2017: A (Non-Exhaustive) Girl Group Guide to Who To Stan Next

[adenar.livejournal.com]

Hello omona (and other readers)! Did your girl group stanning take a big hit in 2016 (or even recently in 2017)? Were you affected by the disbanding of girl groups, from South Korea's most established favourites to talented favourites who never achieved their deserved fame? Are you struggling to find groups that fit your particular tastes? Are you hoping not to suffer from the disappointment of your faves finishing activities anytime soon? Did your favourite groups survive 2016 but you're just looking for a few recommendations of new groups to get into? Are you just browsing omona late at night pretending you're trying to sleep? This post can help you!

The flip side of so much disbandment means that there's a lot of exciting things happening in the music scene if you know where to find it. Some companies are learning how to promote groups predebut in order to give them more staying power, while bigger companies are beginning to debut their next groups. Alongside these debuts are older, less well known girl groups who manage to stand the test of time, debuts from the last few years taking the place of the old guard, and even the possible long-due revival of some first gen girl groups. While 2016 had much sadness, it also had some incredible releases, and it looks like 2017 girl groups will be continuing that trend.

A note about my [Tatianna voice] choices:
The objective of this post was to highlight groups that are either doing well or have the foundation to be doing well in the near future, not groups that I think deserve better (you should still be stanning #girlsgirls though). Not all of these groups are groups I personally listen to, nor did I just use this list to boost my favourites. In order to select groups for this list, I set the following guidelines:

• A comeback within or around the last six months (or upcoming)


• Less than two member changes in its life, less than one member change in the last year


• Already debuted


• Not a group with constantly declining sales and popularity: for example, I adore Nine Muses, Tahiti and Fiestar, but due to either their chart performance, sales, public recognition, or even all three, I can't in good conscience include groups such as them here (pimp them in the comments below if you want though!)

🌸APRIL🌸

April debuted in August 2015 under the label DSP Media. Their lineup currently consists of Chaekyung (96, Produce 101 contestant), Chaewon (97), Naeun (99), Yena (00), Rachel (00) and Jinsol (01). They promoted heavily after their debut but went somewhat quiet this year, likely due to a fluctuating member situation. With their lineup solidified, they're likely to make better use of 2017, and released 'Prelude' with lead track 'April Story' on 4th January. April Story would go on to become their highest charting single, higher than even their debut. Their album sales remained consistent, with 'Prelude' charting at #14.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Youthful and innocent concepts, skilled main vocalists, Gfriend/Lovelyz
STRENGTHS: Chaekyung (popularity through Produce 101), no other company girl group to divide management's attention, vocals
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Under DSP, failure of most recent girl group company senior, several member changes
WHAT TO WATCH: Jinsol's appearances on JTBC Girl Spirit, Chaekyung on Produce 101, their V App

🍒BERRY GOOD🍒

Berry Good debuted under Asia Bridge/JTG Entertainment in May 2014. Immediately after their debut, the group swapped three old members for three new ones, and the lineup was solidified recently with the addition of a sixth member. The members are Taeha (95), Johyun (96), Seoyul (97), Daye (98), Sehyung (98) and Gowoon (98). They most recently had a comeback two months ago with 'Don't Believe' - already their most viewed music video in only two months - and while they have had little chart success, the members are slowly gaining public recognition for various reasons.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Powerful vocals, well-synchronised dances, girl groups with great friendships, diverse discography
STRENGTHS: Powerful/live vocals, Johyun/Sehyung/Daye's visual potential, positive response on Makestar, Seoyul known as AOA Yuna's sister
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Songs sometimes overpush vocals, recent member addition & solo push complicating group dynamics, inconsistent image/sound
WHAT TO WATCH: 'Angel' live stages, practice videos on official youtube, their recently opened v app, their makestar videos, any of gowoon/taeha/seoyul's vocal covers

