GOT7 Return For Their Encore
Courtesy of Warner Music Korea.
One month after GOT7 departed their management company JYP Entertainment, they made good on a promise that this was not the end. Though rumors had swirled for weeks that the group would disband, Jay B, Mark, Jackson, Jinyoung, , Youngjae, Bam Bam, and Yugyeom instead released a new single: “Encore”. The single came with exciting news: Not only had the seven members decided to continue as a group, but they would still release new music as GOT7 under a new label.
The move was shocking, not just to fans, but to the K-Pop industry as a whole. How did this group, from one of the top companies in K-Pop, not only manage to release a song just one month after the end of their contracts but retain rights to their music and name?
While the boys were cryptic about what was to come in the future, they were clear: This was a new era for GOT7. “There was a lot of speculation, as we didn’t provide a clear answer to the fans’ question on what’s next for us [when we left JYP],” the group said in a statement. “It’s a path that we never took before, so we understand the reasoning behind this speculation. What we can say is, when the fans are waiting for us, Got7 will come together and be back as we did this time. The most important thing is that all the members are very close, so the fans shouldn’t worry too much.”
As Jackson would later recall on DIVE Studios’ Get Real, the group was eager to release “Encore” to lay all rumors to rest: They were here to stay. “Encore” was a love note to the Ahgases, the group’s fanbase who had supported the boys since their debut in January 2014. Throughout it all, as rookies who ushered in the beginning of third gen K-Pop with “Girls Girls Girls” to seasoned veterans who released sophisticated music like “Not By the Moon”, GOT7’s fanbase grew substantially.
“Encore” became like an anchor to Ahgases throughout the last year. “We pictured the moment when our fans chant ‘Encore’ at the end of the performance at our shows, and us coming back to the stage to perform,” the group continued in their statement. “As we are taking a new path in our careers, this image was something that we wanted to share with our fans.”
The lyrics asked the fans to wait for them and continue to support them: “What we’ve had for a long time/No need a reason, it’s because of you/After time passes by, please be right here/Be right here with me.”
“Encore” reminded me of a senior group named Highlight who, in 2021, released a similarly nostalgic song titled “Not the End”. The lyrics in the chorus, “I’m still here, it’s not the end” are a declaration: We survived — and that’s important.
Ahgases like me were skeptical a reunion would happen anytime soon. The group seemed to have too much going on that they wanted to focus on personally to come together as a group. After all, they had promoted together for seven years and had more than enough accomplishments as seven to last a lifetime..
Throughout 2021, each member created a dizzying amount of work: Jay B released music under his K-R&B moniker “Def.” (which is brilliant); Jinyoung continued to act in Kdramas like “Yumi’s Cells”; Jackson produced what he feels is the most autentic work of his career with “Magic Man”; Bam Bam signed a deal with the Golden State Warriors to release music; Mark geared up for his first fanmeet; and Youngjae released a beautifully underrated EP titled “Colors”.
But then, rumors bubbled up again. And this time, the whispers were that GOT7 would return with a new album.
Youngjae felt that GOT7’s friendship grew stronger when they left JYP. Perhaps this is because for seven years the group was never able to leave each other’s sides. With a year away the boys were able to find themselves in a new easy going friendship. “We still have a lot of fun talking about really useless things in our group chat together. We actually get along even better now,” revealed Youngjae. “Even when we fight, we always talk things out through negotiation and compromise,” he explained. “We believe in always resolving things by finishing the conversation no matter what, and when we say we’re going to do something, we’re the types to cheer each other on and work together to get it done.”
It was that reverence for one another, as well as their ability to work well together, that allowed them to finish a new album in just over a year. “We’ve been planning to do this [album] ever since we left JYP Entertainment. It was supposed to be the end of last year, but it’s kinda difficult to get all seven members’ schedules aligned,” Mark explained. Much of the album, they recounted in an incredible interview with GQ, came together over those group chats that Tugyeom mentioned. They voted on final decisions where members had differing opinions, but the feel of the album? That was unanimous.
The members wanted “GOT7” , the EP, to sound very similar to the group you remember from JYP. This would be the first EP that contained their entire creative process, without any interference from the label. This is important for a group that is extremely hands on in their own careers. And while the members are eager to push their sound in new directions, they chose to return with music that felt both new and familiar.
