Nicole posted a long tweet clarifying what she had in mind with the contracts, which is different from what went public. Basically, she wants to be a freelancer, to not belong to DSP, and yet have the gig of being a Kara member. She seems confused as to why it was made public, but I think it is a pretty clear message from DSP: It is not fucking happening, girl.
This would not only be unfair favoritism as the other members have signed a few more years of their life away to DSP, it would be setting an historic precedent in the whole industry for such a thing. No agency wants the reputation of one of their primary sources of income to be subject to the private decisions of individual members in what kind of deals they make with whoever else (the competition) or how they live their lives.
So, since Nicole seems to ultimately believe in what Nicole wants to do (not a bad thing), and wants to let Nicole have freedom yet also stay with Kara (lmao), it is pretty obvious she has fangirl-level delusion about herself, or has at very least allowed her mother to influence how she thinks about herself to such a level. If it actually works out for her, well I think that would be the biggest news in kpop for the last 10 years, but I don't think it will, and as she has already decided, she will be on her own.
Good luck becoming a star on your own, Nicole. It is a hyper-competitive market filled with the ultra-funded, ultra-talented, or ultra-pretty (by extremely narrow Korean film world tastes) and well... I love you but I think it will be hard for you. Talk to Jay Park for tips on how to get by okay.
Unni just want's to be free, I just hope she posts more videos on youtube of her doing Beyonce dance covers.
ReplyDeleteAlso, can someone fill me in on Nicole's mom, I've seen mentions of her, what did Nicole umma do?
Also, dance cover: https://googledrive.com/host/0By2VUjSOuusuRUZNNzduTlUxZ0k/nicole.gif
Her mom was just very... vocal... during the contract dispute. She was essentially saying "My little girl shakes her ass like a goddamn stripper in two countries and these are the peanuts you give?!" as she spoke on behalf of Nicole as to why they were hardballing for a better contract. It gave the very clear impression that she thinks Nicole is the female Michael Jackson or something, and it is well possible she is a strong influence behind this best-of-both-worlds deal Nicole is trying to cut right now.
Deleteshe was fucking annoying
Deleteand I'm sure she's behind this shit too
fucking helicopter moms
although I'll give credit where it's due, Nicole is an adult now and if she's letting herself be influenced so heavily, that's her own fault, and if this is of her own doing then I don't know what that says of her moral values because she always seems to be the first to jump ship when shit hits the fan.
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DeleteSadly, it seems like Nicole's ego has become so inflated that she has 공주병 symptoms.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen Nicole as the type to develop 공주병, but hey, what do I know about her real personality?
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ReplyDeleteSo w8 she's basically pulling the Kim Hyun Joong on DSP?
ReplyDeleteonly hara/gyuri could pull that off cuz kara aint shit without them, dsp would have no choice but to comply
ReplyDeletejay park survived on qualities that nicole does not have:
he has a dick
carried his group (arguable but my opinion)
can legit dance
whether if fits your taste or not, the guy understands music. could definitely tell he was a rapping on the stoop/ record songs in my room with my friends type of teen while he was back in america. his lyrical content is lacking but cant deny he knows how to lay a flow and a melody down.
but jay started up a label nicole should go audition lol.
"he knows how to lay a flow and a melody down"
Deletepersonally i can't stand his mosquito voice.
his voice is shit but he knows how to use it u feel
Deletemeh. kinda. i can't take his 'aggressive' emceeing seriously because of it sometimes. it's fine for whiney ballads and groupie music tho.
Deletei wish he didn't do the hep hap shit though cause he's so amazing at rnb
DeleteI think only Goo Hara could pull that off.As a casual Kara fan I actually see more of Seungyeon than Gyuri but Hara is everywhere.She could probaby tell DSP to fire all other talent or she would quit and they would comply.Hara is the cash cow of the cash cow.
DeleteI'm so confused on why her mother keeps on getting mentioned..
ReplyDeleteBtw this isn't related to Kara or Nicole ,but apparently Lee Joon has a new movie where he's suppose to be full naked....
ReplyDeleteActually... Ga-in is a solo artist under a label different than the one she is under with BEG. Ga-in was able to make it work successfully, I think Nicole can too. DSP hasn't been treating Nicole very well since 2011, so I can understand that she feels torn. She wants to be at a label that will treat her better but at the same time she loves Kara and doesn't want to leave them.