🎮BLACKPINK🎮

Blackpink debuted in August 2016 under YG Entertainment. The quartet is made up of Jisoo (95), Jennie (96), Rosé (97) and Lisa (97) and has international representation, with Jennie and Rosé having grown up in Australia and New Zealand (and Jennie possibly having spent time in the Netherlands) and Lisa hailing from Thailand. In the short time since their debut, they have already established themselves as chart-toppers with a chic yet powerful image. While they have defined roles within the group (vocalist, dancer, etc), their talents are more spread, forming a basis for more equal line distribution and interesting, refined choreography. They've also gained attention for their youthful, sweet personalities hidden by their sophisticated group image.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Interesting or more complicated girl group choreography, strong voices & skilled rap, 2NE1
STRENGTHS: Performance charisma, YG's backing/no girl group to divide agency attention, Jisoo's predebut fame
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Few public appearances/promotions, slight lack of vocal technique, YG's history of poor management
WHAT TO WATCH Their Running Man episode, Weekly Idol, BTS videos, V Apps

👯BOLBBALGAN4👯

Bolbbalgan4 are an indie female duo - Jiyoung (95, vocalist) and Jiyoon (96, instrumentalist, rap) - that debuted in April 2016. The two were individual competitors on Superstar K6 in 2014 and were subsequently signed to Shofar Music. Initially they had little chart success, but after the release of their first full album in August, a month later their lead single shot to the top of the charts and remained there for many weeks, becoming the sleeper hit of the latter half of 2016. Both members are frequently involved in the composition and lyric writing for their songs.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Female songwriters, lighthearted summery songs, soft vocals
STRENGTHS: Chart success, songwriting skills, refreshing image, initial fame from Superstar K6
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: No other truly mainstream company act (currently), not yet established consistent success
WHAT TO WATCH: Live performances, Jiyoung's stage with BAP Dahyun, their Superstar K6 performances

🥂BROWN EYED GIRLS🥂

It has recently come to my attention that some new kpop fans aren't up to speed with BEG. What are you waiting for? The quartet debuted over ten years ago, have had no lineup changes, have all released solo material (especially Gain, alternative sexy icon) and have tried a variety of concepts and genres without losing that special BEG flavour, topping charts all the while. They're so much in their own category that Narsha recently got married and we'll probably still get a four member comeback or two (but not for a couple years - BEG aren't particularly rushed about getting group comebacks out anymore). Among their achievements they are the longest-lasting girl group with no member changes (having recently celebrated their 10th anniversary) and they were one of the first girl groups to take a huge role in the creation of their own content (Miryo holds the most writing credits of any female idol, and JeA is not far behind her).

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Older groups, more mature or daring concepts, solo strength, girl groups with creative control, watching JeA attempt to be sexy
STRENGTHS: Miryo/JeA's songwriting, solo successes, creative independence, strong & consistent vocals/rap, performance charisma, industry seniority, variety skills
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Group potentially heading into periods of longer group inactivity, with Narsha now married and all of the girls enmeshed in solo activities
WHAT TO WATCH: Star Date, Miryo on Unpretty Rapstar, Inside BG, Weekly Idol

🐶BULLDOK🐶

Bulldok is Kconic's first girl group, debuting in October 2016. After gaining fans through an at times humiliating stay on competition show Produce 101 (because we can't have girls auditioning with a non-feminine routine without asking them to try to be sexy), Kconic added one more member to make Bulldok a quintet - Sora (90), Genie (91), Kimi (93, formerly of Scarlet), Say (93) and Hyung Eun (94). They hesitantly make this list due to the predebut promo Kconic have done for them - Kconic have invested a lot into this group, and it's likely they'll try very hard to make them successful.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Groups with strong/tough images, rap-focused groups, early 2ne1/4minute
STRENGTHS: Kimi attracting former Scarlet fans, Produce 101 fame, Hyung Eun's skilled rapping
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Lack of debut success, historic lack of public reception to small-name company groups with a strong image
WHAT TO WATCH Produce 101 performances (esp Hyung Eun's winning performance), Bulldok News

