10 Idol Groups We Hope Pull A 2NE1 And Reunite For A Comeback

2NE1’s reunion just sparked so much hope in a K-pop stan’s heart that here we are dreaming up a list of other idol groups we wish would reunite and come back.

Related: 10 Songs To Listen To To Celebrate 2NE1’s Comeback

With 2NE1’s groundbreaking reunion and comeback, there’s hope yet for that group you stanned a few years ago but sadly disbanded. The girl group officially disbanded in 2016, and while they have reunited a few times, it’s not in the way they will this year, with a tour!

WELCOME BACK, #2NE1#투애니원 #WELCOME_BACK #YG pic.twitter.com/TsLrLjrvcE

— YG FAMILY (@ygent_official) July 21, 2024

Plenty of K-pop groups have disbanded, gone on hiatus, or have just been inactive, so we’ve rounded up a list of groups that we want to follow in the trailblazing 2NE1’s footsteps and reunite for a major comeback that’ll get their fans more hyped than ever. These groups don’t necessarily have to be disbanded officially, just inactive for a long enough time that people are hungry for a new comeback. However, we will not want to include idols like Seungri or Lucas, who have embroiled themselves in much controversy.

From disbanded project groups to groups just taking a break, these idol groups have made such an impact that we just can’t get enough of them—so we are hoping, praying, and manifesting new music and new projects together (without any of the issues or trouble that may have caused their breakup in the first place).

GOT7

First off, GOT7 did not disband—they actually set a precedent for other recent instances where idols can end their contract with their company and still continue to make music and promote as a whole group. Though definitely not the first to do it, their actions were impactful, bringing light to not just the possibility of a group staying together after leaving a company, but also to the limitations in and issues that could occur between artist and company.

GOT7 came back as a group in 2022 with a self-titled EP on their own volition under their own terms after they left JYP Entertainment in 2021. They were able to receive the trademark rights to their name and music, so while the members are under different companies for their solo work, they can still come together as a team.

At present, the members have been focusing on their solo careers, while JAY B and Jinyoung are undergoing mandatory military enlistment. There’s plenty of hope for them to come back, especially after the many times they’ve reassured their fans that they’ve got many things up their sleeve.

I.O.I

Listening to Downpour by I.O.I is a tearjerking experience. Goodbye songs from idol groups always hit different. Even when you know their time is limited because they’re a project group from a survival show, that doesn’t mean their disbandment won’t hit any less painfully. I.O.I debuted in 2016 with members who won the very first season of Produce 101, and disbanded in 2017.

Each member has gone on to pursue their own careers and found success as actresses, soloists, and members of other K-pop groups. I.O.I was supposed to reunite in 2019, but the comeback kept getting pushed back. We’re still holding out hope!

IZ*ONE

It’s been said that project groups are temporary because the primary goal of shows like Produce are to platform trainees and improve their skills as idols—and it works, if these project groups’ members have anything to say about it.

With a similar story to I.O.I, South Korean-Japanese girl group IZ*ONE was formed through reality competition Produce 48. IZ*ONE’s lineup includes eventual members of current chart-topping girl groups LE SSERAFIM and IVE. The members have remained friends, and have even reunited as such recently. Though a long shot, we’d love to see the girl group take the stage together again!

WANNA ONE

Yet another temporary project group that broke people’s hearts. Wanna One was the boy group winner of Produce 101 Season 2. The 11-member group debuted in 2017 with familiar names in the lineup, like Minhyun (NU’EST), Kang Daniel, Daehwi and Woojin (AB6IX), and Bae Jinyoung (CIX). They were slated to complete their run as Wanna One in 2018 when their contract with YMC Entertainment expired, but management of the group was transferred to newly-established agency Swing Entertainment.

They were able to promote as a group up until 2019, and said goodbye with their final concert Therefore. The members, save for Guanlin, reunited in 2021 for a performance at award show MAMA—meaning things don’t have to be final final for the boy group.

