History of K-Pop: Dreamcatcher
Say the name Dreamcatcher and the first reaction will likely be the group’s current legacy: heavy metal title track queens. Fans of the girl group will know they’re so much more than that, and over the years they have grown into incredible artists. But a lot of people are less familiar with the origin of the group and how they became who they are today.
The Origin: MINX
Dreamcatcher would not have become Dreamcatcher if they had not begun as MINX. To say MINX is the antithesis of Dreamcatcher is an understatement: the 2014 group had a more cute and innocent vibe to them and was more fit to labelmate Dal Shabet’s type of vibe. The original lineup consisted of JiU, SuA, Siyeon, Yoohyeon, and Dami, and while under this name they released a debut single and one comeback EP before Happyface Entertainment announced their rebranding with the addition of two new members, Handong and Gahyeon, in 2016. Ever wonder what the members would look like in a traditional girl group summer comeback? Look no further.
While MINX may have done decently well, those at Happyface likely saw an opportunity in a missing genre for girl groups. Plenty in the past had done darker concepts, but for many it was not a staple of their work, but rather experimentation in different concepts for a short period. This is especially true for horror-driven concepts, which were few and far between. Rebranding from the cute and soft girly girls into intense horror queens was a bold move, but one that would prove to be fruitful for the small company.
Moving to Dreamcatcher
The re-debut took place in January 2017 with first single album Nightmare and the lead single “Chase Me.” It was almost immediately clear that this debut would take the former MINX and change them to the antithesis of what they previously represented, with the debut music video showing the girls in all black and imitating the atmosphere of famous horror movie The Shining. Dami is even shown in the middle of a summoning circle.
The track itself also presented heavy influences of rock that had not widely been used by girl groups in the past, even in the darker concepts. The driving electric guitar kicking in after a soft opening piano melody is extremely thrilling, a perfect contrast that draws the listener in with intrigue. Even in 2017 it was revolutionary and proved to be successful for the group.
The problem with turning heads and building intrigue with a comeback is figuring out how to retain that audience for the long term. There were questions on whether the group would retain this image or switch it up. The initial shift could be fairly polarizing, considering heavy metal isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and the lack of B-sides on the first album made it more unpredictable.
Enter “Good Night.” Three months after the first release came the second single album, which was almost an exact mirror of the first: heavy metal intro and title track, accompanied by one B-side that showed a softer, ballad side to the girls. The music video for “Good Night” storyline-wise was a continuation of “Chase Me,” with all that really changed being the different genre of metal used as an influence in the melody. For metal fans, this had more of a Nu Metal feel. The continuation of the original debut helped to solidify a fanbase of horror enthusiasts who were excited to have that type of concept regularly covered, but ultimately it wasn't a tipping point for true success.
With the next release “Fly High” and accompanying mini-album Prequel, the girls tweaked the formula slightly to shift the intensity of the metal influence to something that sounded much more like an anime ending OST, so the darker sound was mixed together with a more driving pop beat. The shift was subtle enough that fans of their previous work would stick around but they would also be able to attain even more listeners by broadening their musical influence. The move proved quite fruitful, as Prequel debuted on the Billboard World Albums Chart at No. 5 and peaked at No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes K-Pop Top 100 Chart.
The debut year of 2017 ended on a positive note, with album sales rising steadily and overseas recognition becoming the norm. Going into 2018, many fans would still consider Dreamcatcher to be a severely underrated group, which was understandable considering the group had gained significant recognition overseas but was still barely known within Korea. Despite the lack of recognition in Korea, the girls became the first girl group to successfully tour in Europe in February 2018.
Dreamcatcher would return with something new in their second mini-album Escape the ERA. Title track “You & I” was released in May 2018 and showcased some new sides to their horror domination. The girls sported a particularly intense choreography for this comeback, equipped with bandanas and black leather outfits, supernatural elements littered throughout the music video. Even with similar musical styles to previous releases, it’s easy to tell the growth of the group in performances and in vocal ability as well.
Both versions of Escape the ERA became the group’s first album to rank one and three respectively on Hanteo’s Album Chart as well as peaking at No. 3 on Gaon. Korean album sales nearly doubled from the previous mini-album release, helping to catapult the group in their home country.
Alone in the City came four months later with lead title “What.” “What” struck a strong balance between the heavy metal theme and anime OST influence heard in “Fly High” while simultaneously showing their synchronization skills and ability to master eye-catching and difficult choreography. The EP peaked even higher than the previous album, coming in at No. 2 and getting the group their best selling numbers yet.
As we rolled into 2019, the girls of Dreamcatcher kept on trucking, and a new comeback was announced in February. The End of Nightmare and single “Piri” are supposedly the official ending of the Nightmare series, which had been the main concept focus since debut. “Piri” had a distinctly different vibe from its predecessors, namely the use of the piri used as a main influence on the entire piece. For those unfamiliar, a piri is a Korean instrument made of bamboo that was traditionally used in folk and classical court music. It’s a subtle nod to their culture and adds a particularly interesting element that was blended with the strong electric guitar.
The End of Nightmare just barely fell short of Alone in the City, but overall maintained the success the group had found in sales. With the focus on world tours and steadily increasing sales, Dreamcatcher had solidified themselves as a commercial success in just two years of their debut, with only more to come. While it is true the title tracks were metal influences, listeners began picking up on the group’s B-sides and realized that they are certainly capable of more than just that single genre. This helped build their fanbase as well.
September saw the release of “Deja Vu” and corresponding mini-album Raid of Dream, which presented a new twist to their title repertoire. Upon first listen, “Deja Vu” appears to be a sorrowful ballad, but shortly after Siyeon begins her verse, a soft hip-hop beat is introduced. The soft piano is the main focus until the pre-chorus, where the intensity of the heavy metal is suddenly introduced. The track also takes much more influence from a subgenre of metal, symphonic metal to be specific. It was a fresh new look that took the breath away for many and really showcased what exactly Dreamcatcher was capable of.
After the release, Handong took a temporary hiatus to participate in the Chinese show Idol Producer, and due to complications with COVID-19 (and specifically having a Wuhan passport), she has yet to return to the lineup. As a result, for the latest comeback, a masked dancer was stationed in her place, a solid symbol for Insomnias that she would not be gone forever and still had a place in the new choreography. The first full album was announced in February of 2020 led by title “Scream.”
The full album Dystopia: The Tree of Language has so far outperformed all previous releases, both in sales and in recognition for the group. As of this writing, “Scream” sits at 19 million views, which is significantly higher than any of the other releases, even the most popular ones. The comeback itself was extremely strong, and as the girl group goes into their second comeback of the year, shows the promise of the group exploding in popularity. New mini-album Dystopia: Lose Myself was released on August 17 and it will be interesting to see where the album lands on the charts after the major success of its predecessor.
Dreamcatcher is a girl group that dared to do something no one else would, and it’s clearly paying off for them. If they had debuted with a major company it may have happened faster, but the fact that they have album sales over 50,000 under one of the smaller companies in the game showcases just how strong they are as artists. Dreamcatcher’s talent simply can’t be overlooked, and there is no doubt that they will leave a major impact on the K-Pop world.