The effects of Hallyu (Korean Wave) has hardly subsided after nearly three years of dominance. Since the start of 2009, numerous Korean groups have emerged, particularly female ones. Today, we shall take a look at the music industry of South Korea. Which girl group has what to boast? Who will survive? Who is just a passer-by? Who will outlive the rest?
I don't know the exact number of girl groups singing pop songs in South Korea but it should be no less than 25. After some research, I decided to group them according to ratings. Of course, the ratings are of my own opinions but without being biased (hell, how can I be biased in this kind of thing?)
Those who score a B or above are the ones who will prevail. they started off in the industry before/during the "girl group boom" era which is between early-2009 to mid-2010. Those who received a B- are also popular but struggling to see their ratings increase.
The rest who are below B- still have a long way to go but if they continue to work hard and have a bit more luck, a B+ is still achieveable. These groups are usually those who debut after the "girl group boom" era, hence making it harder for them to survive in the market.
Without further ado, I shall list out the groups which I believe "can make it" or you can say able to survive in the pop scene.
The traditional Big Four of Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation, Kara and 2NE1 are a shoo-in. The remaining ones are After School, Brown Eyed Girls, f(x), 4minute, T-ara and Miss A.
Among the Big Four members, Wonder Girls is arguably the most successful since they are the original singers of "Nobody"-the most famous K-pop song to date. However, relying on only one song is unrealistic and luckily, they didn't do that.
Let's go slightly more in-depth by analysing each of the "can make it" groups.
Wonder Girls: A
The so-called wonderful years for Wonder Girls are nothing but just history. They never really made it big with a studio album or the image and concept they wanted to portray. However, these girls must have been blessed with endless luck to rise to stardom with one song.
Now, that's a feat very few singers in the world can achieve. However, they have yet to fully shed away their image from this song which was released for more than three years ago. When people think of Wonder Girls, they usually only think of "Nobody".
"Nobody" has also been over-commercialized due to its popularity in many countries. Therefore, it appears to be seen if Wonder Girls can truly look like a musical group.
Girls' Generation: A
If this 9-member band doesn't deserve an A, then why bother calling them Girls' Generation? Never mind that it took them 18 months since debut to become well-known after releasing "Gee".
Although "Gee" pales in comparison to "Nobody" in terms of popularity, it is the song which propelled Girls' Generation to become one the most successful bands in K-pop.
Without much debate, one can say that SNSD (the band's other name) has replaced Wonder Girls as the leading girl group for more than a year.
It boasts other popular songs like "Tell Me Your Wish" and "Run Devil Run".
Kara: B+
The only group which can pose a challenge to SNSD. Debuting in the same year as the above two, Kara has seen ups and down since then.
The most notable controversy occurred early this year when four out of the five members filed a lawsuit against their agency. The dispute was resolved three months later and all five members teamed up as one again after much deliberation.
But no matter what, there is already a dent on their image and it is not wrong to suspect if their days are numbered in the industry. They deserve an A but internal conflicts made me opt for a B+.
Most successful single was "Mister" along with the butt dance choreography.
2NE1: A
Easily scores an A. Their powerful and heck-care image has won them many supporters. Top it up with electro-pop songs that sound so addictive and you get a an A-class group.
Their strong emphasis on female empowerment, reluctance to flaunt their legs and "un-uniformed" costumes make them stand out of the crowd and at the top.
Will continue to pose a threat to conventional girl groups like SNSD until they finally run out of ideas, something that is highly unlikely to happen.
Most of their songs will sound pleasant if you like the up-tempo, electro-pop genre.
And now, for the B graders. The following groups are good enough to make it to the shore and stay there for good but are also the first to be swept away if a huge wave pays a visit.
After School: B+
Has many members. As of now, there are eight after a few changes. Constant modifying of members will only make the band look messy and disorganized. Never really made it big with any of their songs. But the group name still rings a bell in many heads. "Shampoo" is their most decent piece of work so far.
Brown Eyed Girls: B
One of the oldest girl groups around. 3 out of its 4 members will be 30 this year. They have not release an album for more than two years and look likely to be overtaken by younger counterparts. Most successful single was "Abracadabra" and it looks like their only song.
f(x): B
Hails from the same label (SM Entertainment) as Super Junior and SNSD. Might not have risen to stardom so quickly had it not been "the younger sisters of Korea's two most successful bands". The youngest member, Krystal, happens to be SNSD's Jessica's sister so it is inevitable to think that f(x) relied on their label mates to gain popularity.
