Talking to GQ Australia, The Members Shared Their True Feelings About Being Considered 'Pioneers In The Industry', And They Are Very Humble About It.
GOT7 made history as the first K-Pop group to acquire all trademark rights to their name after leaving a major label. But while fans couldn't be more proud of them for paving the way in the industry, the members themselves see it in a very different way.
Talking to GQ Australia, the members expressed their true feelings about being considered an “industry pioneer”, and they are very humble about it. In fact, they are so humble that they might even deny it.
Journalist Taylor Glasby, who spent a week with GOT7 ahead of their comeback in 2022, wrote that there was no special celebration when Jay B (JB) brought trademark documents for the members to sign. According to GOT7's Jinyoung, this is because they don't really see any reason to celebrate.
"GOT7 is not special. It's hard for us to say that we are the beginning of something because we receive inspiration from our seniors," said Jinyoung humbly.
Jay B agreed, claiming that GOT7 didn't actually pave the way, they were just following in the footsteps of Shinhwa and g.o.d.
Of course, Jay B wasn't completely wrong, as these two first-generation groups did set some impressive precedents. Shinhwa was the first group to stay together after all of its members signed contracts with different agencies, and g.o.d also refused to disband despite a long hiatus. Not only that, g.o.d stayed together even after the trademark for their group was traded back and forth between several agencies, including JYP Entertainment.
However, the fact remains that GOT7 was the first to leave their label not only on amicable terms, but also with the group intact and with full trademark rights to their name. And that's a meaningful achievement!
Considering how difficult it is to not only acquire the rights to their name, but to then fully write and produce a successful album as an autonomous group, GOT7 has proven that they truly deserve to be called "pioneers in the industry". (wk/goddess)
