Only 5 K-pop groups that debuted a decade ago haven’t disbanded
A lot has changed in the K-pop industry in the past decade. In 2013, the third generation of K-pop was still in its infancy, and the music genre wasn’t nearly as popular around the world as it is today.
And in the past decade, tons of K-pop groups have come and gone, some lasting for years while others disappearing too quickly.
Of the dozens of groups that debuted in 2013, only 5 were not officially disbanded, and even fewer are still actively promoting.
In alphabetical order, AlphaBAT is the first of five K-pop groups that debuted in 2013 but didn’t “officially” disband. They’re still technically considered a band, but they haven’t released any new music since 2020.
It’s possible they will release music in the future once member G:amma returns from the military this June, but we’ll have to wait and see.
The second group, which debuted in 2013 and is technically still together, is Boys Republic. However, they have not released any new Korean-language music since 2016 (with some Japanese releases in 2017), and the group has been on an indefinite hiatus since September 2018, making a comeback from them highly unlikely.
The only group that debuted in 2013 and is really successful today is BTS. Though they’re taking a little “hiatus” from continuing to promote as independent artists due to their upcoming engagement dates (and Jin’s currently) they’re still a long way from splurging or breaking up in all the term.
In many ways the most successful K-Pop group in the world, they’ve definitely broken the curse of their 2013 debut that seems to have plagued so many artists!
LADIES’ CODE is the only girl group that debuted in 2013 and hasn’t officially disbanded. They managed to keep going despite the car accident that killed two of their members – EunB and Rise – and are technically still a trio.
However, they left their former label Polaris Entertainment in February 2020 and are currently on an indefinite hiatus to allow members to pursue their own solo careers. It is unknown if they will reunite to release music as a group in the future.
Finally, the last group to debut in 2013 and not fully disband is ToppDogg, although they now go by the XENO-T name.
Originally consisting of 13 members, they have now shrunk to five and, like the other artists mentioned above, have not released any new music since 2018 after changing their brand and name. No suspension or dismantling has been announced, but the long time without an update from them is not encouraging.
For some reason, it seems like 2013 was an unlucky year for K-pop groups when they debuted. While it’s true that many bands don’t last a decade in the industry, the year has seen more retired artists than 2012, and BTS is truly the exception to that trend. And we are very grateful for that!