They also have a tomboy and a Chinese leader in their 5-woman team to make things a little unique. "Hot Summer" and "Danger" are highly addictive songs.
4minute: B
The first post-90 Korean girl group. None of the five members are older than 21. Their style is something in between 2NE1 and f(x) but with a 100% Korean ensemble.
Started off with a bang with hits like "Hot Issue" and "Muzik" and portraying a powerful image. Has seen subsided after a couple of years. Their musical style has become blurred somehow.
T-ara: B+
Do not mistake it as Kara or its label mate. Both ara-s are of different agencies. One of their members, Soyeon, used to be a SM Entertainment trainee and was poised to become part of SNSD but nothing materialized eventually.
Their most famous and only song of note, "Bo Peep Bo Peep", took the pop scene by storm since its launch. Ironically, their youngest member, Jiyeon, turns out to be the face and representative of the group. This 7-girl team is still quite a strong force till date.
Miss A: B
They could have gotten a B+ but B looks more suitable at the moment. Made up of two Koreans and two Chinese, Miss A is not exactly a K-pop band. Being label mates with Wonder Girls hardly affected them at all as they portray an independent image of the latter.
Their debut single "Bad Girl Good Girl" is still their only song of note to date. Miss A is still a long way from getting an A.
Secret: B?
I would like to include Secret here because they are like sort of stuck in the middle. Still stranded in the sea but very near to the shore, hands not long enough to reach the fringe.
Their extremely successful single, "Magic" propelled the four girls to instant stardom. After that, things started to return back to square. Maybe After School or T-ara can loan them a member?
Other groups like Sistar, Rainbow, Dal★Shabet, Jewelry, 5dolls and SeeYa still linger around the B- to C area. Anything below C- equals out in my opinion.
Anyway, in the long run, I foresee the K-pop girl group battle to be between the conservatives and liberals. Conservatives refer to SNSD while the liberals are 2NE1. Do you agree with me?
Which slogan will outlive the other? "Right now, it's Girls' Generation!" or "What's up, we 2NE1!"
Oh anybody still remember Baby V.O.X and Fin.K.L? What's with all those . . . in the names of these once-famous-now-defunct bands?
Oops, this one is AKB48 of Japan.
I don't know the exact number of girl groups singing pop songs in South Korea but it should be no less than 25. After some research, I decided to group them according to ratings. Of course, the ratings are of my own opinions but without being biased (hell, how can I be biased in this kind of thing?)
Those who score a B or above are the ones who will prevail. they started off in the industry before/during the "girl group boom" era which is between early-2009 to mid-2010. Those who received a B- are also popular but struggling to see their ratings increase.
The rest who are below B- still have a long way to go but if they continue to work hard and have a bit more luck, a B+ is still achieveable. These groups are usually those who debut after the "girl group boom" era, hence making it harder for them to survive in the market.
Without further ado, I shall list out the groups which I believe "can make it" or you can say able to survive in the pop scene.
The traditional Big Four of Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation, Kara and 2NE1 are a shoo-in. The remaining ones are After School, Brown Eyed Girls, f(x), 4minute, T-ara and Miss A.
Among the Big Four members, Wonder Girls is arguably the most successful since they are the original singers of "Nobody"-the most famous K-pop song to date. However, relying on only one song is unrealistic and luckily, they didn't do that.
Let's go slightly more in-depth by analysing each of the "can make it" groups.
Wonder Girls: A
The so-called wonderful years for Wonder Girls are nothing but just history. They never really made it big with a studio album or the image and concept they wanted to portray. However, these girls must have been blessed with endless luck to rise to stardom with one song.
Now, that's a feat very few singers in the world can achieve. However, they have yet to fully shed away their image from this song which was released for more than three years ago. When people think of Wonder Girls, they usually only think of "Nobody".
"Nobody" has also been over-commercialized due to its popularity in many countries. Therefore, it appears to be seen if Wonder Girls can truly look like a musical group.
Girls' Generation: A
If this 9-member band doesn't deserve an A, then why bother calling them Girls' Generation? Never mind that it took them 18 months since debut to become well-known after releasing "Gee".
Although "Gee" pales in comparison to "Nobody" in terms of popularity, it is the song which propelled Girls' Generation to become one the most successful bands in K-pop.
