[SPAZZ] Is this the moment T-ara becomes the number one girl group?

[klopfzeichen]

Alright, I'm putting this out there, has the time come for T-ara to get to next level and take their rightful place at the top of the kpop food chain snaring the crown of the current incumbents of the throne *cough* SNSD *cough*? Now with 9 members, epic videos that are basically mini movies, new fanclub, Japan endevours, and huge surge in popularity, is this the time that T-ara becomes a music powerhouse? Is this the time that when someone thinks of k-pop, the name T-ara comes to mind as the one that rules the charts and have trapped the hearts and minds of every fan out there? Discuss. Do it.

[Grimlock]

As everything, it's debatable. The vibe I picked up with Kpop is that whoever has the newest single is currently the number one group at the moment. It's just the way the industry carved itself to be. Though music should be about music and not about who can do the most outrageous thing. When people comment about outfits, video sets, hair, etc. I feel it just lost purpose. We haven't got a proper full album from T-ara since 2009 which pretty much was their debut album. Though I really dislike minialbums, I have to commend T-ara for making some pretty nice "filler" tracks. Often times the filler > promoted tracks for me. So to answer your question, IMO, no it doesn't seem like T-ara is the #1 group but they're following the formula laid out by the predecessors.

[kenzo]

No No No No and No.

SNSD is unbeatable (Before you ask, no, I'm not a Sone)

Everytime people talks about kpop, the first GG that pops out to their head is SNSD or 2NE1 or Wonder Girls or Kara.

T-ara didnt even have a big fanbase lol Fanbase is crucial for a top group.

And what does having 9 members have anything to do with this?

If anything they're gonna lose more existing fans.

[nkdi2211]

I doubt it would be 2NE1 , WG and Kara are the only ones in that list now. Kenzo

T-ara would pop up in kpop talk these days for sure, after Roly Poly, Cry Cry , and Lovey Dovey. I doubt their name would stay quiet.

T-ara just create their fanclub, so the fanbase is small.

If staying relevant, T-ara is almost always in show, Drama or CF. Int fans couldn't careless about it, but Korean would see them a lot these days, more than any other group TBH.

Anyway, They won't out rank SNSD, cuz they are out longer, as simple as that. As much as SUJU can't rival DBSK. SNSD is one of the firsts to go outside of Korea, so they would be the most well known.

when T-ara debut , and till now, there are more competition against them than SNSD have back then so they already did a marvelous job already.

In 2009 girl group line, only 2ne1 can stand and fight with T-ara, don't mention the newer group. T-ara is fighting with the titans of Kpop, why are you questioning their capability. I am happy as a fan with this much.

Peace

[Scatter_88mil]

No.

Aside from 2NE1, the other popular idol groups out there, namely SNSD, Wonder Girls and Kara had been present in the showbizz far longer than T-ara has and had built up their popularity before T-ara even debuted in the first place. On the case of 2NE1, their debut and concept was also a massive advantage to them in the first place (whereas T-ara's debut was rather standard-ish) and continued to maintain it to this day, along with tracks that were also massive all-chart killers comparable to T-ara's Roly Poly and Lovey Dovey.

Additionally, do note that the other popular girl groups have a fanbase that is considerably larger than T-ara's by far and also belong under big labels - SNSD being under SM, 2NE1 under YG and Wonder Girls under JYP while DSP, a formerly big label in the years before, has Kara as the most successful K-idol group out in Japan. It's hard to see any of the Big 3 would easily let T-ara grab the spotlight of any of their big cash cows without a big fight - that's for sure. While T-ara's fanbase had grown since last year, it's still comparatively smaller than either of those groups mentioned.

At current, I'd say T-ara's still below SNSD and 2NE1 while rivalling WG and Kara on more or less roughly equal terms (at least in Korea) but considering their management is awfully piss-poor, I don't see them taking on SNSD and 2NE1 equally unless either of those two end up disbanding or having a career-murdering scandal - both of those are doubtful since their agencies value them that much.