✨COSMIC GIRLS✨

Cosmic Girls are one of the largest girl groups to debut in South Korea, now boasting a thirteen member lineup. Such a big group normally means a lot of superfluous members with not much performance talent to offer, but Cosmic Girls boasts an excellent vocal line, a standout rapper and several excellent dancers (and those that lack in performance ability make up for it in other ways). Their birthdates range from December 1994 to August 1999. Despite debuting under Starship (and Yuehua) Entertainment last year, their agency power failed to gain them any chart recognition with miniscule sales. In contrast, their comeback 'Secret' hit #49 on the gaon chart, after adding Produce 101 finalist & IOI member Yeonjung and an extensive media promotion of other members, especially Cheng Xiao. I Wish, their subsequent comeback, was successful in equalling Secret's chart success.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Strong vocals, large groups, multianational groups, groups without a large amount of rappers, members with talents beyond music
STRENGTHS: Cheng Xiao's growing fame, Exy's rapper credentials, Yeonjung's Produce 101 fame, strong vocal line, choreographic synchronicity, support of established & respected agency
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Dangers of overpromoting one member
WHAT TO WATCH Would You Like Girls, Yeonjung on Produce 101, EXY on Unpretty Rapstar

🚂DIA🚂

Dia debuted on September 14, 2015 after MBK made a big hullabaloo about a surival show that never happened (perhaps they wisely decided to hedge their bets on Produce 101). Though their album sales were reasonable for a newly debuted group, their chart performance was abysmal. The group went into inactivity to allow two members to compete on Produce 101, during which the leader left the group to be replaced with a new maknae. The current lineup (Eunice (91), Huihyein (95), Jenny (96), Yebin (97), Eunjin (97), Chaeyeon (97), Eunchae (99)) has managed to somewhat pick up on Chaeyeon and Huihyeon's PD101 success with a mixture of catchy songs, finely realised concepts and MBK's speciality, noise marketing. If you can deal with MBK working with creepy photographers and tempting plagiarism accusations then you'll find DIA a very solid group, with a standout rapper, several excellent vocals and a great stage attitude.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Legendary visuals, skilled deep voiced rappers, good talent balance
STRENGTHS: Chaeyeon's visual/PD101/I.O.I fame, Huihyeon's fame, support of established & successful agency
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: They're under MBK.
WHAT TO WATCH Chaeyeon/Huihyeon's PD101 videos, Daily DIA, Knowing Bros episode

🕯️DREAMCATCHER🕯️

In the last days of 2016, Happyface Entertainment announced that the members of Minx (JiU (94), Sua (94), Siyeon (95), Yoohyeon (97), Dami (97)) would be joined by two new members (Handong (96), Gahyeon (99)) and redebut: thus DREAMCATCHER debuted on January 12th. In less than a month since, 'Chase Me' has garnered more views than Minx and most of senior group Dal Shabet's music videos, and the single album reached a high of 25 on the gaon album chart - as Minx, they had failed to chart entirely. The group has received positive attention for their song - often compared to anime theme songs - their strong choreography, and even Gahyeon's resemblance to other idols.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: VIXX, rock-style anime openings, strong choreography, dark & dramatic concepts, blurring the lines between jpop and kpop
STRENGTHS: Choreography, performance ability, uniqueness of concept
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Happyface's lack of success, already having to redebut once
WHAT TO WATCH: Dreamcatcher's Note, choreography covers

