What GOT7 Really Feel About Paving The Way As The First Self-Owned Group In K-Pop

GOT7 made history as the first K-Pop group to acquire all trademark rights to their name after leaving a major label. But while fans couldn’t be more proud of them for paving the way in the industry, the members themselves see it in a surprisingly different way.

Speaking with GQ Australia, the members revealed their true feelings about being perceived as ‘industry trailblazers,’ and they couldn’t be more humble about it. In fact, they’re so humble they may even be in denial!

Journalist Taylor Glasby, who spent a week with GOT7 leading up to their 2022 comeback, writes that there was no special celebration when Jay B brought the trademark paperwork for the members to sign. According to Jinyoung, this is because they didn’t actually see any cause for celebration.

GOT7 isn’t special. It’s hard for us to say we’re the start of something because we received inspiration from our seniors.

— Jinyoung

Jay B agrees, claiming that GOT7 is not actually paving the way, they’re only following in the footsteps of Shinhwa and g.o.d.

There was Shinhwa and g.o.d, we’re just following what they’ve done.

— Jay B

Of course, Jay B is not entirely wrong, as both first-generation groups did set some impressive precedents. Shinhwa was the first group to stay together after its members all signed with different agencies, and g.o.d have also refused to disband despite a lengthy hiatus. Not only that, but g.o.d stayed together even after the trademarks to their group were traded back and forth between multiple agencies, including JYP Entertainment.

Yet, the fact remains that GOT7 are the first to leave their label not only on amicable terms, but also with the group intact and with the full trademark rights to their name. And that is no mean feat!

Given how difficult it was to not only acquire the rights to their name, but to then entirely write and produce a successful album as an autonomous group, GOT7 has proven they truly deserve to be called ‘industry trailblazers.’