Eight Years Of Dreamcatcher: Milestones From One Of K-Pop's Best "Stair Idol" Groups

This past week, Dreamcatcher celebrated their 8th anniversary since debut, officially crossing the line past the famous "seven year curse" of K-Pop and cementing themselves as one of 3rd generation's most long-lived groups. As K-Pop fans, some of us are used to some of the groups we follow not making it this far, due to many different circumstances. So when one group does get to this marker, it's cause for recognition and respect.

For Dreamcatcher, many of the things they've achieved over the past eight years also carry significance because they've been considered "stair idols" - a group that gradually achieves success and grows through consistent releases and hard work. The group's third fansong, "REASON", literally depicts this exact path, and it's one, despite their smaller popularity relative to the groups from the "big 4" companies (HYBE, JYP, SM, and YG), that they remain proud of. It's a mentality I share because they've overcome not having as many resources or advantages to get to where they are.

Over eight years, we've seen many milestones achieved by the group, so to celebrate Dreamcatcher's 8th anniversary, here's a small selection of what they've done.

Year One (2017) - Dreamcatcher goes on their first tour

Dreamcatcher has always been envisioned as a touring group, so it should come as no surprise that they decided to spend the last part of their debut year doing just that by heading to Brazil for their first set of performances. The "Fly High" tour was special not just for the fact that this was the first time that Dreamcatcher set foot outside of South Korea, but that for the most part back in 2017, K-Pop groups don't tour until they had a proven record of success and a safety net to fall back on. That Dreamcatcher and Happyface Entertainment (now Dreamcatcher Company) did this was not just an affirmation of one of their main pillars of revenue but a calculated risk to build a fanbase looking for something different in K-Pop.

Even though the audiences were smaller, none of that seemed to discourage Dreamcatcher at all. To them, especially because of the warm welcome they received from fans in Brazil, this was a moment of establishing their identity, planting their flag in the ground that they would not be a standard K-Pop group. There were signs of this already - I mean, who else celebrates 100 days by playing hide and seek with their fans - but the tour was the official stamp of this path - one that would lead them to be one of the most traveled K-Pop groups out there.

Year Two (2018) - Dreamcatcher performs in their first arena

Large-scale arena or stadium-type performances are usually reserved for some of the most famous or highly-backed K-Pop groups out there. Yet when given the opportunity to shine, smaller groups can bring just as much energy and stage presence. When Dreamcatcher showed up to the then-Staples Center in Los Angeles as a guest for KCON 2018 LA, that's exactly what they did. This was their first taste of a large-scale audience, and though the crowd may have been largely unfamiliar with them, they came to appreciate the group's unique concept and rock music style.

And it's not like Dreamcatcher didn't get to showcase their talent for more familiar songs, either. A 7-member version of the SuA/Dami dance cover of "Havana" along with a collaborative special stage for "Handclap" rounded out their main stage performances for the day.

Yet there was another benefit to being on the big stage, and that was getting potentially new fans to see them off of it. MNet's M2 booth in the convention center featured Dreamcatcher up close in a more personable setting, with the filming of the group's "YOU AND I" selfie version video producing many interaction moments you wouldn't normally get to see from a more popular group. This was the Little K-Pop Girl Group That Could, and achieving this convention and arena milestone led to a solidifying of the fanbase that has served as their foundation to this day.

Year 3 (2019) - Dreamcatcher holds their first fanclub fanmeeting

When you're fans of a really popular group, there are many things that you take as givens, from the presence of agreed-upon standard official merchandise to a certain amount of sales to music show wins and more. But Dreamcatcher fans have never made assumptions on this front. For a group that started out with non-traditional concept, music, and was technically re-debuting, nothing could be taken for granted.

So when Dreamcatcher finally was able to launch their 1st fanclub, it was a big achievement, even if it came three years from debut. Fanclubs, typically used to drum up business through exclusive, mostly local incentives and unique merchandise for members, have long been a normal part of being a K-Pop fan. Having this happen for Dreamcatcher showed that the company was financially stable, with the fanbase to prove it.

The first fanclub fanmeeting, therefore, was a big affair, featuring special stage performances, a couple of fun videos, and, because it was close to Halloween, costumes for the group. The real significance and milestone nature of this event was displayed near the end, when leader JiU suddenly became emotional and began crying on stage. When she could speak, she talked about how she was secretly envious of other groups that got to have their fanclubs much earlier in their careers, and that she was proud to see that Dreamcatcher eventually got there, even if it was a little by little thing. This seemed to apply to much more than just the fanclub, and reinforced the fact that "better late than never" didn't make Dreamcatcher any less happy to get to where they were.

Year 4 (2020) - Dreamcatcher releases their first Full Album

Full albums in K-Pop are big deals, with the expanded track list allowing a group to produce music that shows a more wide-ranging set of styles while also sticking to their core. Four years in, Dreamcatcher finally got their turn at this, and it couldn't have come at a better time for the group. Not only was it the first real lean-in to the more hybrid rock/pop style that would typify their evolving discography (one which started with 2019's "Deja Vu") but also was a release that came in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This event would force Dreamcatcher to abandon one of their core revenue pillars in touring, making the success of their first full album even more important.

That success was assured on a variety of levels, from their best sales to-date, their first nomination to win on a major public music show in M Countdown, and the presence of a number of media and performances that would put Dreamcatcher on the map. From the haunting trap stylings of "Red Sun" to the funk-rock of the Michael Jackson-style track "Black or White" to the hard-charging sound of "Sahara" and of course, the anchor in rock/EDM title track "Scream", Dreamcatcher made sure that K-Pop fans both at home and abroad knew who they were and that they could blend almost any genre into their core sound. Top that off with their new "Dystopia" storyline and you had a group that embraced their identity as the industry's best "alternate" style girl group in K-Pop.

