Most of us might scoff at the idea of K-Pop girl groups, relegating them only to squeaky-clean, painfully peppy bubblegum pop concepts and an equally cavity-inducing sound. Maybe envy gets in the way too; are there any girl group members that don’t look good in anything that they wear? But sometimes, we just can’t deny that urge to say “you go, girl!” and a surge of admiration each time we see idols bust-a-move in heels. So with that in mind, here are six K-pop girl groups we feel deserve more love.
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Red Velvet (레드벨벳)
Hailing from the hallowed halls of S.M. Entertainment – the company behind the ever-iconic Girls’ Generation and Super Junior – Red Velvet burst onto the K-Pop scene in 2014, and they’ve been going strong ever since. The now-five-member girl group has received huge amounts of love from fans all over the world, as evident in their ventures with KCON, the annual K-Pop convention and music festival held in the States. Their music is distinctly S.M., as well as their music videos, although they recently slowed things down with One Of Those Nights, wowing audiences with their vocals. Member Seulgi is also known to have many female fans; is it any wonder why? She basically oozes cool and confidence.
GFriend (여자친구)
While they received a spike of popularity from a series of rather unfortunate stage falls, GFriend are both charming and hardworking, and their music is definitely catchy. Unfortunately, we haven’t heard from them as recently as the other groups on this list, but we trust they’re cooking up something good. The six-member group is also particularly known for their highly synchronised and powerful choreography (duh), which can probably be explained by the fact that they share the same choreographer as BTS.
OH MY GIRL (오마이걸)
What a typically cliché name, you may think. But OH MY GIRL never fails to put out good music with equally refreshing concepts. Their latest release, Windy Day, sees an interesting blend of classic bubblegum K-pop and a chorus of Indian instruments. It sounds like a stretch, but it really works. Their hit song Closer, boasting a slightly more mature sound, also saw them taking on a twisted fairytale concept, sans-prince charming, which is a pretty unique choice.
Ladies’ Code (레이디스 코드)
The world of K-Pop was understandably shaken in 2014, when members EunB and RiSe of Ladies’ Code were tragically killed in a car accident. But the remaining three members of the group, Ashley, Sojung and Zuny, pledged to stay strong and honour their members, deciding to continue on as a trio earlier this year. Their comeback title track, Galaxy is a beautiful and haunting love song, and the music video is undoubtedly equally gorgeous. While they’re still a relatively young group and may have a long way to go, we can’t help but admire their ability to bounce back after so much pain. Stay strong, girls.
CLC (씨엘씨)
CLC is meant to be an initialism for ‘CrystaL Clear’, but we can’t figure out if they’re named after their super crisp sound or their amazingly youthful complexions. Either way, the seven-member girl group of Cube Entertainment – a.k.a. the agency of groups like B2ST/BEAST and 4Minute – has an undeniably contagious peppy vibe that we can’t get enough of. Thai member Sorn is also particularly eye-catching; if her name sounds familiar, it’s because she was the winner of the first season of K-Pop Star Hunt back in 2011. Each member of CLC also has their own “fruit symbol”, which sounds pretty weird, but also really cute.
MAMAMOO (마마무)
Hailed as one of the best K-Pop debuts back in 2014, MAMAMOO are undeniably one of the best live acts out there. They’ve proven their flawless group vocals time and time again – heck, they even sing their introductions in perfect harmony every time they’re on shows. Their music is generally classified under the “retro” movement of K-Pop, but the genre is perfect for their soulful, powerful voices. Off-stage, they’re known for the playful, good vibes they bring, and have a impressively large female fanbase as a result of their laid-back personalities. Even Red Velvet can’t resist their charms.
Featured Image: Ladies’ Code – Galaxy (YouTube)
