[2009.08.22] Golden days for girl groups


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At the start of the year, Girls Generation-fever hit the nation. Since then, heated up by the emergence of new idol groups like After School, 2NE1, and 4Minutes, the girl group scene is flourishing.

Having passed two years since their debut, Girls Generation dominated the music industry in the first half of 2009. The title song, "Gee," topped KBS` music chart for nine consecutive weeks, which was an unprecedented record for female singing groups. Also, 72,000 albums were sold, second highest among all contemporary singers. Consisting of nine members aged from 18 to 20, Girls Generation has attracted a mostly young following.

The groups` next title song, "Genie," once again confirmed their top status. The song received an explosive reaction from fans. If their earlier song, "Gee," was a girlish approach, the new song emphasized mature lady images out of the nine girls.

New female groups joined the wave and fired up the atmosphere further.

In January, After School, adopting the tried-and-tested concept of school girls, introduced "AH," their debut song. Their hot gym clothes as stage outfits, matched with electric hip-hop music captured K-pop fans` attention. Before releasing their second single album, the team recruited new member E-ui, adding freshness and vivacity to the group. Then, the second song, "Diva" quickly joined the top K-pop line.

In May, girl group 2NE1 came into the spotlight (some say as a woman version of Big Bang). Nearly 10,000 mini-albums were bought in first three months since their debut. Title song "Fire" set records and their following song, "I Don`t Care," is currently continuing the stream, smashing charts for five consecutive weeks. In July, it was the most downloaded song, beating out "Gee" by Girls Generation.

Teenage girl group 4Minutes debuted in June, stepping into the limelight even before they hit the stage,

4Minute enthralled TV viewers with their stylish and "candy funky" retro music. Their colorful outfits revived even retro fashion. On Aug. 20, the group released their first mini album, "For Muzic."

Having recently made their comeback, Brown Eyed Girls and Kara are carrying on the girl group fad.

Brown Eyed Girls initially drew fans` attention for their sensational music videos. Then, their so called "arrogant dance," was unleashed on stages across the country for the song "Abracadabra," of their third album. The song topped M.net music charts for three weeks, for the first time since their debut in 2006. "Unlike other idol groups, Brown Eyed Girls has climbed their way up the peak by themselves," said the agent executive at a press conference.

Using local popularity as a stepping stone to still greater fame, some girl groups are attempting to make an advance overseas.

Following Rain, BoA, and Se7en, this summer, Wonder Girls made their debut in the United States, with the English version of "Nobody," a mega-hit song in Korea. Last month Wonder Girls finished tour openings for Jonas Brother`s concerts, in front of tens of thousands of people each night. Appearing on a national TV talk show and a Disney radio channel, the group is increasing their recognition on the continent. The group even topped iTunes top 100 chart, coming in at 78.

Some groups are incorporating foreign-educated or foreign-born women into their acts.

In Girls Generation, Soo-young studied in Japan and Hyo-yeon studied in China. Tiffany and Jessica are American-born who came to Korea seeking stardom.

A member of the group Kara is also from North America. Her not-so-perfect Korean appeals to local fans as cute. It is said the group will expand abroad in the second half of 2009.

4Minutes is also getting ready for their international debut. According to a phone interview with an executive of CUBE Entertainment, 4Minute has begun hammering out plans to expand into other East Asian countries. "Wonder Girls` successful debut and performances in United States will be a good example for many local girl groups seeking a U.S. debut," said the executive.

The golden days of girl groups seems to be just beginning.

(jenellehyun@gmail.com)

By Hyun Ji-hyang

source: Click

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Kara's going abroad? :(

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Reading that KARA may be going abroad for the second half of 2009 seems surprising ^^...I would think they take more time to dominate South Korea and such.......but it seems exciting if they do go abroad! ^^

Edited by glazedburgerr
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Reading that KARA may be going abroad for the second half of 2009 seems surprising ^^...I would think they take more time to dominate South Korea and such.......but it seems exciting if they do go abroad! ^^

I thought they dominated south korea already with their butt swaying, and they dominated a bit of youtube lol.

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Kara expanding abroad in the second half of 2009...

It is pretty possible, but isn't their album promotions not finish yet by then?

Oh well, I wish the best for Kara ^^

And why don't they know Nicole's name T T...

Thank you for sharing this article Anne onni ^^

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why didn't they say her name? i mean, they should at least find that out before posting it, kind of rude. nicole is the best. anyways, they are pretty popular in south korea, maybe not as popular as snsd but they still have lots of fans. i'd love for them to go to abroad! i hope they can have fans everywhere ^___^

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Oh my .. these journalists don't know Nicole's name ?

Aren't they suppose to be very specific in these kind of news ?!

To me it seemed like an insult , other members of other girl groups are named and get detailed explainations ..

Quote : " In Girls Generation, Soo-young studied in Japan and Hyo-yeon studied in China. Tiffany and Jessica are American-born who came to Korea seeking stardom."

Anyways ~ Kara really going abroad ?!

Hope they gain more and more attention !!

Fans of Kara everywhere !!!

Edited by ChocoKaraLover
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Kara is going abroad?? really??

Her not-so-perfect Korean appeals to local fans as cute.

why didn't they even mentioned that it was Nicole?? but I do agree, her not-so-perfect korean is really cute heheh and it definitely catches anyone's attention..

thanks for sharing..

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those journalist got professional enough...must've been lazy or something cause it's not that hard to find out the member's names

and what's this...kara is going abroad?

this is good, but i think kara should just continue promoting in s.korea for now and their 2nd album promotions just started...

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I think it's so a little weird how they can go on about all the members of other groups, but for Kara's it's just one small bit, and they don't remember Nicole's name ><

It's not like DSP doesn't release information AT ALL, so whyyy D:

BUT YAY for Nicole's accent, it's so adorable what's not to love ♥

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Um, Kara's part was short . . . ? A member of Kara . . eh, I don't know if I should be mad.

Anyways, they are going abroad? Kara's got some fans at Japan. Gyul seems to be able

To speak some basic Japanese so I'm excited for they go.

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