Did your favorite group survive the 7 Year Curse? Let us know!
