never thought i would mention it here, but this wechat article about mmm is currently going viral at 84k views:

“A picture with no bra received cyber bullying..with average looks and were asked to leave kpop..is this the most controversial girl group in history??

@RBW_MAMAMOO

Will make a rough trans thread but all cr belongs to op InsDaily:

Finally, the much anticipated SK talent gg Mamamoo has a comeback with their brand new digital mini album “Travel”! In the title ‘Aya’ they transform into an exotic concept, the strong image was praised as +

+ “the real queens on the run.”

It's the seventh year since their debut. Overtime, countless new girl groups have emerged after them. However, raised in a small company, MMM still sit firmly in the position as one of the best 4th-gen ggs in South Korea.

Q: Objective comment on Mamamoo’s place in SK?
A: Casual stans from hundreds of other fandoms, loved by the general public, less diehard fans compared to other idols, best in 4th-gen, universally acknowledged as BeLisMaMoo on broadcasting shows, vocals praised by SK

theqoo’s top post from the travel cb:

Initial sales of MMM’s album increased by a factor of 1000 compared to their debut album, making them the 4th girl group IN KPOP HISTORY to break 100K sales on the release day.

Who would have thought it would go from selling 100 albums to a comeback on the seventh year and breaking 100, 000 sales on the first day? What a miracle for a group from a small company!

From the neglect they experienced at the start of debut, to the present where millions +

Have their attention on them, the coolness, the confidence of delivering positive message to the world.

The existence of Mamamoo, is the synonym for a “perfect counterattack”.

01

In the summer of 2014, a South Korean entertainment company called Rainbowbridge World officially debuted their first female idol group, MAMAMOO. Never heard of them? Normal, after all, they don’t even have a Wikipedia entry coming from a small company.

4 young girls who love performing and dream of becoming singers -

Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, Hwasa are the only hope for this small company.

However, their debut mini-album “Hello” was met with much criticism and ridicule.

"Can idols look like that?" "They don’t check them out before debut?" "I feel I can debut too"...

The serious criticism on their looks, has already given them a heavy blow even before debuting.

Solar, the leader, auditioned nearly 50 times, failing at most times because of her “less-than-refined looks”. Even her parents advised her to give up the singer dream.

Hwasa with her unique, exotic look attended auditions, and was blunted rejected by the company claiming, “You have talent, but you can’t be in a girl group because you are chubby and not good-looking enough..”

Indeed, here are very few who look up to Mamamoo after their debut. And Hwasa was the most controversial member among them.

Born in 1995, she is the youngest in the group debuting at 19 years old, but she looks the most mature amongst her members.

With a round face, small eyes and flat nose. As her appearance did not conform to the traditional idol aesthetics, netizens snidely criticised her as “a face full of bugs”. She was the victim of internet violence for quite a long while.

One of the most frequent comments was, “Mamamoo would be a full pretty group without her”

When they went on a show, Hwasa was asked in face if she is the most “auntie-like” member in the group.

Some netizens even initiated a “Hwasa q*it mmm” petition.

Imagine the immense amount of hatred and malice a 19-year-old girl had to deal with.

Not only were mmm attacked because of their looks, their “unnie-like” debut concept was under great controversy.

Amongst many other cute, fresh and zesty girl groups popular at that time, their mature queen-ish style appeared quite antipathetic.

While other female idols were doing aegyo and gaining attention due to their cuteness, Mamamoo was like a breeze of fresh air, with exuding boldness onstage, sending off a diva vibe even though all of them were still quite young.

Their unique concept was actually quite a big letdown for the general public after debut. Compared to other ggs, MMM had very few male fans. Some say that “gaining male stans and their attention since debut means the girl group gets the world.”

But coming from a small company, with an “unappealing” concept and low visibility to the public, Mamamoo sold as few as 100 copies for their first two albums.

Remaining as the “unknown” for nearly two years, they finally won a first place on their song “You’re the Best”.

Been through it all, walking on this endless long stretch, they are finally recognised, and popular.

At this time, many realised the potential and talent in Mamamoo; they were all so underrated being affected by those so-called external factors pushing them down.

02

“Unbelievable, is this really a girl group?” Many have raised this question after they heard Mamamoo perform live.

How do even use words to describe their live stages?

Probably that, the MR removed sounds even better than the original with a backtrack. Their vocals are +

+ so amazing that they used freestyle ad-libs to prove they never lip-sync, they even sound good when the vocals and rappers switching parts.

So after their debut, Mamamoo has earned themselves a new nickname for the group “BeLisMaMoo” which means BELIEVE AND LISTEN TO MAMAMOO. The seniors who watched their stages were saying they got goosebumps because of their talent.

Even Park Jinyoung, the JYP himself once said, “The four of you does not resemble a girl group, you’re like four solo artists.”

After all, their live singing and stage performances were undoubtedly many times more excellent than a lot of their peers in the industry.

One cannot help but exclaim after watching them sing live that, “This group’s live stages are a must-see.”

They have created countless simply stunning stages since debut. Not to mention this classic Décalcomanie performance towards the end of 2016, where they boldly changed lyrics, Moonbyul asked a renowned male actor onstage to “have a drink” together. (Blue Dragon Awards)

This unique performance actually pushed the group to a new high and Decalcomanie topped charts around SK.

At MAMA 2018, they once again dominated worldwide trends on Weibo and Twitter with legendary solo and group stages.

(Weibo 21. Hwasa Hot, 32. Kim Yongsun pole dance)

Hwasa’s jaw-dropping tribute to Beyoncé

Solar’s extremely challenging pole dance routine which she perfectly winged

They were a shining existence that night, winning the hearts of everyone in the audience.

At last year’s MAMA, they have took on a bold joker concept once again, Solar even had a half-half look going on.

Thread continued idk what happened there... https://twitter.com/soleilbyul/status/1324663217281355776