May 01, 2017

One of the biggest selling points of K-pop is how nicely

each act is packaged. The Korean music industry makes

it clear why and what you're watching, and one of the

ways that they do this is securing a responsibility for

each member of the group. In nearly every K-pop group,

each member serves a specific role:

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- 1 leader

- 2-3 vocals, with 1 lead vocal

- 2-3 dancers, with 1 main dancer

- 1-2 rappers

- 1 maknae

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But for larger groups, these numbers can be higher.

SM Entertainment, which has produced massively

global icons like Super Junior and EXO, often have

sub-units for each area of expertise. Once the group

has achieved success as a whole, the company will

then separate the members into smaller teams:

vocals can release ballads, rappers can collaborate

with other rappers, and dancers can go onto variety

shows or on-screen competitions. Even the

"talentless" visual (which we fully acknowledge is not

always the case) has a role by being invited to emcee 

public events or music shows.

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However, there will always only be one maknae.

(This, we cannot do anything about, because

what can you do about the order of times of birth?)

Their title's responsibility lies more in the maknae's

supposed personality. But! This idea borders into

the different personality types seen in K-pop groups,

which is an entirely different thing.

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