👟GFRIEND👟

GFRIEND are steamrollering your faves, old and new, and show no sign of stopping. But there are still people inexplicably resistant to their success, or who remain embittered towards them, still blaming them for a tide of soft girl group concepts. So let me tell you why you should be stanning - Yuju, Yuju, and did I mention Yuju? I'm joking; Yuju's vocal ability and hard working spirit is great but she's only one reason. Vocal-wise, Eunha is also excellent with her own solo vocal activities, SinB and Yerin are beginning to shine, and even 'weakest' vocalist Umji has had a gorgeous little solo OST. But choreography is where GFRIEND really shines. Initially their choreography and concept combination earned them SNSD comparisons, but while SNSD had turned to softer sounding 'Kissing You' by their third single, GFRIEND has continued to put out high-energy, uplifting songs with challenging choreography, without sounding one-note. They've also achieved this level of success despite some people insisting how ugly they all are, which is an instant motivator for me to stan.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Advanced choreography, age-appropriate concepts, powerful main vocals, high energy songs, debut SNSD
STRENGTHS: Synchronised and advanced choreography, established chart popularity, prominent and consistent main vocals
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Frequently overworked by company
WHAT TO WATCH: This, GFRIEND loves Europe, SinB/Umji's Graduation

🌊GU9UDAN🌊

Gugudan were a bit of a hard sell at first; netizens were first mystified that Produce 101's most popular trio (Nayoung, Sejeong, Mina) were going to be joined by a whole six other trainees (Mimi, Hana, Haebin, Sally, Soyee, Hyeyeon), then were put off by the name (they were initially revealed as 'Gx9', as well). Then Gugudan debuted on June 28, 2016, and despite the song receiving seemingly mixed reviews it had decent chart success; 35 on the single charts and 2 on the digital album charts. Boasting three members with large predebut fame - Sejeong in particular - and with the backing of Jellyfish Entertainment (not known for rushing out debuts for the sake of it - VIXX, their only other group, debuted in 2012) the group has all the ingredients for a long-lasting career.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Slightly more over-the-top concept ideas, groups with good variety sense, groups capable of multiple concepts
STRENGTHS: PD101 trio's fame (inc. two I.O.I members), strong dance & vocal lines, reasonable promotion of all members despite having standout members, support of established & respected agency
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Fandom heavily biased towards PD101 trio, rumours of Sejeong's discord
WHAT TO WATCH: Cover project series, Gugudan School Trip series, PD101 performances (Sejeong/Nayoung/Mina)

❄️LABOUM❄️

Laboum debuted on August 28th, 2014 under Global H Media, a joint NH Media and Nega Network venture. Being touted as U-Kiss' sister group isn't exactly a harbinger of success, and despite a small amount of attention for their second single, 'What About You', the prognosis didn't seem hopeful. However, Laboum have been clawing their way back up the charts since the low of 'Sugar Sugar' and achieved their best sales/chart success with 'Shooting Love' last August, thanks in part to their partnership with the crowdfunding platform, Makestar. The lineup (Yujeong (92), Soyeon (94), ZN (94), Haein (95), Solbin (97), Yulhee (97)) has remained consistent since debut, and the members are finally beginning to branch out into their own promotional activites; Solbin is swiftly gaining attention (and, strangely, notoriety) as a visual and model; Soyeon appeared on Girl Spirit, and while she didn't achieve the success of already more popular vocalists like Sojung or Bohyung, she still gained many more fans for the group. Considering the frequency of Laboum comebacks, it's likely we'll see a new one within the first third of the 2017.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Funky/retro concepts, colourful styling, solid yet simple concepts, not having to put up with awful styling, groups with less focus on rap, visually interesting choreography
STRENGTHS: Performance quality, strong group relationships, variety sense, Solbin's slowly rising fame
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Chart success is changing only slowly, company's poor track record with groups, risks of pushing one member
WHAT TO WATCH: Weekly Idol, Laboum Project

