Being Non-Idols In K-Pop: Understanding Why SISTAR’s Duets Do So Well

Girls' Generation and 2NE1 may be considered the leaders of K-Pop girl groups, but one group has been dominating music charts in Korea in a unique way: SISTAR

Not only has SISTAR released many popular songs as a group, but the individual members have also achieved a lot of success with solo activities. SISTAR's duets, in particular, have been tremendously successful, in part due to the fact that the members have created identities for themselves that are separate from the group.

SISTAR19 is a subgroup of SISTAR, formed by Hyorin and Bora. They debuted with "Ma Boy" back in 2011 and the video now has over 30 million views on YouTube.  Their most recent song "Gone Not Around Any Longer" reached number one on the Gaon Chart in Korea. Although this was a part of SISTAR, it gave both Bora and Hyorin a different identity.

Hyorin also released her own solo album, once again distancing herself from the SISTAR-idol title.

Mad Clown, who made his debut with SISTAR member Soyou in "Stupid In Love," is coming back with "Without You" featuring a different member of the quartet this time around, Hyrorin.

"Some," Soyou's recent duet with Junggigo, remains atop of many Korean charts, despite the fierce competition from groups like Girls' Generation and 2NE1. For each duet, Soyou didn't promote as a member of SISTAR, but rather simply as Soyou.

Both "Stupid In Love" and "Some" peaked at number one on music charts, and it appears that Mad Clown is hoping to achieve the same feat once again with Hyorin's involvement. The fact that Junggigo and Mad Clown are under the same company as SISTAR, Starship Entertainment, enables them to easily work together with members of the girl group.

It's not unheard of for idols to use more popular acts in their company to help them promote and gain attention. But SISTAR's members do not ride solely on the name SISTAR, rather using their own names for their recent songs, distancing themselves from the idea of what idols are.

Although most fans of K-Pop may not realize why this matters, in Korea there is some negativity towards idols, because they are not often seen as true musicians.

SISTAR's members, however, have gained so much recognition for their talent rather than their idol-ness, that their individual names are no longer immediately associated with the typical depiction of idols. This opens their songs up to a wider range of audiences than the typical fans of idol-driven K-Pop.

Because Hyorin is well known for her OST involvement and solo songs, she does not need SISTAR's name attached to her own to be successful; the same can be said about Soyou. At this point, their affiliation to SISTAR is dwindling because their own names are so popular.

The members have all gained enough recognition as individuals and proven their talent that they stand out among many idols in a unique way-they have talent that enables them to slip out of their image as idols.

The fact that SISTAR's members have talent and are popular as idols makes them appealing for duets, since they will automatically have a fanbase. But, it is the fact that SISTAR does not cling to its identity as an idol group that makes the members ideal for all sorts of duets.

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sistar hyolyn
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