Tomorrow, 16 January, is a very special day for ahgases, as it has been 7 years since GOT7, one of K-pop's most globally acclaimed boy band, officially received its name.
1 January 2014, was the day when JYP Entertainment announced that they are debuting their new boy group called GOT7. With JB, Jinyoung, Mark, BamBam, Yugyeom, Jackson and the seventh and final member to join the group Youngjae, who had only been a trainee for seven months but still was shining brightly. Even the name includes the lucky number seven, meaning "seven lucky people come together". Finally 15 days after the announcement, on 16 January, Got7 made their official music program debut by performing their debut single "Girls Girls Girls".
JB, leader of the group, revealed that the name of their fandom would be IGOT7 on 9 May 2014. The meaning is very clear, as fans can say that they have all 7 members. The pronunciation of IGOT7 in Korean is very similar to the word ahgase, a term that refers to birds when they are babies.
Since the official color of the fandom is green, ahgase enjoys representing themselves as green baby birds that will protect GOT7 with their little wings.
Got7 was represented as a hip-hop group that comes with martial arts tricking and b-boying styles in their performances. The group drew attention even before the official debut. They quickly became a fan-favorite K-pop boy band for many people around the world. They released their first EP, “Got It?” on January 20, 2014. The album shot to No. 1 on Billboard's World Albums Chart and was No. 2 on the Gaon Album Chart. Shortly after their debut, the group signed a contract with Japan's Sony Music Entertainment and launched a showcase in Japan before nine thousand fans.
On 20 April 2020, Got7 released their eleventh EP ‘Dye’, along with its lead single, "Not By the Moon". They sold 159,098 copies of their EP on the first day and 281,791 copies in the first week, breaking their personal record for first day and first-week sales. The EP also debuted on the Billboard World Albums chart at No. 4. It has sold over 450,000 copies, becoming their bestselling album to date.
Got7 released their fourth studio album, Breath of Love: Last Piece, along with its lead single, "Last Piece" on November 30, 2020. A pre-release single, "Breath", was released on Nov 23. In a recent interview, JB shared that the album is even a lot more meaningful because all of the members participated in it and since it showcases every member’s uniqueness. All seven of the bandmates are credited as either composers or lyricists in the album, a testament to their growth as musicians. Two of the tracks, “Breath” and “Last Piece,” make it clear that this album is dedicated to the people that matter to them most: the IGot7 fandom the group’s gratitude for their fans, citing them as the reason for their existence.
“Last Piece” soared to No. 1 on the iTunes albums and song charts upon its release, while the music videos for both songs were the most trending videos around the world on YouTube on Nov. 25 and Dec. 1. Upon the album’s commercial success, the bandmates emphasized the importance of maintaining a passionate attitude toward music, which has been the driving force during their entire career. While their previous album lost its vision by trying too hard to cater to the global market, “Breath of Love: Last Piece” strikes a superb balance and shows their emotional maturity over time.
On Monday, 11 January this year, JYP Entertainment announced that GOT7's will not be renewing their so-called “7-year jinx” contract with the company and that all of the members will officially depart from the company next week, Tuesday, 19 January. The 7-year jinx refers to the expiration of K-pop contracts after seven years, the maximum length of a contract allowed under the law. When their contracts expire, K-pop idols decide whether to continue being in their group or disband.
GOT7 members decided to sign up with different agencies, but they won’t disband already. Many hope that whatever happens with their contracts, the band will stay together and continue with their careers as they were. JB is currently planning to find the right hip-hop label company that will help in his solo career. Mark plans to return to Los Angeles and be with his family and work on his solo music in the United States. Jackson, will carry out his global activities under his label and work on Korean activities. Jinyoung is in final talks to sign with BH Entertainment which has popular actors and actresses under them. Youngjae has been approached by Sublime Artist Agency. BamBam, will try to balance his work between South Korea and Thailand with the help of a content production agency called MakeUs Entertainment. Lastly, Yugyeom is in the final stage to sign a contract with AOMG.
GOT7's eldest member Mark chose to be the first one to talk about the group parting ways with their agency but assured they will continue to present their best selves to the fans. "The past 7 years have been the best years of my life. Nothing is coming to an end, just the beginning. The seven of us are going to continue to bring you guys the best version of us till the end. #GOT7FOREVER" he wrote on Twitter.
They won a total of 39 Korean awards, 13 international awards along with the most famous awards like Golden Disc Awards and Bonsang (Main Award). The group recently received Worldwide Fans’ Choice Top 10 at the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards. At the Asia Artist Awards 2020 where they snatched their second Daesang (top prize) with the performance of the Year award. The group also bagged the same award last year. But still, they could have got more if JYP Entertainment treated them better. From trending hashtags to sending LED trucks to protest outside the company, ahgases are fed up with the company. JYP Entertainment has been treating GOT7 really badly for all these 7 years.
Like, the entertainment can’t handle sasaeng fans (fans who want to dig into an idol’s private life). When Jinyoung and Youngjae were repeatedly disturbed by some sasaeng fans, their company failed to take action on their behalf. As the era of the internet grows, so does hate comments left by keyboard warriors. Many companies have stepped out to take harsh legal actions against such people. But when GOT7 was the victim JYP did nothing. Most of the K-pop groups gain more fans during their song promotion time as they go to many national or international shows including reality shows so, more people can know them. But JYP kind of blocked their promotions after every song release. Mostly they couldn’t even promote more than 5 weeks. For that, they also lack in social media promotions.
Not only did JYP Entertainment barely promote their concerts overseas, evidently the company did not respond timely to invites from American TV shows such as Good Day New York. With other artists having their CDs available on American e-commerce giant, Amazon, GOT7 is the only one of their artists that do not have their albums for sale on the site. Otherwise, their sales would have gone up more.
It is clearly mistreatment, right? That’s why many fans are happy to see GOT7 finally leave the agency and fully pursue their own dreams. Meanwhile, the group collectively uploaded the same picture of themselves with the caption #GOT7FOREVER on their personal social media pages to reassure fans that they would continue to support one another and work together in the future. Also in an interview, Jinyoung promised that GOT7 will always come back with a great album and music.
While it appears that in the immediate future GOT7 will focus on individual activities, this is not their disbandment. We’ll be screaming “GOT7 Forever. Since their 7th year’s anniversary is tomorrow so, ahgases, let’s wish them a happy anniversary and congratulate them on their freedom from JYP Entertainment.