👠LADIES' CODE👠

Ladies' Code debuted as a quintet in 2013 under Polaris Entertainment. They already had two publicly known faces - Lee Sojung, a contestant on The Voice Korea, and Kwon Rise, a former pageant contestant, audition show contestant and We Got Married cast member. Their singles all charted well - even their last and lowest-charting single as a quintet, 'Kiss Kiss', landed at #50 on gaon's chart. On September 3, 2014 the group was involved in a serious car accident in which Eunbi and Rise ultimately passed away. What followed was a period of inactivity to allow the members and those around them to mourn and to recover from their injuries. On February 24, 2016 the remaining members released the 'Galaxy' EP, a change in image from the youthful, retro style they'd had before. Ladies' Code have quickly established themselves anew with their new, uniquely mysterious image and improved vocals, and between group promotions and solo activities, are beginning to re-establish themselves as one of the most reliable of today's girl groups for quality music and performances.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Retro style/jazz influences, strong group bonds, mature concepts, smoother vocals
STRENGTHS: Vocals (especially live), Sojung's vocalist fame, unique image, only group under agency, chic styling & image
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Always some difficulty restoring previous success after periods of activity, group has no members strong with variety
WHAT TO WATCH: Hashtag Talk, V App, Sojung on Girl Spirit/Singing Battle, Immortal Song

🌺LOVELYZ🌺

Lovelyz debuted in November 2014 under Woolim Entertainment, initially marred by a controversy (later proved false) surrounding member Jisoo who ultimately sat out their debut and follow up promotions. They've performed consistently on the charts, with their debut single being their worst performing and their latest single, Destiny, being their highest, hitting #7. They've followed a similar path to groups like APink, picking a concept - in this case, lovely, innocent, but not sickeningly infantilising - and sticking to it and perfecting it. The vocal line in particular have enjoyed public recognition, i.e Kei on Girl Spirit, Baby Soul's predebut work, and the whole group guesting on Immortal Song twice recently. The eight members form a solid unit, executing polished choreography and with some excellent stylists behind them; a lack of decent stylists being something fans of other girl groups often complain about.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: APink, early SNSD, well executed private-school aesthetics, more gentle idol group songs and concepts
STRENGTHS: Vocal line, execution of choreography, solid chart performance, several members with rising individual popularity
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Already gone through a heavy controversy
WHAT TO WATCH: Lovelyz In Wonderland, Immortal Song appearances, Sugarman appearance

🎤MELODYDAY🎤

MelodyDay officially debuted in February 2014 but had been promoting for nearly two years before that, recording endless OST's, which is still the group's bread-and-butter. Initially they debuted as a trio (Yeoeun (90), Yein (95), Chahee (96)), but added Yoomin (93) before the year was out. While they put out good music when presenting as an idol group, typically it takes a high-profile featuring to bring MelodyDay into any chart standing - they've collaborated with a lot of your boy group faves. As a vocal group, recording OST's or featuring for other artists (together or separately), they're a lot more formidable. Ballads (When It Rains) or retro stylings (#LoveMe) suit their skilled vocals best, but they've played around with more straight pop (Speed Up) as well. The girls are also sweet and a lot of fun in the rare interviews they get to do together.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Easy listening, ballads, vocals-focused groups
STRENGTHS: Vocals, live performances
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Lack of consistent sound with non-OST releases, inconsistent chart performance
WHAT TO WATCH: Live performances/acoustics, any interviews you can find (chahee is very hairy)

💎S.E.S💎

There could hardly be a better time than the rampant disbandment of second gen girl groups, for first gen groups to start reuniting. Legendary girl group S.E.S originally debuted twenty years ago in 1997 (how old were you, omona?) and disbanded in 2002, making their fourteen-year hiatus one of the longest in the history of girl groups, and their successful comeback all the more impressive (although not unbelievable; all three have continued with solo careers since the group's disbandment). Bada, Shoo and Eugene are all in their mid-thirties and two are married with children, and their collection of comeback singles that started off 2017 truly display the power of a top tier first generation group.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Modern BOA, older groups with less youthful/innocent images
STRENGTHS: Vocals, already established fame and success
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Not the most excellent dancers, return to the limelight as a group may be short-lived/sporadic due to solo and personal commitments
WHAT TO WATCH: Eugene (and Rohee and husband) on Return of Superman; Bada on Immortal Songs; Remember, I'm Your S.E.S