Age is also a factor here.

Save for half of 2NE1, SNSD, WG and Kara's oldest members are also younger than the oldest members in T-ara. Idol groups don't last forever and frankly, I'm afraid Boram, Qri and Soyeon have only at least 1-3 years left in T-ara if management plans on making them into something After School - which it suspiciously seems to be doing, since the age average has literally been slashed down.

SNSD, WG and Kara are likely to still maintain their positions during those 3 years with their current member lineup, going by that whereas T-ara's potentially to struggle. After School is also a similar case in this one.

[kenzo]

I am happy as a fan with this much.

Peace

I'm sick of arguing about this, so I reply this bit.

Yes as a fan I'm also happy with this much so why is it so important for them to be no 1 girl group? SNSD can't be beaten, that's a fact. Just accept it and move on.

EDIT : lol I misread your post. I'm not questioning T-ara's capability but the OP talks about becoming the no 1 girl group..T-ara has done amazing staying relevant in all these girl groups flood That's all that matters. Becoming no 1 gg is not important.

[Scatter_88mil]

^ This ^

@kenzo - I agree with you as well. It's not about becoming the national girl group, starring in heaploads of CFs, dramas, movies etc. or any of that. It's their health and wellbeing that should be the primary concern and priority of the fans - something I suspect many don't seem too concerned with or even aware of.

I mean, eye candy is good and all once in a while but there's clearly a limit to how much a human can work and at least in my opinion, T-ara's going to reach their breaking point on how much they can tolerate it more - up to the point they'll be the next lot to follow JYJ, Hangeng and Kara (to some degree, anyway) sooner or later.

[maknae23]

I am happy as a fan with this much.

Peace

Totally agree with you. I am happy with T-ara now and even if they are not the number one girl group in Korea, I don't mind at all. I'm sorry but they will never be the number one gg. As mentioned, SNSD are just unbeatable and they are in a league of their own. Nobody can touch them unless they get into some bad scandals.

I love T-ara for who they are now. I get that they are trying very hard to achieve the recognition of being the number one gg in Korea and I admire the effort that they are putting in. Long music videos, different concepts and amazing songs, T-ara never get stale for me. I have been blasting my ears with T-ara songs every day for 3 months now. I watched Cry Cry music video for I don't know 10 times maybe lol.

So what I'm trying to say is as long as T-ara are happy and the fans are happy, I don't think we need to care too much about the issue of being the number one gg (although I would really feel excited for them if in ONE GLORIOUS DAY they manage to beat SNSD). I always admire T-ara for their perseverance from debut till now. Looking at how they grow and evolve from their lypsyncing Lies and Wanna Play days till today where they are standing stronger than ever even with KKS trolling them, I am really touched. It doesn't matter if they are not on top of the world, as long as they stay healthy and keep up with the good music and energy, I'm all in for T-ara.

*I hope they won't breakup soon ....

[KaiC]

After Day by Day ... I think t-ara will emerge as one of the recognized groups ... To me T-ara is always the number one group because they worked really really hard for it

[KaiMK]

I think "#1 Girl Group" is something that is more or less determined by a group's popularity, and at the moment no one even really compares to SNSD in that regard.

Only time will tell though?

[EspadaKiller]

Like the rest had said, SNSD is unbeatable and untouchable so yeah, no way T-ARA is gonna beat them.

What I think is T-ARA has the potential to beat KARA and WG though. Maybe even 2NE1 but I kinda doubt so. It all boils down to the companies I guess. CCM is a rather screwed up company that has poor management, I smell a After School/AKB48 kind of concept with T-ARA, especially with the 2 new and young members. I hope T-ARA wouldn't go that path though.

