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Why are there few female producers in K-pop? (G)I-DLE's Soyeon explains her struggles

Soyeon claims that when she asked people to teach her music production like G Dragon or Zico, she was told ‘They are men’

(G)I-DLE’s newfound popularity after Soojin’s exit is something the world is talking about; but one thing that is usually ignored is the fact that the now five-member girl group is one of the few self-producing K-pop groups in the industry. Over the past few months, Twitter users have claimed that despite being extremely popular, like Blackpink or Red Velvet, female idols are not really known for their production and writing skills as much as their visual appearance and singing/rapping skills.

Some users claim that female idols do not really involve themselves in the making of music from scratch - be it by writing lyrics, making the beat, synthesizing and more. Fans of K-pop mainly know producing idols like Suga of BTS or G Dragon (GD) or Zico, and it seems like music production is mostly male-dominated.

Now, as (G)I-DLE slowly sets foot on the global market with the success of their latest album, ‘I Never Die’, fans believe that the girl group’s producer, Soyeon, is here to change the game and put an end to this stereotype. In her recent interview with Marie Claire Korea, Soyeon was credited for her producing talent which is considered rare among female K-pop idols.

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Soyeon discusses her struggles as a producer

Over the last few months, Soyeon has been one of the most talked-about (G)I-DLE members, and fans are loving the attention the rapper has been getting. Be it her blunt confidence in calling out the voting team on MBC survival show ‘My Teenage Girl’ for their misjudgment in voting for contestants, or be it her revenge song ‘Tomboy’ calling out her ex-lover for all his wrongdoings, Soyeon is making a name for herself as a bold personality.

While the article focused on Soyeon’s contribution to the K-pop industry, her thoughts revealed the inherent gender disparity in the industry.

Explaining how difficult it was for her to learn producing music in a male-dominated K-pop industry, Soyeon said, “Before debuting, it was rare for female idols to learn composition, so when I said I wanted to compose and produce, everyone thought it was strange.”

She highlighted that male idols were free to learn how music is produced and many popular male idols were also thriving as producers. She said, “When talking about idols and producers like GD and Zico, they said, ‘They are men.’ Whenever I heard this, I wondered, 'How does that matter?”

‘Soyeon is the standard’

Gender bias in K-pop is a real issue and male idols undoubtedly have more freedom in all walks of life; but Soyeon’s unwavering confidence has fans praising the leader of (G)I-DLE for her faith in herself as well as how she has honed her skills to write for her girl group.

One fan said, “Maybe the new standards of kpop companies in creating a girl group will be like Soyeon. A leader producer, and making more female producer rise in the industry. Yes, Soyeon is the standard.”

Another fan explained, “Female idols work so hard and have to survive in a male-dominated, misogynistic industry yet you imply they are only successful because they are women and yes, male-dominated. i am not necessarily about the ratio of male vs female idols here, but about the people working behind the scenes because a lot of producers, songwriters and people in higher positions in the kpop industry are in fact men.”

One fan stated, “Why are Blink doing this? Pulling another woman down for fun when BP faced the same problem from other fandom? If u are into music u know Soyeon is one of the best rapper, a female idol producer, rare thing in kpop. Stop embarrassing yrself!” One more fan said, “She really is phenomenal. excited to see kpop's future with more female producers!” One fan of Blackpink asked, “They don't know how to produce" honey why only female idols don't know how to produce but male idols were born to write songs. Make it make sense.”