Sunday, August 28, 2022

Kpop Girl Groups update June 2022 (End)

 As I said last time, this will be my last blog for kpop girl group update due to significant declined interest for my blog compare to 2 or 3 years ago. I will not update anymore unless there's special request. Also please note that I stop update blog doesn't mean I stop follow kpop girl groups, I just stop writing blogs for now.




Kep1er - I Up


On June 20, 2022, Kep1er released their second EP Doublast, with "Up!", serving as the lead single.
Up!" debuted at number 14 on South Korea's Gaon Download Chart in the chart issue dated June 19–25, 2022. In Japan, the song debuted at number 27 on the Billboard Japan Japan Hot 100 in the chart issue dated June 29, 2022;  on its component charts, it debuted at number 34 on the Top Download Songs,  and number 46 on the Top Streaming Songs. The song ascended to number 37 on the Top Streaming Songs in the following week.
I still consider Kep1er as top tier kpop girl group, but just not as strong as others.

        












Loona - Flip That



On June 3, 2022, Loona announced that they would be releasing their special summer EP, Flip That, on June 20. The EP features a total of six songs and is Loona's first project since [#] to not feature a full English song. The EP was released before the start of the group's first-ever world tour that is set to begin on August 1 in Los Angeles.









Fromis_9 - Stay This way

On June 27, 2022, Fromis 9 released their fifth EP From Our Memento Box, featuring the title track "Stay This Way".  From Our Memento Box debuted at number one on South Korea's Circle Album Chart in the chart issue dated June 26 – July 2, 2022;  on the monthly chart, the EP debuted at number five in the chart issue for June 2022 with overall of 165,937 copies sold In Japan, the EP debuted at number 75 on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums in the chart issue dated July 6, 2022;








Secret Number- Doomchita

Vine Entertainment announced that Secret Number would release their fourth single album Doomchita on June 8, it doubles the sales compare to the previous release, which is a big improvement for them.(When I was training in ED, my dance instructor is also instructor for this group as well)



                        








Woo!ah!  - Danger


On June 9, 2022, the group released their first extended play Joy

 
                                                               Woo!Ah! leader Nana
                               

                                        











bugAboo - pop



      I talked about this group somewhere last year, so won't repeat again. on May 24, a teaser posted across the group's social medias revealed their second single album, titled "Pop", will be released on June 13.

                        











Lapillus - Hit Ya


Ok, this is a new group, so I will introduce them briefly here. Lapillus is a 6 member kpop girl group formed and managed by MLD Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Chanty, Shana, Yue, Bessie, Seowon, and Haeun. They debuted on June 20, 2022, with the release of their digital single album Hit Ya!.  Actually their debut song is a big hit and the dance version is popular as well.

 











Pixy - Villian


The group released their third EP, titled Reborn, on June 15, 2022. Member Ella didn't participate as she took a break due to health concerns








Sunday, July 31, 2022

Kpop Girl Groups update May 2022


       Le Sserafim - Fearless


For May this year,  Le Sserafim is definition the star of the month. But this is a new group, so I will talk about them briefly here. Le Sserafim is a 6 member kpop girl group formed by Source Music and HYBE. The group consists of five members: Sakura, Kim Chae-won, Huh Yun-jin, Kazuha, and Hong Eun-chae.  Kim Ga-ram was removed from the group on July 20, 2022 after the termination of her contract.Le Sserafim debuted on May 2, 2022, with the release of their first extended play (EP) Fearless.

Kim Ga-ram Scandal 


I will not write in detail about this, for more information, refer to
 https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/le-sserafim-kim-garam-bullying-accusation-1385886/
So basically she bullied other kids back in high school, which is a big deal in kpop industry since last year.. On May 20, in light of the escalating bullying allegations against member Kim Ga-ram, Hybe Corporation and Source Music issued a joint statement announcing that she would take a hiatus due to the pending investigations and that Le Sserafim would temporarily promote as a five-member group in the meantime.[On July 20, Hybe Corporation and Source Music announced that Kim Ga-ram would depart from the group and that her contract had been terminated.

