Being a rookie group in the cutthroat competitive field of K-pop is one of the most precarious positions you can be in. You haven’t proven yourself yet, and the eyes of fans, labels, and even your future career are on the line. Add in the global pandemic a few years back, and the odds felt stacked against any group trying to break out. However, Cravity was uniquely prepared for success as rookies and, against all odds, managed to find their footing in a turbulent time.
The group debuted on April 14, 2020, right as the world was facing the struggles of the pandemic. For many groups, this sort of timing would spell disaster, but Cravity was prepared. The group had high hopes for their debut, and were equipped with skills from previous involvement in other groups, professional experience gained while spending time around other idols, and paying close attention to the greats who had paved the way before them.
Before they were in Cravity, four of the members - Jungmo, Wonjin, Minhee, and Hyeongjun - participated in the competition show Produce X 101. All four placed in the top 20 out of the initial 101 contestants, with Minhee and Hyeongjun part of the winning squad that became the group X1. Although X1 ended up disbanding early on into their career, the experience from participating in the show and previous group helped the rookies in Cravity find their way with a new debut.
Additionally, a few of the members spent time as backup dancers for other already active idols. They had the opportunity to learn from those already in the industry, which no doubt helped give them an edge when they were finding their own footing. However, in-person training wasn’t the only way they learned from other idols. Cravity has been very vocal about their inspirations, citing SHINee, BTS, Monsta X, NCT, and Seventeen as groups they look up to. They’ve even taken cues from the self-production of these other groups and have begun incorporating that into their style, with hopes to get bigger and better as time goes on.
A strong start was absolutely pivotal for Cravity, and they’ve been able to keep that momentum up in recent years. The group just released their seventh mini-album, Evershine, and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. One of their most popular songs of all time, “Love or Die,” was part of this most recent release.
Does Cravity have what it takes to be a long-lasting force in K-pop? Only time will tell. Even BTS took a few years to grow to the level of popularity they eventually achieved, so there’s still plenty of time for Cravity to grow in both skill and popularity. And that’s time they might not have had if they hadn’t been so well prepared for their debut.