KARA-Red Velvet-ITZY, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Generation Simultaneous Activities
Koreansilvertimes - The 2nd generation K-Pop girl group Kara (debuted in 2007), the 3rd generation girl group Red Velvet (debuted in 2014), and the 4th generation girl group ITZY (debuted in 2019) all made comebacks one day apart. Now that various girl groups, each with their own charms, are receiving a lot of love from the public and have opened the 'Golden Age of Girl Groups', the simultaneous comeback of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation senior and junior girl groups is an exceptional and monumental event, so it is a moment worthy of being recorded.
2nd, 3rd, and 4th Generation Simultaneous Activities
While I've, New Jeans, Le Seraphim, and (G)I-DLE, the 4th generation representative runners were engaged in a heated competition, Kara's return to the stage itself was enough to impress. Red Velvet, the '8th-year group' that has proven to be still a trend, and ITZY, who took off their coolness and declared a challenge with a new image, follow in the footsteps of those who jumped into the 2022 girl group battle that was hotter than ever, saying 'we can't be left out'.
KARA 'What I Move'
KARA, the representative of the second-generation girl group who debuted in the music industry in 2007, made a comeback on the Korean stage on the 29th of last month after 7 years. The title song 'When I Move' in the album MOVE AGAIN' commemorating the 15th anniversary of the group's debut, stands out with powerful vocals that promise to freely show Kara's new side without fear. As a song, it evoked a hot reaction right after its release.
Kara is a team that enjoyed its heyday with hits like 'Pretty Girl', 'Mr. They were one of the representative runners of the second-generation girl group, not only actively promoting in Korea, but also leaving traces of being the first Korean girl group to perform alone at the Tokyo Dome. Unfortunately, however, in 2016, when the exclusive contract with the agency at the time expired, team activities had to be stopped. In 2014, there were also member changes, such as the departure of members Nicole and Kang Ji-young and the joining of Heo Young-ji. Kara prepared a seat for Goo Hara, a member who passed away, on the other side of the music video (MV), and all the members who could not be seen on one stage due to their non-overlapping activity periods gathered together and presented a successful comeback stage at the '2022 MAMA Awards.
Nicole said on an entertainment program, "After the first practice, my body didn't move as I wanted, so I drank alcohol in a mixed heart. It was so hard." However, the powerful performance they showed was enough to forget the 7-year hiatus and feel the nostalgia of those days at once. At the same time, she appeared in various entertainment programs such as 'Knowing Brother', 'IU's Palette', 'Dingo Killing Voice', and 'Civilization Express', revealing her artistic sense as well as her presence as a singer Kara.
In particular, the 'Dingo Killing Voice' video, which presents a highlight medley of her hit songs, is receiving an explosive response, recording 6.34 million views on YouTube as of the 5th day of release. Fans say, 'I'm a person who spent my school days at the same time as Kara, so I'm crying with joy', 'I can feel the skills of a second-generation girl group and the composure of a 15-year-old', 'Even though I have a lot of experience, it shows off when I rest, but I don't feel anything like that. ' and so on.
Right after its release, the title song 'When I Move' topped the real-time and daily charts of Bugs, a major music source in Korea, and also topped the Japanese iTunes K-pop song chart, album chart, and music video chart. After the first stage was released, the hashtag '#KARA' proved to be a hot topic by ranking second in real-time trends on Twitter around the world.
Kara's official music broadcast activities have come to an end, unfortunately. Kara concluded her short-lived domestic activities with SBS Inkigayo, which aired the previous day. Kara will release the Japanese version of the album Move Again' on the 21st and hold fan meetings in Osaka and Fukuoka, Japan in February next year to meet her local fans.
Red Velvet 'Birthday'
Red Velvet is also bringing diversity to the music market. The 3rd generation-representative girl group Red Velvet, who made a comeback on the 28th of last month, a day ahead of Kara, has been loved a lot for their unique, eccentric, lively, and cheerful charm. Red Velvet's mini-album 'The Live Festival 2022? Birthday (The ReVe Festival 2022 ? Birthday)' is setting a new record for the group with 710,000 pre-orders alone.
The title song 'Birthday' is armed with lively melodies and lyrics about gifting the person you love with a birthday-like day that makes all your wishes come true. 'Birthday' sampled George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue', but compared to 'Feel My Rhythm', a song released in March this year, which sampled 'Aria on the G String', it has a less classical feel. And the kitsch was added. Seulgi also said, "'Feel My Rhythm' and the title song this time have one thing in common, that they sample classics, but they are different. If 'Feel My Rhythm' is classic and elegant, 'Birthday' is a bit more kitsch and lively,” he explained.
That charm is revealed in the music video as well. A kitschy atmosphere flows throughout the music video, including the cheerfulness of the five members, a man wearing a mask with one eye, animal doll masks, and props that are exaggerated compared to the actual size. Lyrics reminiscent of Red Velvet's past songs (Sweet 'Ice Cream Cake,' Hand it to you again) is also melted here and there. Wendy, who made her debut in 2014, said, "Recently while watching Girls' Generation and BoA seniors steadily show new sides of themselves, I thought we should work harder too." It is noteworthy how far the growth of the 3rd generation group can go.
Meanwhile, 'The Live Festival? 'Birth Day' topped the iTunes Top Album Chart in 44 countries around the world, including Canada, Sweden, and Thailand. It also topped the daily charts of domestic music charts such as the Hanteo chart, and the title song entered the top ranks of various music charts, including Bugs.
ITZY 'Cheshire'
This year, it is not an exaggeration to say that this year was the heyday of 4th generation girl groups such as Ive, New Jeans, Le Seraphim, and (G)I-DLE, and many girl groups received great public attention and were active. ITZY is also making a comeback following the mini-album 'CHECKMAT' promotions this summer and continuing their trending moves. ITZY, which debuted in 2019, prepared for an album while conducting its first world tour since its debut, and released the mini album 'CHESHIRE' on the 30th of last month. As of the 5th, this album sold 570,000 copies.
ITZY has returned with a changed look once again from the bright and energetic high-teen concept they showed in 'Sneakers'. In 'Cheshire', they are showing a stage with a more mature and confident atmosphere. The title song 'Cheshire' is a song that contains the message that even if you are confused, there is no right answer among many questions, so let's trust your feelings and go. In the music video, the stylish members were captured on colorful screens. You can feel the bright energy and charismatic charm in the unique colorful and powerful performance.
ITZY also visited the '2022 MAMA Awards' on the day of their comeback, and has been active in music broadcasting ever since. ITZY's music video for "Cheshire" received global fans' attention as it ranked #1 on YouTube music video trending worldwide as of the morning immediately after its release. The album 'Cheshire' also ranked first on the monthly retail album chart in November based on the circle chart, proving that they are still the representative of the 4th generation.