'Hangout with Yoo' Lee Sang-min, "The Reason Mixed-Gender Groups Don't Succeed Nowadays Is Because of Fandom Culture"

Photo by MBC 'How Do You Play?' capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Hyesoo] On the afternoon of the 9th, MBC's 'How Do You Play?' aired an episode featuring Lee Sangmin, a former member of the co-ed group Roola, who shared anecdotes about the release of Roola's second album.

On this day, Yoo Jae-suk gathered members to prepare for forming a co-ed group. Lee Sangmin, a former Roola member, and Lee Ji-hye, a former member of Shop, who were invited to the studio, reminisced about the 1990s while chatting. Meanwhile, Yoo Jae-suk appeared and expressed his delight, saying, "Sangmin and Ji-hye are here."

Hearing Lee Sangmin show respect to Yoo Jae-suk, Lee Ji-hye asked, "Is oppa your younger brother?" Both Lee Sangmin and Yoo Jae-suk answered simultaneously, "He's the younger brother," and "Sangmin is the younger brother," which surprised everyone.

Lee Sangmin and Lee Ji-hye said they appeared on the show despite their busy schedules because of their trust in PD Kim Tae-ho, which made Yoo Jae-suk burst out laughing.

Additionally, Lee Sangmin shared an anecdote about the release of Roola's second album, saying that no one invested at the time, but the CEO of World Music invested 200 million won, saying, "Surely Roola won't fail." After Roola appeared on 'Inkigayo,' they received 1 million pre-orders within a week, continuing the fascinating story. Yoo Jae-suk also showed off his music knowledge by saying that Roola is "the only co-ed group to have won a terrestrial broadcasting music award."

In particular, Lee Sangmin said that the reason co-ed groups have not been successful recently compared to the past is due to fandom culture.

He explained, "It has changed to a fandom-centered culture. Fans don't want to see oppa standing on stage with other members of the opposite sex," adding, "Nowadays, it's not easy for co-ed groups to debut. What has replaced them is collaboration."

MBC's entertainment program 'How Do You Play?' airs every Saturday at 6:30 PM.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.