Dreamcatcher's New Era Begins As Future Plans Are Teased

Last week, I took a bit of a break from writing. It's rare that I've done this in the four-plus years that I've been putting up articles about Dreamcatcher, K-Pop, and other fun topics, but I felt I needed to.

But it was for a good reason.

Long ago, I dabbled a bit in video editing. Much of what I did was in anime music videos, during the heyday of when people were first getting access to software that could allow them to do that. I was ok at it - my work is long lost to the internet ether, but I even won a prize once at a convention for putting together a video to one of the most-remembered (and perhaps maybe most-overused) Evanescence songs out there. Then, I got busy with life things, and I put my video editing tools down and my average editing skill away - that is, until now.

"BONVOYAGE" is one of Dreamcatcher's best songs in their discography - my top one currently, actually - and given it's intent of "not farewell, but see you later and have a good trip", it felt right to use the group's eight-year history to make a video. Check it out if you haven't yet - it's almost at 1,000 views, which given the fact that my YouTube channel is still new, I'll take as a win.

While I was making this video, however, we learned a bit about Dreamcatcher's future plans, and entered a new era of subunit and individual work. Let's take a look at what we learned!

We've been seeing Dreamcatcher's Notes about the last few concerts before March 31st, and this past week, the one from Taipei was dropped. There were, as there have always been, the usual bits of fun interactions and shenanigans as well as insights about choices in fashion and visual, but also a bittersweet feeling. One reason was the lack of Handong, who unfortunately was unable to secure a visa to be able to enter Taiwan, despite best efforts from the promoter and company. This made things a six-person affair, and though a couple life-sized Handong cutouts made their way to stage to help and Gahyun, at Handong's request, put on a couple of elements from her intended stage outfit, nothing could be seen as substitute for the real thing. In the end, Handong did get to be a part of the show via a pre-recorded heartfelt video message from her.

The other reason was, of course, that this was the last concert before March 31st, and the end of exclusive contracts for Handong, Dami, and Gahyun. Though there were moments of high emotion, there were constant assurances by Dreamcatcher members that though the future was uncertain, there was full intention to come see fans again as a full group sometime in the future, and thankfulness for the fans for their continued support. More on that later in the article, though. For now, it was good to see Dreamcatcher wrap up this last concert in Taipei safely.

Dreamcatcher Weverse LIVE - Dreamcatcher

썸냐들~!!

Weverse Dreamcatcher

Fans hoped to see the group all together one more time before the end of the month, and they got their wish in the form of one more group live. The seating and camera position was very reminiscent of their early VLives, and that seemed purposeful and appropriate (and something I used in my video's outro above). The theme of the live was of hope for the future and a continued reassurance not to worry that the group would not be seen again, with each member offering a unified message of optimism. Most significantly, JiU changed the group's ending saying - instead of "this has been Dreamcatcher", it is now "Until now, and from now on, we are Dreamcatcher", signifying a new time for the group but a commitment to still be known, collectively, as its members.

Now, I know what people are gearing up to say - "every group that does this says this and the reality usually plays out different". Those folks wouldn't be wrong - arrangements of this nature tend to have good intentions but scheduling and life realities that make things difficult to get done. Yes, nobody can predict the future, but my philosophy has always been to have realistic, hopeful ambitions and not the alternative, a sense of doom and sadness that, instead of accomplishing the intent of shielding one from letdowns and disappointments, results in simply being let down, disappointed, or feeling nothing all the time, which ironically defeats the purpose.

Because there appears to be, as of this writing, an amicable end of exclusive contracts on all sides, no confirmed strife between members, and a desire to do things as a group together, I tend to believe the reassurances coming from Dreamcatcher that we'll see them together again. This is mostly because the group has simply made it their MO to defy convention and odds, and endure despite many obstacles that could have put the company under or split them up under more negative circumstances. If there is any group better equipped to intend on work together in the future, it's Dreamcatcher. I feel good about what the group has done (a legacy that will remain no matter how things play out from now on), and their genuine appreciation and hope to see fans again all together, and for now, that's enough for me. The pending shipment of MiniCatcher plushies, as a subsequent post on X/Twitter showed, seemed to reinforce these notions.

And not even a day after March 31st, we got not just reinforcement but confirmed proof of Dreamcatcher's intent. It seems we'll only have a wait a month to see the group again, as 7 Doors: A Lucky Encore will come to Hong Kong in May. We've since learned that currently, Handong will not attend this concert for unspecified reasons, dampening fan enthusiasm somewhat.

That said, whether it stays a six-person Dreamcatcher concert or Handong is able to attend after all, the plans for this event, which based on what I know in my limited experience with concert logistics was likely planned before Taipei, show a sincere and concrete effort to ensure that Dreamcatcher will not go the way of other groups who promise to do things together after exclusive contract expiry but end up not doing so for multiple years. The swiftness with which we heard about this (so swiftly that some people oddly thought it was an April Fools' joke) seems to belie some future plans down the line to do work together.

That swiftness appears to be manifesting itself firstly in the upcoming Dreamcatcher subunit comprised of JiU, SuA, and Yoohyeon, who were confirmed to be appearing at HYBE's annual Weverse Con in Korea. The subunit name, accidentally revealed by SuA over paid messaging platform Fromm to be "Dreamcatcher UAU", will appear alongside a solid line-up of K-Ppop artists to appear at the end of May.

UAU, first discovered as part of a trademark search by a fan, appears to be a combination of hangul from each subunit member's name - (JiU = 지유, SuA = 수아, Yoohyeon = 유현, making up UAU - 유아유). The telltale hairstyle and color changes from each member in this subunit (JiU an auburn red, SuA blonde, and Yoohyeon a short brown) as well as confirmations about songs in existence/having been recorded seem to point to a debut for the subunit very soon, and perhaps in time for Weverse Con, where we may see new music performed.

With an upcoming concert and subunit appearance inbound, and plans from the other members yet to be announced, it seems that even though the cadence of news from Dreamcatcher's members as a group may lessen, we may still hear from them consistently. For my part, Dreamcatcher articles will continue, even if they are at a less frequent pace, and I do hope you stick around as subscribers (free or paid) for other content from K-Pop as a whole, games, and from online community management. So for all that and more, I'll see you here when I see you - and don't forget to sign up below if you haven't already so you don't miss my content!