History of K-Pop: GOT7
GOT7 is a group that has garnered a particularly adoring fanbase in their time on the scene. Although the group had some difficulty taking off and faced some backlash from certain fans in the community claiming they lacked talent, the seven-member group managed to take off internationally and become one of the staple boy groups in the industry today.
Although the group was officially formed in 2014, the origins for GOT7 began in 2012 with leader JB and member Jinyoung (formerly known as Junior) forming the duo of JJ Project and launching their acting careers in Dream High 2. Mark, BamBam, Jackson, and Yugyeom spent time training together and appeared on Mnet’s survival show Who is Next: WIN, the show that ultimately decided the debut date for YG Entertainment group WINNER. The four of them are seen performing together on the show, amongst now well-known members of both WINNER and iKON, and even a cameo of Jae from DAY6!
Member Youngjae was the last to be added to the lineup, known for only training seven months before joining his team for debut. The group’s debut was announced on January 1, 2014, the first boy group JYP Entertainment would debut since 2PM in 2008. First EP Got It? dropped on January 20, showcasing the talents of their dancers via martial arts tricking and b-boying, both of which became a signature to the group in their early days. Despite the album doing well on the charts, title track “Girls Girls Girls” only made it to No. 21 and at the time a lot of talking went around calling them “post 2PM.”
The group’s first comeback with mini-album Got Love and title “A” featured a fresher, more youthful concept that finally gave Youngjae a chance to shine after he was given literally zero lines in the debut track. The most notable thing about this comeback was the shift in focus of the choreography, which appeared much simpler than debut. The group continued to experiment with concepts with the next title “Stop Stop It,” which became famous not just among the fandom but all through K-Pop for the use of the “minion outfits,” a term coined by Jinyoung himself. It only took about a year or two for the members of GOT7 to clown themselves for the fashion they endured in the early eras.
While decent success came to the septet in these three eras, the true major breakthrough didn’t begin until the release of “Just Right.” Currently sitting at 319 million views, this comeback solidified itself as a quintessential K-Pop track. Finally abandoning the strangely edgy fashion for a cuter, more wholesome look, many were captivated by the sweet and positive message in the song and the delightful boys singing the track.
The group didn’t take their first music show win until late 2015 with the “If You Do” comeback, the title track on mini-album MAD. The track did a complete 180 from “Just Right,” giving the boys a more intense aura, though lacking maturity. The darker concept was a first for the group, but was executed so well that it seemed they were veterans at it. The contrast between this fierce concept and the otherwise soft and playful personalities of the members really solidified their talents and helped propel them into the public eye.
Diving into Flight Log
Moving into 2016, GOT7 announced their comeback with Flight Log: Departure, kicking off a trilogy that would last into 2017. “Fly” was an international success and not long after, the group embarked on a successful world tour. Flight Log: Turbulence was the follow up later in the year, with title “Hard Carry” diving deeper into a more intense lore that kept Aghases guessing, deeply analyzing visual metaphors in both music videos.
Flight Log was a significant turning point for the group for a number of reasons, least of which was a more active role in production on their albums. The septet began to gain more respect among the community, even amongst those who mocked them, when it became clear that each of the members took part in the songwriting process and possessed significant musical talents. International success was worldwide, with the group being one of the first to tour globally on a regular basis. It was at this time that their choreography became much more powerful, with more work going into each one.
The final installment of the series was Flight Log: Arrival with title track “Never Ever,” both of which soared to the very top of the charts in Korea and America.
Direction for the group became unclear after the conclusion of the trilogy, since it appeared that they’d reached the peak of recognition and growth in the industry. But that proved to be untrue when the release of 7 for 7 and title “You Are,” co-written by leader JB, topped the real-time charts in Korea. Their music style began to evolve again in 2018, with title track “Look” having a trance and EDM influenced melody quite different from previous title tracks. They continued their experimental movement with the next comeback “Lullaby,” which was the first K-Pop song to be released in four different languages: Korean, Chinese, English, and Spanish.
2019 marked a bit of a transition for the group. Jackson began to spend a lot of his time in entertainment in China, releasing solo music along the way. Although JJ Project had a comeback in 2017, JB still joined a new sub-unit with maknae Yugyeom in 2019 known as Jus2. BamBam began activities in his native Thailand and Mark began working on solo music as well.
The first group return Spinning Top: Between Security & Insecurity and title “Eclipse” made a big mark on the industry, making GOT7 JYP’s first group to sell two million albums since debut. This title was penned entirely by leader JB. While on their American tour, they were the first group to perform on the Today Show in New York. The end of 2019 was marked by the return Call My Name and title “You Calling My Name,” a track that switched from their usual high-intensity sound into a softer, R&B retro influence that was new but welcomed.
As of 2020, the group has made their return with their 11th mini-album Dye and title track “Not By The Moon,” which is only a month old but already passed 37 million views on the music video. The comeback has garnered a lot of attention for returning to a narrative focused story, the lore of Dye following along with classic literature in Romeo & Juliet.
Having solidified their position in the whole of K-Pop, it’s hard to see the direction GOT7 will go in the future, short of regular returns to the music scene between breaks. Military enlistment is looming not far in the future, but there is at least two years left until the first member will have to go off, which is plenty of time for production of content in the meantime.
Any naysayers of the group early on seem to have been silent as the group has grown into their own sound. There’s no question that GOT7 has solidified themselves as a quintessential K-Pop group and will continue to thrive in the current environment.