How well would MAMAMOO have fared as a 3-member girl group?

[☾vroomvroomilikethat★]

According to some people's opinions, Mamamoo should have debuted as an all-around vocal group with their 3 insanely polished vocalists renowned for their belting prowess and technical superiority.  This will supposedly allow them to make more coherent music because not all of their songs need a rap break, so a 4th member as a rapper would become somewhat of a burden (?) when the other 3 divas can easily carry songs all on their own.

 

When it comes to fan recognition, the same people argue that Hwasa would dominate the western fandom with her unrivalled sassiness and smoking hot body; Solar would be the pretty face of the group grabbing people's attention at first sight with her beautiful features; and Wheein is easily the cutest puppy ever lived and would hoard in loads of diehard fans for her beagle-ness.  So these 3 would have no problem maintaining their current level of popularity as a trio proposed here.

 

With this scenario in mind, how well do you reckon Mamamoo would have done into their fourth year?  Would they still have dominated charts left and right and sustained their image as a strong vocal group like what they're doing now?  Is the position of a designated rapper indeed not needed for their success after all?  Or would there be just that little something missing keeping them from reaching the top?  What about their predominantly female-driven fanbase?  Would this demographic be affected without one of Kpop's most popular girl crushes?

 

Only civil opinions and constructive criticisms welcomed, please!

[day6 congratulations]

noooooooo.............

[HallyuNoona]

I know a lot of people criticise this.

I too love to roll my eyes at the forced rap breaks but I've never actually felt it feels forced with Mamamoo. 

[shugwi]

Moonbyul is needed she makes mamamoo's dynamics more interesting

she brings all the girls to the yard mamamoo is perfect with her imo 

[Bret]

I can never imagine MAMAMOO without moonbyul

OT4>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Heejin is a real]

Better. Their rapper always ruin their songs her voice is so annoying. Hwasa could rap instead

[campfire]

Moonbyuls voice is ok but her raps bring the songs down esp with the focus on dramatic singing then the rap is just flat.

[☾vroomvroomilikethat★]

Moonbyul is needed she makes mamamoo's dynamics more interesting

she brings all the girls to the yard mamamoo is perfect with her imo 

 

smh @ the person negging you earlier.  tragic taste. 

[roshg]

my heart is broken just thinking about it. our byulie is just as much of an essential member as the others. Her rapping is best for new gen and her raps never feel forced. Their dynamics of a group would be way too different. 

[☾vroomvroomilikethat★]

my heart is broken just thinking about it. our byulie is just as much of an essential member as the others. Her rapping is best for new gen and her raps never feel forced. Their dynamics of a group would be way too different. 

 

you have no idea how hurt I felt thinking about it, let alone knowing there are actual people out there harbouring such thoughts.  like, it's too much for my heart to take rn.  I can't even deal with it.  and listening to Mamamoo's immortal songs performances doesn't help at all T_T

[m00diculous]

I'm OT4-biased this is a very difficult question to ask.

 

Musically, I think they'd do fine, and moonbyul wouldn't have to be pressured to write and incorporate a rap in ballads and OST songs, and people wouldn't be questioning the inclusion since it wouldn't be a thing (hwasa wouldn't feel the need or be required to write a rap verse, although she's more than artistically capable to add one in).

 

Visually, and I hate to use that word because of it's connotations in kpop, I think they'd be lacking. 

 

First of all, a 3-membered group has historically not been proven to have as much success as any group with 4 or more members. 4+ members "feels" more right to form a kpop idol group than any number less than that. In case someone argues it, davichi doesn't count. Davichi has never claimed and is not know to be an idol group. They're a vocal duo. If we go by that standard, then RBW CEO would've just debuted wheein and hwasa as a duo.

 

Second, let's be honest. Mamamoo's fandom consists largely of females (last i checked, an 8:2, female-male ratio). The majority of the fandom, including the members themselves, agree (or would agree) that moonbyul has the most female fans.

 

Basically, I don't think mamamoo would've gained as large as a fandom as it does now without moonbyul contributing to the group's visual. 

 

I don't mean this, just by face alone, by the way. I mean stage presence, as well. Each Mamamoo member has a scary amount of it, but I honestly don't think that a lot of their most note-worthy stage wouldn't be as perfect without it.