Even with that, Le Sserafim still managed to release their debut extended play (EP) Fearless, on May 2. Pre-orders for the EP surpassed 270,000 copies in seven days and 380,000 copies in sixteen days.
On the day of its release, Fearless sold more than 175,000 copies. On May 10, eight days after their debut, the group earned their first music show win on SBS MTV's The Show






LightSum - Alive

I talked about this group in the past, so but introduce them again here. On May 24, 2022, Lightsum released their first extended play Into the Light, with "Alive" serving as the lead single. Into the Light debuted at number 13 on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart in the chart issue dated May 22–28, 2022;
on the monthly chart, the EP debuted at number 39 in the chart issue for May 2022 with 17,902 copies sold






Bvndit - VENOM



On May 3, MNH Entertainment announced Bvndit's first comeback in nearly two years, with the release of their third EP Re-Original, set to released on May 25. This is actually one of the lower tier girl group I like, especially their songs and dance, I can tell they are really talented, even the members not the style I like.








Classy - Classy


CLASS:y  is a 7-member kpop girl group formed through the MBC survival show ‘My Teenage Girl.‘ The group is managed by M25 for Korean promotions and Universal Music Japan for Japan promotions. The aim of the group is to have potential to chart on the Billboard charts. The members consist of: Hyungseo, Chaewon, Hyeju, Riwon, Jimin, Boeun and Seonyou. They debuted on May 5, 2022, in Korea with the mini album, “Y: CLASS IS OVER” and “Z: LIVES ACROSS”. They debuted in Japan on June 22, 2022. Their contract will last, 7 years starting on their debut date



Sunday, July 17, 2022

Kpop Girl Groups update April 2022

                  

                                  IVE -  Love Dive



On April 5, 2022, Ive released their second single album, Love Dive, led by the single of the same name. One week after release, the song went viral and reached 200M views for its TikTok challenge. The single also drew 28.9 million streams and sold 2,800 outside the U.S. in its first full tracking week. On the Billboard Charts dated week of April 23, 2022, "Love Dive" vaults to number ten on the Global Excl. US charts, becoming the group's first song to reach the upper tier.  According to Hanteo Chart, the album has risen to the top ten all-time list of the highest girl group weekly album sales. The music video for "Love Dive" surpassed 100 million views on June 15, 2022
I did not expect they could achieve something like this, given the result, which already rank them into the 1st top tier of kpop girl groups nowadays.
             


   And the dance for this song also went viral. (I accept the challenge like 2 month ago, but didn't get chance to learn this one yet)

                              







                             

                                     Dreamcatcher - Maison


 On April 12, 2022, Dreamcatcher released their second Korean studio album Apocalypse: Save Us and its lead single "Maison". On April 20, the group earned their first music show win of their career with "Maison" on MBC M's Show Champion. On April 26, Dreamcatcher wrapped up their promotions with their goodbye stage performance on SBS MTV's The Show, where they earned their second music show win
Since last year, I can see DreamCatcher got more steady and popular, they were considered one of the top kpop girl group for second tier.






                                 

                             ILY:1 - Love in Bloom


This is a brand new girl group, so I will introduce them briefly here.
ILY:1 is a 6 member kpop  girl group formed by FC ENM. six members are Hana, Ara, Rona, Ririka, Nayu and Elva. They made their debut on April 4, 2022 with their single album Love in Bloom.
They were suppose to debut in March, but due to Covid, the company postponed by one month.








                                      


                                        BOL4 - Seoul


   First of all, just to clearify BOL4 is NOT a solo artist, since my blog doesn't talk about solo artist. But since the other member left, so BOL4 is a one member group now, Ahn Ji-young. Few years ago this group used to be very popular in Korea from the song Galaxy, it's the same group, but only one member left now.




Saturday, June 4, 2022

Kpop Girl Groups update March 2022

            Continue from last blog. At march, it continues as many kpop girl groups made comeback.



