We lost Got7 to K-pop’s ‘seven year curse’, will these groups be next? Red Velvet, Mamamoo, Winner and Lovelyz all turn an unlucky seven in 2021

Jan 22 , 2021

Got7 all reportedly recently left JYP Entertainment. Photo: @got7.with.igot7/Instagram

While boy bands BTS, Super Junior and Shinee all chose to continue after their agency contracts expired, many K-pop acts don’t – we’re looking at you 2NE1, Sistar, 4minute and Miss A

Several beloved Korean groups turn seven years old in 2021 – will they go the way of Got7 and call it quits too?

The journey of an aspiring K-pop idol begins with being scouted or accepted through an audition, followed by years of rigorous training, and finally debuting in front of the public.

But there’s another element that diehard fans are painfully aware of: the seven-year contract.

Trainees sign contracts and live in dormitories so that their entertainment agency can better micromanage their diets, relationships and overall behaviour. Under most of these contracts, trainees are usually required to pay back the costs of their vocal and dance lessons and wardrobes, either when they leave the company or after their debuts. As a result, many K-pop idols might not make large profits in the early years of their careers, and the trainees who leave can end up getting into serious debt.

SM, YG and JYP are exceptions to this rule: their trainees get paid as soon as they debut and do not face any debt, unless they leave their companies before completing their contracts.

But once a group’s contract expires, the members meet with the company to discuss whether they want to continue and renew their contracts, or disband with some or all members leaving. Hence the well-known “seven year curse”, as most contracts last for seven years. Several top groups met their demise once their contracts expired, including 2NE1, Sistar, 4minute and Miss A.

Although some groups survived the “curse” – like BTS, Apink, Super Junior and Shinee – fans still become wary once their favourite idols’ seventh year approaches.

Which begs the obvious, if painful, question: which idols’ contracts are about to end in 2021?

Got7

JYP’s first boy group since 2PM in 2008, Got7 debuted on January 16, 2014, which means their contracts just ran out. At the end of last year, there were rumours about Jinyoung leaving JYP and signing with actor agency BH Entertainment instead, which resulted in fans getting anxious about the group’s future.