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Spring 2016 marks a slew of exciting comebacks for Kpop groups that have been on a long hiatus, such as Block B, Spica, and Akdong Musician. While I’m excited about these long-awaited returns, it did remind me of a number of popular idol groups still missing in action. Let’s take a look at the groups that are long overdue for a comeback, listed by the duration of their hiatus.
After School
Hiatus Duration: 2 years & 9 months
Last Heard: First Love (June 2013)
Since their debut in 2009, After School’s Pussycat Dolls influence helped establish them as a sexy diva group. Over the years, they have brought many hits like Because of You, Bang!, Shampoo, and Flashback. But in 2013, a poor management decision of overspending on the production of their latest mini-album First Love led to one of the longest ongoing hiatus in the industry. Despite fans signing petitions requesting Pledis to bring them back, the company has no such plans in the works to date, much to our disappointment.
2NE1
Hiatus Duration: 2 years & 1 month
Last Heard: Crush (February 2014)
Little needs to be said about just how popular YG Entertainment’s girl group 2NE1 is. But just when the group was at the height of its success with their global hit album Crush, reality came crashing down with a drug scandal involving member Park Bom. Park Bom has largely been in hiding since then with little signs of public appearance. Meanwhile, other members Dara and CL are promoting individually. With the recent departure of maknae Minzy from YG and 2NE1, the group’s future seems even more uncertain, despite YG suggesting that a summer comeback is in the works with the remaining three members.
M.I.B
Hiatus Duration: 2 years
Last Heard: The Maginot Line (March 2014)
Since their last album The Maginot Line, member Kangnam has been becoming increasingly popular with multiple variety show appearances and solo promotion via his album Chocolate. As such, hip hop boy group M.I.B has been surrounded with rumors of Kangnam leaving the group and disbandment for the good portion of 2015. Though Jungle Entertainment has issued statements debunking such claims and hinting at a group comeback early this year, we’ve still seen no details as of yet. We can only hope that the agency lives up to its words.
JYJ
Hiatus Duration: 1 year & 8 months
Last Heard: Just Us (July 2014)
Unlike the other groups, JYJ’s hiatus is completely planned for and a forced issue due to the military enlistment of two of the three members. Since Yoochun and Jaejoong won’t be done with their services any time soon, it’s unlikely that JYJ will make a comeback as a group in 2016. However, each member of JYJ is releasing solo albums during the first half of this year to help their fans get through the long waiting period. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing the boys make a return as a group sometime next year.
Secret
Hiatus Duration: 1 year & 7 months
Last Heard: Secret Summer (August 2014)
Popular girl group Secret has enjoyed a long streak of mega hits during their career — Shy Boy, Madonna, Poison, and YooHoo, just to name a few. However, in 2014, after their Secret Summer mini-album, the group went quiet. Many suspect that there is discord between group members Sunhwa and Hana, which may be a potential cause of their hiatus. In any case, leader Hyoseong has been actively promoting her solo career in the meantime, releasing her 2nd solo album just last month. At this point, it’s unclear when the group plans on coming back, but we wish for the best.
Orange Caramel
Hiatus Duration: 1 year & 7 months
Last Heard: My Copycat (August 2014)
After School’s subunit Orange Caramel consisted of Nana, Lizzy, and Raina has made a name for itself with eccentric concepts, quirky music, and humorous lyrics. But even they have been missing from the spotlight for quite some time now. Nonetheless, compared to After School, Orange Caramel may still be in a better position. A comeback album is supposedly in the works for this year though no specific details have been released. We look forward to seeing another outrageous return from the girls in the near future.
Epik High
Hiatus Duration: 1 year & 5 months
Last Heard: Shoebox (October 2014)
It’s also been quite a while since we’ve heard from top hip hop group Epik High, perhaps because Tablo has been too busy producing albums for other YG artists (Lee Hi) and managing his own label, High Ground. Regardless, Tablo teases fans with a cryptic message of “Epik High back in the studio” and a promise of an album in 2016, though it’s unclear if it’ll be an Epik High comeback album or a Tablo solo album. Only time will tell and we won’t be complaining either way.
Sunny Hill
Hiatus Duration: 1 year & 2 months
Last Heard: Sunny Blues Part B (January 2015)
Sunny Hill has actually been around for a long time, debuting in 2007 as a co-ed trio. But the group didn’t find itself becoming a household name until switching agency to Loen and releasing hit song Midnight Circus in 2011. Over the years, the group has been picking up more female members. Finally in 2014, the only male member decided to leave the group and Sunny Hill rebranded itself as a girl group. While Loen is busy promoting Fiestar these days, we hope to hear news about Sunny Hill’s next project soon.
U-Kiss
Hiatus Duration: 1 year & 2 months
Last Heard: Always (January 2015)
Boyband U-Kiss has enjoyed a long career in the Kpop industry since their debut in 2008. Though they’ve had a number of lineup changes over the years, the group has managed to slowly but surely solidify their popularity particularly around 2012 with a number of hit singles including Neverland and DoraDora. Even though the boys of U-Kiss have been fairly active in Japan last year, they haven’t promoted domestically for some time now. As such, we eagerly await for news of their return to Korea.
Miss A
Hiatus Duration: 1 year
Last Heard: Colors (March 2015)
Although it’s only been a year since Miss A’s last mini-album Colors, the prospect of their comeback is as bleak as ever. The group has been shrouded with disbandment rumors since last year as speculations around Suzy’s discord with other members grow. Worse yet, according to a recent release of JYP’s 2016 plans, there are special collaboration projects involving Suzy, but no Miss A comeback planned for the whole year. We can only pray that rumors are rumors and that JYP changes his mind.
Which of these groups do you miss the most and want to see come back as soon as possible? Let us know in the comments section below.
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