MOMOLAND

Known for their viral songs BBoom BBoom and BAAM, MOMOLAND debuted in 2018 as the winners of reality show Finding Momoland. They found some success, and were pretty big in the Philippines, but they eventually disbanded in 2023 after the members’ contracts with MLD Entertainment expired.

Just as an FYI, MOMOLAND was also a philanthropic group, having donated to and supported causes and charities and become ambassadors for NGOs and health organizations, among others. The members have gone their separate ways, and just this year, former member Nancy signed with Filipino talent management company Sparkle. If they ever reunited, particularly here in the Philippines, whether for an actual comeback or a charity event, best believe they’d get plenty of support.

NU’EST

Pledis Entertainment’s first boy group NU’EST debuted in 2012 with five members, and had a good, long run of ten years up until their disbandment in 2022 when members Aron, JR, and Ren chose not to stay after their contract was up.

The members then pursued their own solo endeavors, continuing singing careers, taking up hosting or acting, and even going viral for performing at WATERBOMB. Though their disbandment is relatively fresh, and we’d love for them to find success as individuals, we’re hoping one day we’ll see them thrive as a team again.

BIGBANG

Make way for the OGs. BIGBANG, if you’re listening, look at your sister group 2NE1. The group was formed in 2006 and was active until 2018 when they released goodbye song Flower Road before a hiatus due to military enlistment. They came back as a quartet without convicted criminal Seungri in 2022 with Still Life, their last musical endeavor together.

All of the members have since left YG Entertainment and gone on with their lives, and member T.O.P has withdrawn from the group, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get together if they want to! They don’t even have to return to YG! If G-Dragon, Taeyang, Daesung, and maybe even T.O.P came back together, they can show the world again why they were deemed kings in the first place.

SISTAR

SISTAR19’s comeback proves anything is possible for the queens of summer bops. Members Hyolyn, Bora, Soyou, and Dasom debuted as SISTAR under Starship Entertainment in 2010, and subsequently disbanded in 2017 as each member desired to pursued solo careers.

All the members reunited in 2022 on a music show, performing a handful of their hits to show support for Hyolyn’s comeback. Hyolyn and Bora’s sub-unit SISTAR19, which debuted in 2011, also came back after 11 years this 2024, which is giving us major hope for the whole group to get back together.

LOONA

Ah, the complicated and controversial history of LOONA. LOONA’s been through a lot what with the issues the members had to endure under their company. In 2022 and 2023, after member Chuu was removed from the group due to a contract dispute, the members sued BlockBerry Creative for abusive and exploitative contracts, and desired to break free from their contracts and the company altogether.

Thankfully, the members won their lawsuits, and the call to #FreeLOONA was heeded. LOONA members have since gone on as soloists, some have come together to form Artms, some resumed their activities as sub-unit ODD EYE CIRCLE. As we know, a company is not the only thing that holds a group together, so Orbits can still manifest a LOONA comeback without any of the trouble they’ve experienced or the hardships they’ve had to endure when they were together.

MAMAMOO

MAMAMOO’s still an active group (as they should be, because those harmonies are once-in-a-lifetime), but the members have hit the brakes a little and are focusing on their solo endeavors, which is great! Member Wheein left their company RBW in 2021, but remained a member of MAMAMOO—while her solo endeavors will be managed by a new label she signed with, she’ll still be able to participate in group comebacks until December 2023—which was last year.

While MAMAMOO’s group activities are still in the air, and Hwasa, Solar, Wheein, and Moonbyul are thriving in their soloist era, we hope there’s still a big chance to see all of them together for a new comeback soon.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Wonder Girls, WINNER, Pristin, FIFTY FIFTY, Weki Meki, SUPERM, X1, VICTON, Girls Generation, After School, Orange Caramel, BTS (just waiting for them to be discharged from the military!)

Continue Reading: 7 Heartfelt Tracks From K-Pop Groups That Express Love and Gratitude To Their Fans