There are hundreds of K-pop groups, but only a select few have become famous. Others disband shortly after debut, go through multiple line-up changes, or have long but unsuccessful careers. But some unlucky groups get caught up in career-altering scandals, from bullying accusations to being overly sexual; some groups are shunned by the public, leaving many amazing songs and albums overlooked and unlistened. Check out the top 5 discographies overlooked due to scandals below!

5. AOA

I was hesitant to include AOA on this list due to the success throughout their career, but due to recent events between AOA's leader Jimin and former member Mina, many people are struggling to view AOA's music in the way they used to. In the summer of 2020, former AOA member Mina accused Jimin of bullying her for over a decade. After these accusations came out, Jimin released a public apology, left AOA and their company, and retired from the entertainment industry, and has since stayed out of the public eye. On the other hand, Mina has constantly been posting about her self-harm, promising to, and then failing to, take breaks from social media, and was most recently revealed to be in a relationship with a man who was cheating on his girlfriend. 

From their brassy debut song Elvis to their sexy breakthrough hits Miniskirt and Like a Cat and their light and fun summer bops like Heart Attack, Good Luck and Bingle Bangle, to their final mature sound with songs like Excuse Me and Come See Me, AOA's discography is filled amazing songs that anyone could enjoy.

4. Rania/BP Rania/Blackswan

Currently consisting of members Youngheun, Fatou, Judy, and Leia, Blackswan was formerly known as Rania and BP Rania. Rania was plagued by a series of line-up changes and publicity stunts that doomed their career from early on. Rania/Blackswan has had a total of 19 members over their 10+ year run, with no original members remaining, having all left by 2017. Rania/Blackswan is also known for their Black members, the African-American Alexandra, who was a member from 2015 to 2017, and current member Fatou, from Senegal. While some fans praised DR Music for promoting diversity in K-pop, others saw the additions of Alexandra and Fatou as publicity stunts and desperate attempts to revive interest in a failing group. And most recently, former member Hyeme was accused of scamming a friend out of 50 million KRW. Following these accusations, Hyeme departed Blackswan after her 5-year contract expired.

Scandals and lineup changes aside, Rania's discography is filled with well-produced songs, working with American producer Teddy Riley for their electro-pop debut single Dr. Feel Good, and first comeback Masquerade, and Brave Brothers for their mini-album Time to Rock da Show, to working with Kim Eana, best known for writing Brown Eyed Girls Abracadabra and IU's Good Day, for their single Demonstrate. Rania's discography may be on the smaller side, with only 12 singles, but their electronic sound could make anyone dance!

3. GLAM

The only girl group to ever be managed by Big Hit Entertainment, GLAM's short career was destroyed by two sizeable scandals. Former member Trinity was revealed to have been a saesaeng of Super Junior's Leeteuk, after which she departed from GLAM. About 2 years later, member Dahee, along with model Lee Ji-Yeon, was revealed to have been blackmailing actor Lee Byung-hun with a compromising video for 5 billion KRW. The two women were charged with blackmailing, and Dahee was sentenced to 1 year in prison, which was later changed to a 2 year suspended sentence. On the same day of Dahee's sentencing, the group's agency announced that members Jiyeon, Zinni, and Miso had terminated their contracts and that GLAM was officially disbanded.

GLAM had a total of 4 singles, 1 soundtrack appearance, and 2 features.

The easiest way to describe GLAM's sound is pop-hip hop ballad fusion, which encompasses their 4 singles in a nutshell.

2. BIGBANG

Another entry I was hesitant to include due to their immense success, BIGBANG's success has recently become overshadowed due to multiple drug scandals and The Burning Sun scandal. I doubt that I even need to explain either of the scandals, considering that it's difficult to see K-pop news anywhere without seeing one mention of Seungri. I also doubt that I need to explain BIGBANG's music. With hits like Bang Bang Bang and Fantastic Baby, BIGBANG ruled over the K-pop scene for years.

1. Stellar

Stellar debuted in 2011 with 4 members JoA, Leeseul, Jeonyul, and Gayoung. They debuted with a fun, bright space theme with the single Rocket Girl. Not long after debut, JoA and Leeseul left Stellar and were replaced by Minhee and Hyoeun. With the new lineup, Stellar made 2 more comebacks, neither of which gained much attention. In 2014, they released their first mini-album Marionette, with the title track of the same name, and began to gain attention, and criticism, for their sexual music video, filled with innuendos, and their performances of the song. Stellar arguably reached the peak of their infamy with the release of Vibrato, which once again had a 19+ rated music video, a provocative dance, and revealing outfits. Stellar eventually toned down the sexiness with the release of Sting, but it already seemed to be too late for Stellar, people would hate on the members in comment sections and online forms, objectified them, and began to spread rumors that suggested the members behaved the same way off-screen as they did in their music videos.

Stellar's career was coming to an end, having added a new member, Soyoung, for their 3rd and final mini-album, Stellar Into the World, which spawned Stellar's 10th single Archangels of the Sephiroth. Following the release of this album, it was announced that Gayoung and Jeonyul had left Stellar following the expiration of their contracts. Member Youngheun, an eventual member of Blackswan, was added to the group. Stellar held their final concert and fan meet, after which members Minhee and Hyoeun departed from Stellar as their contracts expired, officially disbanding Stellar. After the disbandment, members Gayoung and Minhee detailed the mistreatment that Stellar faced at the hands of their management, such as being coerced and tricked into doing sexy concepts and wearing revealing outfits, and revealed that in seven years, the 4 most active members (Gayoung, Minhee, Jeonyul, and Hyoeun) all earned less than 10 million won (about $9,000 USD).

Stellar's discography is full of fun, sensual, and interesting music that is often overlooked due to the sexual nature of their concept.

Which overlooked discography is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!