K-netizens recently gathered in a popular online community to discuss how popular Wanna One and Kang Daniel would have been if the group had never disbanded.
Recently, one netizen brought to attention how the group had dominated both the music and advertising industries in 2017. The netizen started the discussion by wondering if the group's success could have continued to this day.
According to the data from 2017 - the year in which Wanna One debuted - the group's songs dominated Korea's top music streaming platform rankings. With keywords such as "Produce 101 Season 2," "Kang Daniel," and "Wanna One" as the top-results on the top real-time search rankings.
Not only that, Wanna One debuted with their song entering at number 1, and at that time, the number of users reached 99,000, which was the highest number of users ever recorded upon debut.
Additionally, Wanna One ranked 6th place on the 2017 Gallup chart, which is filled with top-tier veteran artists, as a rookie male idol group. In 2018, they came in at rank 5. At the time, Gallup Korea also held a popularity poll for individual idols, and Kang Daniel ranked 2nd place.
Wanna One was not only popular in the music scene, but the group had much influence in the Korean TV show industry. The netizen explained, "Whenever Wanna One appeared on a TV show, the show's buzz factor skyrocketed. For example, based on the ranking, 'Happy Together' (with Wanna One as guests) took 1st place, 'Wanna One Go' (their reality show) was in 2nd, and 'The Return of Superman' (featuring Wanna One as guests) was ranked 3rd."
Wanna One was also a rising blue chip in the advertisement industry as the group filmed 34 commercials and within a year and a half, they received rookie awards and even grand prizes, achieving what other boy groups typically accomplish in seven years. Their immense popularity and media attention were so significant that their short but impactful presence in the industry led to people saying that Wanna One's disbandment marked the end of an era.
Korean netizens also agreed with the group's immense popularity at the time and commented:
"We were crazy for Wanna One."
"My Wanna One."
"It was fun to be part of the Wanna One fandom."
"I was so into Wanna One since 'Produce 101' and I don't regret that time."
"They filmed so many advertisements and it was so crazy."
"Wanna One was everywhere."
"I wonder how popular they would be today."
"Kang Daniel was so popular then."
"I don't watch TV but I know who Kang Daniel is."
"Wow 34 advertisments."
"They shouldn't have disbanded."
"I think they would've been so popular if they were still together."
"They may have been right below BTS."
"It's unfortunate that they disbanded only after a short time."
"Each advertisement felt like a teaser or easter egg."
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