K-pop is often used as a synonym for bubblegum-pop music but it includes a wide range of music genres and sub-genre. Even a single K-pop group often releases tracks exploring various music styles in the same album. One of the groups that successfully breaks the stereotype of K-pop music and got known as ‘The Face of Rock in K-pop’ is DREAMCATCHER.
The seven-member girl group initially debuted as a five-member group under the name MINX. They released their debut single Why Did You Come to My Home? in 2014 including the members JiU, SuA, Siyeon, Yoohyeon, and Dami. They performed as MINX for a year before going on a hiatus. By the end of the year 2016, they announced they will re-debut as DREAMCATCHER.
This re-debut in 2017 with two new members Handong and Gahyeon joining the original lineup re-wrote the fate of the group. The seven-member girl group debuted with a new vitality under the dark concept and challenged their contemporaries with a non-mainstream music style.
The Face of Rock in third-gen K-pop: DREAMCATCHER
Rock and metal music has always been integrated into the K-pop industry since the debut of Shin Hae Chul, the pioneer of experimental rock. However, it is still hard to find Korean groups that mainly produce rock music. Although bands like Day6, The Rose, and N.Flying have popularized K-rock into the mainstream media, the idol groups that frequently incorporate rock and metal in their albums remain in the shadows.
DREAMCATCHthe ER is a third-generation K-pop girl group that is mesmerizingly bringing the K-rock into the limelight. The group has especially garnered a strong fanbase internationally with their 2017 re-debut album Nightmare. Their lead single Chase Me published as a ‘young metal number with rock base’ began a new journey for the seven members.
- In the same year, they released their first EP, Prequel featuring the title track Fly High which attained them their debut at No. 5 on Billboard World Album Charts. Following this, they went on their debut tour beginning with Fly High in Japan. The Happyface Entertainment’s girl group also held fan signing events across Brazil that sold out in ten minutes.
- By the end of the year, DREAMCATCHER had caught the attention of the world’s renowned music critics with its unique incorporation of rock and metal sounds. The group debuted at No.19 on Billboard’s Best K-pop Songs 2017: Critics Picks and No.3 on Billboard’s Best New K-pop Acts 2017.
2018 – 2019: First world tour and international recognition
DREAMCATCHER released one of their notable singles Full Moon on their first debut anniversary. The song debuted at 16th on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. Afterward, DREAMCATCHER went on a Euro tour including cities London, Lisbon, Madrid, Amsterdam, Berlin, Warsaw, and Paris.
- Their second EP Escape the Era with lead single You and I further highlighted their artistry by combining metal rock sounds with orchestral melodies. The album marked the seven girls’ peek on the Hanteo chart, Gaon chart, China’s Yinyuetai, and Billboard’s World Album Chart.
- The group then debuted in Japan with the Japanese version of the title track What from their third EP Alone in the City. They also debuted in the United States by performing at KCON 2018 in LA.
- Furthermore, they released their fourth EP concluding the Nightmare era with End of the Nightmare and their agency Happyface Entertainment also renamed itself to DREAMCATCHER Company in support of the girl group.
- The girl group later conducted their world tour in Asia (March to May 2019), Europe (October 24 to November 27), and the United States (December 6 to December 15). In the meantime, they also released their first Japanese studio album The Beginning of The End, and a special EP Raid of Dream.
2020 – 2022: Breakthrough and first music show win
In the following year, 2020 they released their first full-length albumDystopia: The Tree of Language, which also made it to TIME Magazine’s notable release of K-pop in 2020. The album’s title track Scream featured on Dazed and Paper’s The 40 Best K-pop Songs of 2020, at 6th and 32nd, respectively.
- The group went on to release the Japanese single Endless Night, Michael Jackson-inspired Black or White, epic orchestral rock song R.o.S.E BLUE, and their fifth EP Dystopia: Lose Myself. The EP became their best-selling album surpassing 1 million sales.
In 2021, DREAMCATCHER released their sixth EP Dystopia: Road to Utopia, with nu-metal single Odd Eye charting on Billboard’s Next Big Sound setting a new record as a K-pop girl group. In the same year, they released their special EP Summer Holiday revisiting their horror roots with its title track BEcause.
- Throughout the year, they held four online concerts and released multiple OSTs. Come 2022, the K-pop girl group released their second studio album Apocalypse: Save Us which was written, composed, and arranged by the DREAMCATCHER members. They also achieved their first music show win with the album’s title track MAISON on MBC M’s Show Champion.
- Following this, they kicked off their Apocalypse: Save Us World Tour in the United States (June 28 to July 20), performed in Frankfurt, Germany at KPOP.FLEX, and at the Primavera Sound Festival, in Barcelona, Spain. DREAMCATCHER then kicked off their Europe leg of the tour starting from Germany. They also released their seventh EP Apocalypse: Follow Us before renewing their contracts early.
DREAMCATCHER’s Latest EP
In January 2023, the rock girl group released their special single Reason for their sixth debut anniversary and conducted a US tour from February 28 to March 20. They also performed at the inaugural WeBridge Expo 2023 and a special concert at the inauguration of the first anniversary of Blue House.
- On May 24, they released their latest EP Apocalypse: From Us marking their most successful release to date with progressive rock single Bon Voyage, topping on World iTunes Chart as well as back-to-back music show wins. This latest achievement establishes that it is still the beginning of the innumerable achievements of the promising Face of K-pop Rock, DREAMCATCHER.
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