2021 will be an important year for many Kpop fans as it marks a turning point for some of the biggest Kpop groups.
Most idol groups sign contracts for 7 years with their agencies, when the renewal negotiation time comes, some idols choose to pursue a different path and some end up leaving the group, and sometimes, the agency decides with the group members to disband the group if every member has a different path in mind.
There is a term among Kpop fans called the ‘7-year-curse’ and it refers precisely to this phenomena, few Kpop idol groups get to make it beyond the 7 year mark.
Today, we’re to talk about the 6 Kpop groups that have contracts expiring in 2021.
GOT7
GOT7 has been in the news a lot lately precisely because of this reason.
Since late December, reports came out about member Jinyoung signing with an actor’s agency following his contract expiration with JYP, at the time, JYP stated they were still in talks.
A couple of days ago, it was also rumored that the youngest of the group, Yugyeom, was going to join AOMG, JYP also released a similar statement sharing that they’re still negotiating contracts with the group members.
GOT7’s contracts are set to expire in January of 2021. Many fans have been voicing their dissatisfaction with the way the label has been handling GOT7 for a while now, the fandom have been preparing themselves for the announcement which will be revealed later this month.
WINNER
WINNER group activities have been put on hold recently as two of its members carry out military service, Kim Jin Woo and Lee Seung Hoon enlisted in early 2020 to carry out their duty.
Thus, Mino and Seungyoon have been focusing on solo activities for now. In 2021, their contracts are also set to expire, fans wonder whether they’ll renew with YG or not.
LABOUM
LABOUM is another highly underrated girl group that debuted in 2014; their contracts are set to expire this year as well.
MAMAMOO
MAMAMOO’s contracts have also been the subject of discussion for a while now; the members themselves even discussed it previously with fans during a V Live broadcast, stating that they have no definite answer to give.
The popular girl group has been steadily gaining popularity through their hard work despite coming from a smaller agency. Many fans hope the girls will renew when the time comes.
Lovelyz
Woollim Entertainment’s first girl group contracts are set to expire soon as well, since they debuted in 2014.
The 8-member girl group has been releasing music relatively steadily since their debut and some of their members are venturing out to do solo activities in variety, dramas and more.
Red Velvet
One of SM’s biggest girl groups, Red Velvet will be turning 7 years old soon. Who can believe they debuted in 2014?
Fans are also curious about the group’s fate and whether they’d renew with SM or not. The group has been focusing more on solo/sub-unit activities after Wendy’s scary fall in 2019, they only recently reunited as a group to perform on stage.
Which one of these groups would you like to see renew with their label?
