Are there any groups who lost their most popular member and were better off? (1 Viewer)

[centen]

Better off being in any number of ways: fewer scandals, more sales, etc.

I was thinking, it's easy to think of groups who lost their least popular member and were better off and groups who lost their most popular member and suffered, but who has lost their most popular member and did better than ever after?

 

[ChiaraStar169]

damn I was hoping somebody would've replied, bc I don't have a clue lol ig Wonho from Monsta X? idk if you could've called him the most popular, but I feel like after he left, their music got even better, like less rap-heavy. But that could just be me and my formerly Wonho-biased self. lol

 

[athenaaa]

I guess Fifty Fifty could kind of count. They lost three members off who are much better off as ablume. And Keena got the spotlight she deserved all along and the new members shine too.

 

[centen]

This came up for me when I was driving home and B1A4 came on my playlist. They lost Jinyoung and Baro in 2018. Jinyoung was inarguably the most popular member, and Baro was considered a kind of "backbone" of the group since he had a deep rap that stood out. And Jinyoung had been writing and composing for the group since the beginning.

The trio has continued to release music fairly regular and they're not topping the charts, but their sales are relatively stable in that 35-45K range, solid for a mid-tier popular group past their prime. And for Gongchan specifically, he went from getting seconds of a song to their recent releases having a fairly even split between all three members.

Outside of that, CNU has been able to do a lot more writing and composing, done several OSTs, and some variety shows and musical theater. Gongchan has really gotten into acting, from movies to web dramas, and Sandeul has a pretty extensive solo career.

Jinyoung, on the other hand, has gotten some small acting gigs, but his producing has really dropped off. Baro's in a similar boat: a couple of small roles in k-dramas. Neither has had a solo debut or a more substantial role. So it feels like the trio that stayed with B1A4 ended up keeping a solid enough fan base to be able to keep that AND get the roles they wanted outside of that, where losing Jinyoung and Baro didn't really end up hurting them.

 

[centen]

I guess Fifty Fifty could kind of count. They lost three members off who are much better off as ablume. And Keena got the spotlight she deserved all along and the new members shine too.

That's true. Keena was arguably the least popular originally, and she's really gained a lot in popularity and FiFi is doing better than ever now.

 

[athenaaa]

That's true. Keena was arguably the least popular originally, and she's really gained a lot in popularity and FiFi is doing better than ever now.

Definitely! And Yewon and Chanelle got their chance that R U Next didn’t give them. And we were introduced to Athena and Hana who are extremely talented too.

 

[centen]

damn I was hoping somebody would've replied, bc I don't have a clue lol ig Wonho from Monsta X? idk if you could've called him the most popular, but I feel like after he left, their music got even better, like less rap-heavy. But that could just be me and my formerly Wonho-biased self. lol

Oh, maybe! I really don't know. I like MX, but I've never followed them that closely.