“When we release more music down the line, I feel like that's when they'll see a newer version of us,” said Mark.
The boys are careful to not speak badly of the group’s former label. While they’re proud to release music that is authentic to who they are, they understand the decision their company made. “The way I see it, it’s not good for artists to only ever think about their own aspect,” Jay B reasoned in the same GQ interview. “The company needs to have their opinion as well. It’s about finding the middle ground and that’s not a bad thing. It’s better than having them not care and just letting us do whatever we want. Freedom is good, but structure is also necessary.”
Yugyeom would say in an interview with Eric Nam on the Daebak Show that this ability to be both clear focused and diplomatic is what makes Jay B so effective as a leader. “He tends to have intense focus and checks the details,” he told Eric. “He really does pay attention to the details.”
Their name was the most important piece for the boys to hold on to. ”If we weren’t able to use our name, it’d be like losing our souls,” said Jay B. “It’s not that we wouldn’t do group activities, but we’d have tried to get our name first.”
As Jay B recalled in the GQ interview, the process of moving trademarks was “slow.” There was no celebration when the rights were finally handed over. The leader simply brought the papers to a dance studio for everyone to sign during a rehearsal. With the swipe of a pen, the group suddenly went from JYP’s trademark to a wholly independent GOT7 standing in a new dance studio.
“GOT7 isn’t special,” Jinyoung humbly told GQ. “It’s hard for us to say we’re the start of something because we received inspiration from our seniors.” Yet GOT7 is creating history. Just how many artists will be emboldened to follow in their footsteps remains to be seen.
On the day of their album release, GOT7 held their first fan meeting since moving independent. HOMECOMING, the aptly named fancon, was held in Seoul in front of thousands of Ahgases. It was an emotional reunion; one that many, myself included, never thought was possible.
They opened with “Girls Girls Girls”, their debut song, in an homage to who they used to be. And then as the night wore on, they moved into some of their most sophisticated work, such as “Don’t Leave Me Alone” and “Nanana”, the latest single. The show was only supposed to last for two hours, but the boys were so thrilled to be together on stage again that they stayed for four hours.
I loved watching their performances. Overlooking a sea of green lights and fanchants, what struck me was the freedom each member displayed. They now have the chance to be whoever they want to be. The men of GOT7 don't have to be idols anymore, they can simply be artists or young men. That in itself is a win for the group.
In a performance like “Lullaby”, the group laughs as they try to remember and recreate dance moves. They look enthusiastic and grateful to be on stage together again. I recalled a line from Jinyoung in the GQ article where he mentioned how much lighter and happier he feels now, away from the machine. “I’m very light and playful with my members… that’s what’s changed. Before, when we went overseas or had schedules, I'd be the quiet, stern one. I just felt like I had to be that person. I was too, too serious,” Jinyoung said. “I felt like even though I wasn’t trying my best, I wasn’t being honest.”
On stage at HOMECOMING, I felt like we were finally seeing GOT7 as they were meant to be seen: as men who could be themselves, make mistakes, laugh at themselves, and be proud of who they’ve grown into.
“Because of you, we were able to come back as seven,” Mark said near the end of the concert. “Without you, we wouldn’t know what we’d be doing today.” Their choice to stay together, they asserted, is what mattered. The fact that they are still here, in spite of how much work it cost them, is nothing short of surreal.
“I believe I am a nobody,” Jinyoung said after Mark. “I can’t shine on my own but the fans make me shine. I feel like I’m shining because of you. I can only shine because of what you shine on us. Thank you for loving us and thank you for waiting for us.”
Just like the shocking drop of their single “Encore”, HOMECOMING’s encore extended into a surprising delight of nostalgia. They performed hit after hit and reminisced with the fans who stuck by them through it all. This encore isn’t the end for GOT7. Instead, it signifies a new act for the boys: An era where they can finally stand at the center stage of their own careers.
SOURCES:
By far the most compelling source for me was the GQ article “GOT7 is rewriting the K-pop career arc from within” by Taylor Glasby. It is hands down the most well-written article I’ve read on any K-Pop group.
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