ReplyDelete1) BEG are a self-developed group, a full collaboration/cooperation between them and their label. More than Kahi was with After School, more than GD is with YG. This is totally different from an idol-group situation. Nicole can claim "Kara belongs to no one" like a thousand rock stars have said of their bands, but that doesn't change how the industry works.
Delete2) Ga-in proved herself as a soloist under Nega Network first.
3) Ga-in is actually soloist-level talented and capable in artistic control of projects. "Lonely" was a good thing as a solo project of an idol group member, but being true solo is a different game.
4) Ga-in did not leave NN to promote with LOEN, it was a cooperative agreement between companies for specific promotions. It benefited both because LOEN got money from her solo activities, and NN watched Ga-in become even more super popular, which is good for BEG, without paying for it. But she is still with NN so they did not give her away to be free for life while also letting her be in BEG. Again, this is a world of difference from what Nicole is after.
Maybe the translation I read of Nicole's tweet was different... I got the feeling that Nicole is trying to stay with DSP for group activities with Kara and do solo activities with a different label. DSP also works with Loen, so maybe Nicole is thinking of doing something similar. (I don't have a very thorough knowledge of how the contract aspect of the music industry works so if what I just wrote didn't make sense, please ignore lol)
DeleteWe've never seen Nicole try going solo, so we can't really assume that she won't succeed? She may have her own style and taste in music that may not match what Kara has released so far. An album she makes on her own could be really different from what Kara makes.
I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.
By the way, it's nice discussing/debating with you. A lot of the time, the people I talk to resort to name calling & immature tactics.
Loen seems to be just a distributor for DSP, and not much more.
DeleteNow why do you think DSP released the statement that Nicole is leaving Kara so early? Basically they are telling Nicole(or rather her mom) to go away.
Yeah but Ga-In was actually important to BEGs success...Nicole is such a minor part of KARA that it's not even worth it. Her fans/kamilia in general are being really biased and guilible. She has no intentions of being in KARA anymore, she's just saying that to placate fans...she/her mom wants to go solo. She honestly believes thats she's the best part of KARA thanks to all her delusional fans hyping her up constantly. Nicole is not that important to KARA's success. There are a bunch of idiot Kamilia on AKP forum calling for a boycott of DSP and saying that DSP is trying to "force KARA's hands" cause they don't wan't to admit the truth that Nicole has been about Nicole and NOT KARA for the past two years now. Why can't Kamilia just admit she wants to go solo and call it a day...seriously, Nicole has been tired of being fourth place behind Seungyeon, Gyuri and Hara for a long time now...it's really obvious. Her mom flaunting her connections was also a huge red-flag from long ago. They have been planning this for a while.
ReplyDeleteI don't see Nicole as a minor part of Kara. Unlike a lot of other girl groups, all the members in Kara stand out in their own way and contribute something important.
DeleteI don't get where you think that Nicole believes she's the best part of Kara? Maybe I missed something... Yes, Nicole wants to pursue solo activities, a lot of idols pursue solo activities outside of their group. But Nicole knows that if she were to pursue a solo career with DSP, it would not go well since they do not treat her very well. So really, it makes sense that she wants to explore a solo career under a different label. Why try to pursue something so important with a label that won't treat you well?
Nicole tired of being in fourth place? Mmm what is this ranking based on? All 5 have their strengths and weaknesses. Some are weak in areas others are strong in, and vice versa. You can't really rank them.
As for her mom... who knows what is really going on with that. Who knows how much Nicole lets her mom influence her decisions. As kpop listeners, there's so much we don't know.
...No, most people are just remembering who Jiyoung is and Nicole isn't that popular at all. Her vocal contributions can easily be made up by someone else and her popularity is disposable as it hasn't grown in years. DSP doesn't treat her well cause she tried to sue them till she realized she didn't have a case a dropped it...Nicole is fourth place, less prominent than Hara, Gyuri and Seungyeon which I'm sure she and her mom hate cause they seem to be convinced that out of all the KARA members, she is the one with the talent to go solo...businesses rank by profitability...Nicole is 4th profitable in KARA, it's as simple as that. Hara does "solo" things all the time without needing to drop DSP as her agency. Nicole doesn't want to pursue solo activities...she just plain wants to go solo. No more KARA, just Nicole...it's not that hard to decipher.
