Back in 2010, the producers behind the breakthrough hits “Gee” by Girls’ Generation and “U-Go-Girl” by Lee Hyori were planning on launching a new K-pop idol girl group through Happy Face Entertainment. Their plans came to fruition on January 3, 2011 when Dal Shabet made their debut. Since then, Dal Shabet has proven to become Happy Face Entertainment’s most popular act. Eight of their singles have reached the top 20 on Korean charts,while five of them peaked passed No. 20 on the Korea Top 100. However, their biggest achievement was winning the Best Newcomer Artist award at the 26th Golden Disk Awards on January 11, 2012.
Even with their initial success and the popularity of their recent 2015 hit single “ Joker ” (attached below), members Jiyul and Kaeun have decided to leave Dal Shabet. This setback however will not slow Dal Shabet down as Happy Face Entertainment recently announced they will return as a four-member K-pop idol girl group this coming January.
Before reporting the details on Happy Face Entertainment’s new direction for Dal Shabet, it should be reported that Jiyul and Kaeun’s departure from the entertainment label are on amicable terms. According to AllKpop , both former members of Dal Shabet had their contracts expire . Instead of renewing, they decided to go different directions with their careers. Jiyul wants to pursue a career in acting while Kaeun wants to pursue a career in fashion.
For the former, Jiyul already has some acting credits to her name. In K-movies, she made a cameo in Papa and Wonderful Radio while playing a main role in short film Her Story . In K-dramas, Jiyul made a cameo in Dream High and had main roles in Fantasy Tower and Yotaek . Finally, Jiyul also has been a host, guest, and contestant on K-variety shows too. As for Kaeun, specific details are few and far in between about her interest in fashion. However, she has been seen at numerous fashion shows including Fashion KODE 2016 in which she ran the runway with at least two dresses.
The remaining four members of Dal Shabet – Serri, Ayoung, Subin, and Woohee – will make their comeback with a new album this coming January, as reported by KpopStarz . Happy Face Entertainment did state that said comeback will coincide with Dal Shabet’s fifth anniversary but that is all we know about it thus far. The exact comeback date and the title song are still unknown.
Everything seemed to work out for all involved. Dal Shabet will continue on, while former members Jiyul and Kaeun are free to pursue their passions in their respective solo careers. To be fair though, it may not be long until Dal Shabet officially retires and there is one major hint on such happening besides more members leaving the group. The biggest hint is Happy Face Entertainment’s newest K-pop idol girl group, Minx. Though a little over a year old, Minx is already turning heads among the K-pop community for their first song “Why Did You Come To My Home.” However, Minx got major recognition for their song “Love Shake,” a cover of Dal Shabet’s song from their debut album Bang Bang . Apparently, Minx did a far better job than Dal Shabet with the song in which their music video for it has almost 500,000 views on YouTube. The original by Dal Shabet wasn’t even popular enough to be made into a music video.
For now, all of Dal Shabet’s darlings (official name of devoted fans of Dal Shabet) can rest assured their bias K-pop idol group isn’t going anywhere as of now. Actually, them coming back with just four members may be what’s needed for their breakthrough. TVXQ became far bigger when it became a duo. Girls’ Generation is bigger now than ever before now that Jessica Jung is no longer a part of them. The same blessings just might happen for the K-pop idol girl group that brought K-pop fans “Be Ambitious,” Supa Dupa Diva,” and “B.B.B.”
[Image via Dal Shabet’s Official Facebook Page ]