🎉THE BARBERETTES🎉

The Barbarettes are in a category all their own. A barbershop trio formed by vocal teacher and backing vocalist, Shinae An Wheeler ('86, whose list of credits could rival that of Spica's Boa), the group was originally filled out by Grace (87) and Sohee (91). Grace left the group very recently and was replaced by Sunnie Lee, another professional backing vocalist. A Barbarettes show is a party, spanning 50's American hits, barbershop takes on trot, jazzy rearrangements of traditional South Korean folk music and even history lessons, with Shinae citing Korean-American trio The Kim Sisters as a huge inspiration (she will probably explain this while playing the guitar, and then insist she's terrible at translation, as if she hasn't just succeeded at juggling two very different, complicated tasks). If they come to a city near you on their worldwide travels, be sure to grab a ticket.

STAN IF YOU LIKE: Acapella, vocal groups, singer-songwriters, 50's/60's style jazz, modern takes on traditional songs
STRENGTHS: Live performance, harmonising
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Infrequent TV or subbed appearances
WHAT TO WATCH: Everything on their youtube channel. Just do it.

SOURCES: K-POP Blooming Music, 1theK (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), JTBC Entertainment, CJENMMUSIC Official (2), /r/BerryGood Youtube, BLACKPINK, awkward potato, 벅스, ARIRANG K-POP, KCONIC entertainment (2), TV-People, Happyface entertainment, 7 Dreamers, YUJU VIDS, gugudan, Mnet K-Pop, LADIES CODE, LC kitten, woolliment, KBS World TV, Dingo Music, SMTOWN, Atae Sone, The Barberettes, Culturebox-English

showminomoney this is the post i was talking about, hope this is ok!

Comments

[showminomoney.livejournal.com]

Great post, OP!! I'll look through it again tomorrow morning. :D

Sidenote: I'm very hesitant about stanning girl groups sometimes, because the amount of hate and backhanded compliments that they get in their posts are insane. It's disheartening. Kudos to everyone here that makes girl group posts.

[pikapika217.livejournal.com]

Lovely post OP! You might also like to know that Seoyul was apparently a finalist on the voice korea.

I would love to say STAN PURFLES but I literally do not know where they are and they only have 3 digital singles ;___;

instead I will advocate for CLC as their recent comeback has been quite successful for them. I hope they can build decent momentum before Cube inevitably screws them over.

[adenar.livejournal.com]

I totally forgot about that, she was on The Voice Kids iirc!

[localised.livejournal.com]

i applaud your effort op

[lysblack.livejournal.com]

I ain't gonna stan anyone (other than BEG, but I have been their fan for years now) because my heart grew cold and weary of kpop.

Plus I seem to be a common denominator of the groups ending, as I have stanned them hardcore, eve if for a little while, during their living days.

But great post OP!

[awsteven.livejournal.com]

awesome post op! i think mamamoo is missing from this list. they've had a slow but steady climb to success. girl grouos are awesome. i tend to stan them casually but i kind want to get deeper into fandoms

[adenar.livejournal.com]

Mamamoo are great! But I didn't want to fill the list with too many established chart-toppers so unfortunately they lost out this time. Thankfully this isn't an exhaustive list!

*puts on bitter moomoo hat*

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

Where's twice?

Re: *puts on bitter moomoo hat*

[adenar.livejournal.com]

I included the barbarettes you have no right to complain!!

(I edited my title because I can see 'where's x' comments becoming the main theme here haha)

[slowitdownbaby.livejournal.com]

Great post, OP!
f(x)'s next comeback (if we're even getting one at this point???) is most likely going to be their last so I think it's time I invest in some other girl groups.

[sethelaezekiel.livejournal.com]

i don't see fx disbanding but having a lot less comebacks the only problem is vic the other 3 are eager for a comeback just give us a kryberna subunit

but seriously if they disband im done with kpop

[soyunatetera.livejournal.com]

This post is love!!! grat job OP!! Bolbbalgan4 and Ladies Code are my faves, tho I haven't listened to all their songs, I think I like their style the best. I also love to check out Black Pink, Gfriend (I love their live performances, they're the best at that), and I really hope we can have a BEG comeback. I also like Twice, their easy coreography and catchy tune reminds me a bit of some of the early WG hits like Tell me. There's so much to see I don't I'm able to follow every group lol and most of them are so young I feel old ༼ つ ಥ_ಥ ༽つ

[torontok.livejournal.com]

Great post, OP! This must have taken some work to put together.

