Why You Should Stan Seventeen

13-member group Seventeen is arguably my favorite K-pop group of all time. There's nothing not-to-love about this group: in my eyes, they are the perfect idol group, and the fact that they aren't even a bigger deal outside of Asia blows my mind. Here are some reasons why you should stan Seventeen:

1. They prove that numbers don't overwhelm team dynamics.
13 members is a lot. Their numbers come off as intimidating for many people, but there’s a reason why they’re so popular in Asia. It’s because their team chemistry is something truly special. Seventeen are truly a family. Members in the group have basically known each other for at least five years, and they have bonded over unfortunate circumstances early on in the careers as idols that have made them such a close group. That bond is displayed in the energy they display on stage. The group is so in tune with each other in a way that can’t be made artificially. It’s truly a sight to see.

2. They’re leading the newest wave of self-producing idols.
Seventeen are known by the Korean public as the “self-producing” idol group, and the title is deserved. All members have contributed to writing music, and a handful (Woozi, Hoshi, and Vernon especially) have produced for their group. Seventeen’s dance line have also choreographed all of their group’s performances, especially Hoshi. Pretty much everything they do is distinctly their own, and what they produce is very organic, authentic, and delivered with love and attention, something that isn’t very common in the notoriously manufactured K-pop industry.

3. They are the new kings of synchronicity.

Seventeen are synonymous with synchronicity when it comes to choreography. Even with such different body types and varying backgrounds and experience in dance, members display none of that in the group’s tight, high-energy performances. They’re never not in-sync. I sometimes doubt they’re humans, if I’m being honest. If anything, you can’t help but feel extremely satisfied watching the group perform. Every movement they do is just 100% together.

From their dance practice video for their single "Thanks" (2018)

4. They have an inspiring underdog story.

While their company Pledis Entertainment wasn’t in complete obscurity when they debuted, Seventeen was formed at a time when Pledis was essentially bankrupt. Members were given the bare minimum to debut as an idol group (partly the reason why they are self-producing in the first place: their company wanted to save money managing such a large group), and so they really started from nothing. Seventeen was so poor that they couldn’t even afford basic performance equipment such as in-ear monitors. The staff around them during their early days were borderline abusive, and their success seemed nothing but a very impossible dream. It’s truly heartwarming to see the group now witness immense recognition not only in their native South Korea but internationally as well, with some of the Korean public naming Seventeen as one of the top three newer-generation boy groups in South Korea (alongside relatively more senior artists EXO and BTS). 

5. They are very extra.

When they’re not being disciplined machines of top-tier performance and professionalism, Seventeen descends into chaos. With thirteen members, you’re bound to have some over-the-top personalities that really lean into total absurdity and never break character, and Seventeen has that in spades. Members Seungkwan, Hoshi, and Dokyeom are known by fans to be the “moodmakers” of the group, not only injecting energy to the group’s dynamics but also to fans. Even members who are known to be on the calmer side have their weird moments. Basically, no one in Seventeen is normal. Check out what happens when you have the members react to their music video for "Clap":

6. Their unit system is really cool.

Seventeen has been splitting up into three “teams” since their debut, with an official sub-unit formed this year. Known as the hip-hop team (members Scoups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Vernon), the vocal team (members Jeonghan, Joshua, Woozi, Dokyeom, and Seungkwan), and the performance team (members Jun, Hoshi, The8, and Dino); these three units would release tracks that tended to focus on each unit’s specialties. Thus, a wide range of genres would be explored in unit songs that only added flavor to the group’s signature, core sound. Hip-hop team, with members that specialize in rap, tended to release tracks that are experimental, aggressive, and/or more indie in taste. Vocal team is known for their power ballads and mellower tracks. Performance team never fails to experiment with tracks that are always bops that showcase the members’ skilled dancing. Newly formed sub-unit “BooSeokSoon” (members Hoshi, Dokyeom, and Seungkwan) debuted with their track “Just Do It”, which perfectly encapsulates the trio’s over-the-top, incredibly comical sense of humor.