DeleteIf you see the love Nicole has for the girls and Kara, I don't think she wants to leave them.
DeleteUsing the argument of her vocal contributions easily being made up by someone else... you can say that about a lot of them? If you rank the girls according to vocal strength, I think Nicole has a stronger voice and better range than Hara. But I don't think using vocal contributions or strengths is a good argument since they are a group, so it's more about what they all bring together and how their voices fit together. For certain songs, Hara's voice may be a better fit so she will have longer parts. For other songs, Nicole's voice may be a better fit.
I think for fans of Kara, because the five of them have been together since 2008, all members are important to them. I think what's going on with Kara right now mainly affects/concerns their fans.
As for Nicole's popularity, unlike a lot of other girl groups where some members have more fans than others, Kara's members seem to have a pretty even distribution. When I see videos of them performing or idols and fans being asked to pick their favorite member, all seem to have a pretty equal amount of fans.
I think if Nicole were given the chance by DSP to do more, to bring more profit to Kara, she could.
mmkkay...I'm going to let you keep thinking that. I'm just saying, for DSP to out her like this shows they really DGAF about her situation. It also means they feel confident that they can move on without her. She on the other hand wants to try and establish a solo career and yet have KARA as a side gig to fall back on when it inevitably fails...I can say for certain that if Seungyeon wanted to go solo, she wouldn't want or need KARA to fall back on. Hara has proven she doesn't need vocal talent...the popularity is proof in the rate she charges for endorsements. KARA fans are stupid if they let Nicole treat the group like a safe-school just cause they don't wanna admit that she started to believe her own hype. Let her go off and try to be a soloist even if she hasn't got the fan-base or looks for it. Lots of people like Nicole...she the middle ground between Gyuri and Jiyoung but there is a HUGE difference between the popularity of Nicole and Gyuri, Hara and Seungyeon in Korea...DSP gave Nicole a chance to make them money before the first lawsuit and she really didn't capitalize on it. She had like 6 good months of popularity and then it was over.
DeleteApparently Nicole attempts to lay claim to the best of both worlds: the (potential) glory and money of a solo act and the job security and guaranteed income of a proven group. She has obviously played the management of DSP for fool (although one cannot really fault her for thinking as such). Unfortunately, the Kpop world as we know it simply doesn't work this way.
DeleteMaybe DSP thinks like you're saying but in that case DSP is miscalculating badly.
DeleteNicole adds hugely to KARA's sex appeal and is the most well rounded member. In fact, I'd say that Nicole and Jiyoung have a lot more likeability than Gyuri and Hara since Gyuri is really beginning to show her age and Hara has this "plastic" and "vocally useless" tag forever associated with her. Hammie just has an unfortunate face. Gyuri and Hammie just seem old and worn-out. The only fresh and vital members seem to be Nicole with her hot body and Jiyoung with her obvious youthfulness.
If DSP wants KARA as a longterm prospect down the road, they'd be better served to can Gyuri and Hammie and keep Nicole/Jiyoung and add a vocal talent to their line-up. They can keep Hara for those who like doll-like idols.
I say this not as a Nicole/Jiyoung stan but as a casual KARA fan so I have no vested interest in any one member but just calling it as I see it.
I’d say that DSP is cutting their losses...They can go on without Nicole. She doesn't add much to the group in terms of marketability, which is the most important part of being an idol. If being a good dancer and a mildly decent singer were all it took to be popular than Sooyoung would be the most popular in SNSD.
DeleteIf Nicole was that important to KARA then she would be the one getting all the covers/editorials and CF offers and she isn’t.
I think you’re being biased in the looks department. Nicole isn't considered to be sexy by most k-fans and I’ll leave it at that. Hara doesn't have a plastic tag attached to her, most of Korea thinks she's really pretty. Seungyeon is also lauded for her looks; they might not be to your taste, but she has a ton of fanboys who think she is pretty; when Kim Hee Sun's husband thinks you’re hot, that's a good sign about your sex appeal. Gyuri is also considered to be really pretty by fans.
Also, you’re missing the point in that there is no long-term KARA because Nicole wants to go solo…
I think you're underestimating the fact that everybody in KARA has negatives attached to their reputation except for Gyuri and Nicole. For whatever reason, she (and Gyuri, to a lesser extent) was not docked much for her role in the contract dispute.