[envY]

As much as I'd like that to be true, I don't think it'll happen for a long time, if it ever does. Girls' Generation has been around a lot longer and they've garnered a big fanbase that I doubt any girl group will rival for a long time to come. Even with these other top girl groups that have far better management and better labels backing them - KARA, Wonder Girls, 2NE1 - T-ara has managed to become not only a relevant girl group, but also one of the bigger girl groups in KPop. Isn't that enough of an achievement?

While I don't expect them to take #1, it's always a possibility, just not a very likely one. However, with that said I won't be disappointed if they don't. I'm already proud of how far they've come, and I'll continue to be proud of them especially considering how hard they work and how they strive even more to become better. Each and every one of our Queens has improved a lot from their early debut days and have come a long way. If they continue at the pace they're going at now I'm confident T-ara will be way up there someday right next to 2NE1 among the biggest girl groups.

In my eyes T-ara has already achieved #1.

[dannyrobby]

for me T_ARA is number one. they will succeed in the future

[Scatter_88mil]

As much as I'd like that to be true, I don't think it'll happen for a long time, if it ever does. Girls' Generation has been around a lot longer and they've garnered a big fanbase that I doubt any girl group will rival for a long time to come. Even with these other top girl groups that have far better management and better labels backing them - KARA, Wonder Girls, 2NE1 - T-ara has managed to become not only a relevant girl group, but also one of the bigger girl groups in KPop. Isn't that enough of an achievement?

While I don't expect them to take #1, it's always a possibility, just not a very likely one. However, with that said I won't be disappointed if they don't. I'm already proud of how far they've come, and I'll continue to be proud of them especially considering how hard they work and how they strive even more to become better. Each and every one of our Queens has improved a lot from their early debut days and have come a long way. If they continue at the pace they're going at now I'm confident T-ara will be way up there someday right next to 2NE1 among the biggest girl groups.

In my eyes T-ara has already achieved #1.

While one cannot deny how far T-ara had come across to what it has reached today in terms of relevancy and popularity, it's arguable that they done so at a far more costly price along the way, mentally AND physically. Personally, I see it as a pyrrhic achievement and at the rate they're being overworked and likely health decline, backed up with a grossly incompetent and notoriously merciless management, they're also the most likely of the current major female idol groups to crash into oblivion at worst or follow JYJ or Kara's steps at best.

Even SM knows when to give its idols a decent break once in a while, including SNSD. Don't know about the Wonder Girls but in the case of 2NE1, they managed to reach up to where they are without even starring in dramas or guesting in variety shows and significantly shorter promotion time periods whereas T-ara had rely on both of those to reach up to where they are, and are only starting to compete second tier spot with 2NE1 this month while trying to stay afload above f(x) and SISTAR, two groups that have also seen a recently large surge of popularity and relevance. Lot of agencies are bound to have noticed T-ara's success last year and likely have decided to step things up a whole new level this year.

Bottom line is that T-ara may have gotten big now but the biggest issue in the long run is how long can they last in the place they're in right now at the rate they're working in. For sure, their management is definitely a factor that's putting a huge weight on them, at least internally.

[envY]

While one cannot deny how far T-ara had come across to what it has reached today in terms of relevancy and popularity, it's arguable that they done so at a far more costly price along the way, mentally AND physically. Personally, I see it as a pyrrhic achievement and at the rate they're being overworked and likely health decline, backed up with a grossly incompetent and notoriously merciless management, they're also the most likely of the current major female idol groups to crash into oblivion at worst or follow JYJ or Kara's steps at best.

Even SM knows when to give its idols a decent break once in a while, including SNSD. Don't know about the Wonder Girls but in the case of 2NE1, they managed to reach up to where they are without even starring in dramas or guesting in variety shows and significantly shorter promotion time periods whereas T-ara had rely on both of those to reach up to where they are, and are only starting to compete second tier spot with 2NE1 this month while trying to stay afload above f(x) and SISTAR, two groups that have also seen a recently large surge of popularity and relevance. Lot of agencies are bound to have noticed T-ara's success last year and likely have decided to step things up a whole new level this year.