7. Their music is consistently high-quality.

While I will always love my other groups, I honestly think Seventeen takes the cake for the most consistently-strong discography since their debut. Seventeen is the kind of group that I’ve never hated a single song of theirs. I might not love each one (and trust me, I love about 90% of their songs), but the fact that every song I’ve listened to hasn’t turned me off is truly a testament to Seventeen’s attention to detail. B-sides are generally lower-quality in an industry that focuses so much on heavily-promoted singles, but that’s never been the case for Seventeen.

8. Their music has a very distinct style, even as they explore various genres and influences in their music.

Seventeen are undeniably K-pop, but their music has always tended to infuse funk elements to the pop music they do release. Even if the group has developed a more mature sound in recent years (starting with their hit single "Don't Wanna Cry", which is very much an EDM track), the group still finds a way to infuse that youthful energy to their songs, such as the case with their rock-influenced, guitar-heavy song "Clap". Seventeen has a very strong musical identity, which isn't always the case for many K-pop groups, and that's what has made the group so distinct.

9. They have international appeal. 
Not only does the group dabble in more western music trends (not to the point where it sounds like they're trying too hard, thank goodness), but they also have members that are foreign-born. Members Joshua and Vernon were born and raised in America and speak English fluently, and members Jun and The8 were born and raised in China and speak Mandarin fluently. Several members of Seventeen, especially Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Dino, speak Japanese at a pretty advanced level. There are even more members that also study other languages. Even with their distinctly K-pop sound, Seventeen has massive potential to blow up internationally.

LA-native Joshua (left) and American-born Vernon (right)

Chinese members Jun (left) and The8, real name Xu Minghao (right)

10. Each member is incredibly well-rounded.
Because of the way their unit system is structured, members are sometimes unable to display their wide-range of talents in their group. While the performance team usually leads dances and delves into pretty hard choreography for their unit stuff, each member are also strong vocalists, with members Hoshi and Dino also operating as sub-rappers in the group. Vocalist Woozi is an incredible dancer, and members of the hip-hop team can also sing and dance (being a member of Seventeen means you have to be good at dancing). And of course, they all are involved in the music they put out. Fully capable indeed.

11. They really, really love their fans.
Because of their humble and somewhat-unfortunate beginnings, Seventeen are truly grateful to their fans for the kind of support they receive as one of the biggest boy groups in South Korea. Known as "Carats", Seventeen fans are loved by the members of Seventeen, who all treat each fan as if they're their friends. Carats are known be the one of the "chillest" K-pop fandoms as well, and Seventeen tries their hardest to make their fans happy. Their recent Korean release "Thanks" is literally a long thank you letter to their fans in the form of a song. There's just a lot of mutual love and respect being passed between both parties, so why not join in?

12. They are respectful and aim to be socially conscious.
Seventeen has pretty close relationships with other idol groups such as their label mates Pristin and Nu'est, but they also enjoy close friendships with Monsta X, GOT7, and BTS. Certain members of Seventeen are also really close with certain members of EXO, NCT, and Pentagon. Seventeen are basically the social butterflies in the K-pop world, which is a testament to their easy-going and warm personalities. When covering girl group songs, Seventeen always take the covers seriously as opposed to making fun of the feminine side of the songs, which isn't something most boy groups do. Members have also repeatedly said that they don't like conforming to restrictive Korean beauty standards and have recently shown socially progressive stances in their music (a B-side off their full-length album Teen, Age opts for gender-neutral pronouns in a song about friendship and/or love, which is inclusive to their fan base).

13. They're only getting started.
Having recently celebrated their 3rd anniversary, Seventeen are still young blood in the industry. The fact that each time they come out with new music is only an improvement on previous releases shows that the group isn't slowing down anytime soon. The group is only going to become a bigger deal in the near future. Why not find out for yourself how amazing this group is?