MIA2K: A K-Pop Podcast

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Episode 21 – Monsta X: Still No Mercy from Starship Entertainment | MIA2K Rants

This episode was originally going to be a post-Monsta X concert experience, but a lot has happened since then, so we’re a little angry and we just need to voice these issues. We hope you’re down to co-release some anger with us today. 

We’re pretty hardcore into Monsta X, and we’d love to live our best monbebe lives with content and music galore, but unfortunately their agency, Starship Entertainment, is literally tanking them as a group.

And before we start, let’s be clear about something: the members are going ABOVE AND BEYOND individually and collectively to ensure their success. Our negative comments are limited to Starship, and Starship ONLY. Also, we might call them Starshit a few times, because… play stupid games, win stupid prizes. And the prize today is to have MIA2K Podcast call out all the BS they’ve put the Monsta X members through.

Monsta X 101 (Timestamp: 3:05)

Monsta X debuted on May 14, 2015 after participating in a survival show called No Mercy which no fan of Monsta X can stand hearing the name of from how unscrupulous it was. They debuted as seven members, but unfortunately after some scandals and the unforgiving nature of fans, Wonho left the group in 2019. We were originally going to keep this episode to the six current members, but we’re here to expose Starship for the joke it is, and so we’re going to talk about Wonho too (later on).

From left: Hyungwon, Kihyun, Joohoney, Shownu, I.M, and Minhyuk.
  • Shownu: 6/18/1992. Bear. Leader, visual, dance king, adorable self-proclaimed ‘pabo’ (dummy, but NEVER a pushover). Currently enlisted in military service, expected to be discharged around April 2023.
  • Minhyuk: 11/3/1993. Puppy. Visual. A lot of attitude, a lot of love for coke (wait wait, coca cola!). De facto leader in Shownu’s absence.
  • Kihyun: 11/22/1993. Hamster. VOCALIST. Top 3 vocal power of Gen 3 (go argue with the wall). Reformed bully. Conservative prude.
  • Hyungwon: 1/15/1994. Turtle. Lead dancer, visual, actor, DJ. Model. Fit for all the careers in entertainment except MC. Capitalist introvert. Ready to be a father.
  • Jooheon: 10/6/1994. Tiger. Honey bee. Rapper. Dimple emperor. Aegyo magician. Voice of an angel. Aespa’s 5th member. Consummate performer.
  • I.M: 1/26/1996. Wolf. Cat. Maknae. Rapper. Visual. Voted biggest transformation. Korean Jon Snow. Citizen of the world. Over it.

The Starshit experience (Timestamp: 18:12)

Here are just SOME of the ways in which Starshit has been and currently is monumentally failing the members as well as monbebes: 

Wonho (Timestamp: 47:05)

Now, let’s talk briefly about Wonho and what things are looking like for him right now within the Starshit subsidiary, Highline entertainment.

  • Controversial enough to leave the group but not the company completely? 
  • Conspiracy about him being chosen leader up until night before debut 
  • Good solo debut in 2020
  • Works or works out. That’s it. He’s always on for the fans. It’s exhausting. 
  • Dance practice in Starship room with covered logo… they think we’re stupid.
  • Hyungwon apology for hanging out with him
  • Fan service to an extreme
  • 2021 he seemed happy, had good music, posted thirst traps
  • 2022 he’s not happy, the music drops have been meh, just trying to survive (VLive snap)
  • Objectified, but not in a good way 
  • Weenee metrics seem to be going down 😦
  • Smells of frustration
  • He’s a good actor, living the “yes and” life and does whatever it takes/he’s told

The long-awaited Monsta X concert (Timestamp 59:46)

We FINALLY got to see them in concert, official lightsticks in hand (no thanks to Starship). Here’s how that journey took a whole two years and four attempts. 

Monsta X is the one very successful Gen 3 group with a STRONG international presence. 

  • While most KPop groups that tour the US do 5-6 cities on average, Monsta X put 17 cities on their tour list for 2020 (Kings)
  • For some miracle of God, they decided to include South Florida in their tour list since they announced it for 2020. Because of the pandemic, the following dates never happened: 
    • June 24 2020
    • May 10 2021
    • December 19 2021* (Jingle Ball tour, got cancelled on the same day because of Omicron-related outbreaks)
    • Feb 17 2022 

On June 1st 2022, we FINALLY finally FINALLY got to see these talented men in person, and our detailed experience breakdown is better heard/watched on our podcast episode (timestamp 59:46). 

We were feeling the post-concert depression HARD after 6/1, and although we think they would come to South FL again because the vibes were RIGHT, we’re not quite sure about what their future holds.

Monsta X’s future

Two things have us feeling concerned and pressed: 

  • Enlistment is upon Minhyuk and Kihyun. It only makes sense for the 5 to enlist together so they don’t stagger their absences and can be a full group back together by 2025. 
  • Contracts: Shownu, Kihyun and Hyungwon renewed their contracts as announced on May 9th 2022. Jooheon and Minhyuk negotiated with the agency for a while until they came to an agreement and re-signed with them (hugely surprising) as announced on August 8th, 2022. Unsurprisingly, I.M had enough and gracefully announced his exit from Starship, while reassuring monbebes he would remain a part of the group. We’ve seen groups go on with members who leave the agency, so we’re not concerned at all about the members managing to work through this situation.

We don’t know what the future holds for the members, but we really hope that the fact that the majority re-signed with Starship Entertainment means that they asked for certain things to be granted to them, and Starship is willing to do right by them.

We’re not holding our breath…

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