                                       G-idle - Tomboy


On February 24, it was announced that (G)I-dle would return with their first studio album, I Never Die, and its lead single "Tomboy" on March 14, their first release as a five-member group. Miyeon will become the group's third soloist with the release of her first extended play, My, on April 27.
       "Tomboy" debuted at number two on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart in the chart issue dated March 13–19, 2022; on its component charts, the song debuted at number two on the Gaon Download Chart. The song ascended to number one on the Gaon Digital Chart, Gaon Download Chart, and Gaon Streaming Chart in the following week. On the Billboard K-pop Hot 100, the song debuted at number 21 in the chart issue dated March 20–26, 2022, ascending to number one in the following week. The song debuted at number three on the Billboard South Korea Songs in the chart issue dated May 7, 2022,  and peaked at number two in the chart issue dated May 21.
      Also for live performance, They subsequently performed on four music programs in the first week: Mnet's M Countdown on March 17, KBS's Music Bank on March 18, MBC's Show! Music Core on March 19,and SBS's Inkigayo on March 20. In the second week, the group performed on six programs: SBS MTV's The Show on March 22, MBC M's Show Champion on March 23, Mnet's M Countdown on March 24, KBS's Music Bank on March 25, MBC's Show! Music Core on March 26, and SBS's Inkigayo on March 27, where they won first place for all appearances except Music Bank. In the third week, the group performed on Mnet's M Countdown on March 31 and SBS's Inkigayo on April 3,where they won first place for both appearances,  a significant commercial success for the group.









                                 Red Velvet- Feel My Rhythm


On March 21, 2022, they released the EP The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm, a sequel of their 2019 trilogy The ReVe Festival, including the lead single "Feel My Rhythm".
      By March 20, 2022, it was reported that The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm accumulated 516,866 total pre-orders,ra career high for Red Velvet, making them a half-million seller.
       The EP debuted at number two on the Gaon Weekly Album Chart in the chart issue dated March 20–26, 2022, before peaking at number one in the chart issue dated April 10-16, 2022, become the group's twelfth number-one album, expand the record for the group as the girl group with the most number-one albums on the chart. As of April 2022, the EP sold 653,610 copies on the Gaon Chart, make the EP the group's best-selling album, and also the best-selling album by an SM Entertainment girl group on the chart. It is also being certified by Gaon Chart at Double Platinum for selling over 500,000 copies.









                                    Brave Girls - Thank you

Yes, Brave Girls are back again. On March 14, 2022, Brave Girls made their comeback with their sixth extended play Thank You and its lead single of the same name. Compare to previous huge success, this time only achieves moderate success.










                                  Oh My Girl - Real Love

         On March 7, WM Entertainment announced that Oh My Girl would be releasing their second Korean studio album, Real Love, on March 28, alongside the lead single of the same name. In South Korea, Real Love debuted at number five on the Gaon Album Chart,  and has sold 96,880 copies as of April. It was the group's last album to feature former group member Jiho, who left the group in May 2022










                                   Purple Kiss - memeM



I have mentioned this group in the past, so won't introduce again. On March 29, 2022, Purple Kiss released their third EP memeM, with the lead single of the same name. This MV is better compared to their previous work and they did improved.










                           Cherry Bullet - Love in Space


On March 2, 2022, Cherry Bullet released their second EP Cherry Wish and its lead single "Love In Space". Compare to their previous work, there's not much improvement this time as well, but their unique style is also interesting. Waiting for them to break through third tier girl group level.



Saturday, April 30, 2022

Kpop Girl Groups update Feb 2022

           Continue from last blog. At Feb, there are suddenly many kpop girl groups come back, I think it has to do with COVID- relief in Korea and also resume the activity by various entertainment company.