The success would snowball into the group's next mini album and title track "BOCA", which as of this writing remains Dreamcatcher's highest-viewed MV at 78 million views. Between 165k sales and 55 million views for both "Scream" and "BOCA" that year, Dreamcatcher was rolling, buoyed by increased interest and a desire for fans to embrace something outside of the norm during a global event where norms were shattered.

Year 5 (2021) - Dreamcatcher releases their first lightstick

The lightstick, an LED light that you can wave around for concerts and events with a group or artist, has long been a staple in K-Pop circles. Like the fanclub, it's usually a given that this will happen relatively early in a group's career - especially if they're well-financed or backed by a big company. But for Dreamcatcher, as it was for many things, they came to the party a bit late.

The wait in this case was worth it. Dreamcatcher's lightstick was designed with the group's identity in mind - it comes in a coffin, looks like a something carried by a dark sorcerer, and is colored black and red for the most part. But there were practical improvements too - a USB-C charging port to save on buying batteries, the ability to control (and have the lightstick be controlled) by apps or Bluetooth to enable a variety of colors, and the ability to extend the lightstick's length seemingly infinitely through the purchase of tube extensions. It became the envy of not only other group's fandoms but other group's idols as well.

Add in the fact that you could buy a robe to go with your lightstick and go full necromancer, and you had one of the best well-regarded and appropriate sets of merchandise you could get for the group. A milestone well worth waiting for.

Year 6 (2022) - Dreamcatcher wins their first music show

So those of you who read my work regularly know that I've written extensively on the meaning and significance behind Dreamcatcher winning their first music show, so I'll shortcut things by saying that besides the obvious long wait that it took to get here, this highlighted the group's resilience and dedication to their music. Only Brave Girls, who won with suddenly-viral hit "Rolling" years after its release and without all of their original lineup, have waited longer, and shows that the numbers game for a group that isn't as popular domestically is frequently a mountain to climb. But climb the mountain they did, making it one of, if not the, best milestones for them to achieve.

Perhaps part of why this was so impactful, besides the obvious, was that it was seemingly unexpected in part and most certainly not taken for granted, especially after so many near-misses throughout the years. Dreamcatcher has always been a group very aware of what it takes to win a music show, and their non-traditional approach to K-Pop sustainability and success meant that even they set their expectations accordingly in competition with more domestically popular groups. This was an attitude they were careful to cultivate with their fans to prevent emotional turmoil after constant second and third-place finishes, one I personally adopted while continuing to put in the work with other fans to help them get to the top. Knowing about the circumstances through Notes and a later, almost brutally honest interview with JiU reinforced these notions.

Yet when the moment happened, I think even Dreamcatcher seemed to underestimate how important it was to them - I know I certainly did, given the group's demeanor and the reassurances they've given us over the years. Dreamcatcher has since rattled off three more music show wins, but the first obviously remains the sweetest.

Year 7 (2023) - Dreamcatcher reaches 1 million cumulative sales

Like a bunch of these other milestones, Dreamcatcher is late to the party here - especially in the context of the fact that groups that have subsequently debuted after them have reached this milestone, and many others seem to do this per release without blinking an eye.

Yet like other things they didn't initially get to do, such as being invited to the annual Asia Artist Awards, getting to perform, and winning an award, getting there through the road they did seemed to make things much more significant. One million sales may seem like an easy thing to do for groups. But in many cases, those groups are better-resourced, better-funded, and arguably come with opportunities based on company connections that Dreamcatcher does not (obviously, that's not to disparage those groups, but just explain the factual circumstances).

I always like to think of it as Dreamcatcher doing K-Pop industry things on "hard mode", with fewer advantages but no less of the challenges associated with making a group successful. Yet in getting to big milestones such as one million cumulative sales, they enter a pantheon of groups that they are worthy to exist with, simply because they've gotten there in spite of how the industry typically works. As of this writing, if you filter by gender and sort by sales on stats site K-Pop Daisuki, you'll find of the top 20 selling groups, Dreamcatcher is one of a small handful from a non-big 4 company. If you limit it to only groups having debuted in 2017, Dreamcatcher becomes the only girl group to have reached a million.

These aren't really cherry-picked stats - they're facts that show that in their generation and despite their small company reach, Dreamcatcher has passed milestones, making them well-regarded and respected given their humble circumstances. That can't be dismissed, and their peers know it.

Year 7 (2024) - Dreamcatcher releases and performs holiday music

Like the first win stuff, you probably know my feelings about the importance of meeting the holiday music and performance milestone for Dreamcatcher, but it's still worth mentioning here as one of the things that Dreamcatcher continues to check off on the "idol bucket list". We're seeing this again with the long-awaited appearance of plushie keychains as merchandise with Mini Catcher, but the level of preparation and work needed to pull off not only holiday music but a holiday concert is immense and shouldn't be ignored as a significant milestone.

Milestones like Dreamcatcher has achieved over the past eight years are not just delayed gratification for the group, but for fans as well. For fans who may follow other groups or observe them get some of these benefits seemingly as given expectations, it's nice to see Dreamcatcher get them eventually. The emotion and feeling expressed during Dreamcatcher's final ment for the concert showed how the group feels about these achievements, and while the future in 2025 and in Year 8 remains uncertain, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw them achieve even more - even if it's on a delay. Regardless of what happens, you can always count on me reporting on it every week, so for all that and more, I'll see you here next Sunday!

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