‘K-pop’ - the word alone can bring a smile to trillions of fan’s faces. K-pop, as in Korean pop, is becoming one of the most popular genres in the world. ‘S.E.S’ was the first-ever K-pop girl group in the K-pop world. Following their footsteps, now other K-pop girl groups have become immensely popular, with their cool concepts, catchy lyrics, point choreography and fresh visuals. They are the powerful female idols who are currently ruling the world of music.
There are over 400 K-pop groups and over 180 are all-girl groups. And here are 5 K-Pop girl groups you should definitely know.
1. BLACKPINK: To take-over the whole of your heart
After Blackpink’s ‘How you like that’ song released and got 83 million views in one day, there are not many people who don’t know about them despite their age. This is one of the most popular girl bands of South Korea and it’s active from 2016 to present. Members of this group are Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. When it comes to music video view count, no one is doing better than Blackpink. Their debut MV Whistle is the most-viewed K-pop debut MV. And that’s not all. Their MV DDU-DU DDU-DU is the most-viewed MV by just over 1 billion views. Blackpink’s second EP was released on 5 April, and a week later the group became the first ever K-Pop girl group to perform at Coachella. Member Lisa also just became the first K-Pop artist to reach 20 million followers on Instagram. In Spotify's 'Global Top 50', BLACKPINK's "How You Like That" becomes the longest-running K-pop song.
Also, this amazing group is going to release their new song “Ice Cream” ft. Selena Gomez on 28 August. And Ariana Grande worked on this song with them. Everyone believe that it’s going to be their next hit. They likely have many years of success ahead of them and will continue leading the K-Pop’s popularity all over the world.
2. Twice: You only live once, so think twice
The nine-member girl group Twice’s success has seemed unstoppable. Twice’s members are Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. The band debuted on 20 October 2015, through a survival show named ‘Sixteen’, under JYP Entertainment. They have been called the new or next ‘Nation’s Girl Group’. While online concerts first started as a means for K-pop acts to perform concerts during the coronavirus, the realm may also be the most effective means to meet fans around the world, as proven by girl group Twice’s first online concert “Beyond LIVE – Twice: World in A Day” held on Sunday through Naver V Live.
Twice is different from the other K-pop groups with cheerful tunes and a colorful style—in the members’ fashion, hair and makeup, and a group concept in which each member is represented by a unique color. Twice claims to be one in a million. Also, the group's name is referred to as their ability to capture the attention of audiences - don’t you think it’s true though!
3. ITZY: Be ready to love yourself
The five-member K-Pop group from JYP Entertainment consists of members Lia, Ryujin, Yuna, Chaeryeong, and Yeji. Their fans are called Midzy. They made waves when they splashed onto the music scene in February of 2019 with "DALLA DALLA," an unapologetic club anthem about loving themselves that makes them different from everyone else. Since then, the group has proved themselves as a must-watch K-Pop group with their bold sound and inspiring lyrics that reinforce the same message: No matter what the world may say about you, there's nothing better than being your confident and true self.
On 17 August, ITZY finally released the 3rd mini-album 'Not Shy'. 'Not Shy' has six tracks, including the title song. Ever since its release, they have been stirring attention for the catchy and visually captivating comeback. With a western concept, the girl group rocked the stage with powerful choreography and incredible visuals. And they are completely worth the adoration and fan following they have.
4. Red Velvet: Sweet as the cake
The group Red Velvet consisting of five members Wendy, Joy, Irene, Seulgi, and Yeri debuted with a summer song “Happiness” which is also their fandom name. At first, nobody actually believed in them. People thought they are talentless and can’t be successful. But Red Velvet proved all of them wrong by giving fans one hit song after the other.
They were also the first-ever K-pop group to perform in North Korea. Red Velvet’s Irene and Seulgi made a title track Monster, which was released last month. Before the performance, they gave a short message supporting those at the front lines of the pandemic. Seulgi expressed gratitude toward the group’s fans and said, “We must continue to be positive and stay strong during this difficult time.” They are as generous as talented.
5. (G)I-dle: the real idols
(G)I-dle debuted in 2018 with six members - Miyeon, Minnie, Soojin, Soyeon, Yuqi, and Shuhua. Their fandom is called Neverland and their first extended play is titled ‘I Am’ and its lead single 'Latata'. Only after 20 days they also won their first win for ‘Latata’. A year later, they debuted in Japan with the same title track. From their debut (G)I-dle found themselves earning praise and the group kept the momentum.
What stood out the most with them was that unlike what is common in K-pop, where group members slowly participate in creating their own music over time, (G)I-dle's members were actively involved in their music from the beginning. Especially, the group's leader and rapper Soyeon as well as vocalist Minnie and dancer Yuqi all participate in writing and co-producing the group's music. As might be excepted, it's hard to deny that (G)I-dle is musically gifted.
Besides, all-girl and all-boy K-pop groups there is KARD which is a co-ed group with two females and two male idols. This group also represents that the K-pop world is equal for everyone - no one can run the world alone and we all should be together, supporting each other.
Rumaiysa M Rahman is a 9th grader at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Dhaka. She can be contacted at [email protected]