Can Nicole Really Make It Solo?

Nicole was my favorite member in Kara, but I was relieved that she was leaving the group. Now it has officially been confirmed that she will make a solo comeback under Butt 2 Munch Entertainment. I didn't even think she would get a real opportunity to go solo, but it actually is happening.



The first two things that people will say is that "If she has a good song, she'll do well," and "Sunmi went solo and became successful, so can Nicole." Sure, a good song is always helpful. Sure, Sunmi isn't a vocal powerhouse, but she became successful because of "24 Hours." However, I don't think Nicole and Sunmi are comparable at all given each of the girl's circumstances. Unlike Sunmi, I think Nicole will bomb with her solo debut because Nicole is hated by Koreans, she is a "rapper," her replacement in popular unlike Sunmi's, and her agency isn't powerful.

Nicole's first strike is that she is American. Koreans have a tendency to treat "unpure" Koreans like shit, and Nicole always has and always will receive shit for being American. On top of that, Nicole still can't speak Korean at an educated level, and while Koreans found it charming during her Star Golden Bell stint, Nicole has been in Korea for almost ten years and still hasn't surpassed a conversational level in Korean. Meanwhile, Sunmi is Korean-Korean and speaks Korean at a native level of fluency. Koreans are more accepting of Sunmi because she is one of them while Nicole is a perceptual foreigner.

On top of being a foreigner, Nicole held the worst position in a K-pop group: the rapper. Whoops, I mean the "rapper."


Sunmi was simply a singer in Wonder Girls while Nicole canally raped us with every rap break. That is a sin that cannot be forgiven so easily.
While Nicole canally raped us while she was in Kara, she was replaced by a member that is loved by the general public. Youngji is fucking everywhere these days. Meanwhile, Sunmi was replaced by...this.

People were anticipating Sunmi's return after Lim jumped on board. When your replacement looks like she belongs in the Special Olympics, people will want you back even more. When people have "calmly accepted" your replacement who is doing well on variety shows, your comeback isn't anticipated as much.
Lastly, what the fuck is B2M Entertainment? Spica are still nugus and Hyori's career hasn't progressed under its management due to her marriage to Lee Sang Yoon. Who has B2M Entertainment made a success? Meanwhile, JYP has made plenty of his artists a success, and Sunmi had a huge advantage of being under JYP when making her solo debut. Nicole doesn't have that luxury.