Compositions

Is Solo Better Than Group?

Acky Tsai

K-pop, Korea pop music, is well known around the world. It is also called Idol culture. There are two kinds of idols: group and solo. On average, 100 groups and solos make their debut every year, but less than 5% can succeed. There are many differences between the two, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. In my view, these are three common differences between them: style, profit, and performance.

The first difference is in style, including music genre and clothing. As solos, they can decide everything from makeup styling, shooting location, clothing selection, to music production, as well as album shooting period. It is because these preparations are for solos to show their most confident side and to highlight themselves. On the other hand, each member of the group also has his or her own style, but the group tends to focus on the style entirety, which means that it is aimed at unity. Basically, a group follows the style that the fans appreciate.

In addition, profit is also an obvious difference between the two. Generally, the overall income of the group must be more than that of a solo singer. But the income of each person in the group is not necessarily the same. There are two kinds of income distribution in groups: “more work, more pay” and “equal distribution”. The former means that members attending more individual events earn more, such as going on a variety show or advertising. On the other hand, those who have fewer personal activities receive less income. Equal distribution means that no matter whether there is personal activity or not, all income is equally divided. However, such allocations are uncommon and are mostly based on the rules of “more work, more pay”. By contrast, solo singers only need to negotiate the distribution ratio with the company. But if a solo only publishes songs, the income is usually not high. That is, it is also necessary for a solo to do more advertisements and endorsements to create more profits.

The last difference is the performance, and it is involved with the type and the stage setting. There are different kinds of singers in Korea, like ballads, rockers, rappers, and idols. Loosely speaking, solo singers are usually ballad singers, rappers, or idols. By contrast, most group singers are idols, followed by bands and ballads. In the way of stage setting and performance, big screens and stage effects are usually applied at the stage of ballad singers or rappers to create better visual effects. What’s more, there are usually dancers on solo idols’ stages to enhance the richness of the stage. However, the stages of group singers often focus on the lighting and blocking. The group singers themselves have enough members to fill the entire stage, so they rarely need dancers.

Korean entertainment industry is very competitive, especially among singers. Many people will say that singers make a lot of money, especially idol groups. But sometimes this is not the truth. Group members’ salaries have to be deducted and distributed in proportion to the actual income. There are many differences between solo singers and group singers, and the three differences I mentioned are just my personal observations. We usually only look at the surface, and we may not know what’s in the back. Things tend to be more complex than we think.

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