                                           NMIXX - O.O 


   Yes, first of all, I will introduce the highly anticipated JYP new girl group NMIXX. NMIXX is a 7-member kpop girl group under JYP Entertainment that consists of Haewon, Lily, Sullyoon, Jinni, BAE, Jiwoo and Kyujin. They debuted on February 22, 2022 with the single album “AD MARE“ with lead single O.O
        On January 26, 2022, JYP Entertainment announced the group name's to be Nmixx, until then tentatively called JYPn. On February 2, it was announced that they would debut on February 22 with the release of Ad Mare. On February 18, 2022, JYP Entertainment announced that the group's debut showcase, originally scheduled for February 22, would be postponed to March 1 after Bae tested positive for COVID-19
      Even as JYP's new girl group, the single's commercial performance is just moderate even there's a lot of hype and anticipation of them. Will they become as successful as Twice and ITZY?









                                 


                                   STAYC - IRUN2U


              On February 8, it was announced that the group would be releasing their second extended play Young-Luv.com(actually their website) and its lead single "Run2U" on February 21. The album debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart, becoming their first number one album on the chart. In total, they won 9 times on various music program during the promotion of "Run2U".  The Show on March 1 where they won first place, MBC M's Show Champion on March 2, Mnet's M Countdown on March 3,[ KBS's Music Bank on March 4 where they won first place, MBC's Show! Music Core on March 5, and SBS's Inkigayo on March 6.  On the third week, the group performed on two music programs: SBS MTV's The Show on March 8, and MBC M's Show Champion on March 9, where they won first place in both appearances. This group definitely has the potential to enter 1st tier girl group.




                                       Apink - Dilemma




On February 14, 2022, Apink released their fourth studio album Horn, as well as the lead single "Dilemma".  The commercial performance is just moderate on the chart. However, APink managed 
to win the  first place on The Show on February 22. Also They perform this song on various music program as well. After 11 years, their activity still remain strong and quite competitive compare to a lot of popular girl group nowadays.









                                     Billie - GangaMnigaYo



      On February 11, 2022, it was announced that Billlie would be releasing their second EP The Collective Soul and Unconscious: Chapter One, featuring lead single "GingaMingaYo (the strange world)" on February 23.

                                    




                                      

                                       VIVIZ - Bop Bop!



Wait, those 3 members look so familiar. Yes, that's right. On October 6, 2021, it was announced that Eunha, SinB, and Umji, who were former members of GFriend, had signed with BPM Entertainment and would be debuting as a three-member group. On October 8, the group name was announced as Viviz
      On January 24, 2022, BPM Entertainment announced the group would be making their debut on February 9, 2022, with the release of their first extended play Beam of Prism. Following the extended play's release, they made their broadcast debut on Mnet's M Countdown on February 10. On February 16, exactly a week since their debut, the group won their first music show award on MBC M's Show Champion












                                 


                              Rocket Punch - Chiquita



On February 28, 2022, the group released their fourth EP Yellow Punch, with the lead single "Chiquita"
I still they they need to work hard to stay in second tier girl group level.













                              Big Mama- Like Nothing Happened


I know, I know, they are old. Do I like them? Not really. But do I know them?  I have been listen to kpop for over 20 years, Of course I know who they are.

Big Mama is kpop  female vocal group that debuted in 2003.The group is known for focusing on its members' singing abilities rather than their looks. I recommend their 2003 to 2005 songs during their career peak time. They were well known during that time.

At Feb 10th 2022, they suddenly released album Born with single Like Nothing Happened after 12 years....They still slay all the current gen girl group with their vocal.







                                    

                                    Rolling Quartz - Delight


This group is a bit different, actually. Rolling Quartz is a  5 member all female Korean rock band that debuted in December 2020 under Rolling Star Entertainment. In February 2022, the band released their first EP Fighting, which made it into the top 5 US rock albums chart on iTunes, the first Korean indie band to do so. This also draw some attention to them. Since I know for the past 20 years, unlike J-Rock, which is very developed,  female rock band is always one of the weakness in K-Rock, and I can hardly name 2 or 3 all female Korean rock band since late 90s.(I only know one called Han's band, but which is from late 90s). 

