In the K-Pop industry, having a sub-unit within the group is pretty ubiquitous. There are many subunits formed by both big and small groups. A sub-unit helps in showcasing more individual colors and talents of the members. Rap line units, rap/vocal units, dance line units, and vocal line units are some of the common units that can be found in K-Pop. But even after their popularity peaked, several well-known groups still do not have a sub-unit. Here are eight of these groups where fans want to see sub-units.
BLACKPINK
BLACKPINK earned the title of “The biggest girl group in the world.” It’s been six years since their debut, but still, BLACKPINK doesn’t have a sub-unit. Fans think this is the right time to form a sub-unit, and there is a high demand from fans for Chaelisa, Jenlisa, Chaennie, Chaesoo, and Jensoo sub-units. Blinks are disappointed with BLACKPINK’s agency YG Entertainment for not yet creating a sub-unit for the group.
BTS
Despite being the most popular K-Pop group, BTS hasn’t formed a sub-unit yet. Debuted in 2013, BTS has been in the industry for nine years. There are plenty of unit songs like “Luv In Skool,” “Zero O’clock” by the vocal line, “Intro: Skool Luv Affair,” “UGH!” by the rap line, etc. However, BigHit Entertainment hasn’t officially labeled those works as sub-units.
TWICE
Although TWICE is the largest group of JYP Entertainment, there is still no sub-unit. Recently all nine members of the girl group renewed their contract with the agency and made a comeback. There are rumors circulating around the web that TWICE is set to debut their first official sub-unit with the Japanese members of the group Mina, Sana, and Momo.
SHINee
The only male K-Pop group from SM Entertainment without a sub-unit is SHINee. A quartet, SHINee made their debut in 2008 and has spent fourteen years working with SM Entertainment. Even though SHINee members have been in groups like “SM The Performance,” “SuperM,” “Younique,” “Toheart,” and “SM The Ballad,” there is no sub-unit formed within the group to date.
iKON
Presently composed of six members, YG Entertainment’s third-generation boy group iKON debuted in 2015. It’s been seven years of their debut, but they still haven’t formed a sub-unit. Although the main rapper of the group Bobby used to be a part of YG Entertainment’s hip-hop duo unit “MOBB” along with labelmate Mino, there is no sub-unit within the group to date.
WINNER
WINNER is a four members group that debuted in 2014. Composed of two vocalists and two rappers, WINNER is another group from YG Entertainment without a sub-unit. Rapper Song Mino from the group was in “MOBB,” the hip-hop duo unit of YGE, along with iKON’s Bobby. Though members of the group featured each other in their solo releases, there is no official sub-unit in WINNER yet.
2PM
The second-generation masculine group from JYP Entertainment, 2PM is a boy group with six members. The group debuted in 2008, and 2PM returned to the music industry as a whole group after four years of hiatus in 2021. Although being a veteran K-Pop band, 2PM never formed an official sub-unit. Instead, 2PM together with 2AM known as a unit group named “One Day,” recorded the theme song of their documentary film.
MONSTA X
Six-piece South Korean boy band Monsta X is managed by Starship Entertainment. In 2015, the group made their official debut. With the exception of I.M, every member of the group renewed their contract with the agency this year. Though all Monsta X members were a part of Y-Teen, a project group of Monsta X and WJSN, the group hasn’t yet formed a sub-unit within the group. They’re one of the most popular grounders under Starship entertainment.
Is it necessary to have sub-units within a group? Which is your favorite sub-unit? Which K-Pop groups and members do you want to go for a sub-unit?