January 7, 2015

In 2015, EXID, Lovelyz, and Sonamoo grab the attention of the music industry


In 2014 there were many girl groups that caught the attention of the public. These girl groups not only captivated, but also became established trends in entertainment, such as Girl's Day. From Mr. Chu to LUV, APink was able to win over 19 trophies. As in the previous year, 2015 looks to be a bright one for girl groups. The following are the TOP 3 that are must watch for this year.

TOP 1. EXID

This group has been recently benefiting from the boon of 'Up & Down'. Many people have mistaken EXID for a new girl group with a hit debut track. However, the group actually debuted on February 2012, in M Countdown with the song 'Whoz That Girl'. They originally debuted as a six member group, until April 2012, when the group underwent a change and new members Solji and Hyerin joined to replace three members to become a group of five.

In August 2014 EXID released their third single, 'Up & Down', which dropped out of most music charts within 3 to 4 days. As a rookie group they faced many difficulties. Like many others, they may have remained buried in obscurity.

However, unlike other girl groups they had help from 'the hand of god'. A fan took a video of the member Hani performing. It was posted on SNS where it spread widely, receiving many good reviews. After this turn of events, the song was able to re-enter the charts again after 3 months of inactivity. They were all surprised at the reversal of fortune that was happening right before their eyes.

Getting particular attention are Hani's glamorous body movements of her 'pelvis dance', which quickly gained notoriety for its sexiness. Backed by increasing popularity, EXID was able to do the unexpected and return to public broadcast music programs. The pelvis dance, or actually a watered down version of the original, is now able to be seen widely by the public who are excited by it. Sexy girl groups continue having a significant following in the country.

TOP 2. Lovelyz

The debut of Lovelyz was not initially favorable. Prior to the debut itself, there were malicious accusations against member Seo Jisoo. Eventually the group, now with seven members, was able to go on stage. At that time there was strong criticism from the public and allegation of the controversy being 'noise marketing' using Seo Jisoo. In the end, the group was able to present a fresh concept with school girl looks, which gained them positive attention from the public.

The refreshing sensibility of the girls also appealed to Japanese record companies who began to observe Lovelyz's domestic debut as it also became a hit abroad; making it to the top of the Japanese Tower Records chart. Their title track, Candy Jelly Love, was just released 2 weeks prior, yet they were already gaining unexpected popularity overseas without doing any promotions outside of the country.

Lovelyz did not only have success in Japan, they were also able to reach #9 in Taiwan's 5 Music Weekly Chart of Korean and Japanese albums (November 14 – 20), signaling a hot reaction in Asia. Lovelyz received love calls from music and media companies abroad. They revealed their aspirations to be like their role model Girls' Generation. For Lovelyz, 2015 is shaping up to be a year of increasing interest from the public.

TOP 3. Sonamoo

The mean height of Sonamoo members is 168 cm and their average age is 17.7 (18.7 Korean age). The group's advantages are its strong visuals and energetic hip-hop beat which is hardly seen in the industry. These young women, who have a powerful group dance, are full of charisma during their performances. After Sonamoo's showcase, they became the #1 hot topic in large portal sites and real-time search rankings.

Sonamoo's music video 'Deja Vu' was able to reach the number 1 spot of Korean videos in China's largest video site, YinYueTai, which gave them even greater exposure. Within five days of release, the music video Deja Vu had over 2 million views (Youtube, YinYueTai combined). This year they will receive attention as rising stars who display swagger.

One question that is often heard is about the name of the group itself, Sonamoo (pine in Korean). When asked about it the group explains, "a pine is always fresh and firm, which is how we want our music to be". They want to obtain success by bringing something new to K-POP, conveying the image that they will be fresh and bright, so incorporating the name 'pine' fits the group.

Comments:

1. Lovelyz Ryuvely >_<
[+81][-9]

2. The girl group's name is Sonamoo (pine) hahaha it's really something you can't forget hahahahahaha
[+64][-1]

3. Will Lovelyz have a follow up song? T_T
[+60][-4]

4. Early on I heard others call Lovelyz very ugly, but after seeing more of them I can disregard those comments because it's not the case at all
[+51][-5]

5. Sexy and dazzling is powerful, but it's just that other concepts are better for the upcoming Spring
[+41][-3]

6. Last week on Music Bank I spotted someone with belly fat and I was surprised to see it came from Sonamoo
[+30][-2]

7. Excellent Lovelyz ♥♥Ryuvely♥who has been an elite trainee for 4 months..ha
[+32][-6]


[아이돌 보고서] EXID•러블리즈•소나무, 2015년 가요계가 그들을 주목한다
OBS – Naver News