Bottom line is that T-ara may have gotten big now but the biggest issue in the long run is how long can they last in the place they're in right now at the rate they're working in. For sure, their management is definitely a factor that's putting a huge weight on them, at least internally.

I feel that to say T-ara's achievement is a pyrrhic achievement is a bit cynical. Even if they had to overcome hardships, perhaps more so than others, at the end of the day it's still an achievement worthy of celebration and praise. I would also like to note that I'm sure there are other top K-idol groups that had their fair share of hardships that they had to overcome to rise to popularity. Even if it may be comparably less than T-ara's, they are still hardships nonetheless. I can't give any specific examples though as I am not entirely clear about the other groups.

Although you do make a good point of the possibilities of T-ara crashing and burning or following JYJ's and KARA's footsteps, they are still just two possible outcomes among others. In the end, I feel that T-ara's success all boils down to the management. Which is subject to change. Whether or not the aforementioned possibilities become a reality or if they move on to become one of the most successful idol groups around is only something time can tell. But for now all we can do is cross our fingers and hope for the best.

[Winfield]

I dont know that I could say they are the top group at the moment, but they are definitely high up there.

They have been really consistent lately

[K127]

no, they just can not beat snsd, people do not even compare groups with snsd anymore, they're just unbeatable (i mean yeah, i'm a sone but this is the truth), everyone in korea obviously know snsd if not 99%, their sales are amazing, their popularity is unbeatable, everyone love them and as someone posted earlier, they're still 23,22 and 21, they're still very young compare to Boram, Qri and Soyeon and also their fanclub sones (i'm one of them)is huge, =.=, just accept the fact, love t-ara for their music, their personalities and their happiness, i really do not care for rankings, i just want to enjoy the music and watch the girls enjoy their lives, =)

[YooAra]

Don't think they are number 1 yet.

But i trust they are just number 2 behind snsd at the moment.

Can't blame them, snsd was very fierce in their promotion and they had concerts all over the world.

[Kenz]

I think it depends on the kind of music they continue to release. Unfortunately, I think at the moment the kind of music that is popular (worldwide, not just in K-Pop) is not the music that suits T-ara. Electronic/Autotuned music is huge at the moment, everybody seems to want songs that they can dance to in a club. On the other hand, I think T-ara are better suited to what I would call (for lack of a better word) "actual" music - songs like Day By Day and Don't Leave, which really suit Soyeon's voice, and it's good to hear the rappers get a chance to drop actual verses. Personally I think that's the best kind of music, and it's T-ara at their best, but I don't know if that's the kind of music people want to hear at the moment. A lot of my favourite artists (Usher, Chris Brown etc.) have gone from proper (and brilliant) R&B to autotuned electronic stuff, just because it's the best way to make money.

So even though songs like these are my favourite of T-ara's, and the best way to showcase their talent, I don't think it's necessarily their way to the top. But I would prefer they keep making songs like these even if it means they aren't #1 all the time.

Just my opinion, I'm sure there are plenty who disagree with me.

[riceeeeeeeeee]

I dont care if they are number one or not as long as they keep on putting out quality tracks like day by day.

[kata]

I don't think so... SNSD and 2ne1 are really popular... if they are making there US debut and leave Korea for a while... maybe

but definitely not now...

[klopfzeichen]

So this isn't going to happen anytime soon is it?

[htc10pjy22]

I don't think they have reached the top yet, but I do think they are near

it the have great songs like day by day and cry cry!

even though SNSD/WG/KARA... is hard to beat, one day T-ara will be there!

And I'm waiting for that day!

[shotime]

Before the controversy, T-ara is defenitely have the top position. But I think after that "scandal", their position has fallen too much and I think they need time to get back with their high position like before.

[cynt29]

well, not for this time T__T

but if their next comeback was spectacular more than their previous songs, i believe they could reach the top than before because many attentions are at them right now because of that scandal and i am talking about positive part that we can get from that scandal.