Right now my girl group roster includes f(x), EXID and G-Friend but I'm keeping an eye on Lovelyz and Oh My Girl as well.

[dynamite-state.livejournal.com]

BLACKPINK are my girls, and I'm also anticipating Bulldok and Dreamcatcher's career. BEG sound like a group I'd enjoy too.
But for your consideration...

💄EXID💄



STAN IF YOU LIKE: double entendre, Twice's iconic choreography, HyunA's vocals, After School but ironic
STRENGTHS: Music videos, Albums, LE's talent
THINGS TO BE AWARE OF: Too controversial for the weak!
WHAT TO WATCH: Abracadabra cover (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwKBYTGHYYI)

[adenar.livejournal.com]

if u aren't stanning exid then literally what is the point tbh

[a-suitcase.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this awesome post :). I only listen to girl groups so yay for promoting them! I hope DIA will release some songs that really emphasize the strength of their rap, Huihyeon's solo on Spell was so good.

I'm missing my Sonamoo bbs here though :(. They are great too!

[bmo.livejournal.com]

the guidelines r a bit messy imo bc i dont understand why berrygood or laboum are here, why gfriend is here but mamamoo or twice aren't! BUT ANYWAY I DONT RLY want to complain OP it just doesn't make a lot of sense >< i think it would've been cool to add some upcoming debuts like pristin and loona because they have a few releases i guess! ik the havent debuted and thats part of ur guideline but they both have rly nice songs TT

i hope old bitter stans open up their hearts to these cute little groups especially april, wjsn and dia! and ladies code and all of these!! omg oh my girl is missing 2!!

[adenar.livejournal.com]

A) [potc voice ] i figured them more...guidelines. haha they're just that! Not rules

Also b) i was thinking of doing a separate post for upcoming debuts! There's so many promising ones coming up!

edit: i was on mobile i didn't pay attention to ur username bmo i want to say i am so glad ur still around!! i always love your comments.

[haixiao.livejournal.com]

i remember the days when i thought gfriend's music was boring as shit and now i jam to ALL of the title tracks (except for glass bead but whatever). seeing them at kcon rly changed my life

i need more girl groups in my life but i don't know if i can fit anymore ppl on my stan roster, i'm already trying to keep up w too many groups and soloists lmfao

[by-venoms-sting.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this post op.

I've been trying to get into more girls groups for a bit now (I managed to get into SPICA but they are over now so I'm back at square one with my quest for girl groups) and this will come in handy for me.

I started making playlists on spotify for girl groups I want to try listening to (Mamamoo and Berry Good are the only artists I've done ones for so far) a few days ago so hopefully some of these ladies have tracks on spotify (if not I'll just use youtube I guess).

[sethelaezekiel.livejournal.com]

i love a lot of younger ggs omg griend blackpink twice dreamcatcher getting into wsjn now too but i prefer my older girlies aoa exid fx rv sistar 9muses cause they're closer in age to me feels more fun being a fan i feel like a mother with the younger ones lol

[adenar.livejournal.com]

i remember that feeling and being weirded out by it at first (especially since i didn't think there was a maternal bone in my body)! but i've embraced it now & very much enjoying becoming Fan Team Mum. i just hope some of these groups grow old together a la brown eyed girls, idk how i'd survive if there wasn't at least one or two groups aging with me.

[miyamoris.livejournal.com]

yes yes yes, this kind of post is great. KIt's sad to see your faves go, but I'm seeing people acting as if it's the end of kpop and that's so short-sighted.

Honest question, though: was Bulldok debut too underwhelming? Maybe my perception is tainted by how they are somewhat popular with ifans (especially Brazilian ones lol), but considering the circumstances (girl crush concept, coming from a small agency) I think they did pretty well - I mean, look at poor Sol-T.

