"The number of anti-fans has dropped significantly. I think if we work a little harder, we won’t have any at all.”

For six member girl group Dal Shabet, every day, as of late, is a good day. Although the girls have not had a moment’s rest since debuting in January, it’s difficult to tell by the smiles on their faces. It seems the girls are finally reaping the benefits of their hard work as they’ve noticed the number of anti-fans has decreased and they’re able to enjoy performing on stage now.

The girls received a lot of criticism at the time of their debut due to Girls Generation comparisons. The fact that E-Tribe, the creative minds behind Girls Generations’ Gee, produced Dal Shabet’s album and the propagation of news articles hailing the group as the ‘next Girls Generation’ only fanned the fire.

"We’re thankful to even be compared to the best group Girls Generation,” said members. “We gained 10,000 anti-fans as a result of the comparison, but the number has since gone down to 3,000,” the girls added with a laugh.

The members continued, “We received a lot of hateful comments for no reason at the time of our debut. However, there are more supportive comments these days. We’re happy because we feel like we’re being rewarded for our hard work.”


"Aren’t negative comments an expression of interest too?” countered the girls. “I think our anti-fans saw how hard we work and have turned into fans. We want to work harder to turn the remaining anti-fans into fans. Please keep an eye on us.”

Dal Shabet, who debuted with ‘Supa Dupa Diva’ in January, has already released three mini-albums, including its latest release ‘Bling Bling′, proving that the girls have indeed been running at full speed.

Although their faces show signs of fatigue, the girls are all smiles. Leader Viki said, “We prepared for the next album and participated in other scheduled activities. We only sleep two to three hours a day, but we’re thankful to be busy. We feel really fortunate to have work. We all want to do more.”

A lot has happened in the short time since Dal Shabet began group promotions. In July, the girls performed for their first foreign audience in Singapore. The girls said, “We were touched by the fans who made banners for us even though we had never been abroad before. All we could think about was that we need to work harder. We even danced more powerfully that day.”

The members have even had fans come to their house in Chungdam-dong, asking for their autographs. They said, “We thought fans only went to male idol groups’ homes,” and continued with a laugh, “It was kind of awkward because we didn’t know what to do when the fans came to see us at our house.”

The Dal Shabet members also give their all on variety programs. Member Ka Eun recently placed second in the hurdle event at the Idol Athletic Championship, which will be broadcast as a Chuseok special. The girls also put on a powerful performance of Janet Jackson’s ‘So Much Betta’ and Kesha’s ‘Blow’ on the August 25 broadcast of M Countdown’s Idol Dance Battle special.

The girls have also learned a lot through their various group activities. “We did exactly as we were told during the recording for our first album. However, we contributed a lot of our own input for this album. We’re also learning how to be better performers on stage,” explained the members.

Dal Shabet hopes to win a new artist award at the year-end music awards shows. The girls have an advantage over other rookie groups because they debuted in January. As a result of their active promotions, the Dal Shabet members are also much more relatable. “It would be great if the fruits of our labor include the Rookie of the Year award. Please cheer us on.”

Photo credit: Happy Face Entertainment
Translation credit: Nancy Lee