Seventeen debuted under Pledis Entertainment in 2015. In 2021, Big Hit changed its name to HYBE, and started buying several companies, including Pledis. I wanted to clarify this because I know some people dislike HYBE (me too, actually -it's an unspoken rule of k-pop that if you like a group, you hate their company), but just because it's a big company, it doesn't mean that Seventeen had everything served from the beginning. Before Seventeen's debut, Pledis was at risk of bankrupcy. They had some good and popular groups, but they were always infamous for their bad management. Even after Seventeen salvaged the company, we could easily see how poorly their other idols continued to be treated and the only reason why Seventeen survived was because of their own effort and talent. Being a completely self-producing group, they could avoid that destiny and become the hit that they are now.

However, there was one good thing about being a popular group under a smaller company, and that was that they had a lot of independence for what they wanted to do. Seventeen's leader, S.Coups, would often meet with the CEO to talk about where they would take the group, and he has said that he cares more about his members than the company. In the same way, the company has had to bend to their will, because Seventeen were (and continue to be) their main source of income. This is a rather fortunate position, given how little control k-pop idols tend to have over their own careers, and it ties with one of the points that I will further explain in the next section. Something notable is that pre-HYBE, Carat (Seventeen fans) also had quite the influence on the decisions made by the company. Lastly, another good thing about Pledis was that, contrary to other k-pop companies, there wasn't a rule against their idols dating. If Seventeen members ever dated anyone, we don't know, for they wouldn't have made it public, but the fact that it was allowed made it seem -at least to me- like their contracts weren't as enslaving as others (not that it detered idols from other companies from dating in secret, but my point stands). Again, it's not that I love Pledis, it still has a lot of problems (like the aforementioned bad management), but I wanted to give some context about Seventeen and how they became one of the biggest k-pop groups of the 3rd generation.

Now, this is a topic I could talk forever about. To organize it better, I will divide it into three main reasons: They're self-producing, their music matches my tastes, and the members are a lovely team.

Before Seventeen debuted, I used to like k-pop in a more casual way, listening to some songs here and there. The thing is I was a bit wary towards the industry, knowing how the idols are exploited and how intense the fans could be. The music and dance was good, but it all seemed too superficial to me. Contrary to other groups, Seventeen debuted as the first "self-producing" idol group. They weren't the first to compose their songs, since Big Bang and BTS did so too, but the members of Seventeen are present in each of the steps of the creation process.

In this sense, they seemed a lot more genuine to me. Of course, they're still subject to the rules of their company. They're not punk or defying the system but, to me, it's an improvement. They aren't only interpreters but all-around artists (not to discredit the incredible effort that all k-pop idols put into their career, but it never made me actually want to engage with them until Seventeen debuted). On one hand, most of their songs are both composed and produced by Woozi, along with Bumzu (a solo artist from the same company), but other members also contribute, and the rap verses are written by the members of the Hip-hop team. On the other hand, their choreographies are planned mostly by Hoshi, sometimes along the other Performance team members as well, with the help of other choreographers.

There are several instances in which Hoshi explained the meaning behind some of their dances, and you can see that they're very thought out. Sometimes, in different choreographies they repeat motifs, and you really think "this is Seventeen". The same happens with the music and lyrics of their songs. In several ocassions they explained the meanings behind their songs, and you can see motifs being repeated. They keep chaning and growing, trying new concepts, but they remain Seventeen-like. They're genuine and true to themselves.

Tying it with what I had said before, it checks out that, given their independence, their songs and choreographies really reflect how they feel. Since Pledis didn't have a rule against their idols dating, we could easily think that their love songs are based on their love life. Or not, because obviously people can still write about experiences that aren't their own, but even if it's not literally about them, it's still somehow a catharsis of their own feelings, and seems more genuine than other k-pop songs that were written with the only purpose of being comercial (which, again, isn't inherently bad, but just something that I'm not that interested in).

So... all of that was just the first reason that I listed. The second reason is quite simple, but it was actually what had first drawn me to them. I mean, they're a music group after all (and it's not like the first time I heard their songs they came with a disclaimer of being self-produced). Even if they sing and dance perfectly, or if they put all of their effort into their work, if I wasn't interested in their music I wouldn't listen to them. So, the first song I heard of them was "Mansae", in 2015. The song is so good. And then I went to watch the MV and I was shocked to find that it was a k-pop boy group with a cute and pastel aesthetic! You see, before them I only knew of boy groups with dark or sexy concepts and I hated them. Looking back, a lot of songs from boy groups pre-SVT were actually good but I still stand by my word of the concepts being ugly. Seventeen had me hooked instantly; good music and cute pastel looks? Count me in. Also, when I saw that Jeonghan, I was down bad lol. I seriously never knew real humans could be so beautiful. Nowadays he's still my bias; obviously I don't like him only for his face, but him being one of the reason for me to get into Seventeen is a helping factor.

Continuing with my interest in their music, at the time I discovered them, they had only 2 mini albums released, so I didn't have much to listen to haha. But most of their songs were still so good, and their choreos were fun to dance to. At the time I didn't think much of their ages, because they're older than me, but looking back, 18 year-old Woozi dropping Adore U as a debut song? Iconic. And Vernon singing "I'm only seventeen, I only got a few dollars" in Shining Diamond, and then years later singing that same line, except that he's in his 20's and has way more than a few dollars? Also iconic. Anyway, those first songs of them had this funky vibe that I love. With the years they started experimenting with more genres, and, as I said before, they still have that undeniable Seventeen vibe, and I love them for that. Some songs I like more, some less, but that's personal taste; I don't think they ever make bad music. In that sense, I think there's probably a Seventeen song for everyone's tastes, so if you only listened to one song and didn't like it, maybe try listening to a different one! (I'm guilty of judging groups by just one song, ok? I say this from experience). Again, under this box I will add a link with recommendations and my own appreciations of their songs, so maybe you can use that as a base.

Last but not least, the third reason. "I love my team, I love my crew", that's what Seventeen said in their song Super. And I think it's the pure truth. You can see in their interactions that they care so much for each other. Of course they fight, they're almost like brothers; they have lived together since they were middle and high schoolers. In 2017 they started a weekly show called "Going Seventeen" (GoSe), which was filmed with Go-Pro cameras by themselves. Nowadays the show continues but it's a little different. In any case, back then what they portrayed in the show was a lot of backstage moments, or moments before/after practice. In short, daily moments of their lives. Since this show wasn't staged, you could see what their relationship looks like naturally.

Of course, not only as a team, but as individuals I think every member is a beautiful human being and I'm very soft for them. Yes, I know about the meaning of parasocial relationships. Yes, I know that maybe they're putting on a façade. Listen. Just because they show a certain facet of themselves to the public, doesn't mean that it's fake. Nobody is perfect; not me, nor you, and I don't think they are either. And everyone has sides that they don't want other people to see. But they side of themselves that they show, I love.

During 2018 I was in a very bad place mentally, and seeing their shows and listening to their music helped me a lot, so I am forever thankful to them for that. I was a very intense fan back then, always stressed about streaming and voting and buying their albums. "If they show so much love to us fans, we should give back that love tenfold", I thought. But they're always so humble, telling their fans to take care of themselves, and saying that what they give us isn't enough compared to what we give them... Now I have learned to find a balance and enjoy their music and their shows in a more casual way. But well, I don't think it was a bad thing for me at that moment to become very obsessed with them, because I needed it and they were there for me. In any case, I think Minghao would be proud of my Carat-er development (props to my friend Sam for the pun), since he's the member that always stresses the most that we should care about ourselves first and Seventeen after.