Japanese girl group Cosmosy raises questions about K-pop's generational identity

By KTimes

All four members of the Japanese girl group Cosmosy declared themselves part of K-pop’s “sixth generation” upon their debut on Dec. 31. As a Japanese agency-produced group adopting the K-pop style and targeting the Korean market, their claim has reignited discussions on the classification of K-pop generations.

Even before the concept of the fifth generation has been firmly established, the industry now faces the arrival of the so-called sixth generation.

The emergence of K-pop is often traced back to the debut of SM Entertainment’s boy group H.O.T in 1996. The industry evolved through its second generation, marked by groups like TVXQ, BIGBANG and Girls’ Generation, and entered its third generation after Psy’s 2012 global success with "Gangnam Style," producing worldwide stars like EXO, BTS and BLACKPINK.

Industry experts largely agree that the fourth generation began with the major shift brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Groups such as aespa, which debuted in November 2020, alongside Le Sserafim and NewJeans, led what is now considered a “girl group renaissance.”

Some argue that the fourth generation actually began around 2018, as generational transitions are not always clearly defined by a single moment.

The term “fifth generation” first emerged when CJ ENM’s subsidiary WakeOne debuted the boy group Zerobaseone in 2023, formed through the audition program “Boys Planet.”

At the time, the agency distinguished the group by highlighting its direct interaction with fans, in contrast to the restrictions imposed during the pandemic.

This shift challenged the conventional understanding that each K-pop generation lasts about seven to eight years, introducing a new generation in just three years.

Since then, groups such as BOYNEXTDOOR, TWS and RIIZE, along with girl groups ILLIT, Babymonster and Kiss of Life, have often been labeled as fifth generation.

Multicultural identity

With the boundaries between the fourth and fifth generations still unclear, Cosmosy has now declared the arrival of the sixth generation just a year and a half later.

The group’s name is inspired by the cosmos flower, symbolizing purity, while the "Y" represents youth and love, reflecting the hope that its members will share that beauty with the world.

NTT Docomo Studio & Live, the group's agency, said, “Technically, they are a 2025 debut group, and we used the term ‘sixth generation’ to emphasize their distinct identity from fifth-generation groups.”

The agency highlighted Cosmosy’s hybrid concept, which fuses late 1990s aesthetics with Gen Z and Gen Alpha influences, as well as the broader trend of multinational groups embracing diverse cultural elements.

To mark their debut, the agency released the music video for Zigy=Zigy on the group’s official social media platforms, showcasing the unique personalities of its four members — A’mei, De_hana, Himesha, and Kamion.

As generational shifts have accelerated since the third generation, some argue that the very concept of generational distinctions is losing significance.

The emergence of the term “3.5 generation” for groups debuting between the third and fourth generations, and the classification of some fourth-generation acts as “4.5 generation,” further illustrates the blurred lines.

Some even claim that because fifth-generation groups share many traits with fourth-generation ones, distinguishing between them may be unnecessary.

Music critic Kim Do-heon said, “Post-pandemic groups are characterized more by individual producers’ artistic direction than by their agencies. They tend to favor everyday, relatable messages over elaborate world-building, which is why many believe the fourth generation is still ongoing.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.