An Outlet: Part 8

14 March, 2021.

There are a lot of thoughts running through my mind right now. I do have some big issues bogging me down but I don't think I will write them here. At this point, I will just hope for things to get better, for me to be in a better space than I am right now.

But I do feel like talking about some other sad news tho. This is something that, frankly, should be the least of my worries at the moment but it is still something that is inevitably close to my heart nonetheless.

IZ*ONE held their final concert today and what the members spoke during their ending ment suggested that it was the last official schedule for them as members of the group.

That means today marks IZ*ONE's unofficial disbandment.

The past month has been a rollercoaster for IZ*ONE fans which hasn't ended well. Talking about my personal feelings about this, I knew IZ*ONE wasn't a permenant group. 2 and half years could still be considered as a long time in the KPop scene (especially since the previous Produce groups had shorter contract periods) but that holds true for the unfortunate groups who fail to break the KPop market. Most groups with IZ*ONE's level of popularity could easily promote for the usual contract of 7 years. This is what makes the contract time short.

I unexpectedly grew fond of the girls and obviously hoped for them to promote for longer but I wasn't delusional enough to be super angry when I heard that they will still disband sometime in 2021. What I have an issue with is that everyone was made to believe that a Wannaone-like contract extension was in positive talks only for it to be dropped just a few days before the concert.

One day everyone's excited to watch one of IZ*ONE's concerts and next day you learn that it is actually going to be their disbandment one. What upsets me the most is that according to IZ*ONE's contract, they're supposed to disband on 30th April but today is the last time we'll see them as a group. This is the last time the members can work together as a group, use the name IZ*ONE to associate themselves with. Why? I don't ask for another concert, I'd be stupid to demand that. But some sort of VLive, Variety show could definitely be planned for the members. There's still time left.

Now that I have said what I felt towards what events took place these past few days, I have no choice but to accept the end of IZ*ONE.

As I said before, I never expected to become another KPop group's fan, especially for one whose line up I wasn't initially satisfied with. La Vie En Rose dropped, and all of those feelings changed.

I am so thankful to have to witnessed a group from the start to the end. The content that these 12 girls put out entertained me a lot and I'll forever be grateful for their hardwork. Their (Korean) discography is one of the only few ones that I genuinely loved, bias excluded.

Let me talk about the highlights of each member or when did I first feel attracted to them.

Kwon Eunbi - She was always one of the stronger candidates on PD48. May not have been one of my favs at the time but I think I would've been surprised if she hadn't ended up in the line up. I feel like it was Eunbi's part in La Vie En Rose that played a pivotal role in me getting seriously interested in the group. And Eunbi has been a consistently great performer and a charismatic leader.

Miyawaki Sakura - It took some time but I came to realise just why people are so impacted by Sakura. Two particular stages that come to my mind are their concert's Ayayaya performance and SSOTS dance break. She definitely has a performer's aura that makes your eye go towards her. Her off screen cool personality also appealed to me.

Kang Hyewon - It took me the most amount of time to take notice of Hyewon, for some obvious reasons. More than her on stage presence, I preferred seeing her off stage interactions with the members. She never looked like the outgoing type but somehow all the members say they have a good time when they are with her. Hyewon has also managed to make friends/acquaintances outside of IZ*ONE. Maybe in the future I'll understand what exactly makes her this much of a social queen.