As for Lovelyz, I heard somewhere that Woollim is planning to debut a new girl group so maybe that should split Woollim's management?

[adenar.livejournal.com]

It seems weird that they would debut a girl group before a new boy group. Tt's been 7 years since Infinite and they have far more publicly known male trainees than female trainees. Where did you read that?

[musuu.livejournal.com]

Wonderful post, OP! I hope there is a part two sometime! /huge girl group stan.

I'm very happy to see April on this list. Their newest song was soooo good tbh.

[adenar.livejournal.com]

I might do! I should have predicted how much 'where's 'x'???' there would be in the comments haha. I'm working with a character limit ok!!

[arysthaeniru.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for this OP! Actually, I listened to Bulldok for the first time and now I think I may have to spend more time with them, especially as Secret seem to wind down from their group activities....

[xxhna.livejournal.com]

very nice list! i love girl groups! if i was making my own, i'd have oh my girl and red velvet on it. i think they could really breakout if they release a song that will solidify them in the publics eye. i thought rv had icc but their comebacks lately don't seem to gain as much traction as before. and omg, i think they release catchy songs and have great choreo but still not there =[

[adenar.livejournal.com]

Honestly I was going to put Red Velvet on here but all the videos are from their most recent comebacks and I'm too embarrassed to acknowledge the existence of Rookie

[queenhinata.livejournal.com]

nice list :)

i'm wary of stanning rookie ggs ever since the ark tbh ;; but dreamcatcher immediately caught my eye so here's to hoping that they find success!

[adenar.livejournal.com]

the ark/kiss&cry are the reasons i have trust issues

[supersunshiner.livejournal.com]

i stan 90% of these girl groups extremely hard (especially laboum, lovelyz, wjsn, blackpink, gugudan, beg, bolbbalgan4, gfriend, dreamcatcher, & ladies' code) but i'll make sure to check out the rest! this is a really great post it'd be great if this was made every year

[reasontowander.livejournal.com]

great post op


I've newly gotten into gfriend's music (late, I know, don't stone me), they make some great stuff
omona should put together a spotify account and curate playlists to go with music posts like these

[buckleyourboots.livejournal.com]

What a wonderful post!! Definitely would love a part 2 if you've got the time/patience OP, I'd love to see Oh My Girl & MIXX included as long as OMG come back with something better than their last two shambolic singles. :)

They've also achieved this level of success despite some people insisting how ugly they all are, which is an instant motivator for me to stan.
Lmao, same.

Melodyday's new MV teaser has me pretty excited for their comeback.

This post was the push I needed to get more into Laboum. I really loved Shooting Love & I'd watched that HER stage before and thought they were awesome, so definitely going to check out those links now.

I just wish Bulldok had a better name.

[annayism.livejournal.com]

amazing post op!!

my babies laboum deserve so much more attention :')

i've also recently been getting into wjsn, dia, ladies code, omg, and berry good. there are so many talented girls out there wow

[nickyromain.livejournal.com]

Wow this post seems made for me lol. I'm bitter but somewhat open to being convinced there is life after wonder girls :P

Bulldok (what a shit name though) is really cool both song and visuals-wise and exactly my kinda thing I'm keeping an eye out. I'd never actually listened to ladies code either and I gotta say I'm liking it

Wow I never knew yuna had a sister? I don't really see the resemblance but I guess yuna had a lot of ps. Idk what I'd done if it turned out there were two girls out there with her godlike looks lol

It's kinda nerve-wracking looking out for songs that barely break the million view mark though.... At least with aoa and exid I know they aren't just going to fade into obscurity. Also the age thing, it's already weird stanning idols younger than me but this new gen are like 5 years younger at least, leaning towards 10 :o maybe I should just do like you say OP and refocus on BEG tbh

[adenar.livejournal.com]

It's a bit easier when you see pictures of the two together!