It looks as if the K-pop industry is starting off 2016 with some unique comebacks. 4Minute will have their upcoming album co-produced by Skrillex , so new songs might have dubstep in them. Dal Shabet performed as a four-member group after Jiyul and Kaeun departed late last year with their mini-album Naturalness . Finally, GFriend will release their third mini-album titled Snowflake , which so happens to be the final part of their “high school girl” theme trilogy.
The aforementioned K-pop idol girl groups are or have been highly-anticipated among the K-pop community for their comebacks thus receiving plenty of attention. However, there is another idol group besides them getting even more attention than them though it may not be positive per se. STELLAR released photographic teasers for their upcoming second mini-album Stabbed . They are now being attacked by netizens for their concept. Not only that, the photographer who took the pictures is being attacked too.
The reason why STELLAR is being attacked by netizens is because the content for their upcoming mini-album is just too much for them. According to Korean news outlet Instiz , K-pop fans were shocked when group member Junyool posed in nothing more than a white tee and her underwear. Though it is only one member posing (Minhee, Gayoung, and Hyoeun were not featured), many are now accusing STELLAR of taking a “Lolita” concept for their upcoming comeback.
Not only are netizens attacking STELLAR for their concept, they are going after the photographer too, as reported by Koreaboo . The person behind the camera responsible for Junyool’s photographs goes by the name “ rotta .” He is also responsible for another similar photoshoot with Sulli, former member of K-pop idol group f(x). Anyways, many netizens have negatively commented on rotta’s work on his official Instagram, claiming his photos are offensive and shouldn’t be considered art.
Given the negative attention STELLAR is getting for their sexy concept for Stabbed , many would think this was a bad move by them. The fact of the matter is they are probably happy they are getting such attention given their history. In a past interview with AllKpop , STELLAR gave insight on why they went the “ sexy direction ” with their music via interview with No Cut News . Making their debut back in 2011, STELLAR released songs like “Rocket Girl,” “U.F.O.,” and “Study,” but never gained attention. They were struggling even saying how they did not have money for rides (transportation), shared one meal among four members, and had to use the practice room of a famous choreography team because they could not afford their own. That changed with their song “Marionette” in which they incorporated a sexy concept. Fortunately, K-pop fans took notice. Suddenly, they no longer had a negative number in their banking account. The first purchases STELLAR made were a car and a dorm followed by a practice room.
Now with an income cushion to work with, STELLAR tried to release new songs that weren’t sexy like “Marionette.” Unfortunately, said songs were a bust, as few took notice. So in the end, they had to stick to the “sexy direction,” as proven with their song “Vibrato” (which received plenty of attention among the K-pop community).
Ultimately, STELLAR is doing what they can to survive among other K-pop idol groups backed by powerhouse labels. If they were signed to SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, or any other large label, they would have the means to possibly make it big. But they are not, and if posing in a “Lolita” concept is what it takes to be seen and heard, that is what STELLAR is going to do. As for Stabbed , it releases on Monday, January 18, 2016.
[Image via STELLAR/The Entertainment Pascal Promotions for Stabbed ]