If anyone were to ask a seasoned K-pop fan which bands have stayed on top throughout their tenure (past or current), three groups are usually mentioned. They are Girls’ Generation, Wonder Girls, and Super Junior. However, it should be noted it took years of planning and polishing for said groups to get to where they are presently. For example, Girls’ Generation formed back in 2000 with Jessica Jung . It took them seven years to build up the group before debuting in 2007. However, it wasn’t until 2009 when they would be recognized with their hit song “Gee.” After that, the rest is history .
The timeline for Girls’ Generation is very similar for many other K-pop groups. Wonder Girls were busy doing covers until they released “Tell Me” in 2007. Super Junior also formed in 2000 but hit it big with “Sorry, Sorry.” As for more current acts, 2NE1 came together back in 2004 but got its big break with “I Am The Best.” Finally, Big Bang formed in 2000 too but had a major international breakthrough with their album MADE , which had hits like “Bae Bae” and “Bang Bang Bang.”
All of the aforementioned K-pop groups have one thing in common: it took an album, or specifically a song to make them big. For new K-pop group GFriend, they are unique because they’ve garnered international attention not for the song, but their performance of the song “Me Gusta Tu.” During the song, members have fallen down a total of eight times.
Numerous American news outlets not known for reporting on K-pop or any form of Korean entertainment, took to the web to write about GFriend’s performance as a testament of perseverance and professionalism , as reported by KpopStarz . Mashable stuck straight to the facts, explaining GFriend members Yuju (wearing a white knee guard) fell eight times while SinB had a major face-plant spill in the middle of the stage. Nevertheless, the girls picked themselves back up an continued on with the performance.
Time followed-up on the initial source, in which they provided the internet’s response to the performance. At the time of their publication, a video upload (attached above) of GFriend’s performance on YouTube was watched over one million times . As of now, that number as multiplied five times over.
It should be noted the performance took place at a festival held outside while it was raining. Ergo, it is understandable why they would be slipping. As to why the festival was not postponed or rescheduled, that’s the nature of the K-pop beast. If GFriend were removed, it would hurt their reputation. If their manager got them off stage, he or she would be fired. If that sounds unbelievable, just ask Bora of Sistar. Back in 2010, she had to continue performing even after a spill which fractured her thumb.
[Image via JustKpop Profile]