DeleteNicole is easily replaceable, sure, all idols are. On a skill basis, none of them are irreplaceable, that's why they're idols. The drawback is that even if you replace a member, say Taeyeon in SNSD or something, with somebody equal in every way, it's not the same. KARA is trending negatively already and this certainly isn't going to help. If her AND Jiyoung leave, they're on their way to becoming the next Jewelry.
Also, not sure why you would appeal to authority in regards to DSP's decision making. Because they did so well with Sechs Kies and SS501? Hell, even Fin.K.L to an extent, as they refused to make a decision with them, basically in favor of letting them die slow. Presently, they don't even know what to do with Rainbow.
Not saying I agree with DSP at all. I'm just saying that for them...they just see it as cutting their losses probably. They aren't awesome at decision making, no, but I don't think they are stupid enough to try and pretend that KARA was always 3 people if it comes to that. Like you said, they are already in a downward trend, so it seems like the perfect time to jump ship, but if the other girls seem assured that DSP can provide for them a future in the industry to some degree why would they leave? Most of their confidence does come from the fact that their popularity in KARA grants them a lot of work anyway though.
DeleteAnd Nicole was docked ALOT in the contract dispute because of her mom. I think probably Gyuri and Hara weren't docked so much.
I dunno how old you are or how long you've been into K-pop, but I'm just skeptical because I've watched them let a lot of groups with solid fanbases just die. That's where my skepticism about how they handle anything like this stems from.
DeleteNicole? I dunno, maybe she's egotistical, maybe she's delusional, maybe she's just fed up. I don't know her. I do know DSP's history though, so I'm just leaving it open instead of saying Nicole is the one who went HAM on everybody.
Honestly, I don't see her being docked a lot by the public. By companies? Sure. They've blacklisted JYJ forever, which says it all. Public? You said it, they docked her mom, not her. She could easily separate herself from that helicopter mom image with a few simple PR moves.
Somehow all this brings to mind Katherine Heigl and her mother.
ReplyDeleteWell, Nicole's been around for as long as most people (by saying "people" I mean the current crop of Kpop fans) could remember (to be more specific, she debuted at about the same time as the likes of SNSD and WG). Her popularity never really takes off, even at the height of the Japanese Kara-fever (circa 2011-12). So what makes the girl think that, at a time when the Hallyu wave is on the full retreat in Japan i.e. their primary market, she will actually cut it as a solo artist? (and no, she doesn't have the Korean market to fall back on. Because the cut-throat competition there alone will spell the beginning of the end of her career)
ReplyDeletePlying one's trade as a soloist can be quite a lucrative undertaking (just take a look at the likes of IU and Ailee) if said artist manages to come out on top of the bloodthirsty horde. But for every successful and vaunted solo story, there are probably 100 or more despairing soloists dying an agonizing death in their basements. Nicole is reasonably interesting as a member of KARA, but I doubt that anyone, if at all, will give a flying fuck about Nicole the Soloist. She will be in for a rude awakening if she indeed parts way with KARA. It's definitely a decision that she will come to regret later in her life...........
So Nicole, and your omnipresent mother, please plead with the DSP management for an extension of your KARA contract. The ball is in your court now
Maybe, her mom wanna make a private agency, like Seo Inyoung with her IY Ent.
ReplyDeleteNicole is nothing special but it's at least the best dancer. I guess she's KARA's Hyoyeon, except she's hot. What I think you're all forgetting is that KARA is a brand and the five girls have been around since 08, I guess? It's a long, long time, for them to be suddenly cut and replaced by another girl. The band is already loosing gas fast, and this news of Nicole leaving and Jiyoung maybe following they may just decide to jump ship. Look at jewlery, don't know why they keep trying... they don't have the flair of the old talento and even T-ara, at their highest, there were people that still said they prefered the 6-ara. So yeah, individually is not like someone could care about the girl but how that will affect their perception of KARA. And frankly the company statement, it basically looks like their trying to screw her over which has already caused the effect of people bashing them and fans wanting all of KARA to go to another company. Bad Play by DSP.