 

Best example being the Blue Dragon Awards performance and a some Immortal songs performances (namely, delilah, way to sampo, and you in my faded memory). To this day, Moonbyul adlib, is still the one that gets mentioned the most in all of their interviews.

 

Lastly, as someone has mentioned before, the team dynamics would be so different, it's practically unimaginable. 

[roshg]

you have no idea how hurt I felt thinking about it, let alone knowing there are actual people out there harbouring such thoughts.  like, it's too much for my heart to take rn.  I can't even deal with it.  and listening to Mamamoo's immortal songs performances doesn't help at all T_T

 

Exactly. Anyone who is an actual fan can never deny the need for every single member. OT3 is the stupidest thing ever and I'll fight anyone who even brings it up tbh 

[Chuuei]

I can agree with people argueing, that including a rap section for Moonbyul can sometimes be a challenge and not every part works equally well.

 

But for me, that's maybe the most "normal" part showing they are a kpop idol group after all - you got so many songs from so many different groups with "raps" which are just akward sometimes - and going with the typical composition of including a dedicated rapper was just needed at the time most likely.

 

But on the other hand, even if the rap sometimes looks like it's not needed that much - moonbyul delivers big on a technical level. For every songs people think the rap was not that fitting, you can find several other were she completely excels. And when you hear someone covering Mamamoo songs, they often get the normal singing parts quite right (only minus the typical harmonies) but when it comes to the rap, you always hear how hard they really are and how special Moonbyuls technique is. They never get the raps right.

 

At the present day, it's of course not possible to think of a Mamamoo without Moonbyul. But i think, imagining a Mamamoo with 3 members or 4 with Moonbyul staying to her vocal training she received in the beginning, is also possible. I think they would be equally successful. 

[cahbr]

Anyone who thinks MMM would be better or even just as good/successful as OT3 clearly doesn't understand the first thing about the group's music, dynamic (especially!) or fandom.

[Akai Berubetto]

 

First of all, a 3-membered group has historically not been proven to have as much success as any group with 4 or more members. 4+ members "feels" more right to form a kpop idol group than any number less than that. In case someone argues it, davichi doesn't count. Davichi has never claimed and is not know to be an idol group. They're a vocal duo. If we go by that standard, then RBW CEO would've just debuted wheein and hwasa as a duo.

 

SES exists honey

Fly to the Sky too

 

MMM with 3 persons would have a hard time covering the whole stage compared to 4 persons (i mean stage presence, it would be lacking)

[m00diculous]

SES exists honey

Fly to the Sky too

 

MMM with 3 persons would have a hard time covering the whole stage compared to 4 persons (i mean stage presence, it would be lacking)

Ahh...i forgot about ses. My bad. Still though. The fact remains that it's uncommon. And 4-membered groups, at the time they debuted, were meeting pretty good success. Statistically, it still stands that a group would be better received at 4+ members.

 

 

Don't know what you mean with fly to the sky though. They're also successful as a vocal duo similar to davichi

[☾vroomvroomilikethat★]

 

I don't mean this, just by face alone, by the way. I mean stage presence, as well. Each Mamamoo member has a scary amount of it, but I honestly don't think that a lot of their most note-worthy stage wouldn't be as perfect without it.

 

Best example being the Blue Dragon Awards performance and a some Immortal songs performances (namely, delilah, way to sampo, and you in my faded memory). To this day, Moonbyul adlib, is still the one that gets mentioned the most in all of their interviews.

 

 

omg thank you for pointing this out!  a lot of their performances would've been way less cool without the exceptional rap incorporations, and probably wouldn't have stood out as much among fellow great vocalists in the industry.  they'll lack that certain wow factor that most people underestimate.

[☾vroomvroomilikethat★]

 

But on the other hand, even if the rap sometimes looks like it's not needed that much - moonbyul delivers big on a technical level. For every songs people think the rap was not that fitting, you can find several other were she completely excels. And when you hear someone covering Mamamoo songs, they often get the normal singing parts quite right (only minus the typical harmonies) but when it comes to the rap, you always hear how hard they really are and how special Moonbyuls technique is. They never get the raps right.

 

 

entirely this.  I don't think I've ever heard a cover version of her rap that actually wowed me.  most sound rather.. lacklustre, or even awkward when they try to replicate her flow and delivery.  it's a very tricky thing to get your breathing right to make your rap flow naturally, and that's where her training finally paid off because it shows when other people who are less trained can't quite do the same as what she can.