Without much debate, one can say that SNSD (the band's other name) has replaced Wonder Girls as the leading girl group for more than a year.
It boasts other popular songs like "Tell Me Your Wish" and "Run Devil Run".
Kara: B+
The only group which can pose a challenge to SNSD. Debuting in the same year as the above two, Kara has seen ups and down since then.
The most notable controversy occurred early this year when four out of the five members filed a lawsuit against their agency. The dispute was resolved three months later and all five members teamed up as one again after much deliberation.
But no matter what, there is already a dent on their image and it is not wrong to suspect if their days are numbered in the industry. They deserve an A but internal conflicts made me opt for a B+.
Most successful single was "Mister" along with the butt dance choreography.
2NE1: A
Easily scores an A. Their powerful and heck-care image has won them many supporters. Top it up with electro-pop songs that sound so addictive and you get a an A-class group.
Their strong emphasis on female empowerment, reluctance to flaunt their legs and "un-uniformed" costumes make them stand out of the crowd and at the top.
Will continue to pose a threat to conventional girl groups like SNSD until they finally run out of ideas, something that is highly unlikely to happen.
Most of their songs will sound pleasant if you like the up-tempo, electro-pop genre.
And now, for the B graders. The following groups are good enough to make it to the shore and stay there for good but are also the first to be swept away if a huge wave pays a visit.
After School: B+
Has many members. As of now, there are eight after a few changes. Constant modifying of members will only make the band look messy and disorganized. Never really made it big with any of their songs. But the group name still rings a bell in many heads. "Shampoo" is their most decent piece of work so far.
Brown Eyed Girls: B
One of the oldest girl groups around. 3 out of its 4 members will be 30 this year. They have not release an album for more than two years and look likely to be overtaken by younger counterparts. Most successful single was "Abracadabra" and it looks like their only song.
f(x): B
Hails from the same label (SM Entertainment) as Super Junior and SNSD. Might not have risen to stardom so quickly had it not been "the younger sisters of Korea's two most successful bands". The youngest member, Krystal, happens to be SNSD's Jessica's sister so it is inevitable to think that f(x) relied on their label mates to gain popularity.
They also have a tomboy and a Chinese leader in their 5-woman team to make things a little unique. "Hot Summer" and "Danger" are highly addictive songs.
4minute: B
The first post-90 Korean girl group. None of the five members are older than 21. Their style is something in between 2NE1 and f(x) but with a 100% Korean ensemble.
Started off with a bang with hits like "Hot Issue" and "Muzik" and portraying a powerful image. Has seen subsided after a couple of years. Their musical style has become blurred somehow.
T-ara: B+
Do not mistake it as Kara or its label mate. Both ara-s are of different agencies. One of their members, Soyeon, used to be a SM Entertainment trainee and was poised to become part of SNSD but nothing materialized eventually.
Their most famous and only song of note, "Bo Peep Bo Peep", took the pop scene by storm since its launch. Ironically, their youngest member, Jiyeon, turns out to be the face and representative of the group. This 7-girl team is still quite a strong force till date.
Miss A: B
They could have gotten a B+ but B looks more suitable at the moment. Made up of two Koreans and two Chinese, Miss A is not exactly a K-pop band. Being label mates with Wonder Girls hardly affected them at all as they portray an independent image of the latter.
Their debut single "Bad Girl Good Girl" is still their only song of note to date. Miss A is still a long way from getting an A.
Secret: B?
I would like to include Secret here because they are like sort of stuck in the middle. Still stranded in the sea but very near to the shore, hands not long enough to reach the fringe.
Their extremely successful single, "Magic" propelled the four girls to instant stardom. After that, things started to return back to square. Maybe After School or T-ara can loan them a member?
Other groups like Sistar, Rainbow, Dal★Shabet, Jewelry, 5dolls and SeeYa still linger around the B- to C area. Anything below C- equals out in my opinion.
Anyway, in the long run, I foresee the K-pop girl group battle to be between the conservatives and liberals. Conservatives refer to SNSD while the liberals are 2NE1. Do you agree with me?
Which slogan will outlive the other? "Right now, it's Girls' Generation!" or "What's up, we 2NE1!"
Oh anybody still remember Baby V.O.X and Fin.K.L? What's with all those . . . in the names of these once-famous-now-defunct bands?
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