             










                                   Craxy - Dance With God


CRAXY  is a five-member kpop girl group under SAI Entertainment. They debuted on March 3, 2020 with the full-length album My Universe. Their first mini album Zero 2 was released on February 24, and the singles "Requiem" and "End of Game" will be released on June 23, and October 6, 2022 respectively




Sunday, April 24, 2022

Kpop Girl Groups update Jan 2022

   Just continue from the last blog. So starts from this year, not many kpop girl groups comeback at the beginning. And from Jan we can see, without major kpop girl groups comeback, each second tier girl group could manage to win music program in different period respectively.





                                   Kep1er - Wa Da Da


      I think I never mentioned this group before, so I will briefly introduce them here. Kep1er a 9 member kpop project girl group(The group has two Japanese members and one Chinese member)  formed through the reality survival competition show Girls Planet 999 in 2021 and managed by Swing Entertainment and Wake One Entertainment     

        Covid-19 Impact:   Kep1er was originally scheduled to debut on December 14, 2021, with pre-orders for their EP First Impact having begun on November 29. They were also initially scheduled to perform at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards on December 11. However, it was announced that the group's scheduled debut had been delayed to January 3, 2022 after one of their staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

          On January 3, 2022, Kep1er released their debut EP First Impact, with "Wa Da Da" serving as lead single. On January 13, 2022, Kep1er won their first music program award on M Countdown with "Wa Da Da". On February 21, 2022, it was confirmed that Kep1er will participate in the second season of the Mnet reality competition show Queendom, scheduled to premiere in March 20

   












                                        Fromis_9 - DM



On January 17, 2022, Fromis 9 released their fourth EP Midnight Guest, featuring the title track "DM". On January 13, YG Plus announced Midnight Guest had more than 120,000 pre-order sales. Midnight Guest debuted at position 2 on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart in the chart issue dated January 16–22, 2022. On the second week of the song's release, the group performed on SBS MTV's The Show on January 25, and MBC M's Show Champion on January 26, where they won first place in both appearances

                










                                Nature - Rica Rica


          I have mentioned this group a few times in the past, after few unsuccessful promotion, they changed their style for quite a bit, but I still don't think their popularity increased much.
          On January 13, 2022, through their mockumentary series, NATURE Can't Go Down Like This, they announced that they will return with the special album "Rica Rica" on January 24. Sunshine is not present for the comeback as she is currently under hiatus.(This group also has 2 Chinese members and one Japanese member)
           They debut since 2018, it's been 4 years and their agency still struggle to promote them as not even second tier girl group.

                




Saturday, February 19, 2022

Kpop Girl Groups update December 2021

        Just continue from the last blog.



     

                                        Ive - Eleven



This is a quite successful new kpop girl group. so I will introduce them here briefly. Ive is a 6 member  kpop  girl group formed by Starship Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz and Leeseo. The group made their debut on December 1, 2021, with their first single album Eleven.
On December 8, exactly a week after debut, Ive earned their first ever music show win on MBC's Show Champion, making them the fastest girl group to win first place since debut. The song went on to win on music shows 13 times, winning triple crown on KBS2's Music Bank, MBC's Music Core, and SBS Inkigayo. In addition, Eleven recorded the highest initial total number of album sales in its first week of release, the highest among girl group debut albums.[On the 27th, the single "Eleven" rose to 4th place on Spotify's global ranking of "Viral Top 50" and peaked at #95 on the "Global Top 200" chart. On the regional chart, the song topped both the Viral Top 50 and Top 200 charts in South Korea. The song was also the most streamed song on YouTube in South Korea for five weeks, and the group was chosen as the top cover artist on music streaming platform Tidal's K-pop Hits playlist









                                        Everglow - Pirate



 On December 1, 2021, the group released their third mini-album, Return of the Girl, with the lead single "Pirate" Title "Pirate" uses an electro-heavy and frenetic bass beat. Each member brings a unique charm to this in-your-face concept. Encouraging girls all over the world to dance together, EVERGLOW has a slightly nostalgic electronic hit.

             










                                   Billlie - Snowy Night




I just mentioned this group from the previous blog, so won't introduce here again. On December 14, the group released their first digital single album The Collective Soul and Unconscious: Snowy Night with "Snowy Night" as the lead single. The single is the group's first release to feature member Sheon