ReplyDeleteGranted, DSP is just as screwed-up as CCM. But Nicole has already earned herself the dubious honour of being a usurper, and now she is crying out loud for a solo act......You really can't blame DSP for wanting to part way with Nicole, the alleged "bad apple" in KARA. And the popularity of KARA will certainly take a dent, if Nicole indeed bids farewell come January (and in the worst case scenario, if Jiyoung elects to pursue her education when her contract expires in April). But KARA as a group will survive (not dissimilar to how T-ara manage to keep themselves afloat in the aftermath of the Hwayoung incident), while the same cannot be said of Nicole's showbiz career. She will probably go out with a whimper and fall off the radar for good before anyone take notice. In short, Nicole stands to lose more than either KARA or DSP.
DeleteWell I get what you're saying but while it is possible, I find the odds so much lower than in CCM. That KKS dude is a whole empire of his own, as for DSP, they have KARA as their single cash cow. They have much more to lose. As for Nicole Jung, I wouldn't discard her as of yet, many untalented girls have a career in K-pop and Nicole, right now, appears more of a victim than the one to blame. And, personally, I'm not convinced it's just the solo act thing. I think the girl would like to do more variety shows, and stuff. She barely does anything outside of the music. As for the jiyoung thing, I'm more inclined to believe they released the statement either in order to behave or threatening her into staying with KARA. Guess we'll have to wait and see what comes out of this mess
DeleteThe deduction skills of a mastermind.
ReplyDeleteFreelancer will work. Just look at modern journalism.
ReplyDelete"journalism"
Deletelolol.
DeleteShhh, don't tell them.
Nicole trying to make it as a soloist would really be a brave move. Yeah, she's talented in dancing, she's hot, she has her share of devoted fans to back her up. However, she may have forgotten that to have at least the slightest chance in succeeding as a soloist in kpop, she either needs a dick or a flawless innocent image like IU had before she fucked Eunyuck.
ReplyDeleteShe might be fine. It seems like she/her mom already have an agency in mind. She already has the image from KARA which isn't bad or good...it's in the middle. She can get really boring, really quickly though so she would need to improve the personality aspects of her solo persona. As long as you've got a decent song you can do well. If she picks good songs I'm sure she'll be fine. I think she just feels she has tons more to offer than what she really does.
DeleteWell, only if (a big "IF" here) the market is interested in what Nicole has to offer. Nicole and her mother may think that she is being underrated, under-appreciated, and most importantly of all, underpaid in KARA. But the market couldn't care any less.
DeleteWell, I guess it's still too early to predict whether or not she'll make it as a soloist. Maybe she really just wants to try doing solo stuff (cuz almost everyone in senior kpop groups seems to be doing it these days) while still promote with the band but DSP isn't interested/not confident with the idea of her on her own. But, idk, leaving DSP to pursue a solo career in a different agency could be a bad move on her part. Look at Kim Hyun Joong. I heard he's not doing as great as he used to. DSP might not be as powerful as SM or any of the Big 3 but they're still bigger than most of the other agencies in SK.
DeleteAnd also, don't you think they released this info of her leaving too soon? I mean, if it's not until next year, I don't think it's really necessary for DSP to reveal it right now. Unless DSP is done trying and is already closing their doors for her, January is still a long way to go. And aren't they threatened about fans maybe boycotting the group after this has been disclosed, cause you know shit like that usually happens in kpop.
I'm no Kamila/Kara fan by any stretch of the imagination, nor am I a huge Kpop fan/follower..but I think people confuse "solo activities" and "solo act/career/soloist" lol..from what I can gather from the great-wide-web so far is that after the fiasco Nicole's mom pull at around 2011-ish, she's completely vanished from doing solo work ie; verity shows, MC-ing and stuff like that, which I assume DSP way of screwing her(and her mom, probably) over for pulling those stunt. And from what I can gather from her tweet in relation to DSP statement, I think she want to leave her current management and join other management company so she can do all those verity shows and MC-ing stuff again a.k.a doing solo activities outside of Kara but at the same time still want to perform and promote as a Kara member. And about her being a soloist, I don't know..Like I said above I have little-to-no knowledge 'bout any of the Kara member as a performer, I only watch them on verity show, which is also rare. I do heard that Gyuri and Seungyeon are like the backbone of the group in term of vocal talent and people said Nicole's the group best dancer tho. Maybe she could make it as a soloist, I don't know man. I mean, just look at Hyuna, she's made it as soloist despite not being with the best vocal or most talented, she's hot(depends on your personal definition of hotness), she's know how to work dem booties, which Nicole is too..Anyways, I'm sorry if it's too long of a comment tho.
ReplyDelete