Throwback Thursday: KARA

So, I wanted to know how far back ‘old school’ is considered nowadays. Apparently, its 2007. Well then. Why not start with one of my favorite girl groups, KARA?

They debuted in 2007 with “First Blooming,” and were the little sister group of Fin.K.L, who used to be one of Korea’s top girl groups next to S.E.S. But I digress.

They started out as a quartet with members Gyuri, Seungyeon, Nicole, and Sung Hee, and debuted with an R&B image. However, their first album was not well received and Sung Hee left shortly afterwards for educational purposes.

Their first mini album was released in 2008 and titled, “Rock U,” Sung Hee was replaced by members Hara and Ji Young. This time around, they came back with a ‘natural beauty’ image, which helped them rise to fame.

Their first #1 hit came in 2009 with their single “Honey” from the repackage album of the same title for their 2008 mini album, “Pretty Girl.”

That same year, they released their second studio album, “Revolution” which birthed the song, “Mister,” with its ever-popular ‘butt dance,’ which raised their popularity even further.

The next year they made their Japanese debut with “Jumping,” and made it to the #1 female rookie spot on Oricon, the first foreign female group to do so and the first foreign female group to rank number one the week of release in 30 years.

They also made a Korean release, “Lupin,” which had a more mature image for the girl group.

In 2011, they released their album “Step,” which is when I heard of and fell in love with them.

In 2012 they released the mini album, “Pandora,” and the following year their 4th album, “Full Bloom,” which was the last album members Nicole and Ji Young participated in. They decided not to renew their contracts with DSP.

Nicole moved to the US to pursue a solo career, and Ji Young decided to pursue studies abroad.

In 2014, a reality show titled “KARA Project,” a new member was picked, Heo YoungJi (my cute lil bias <3) and later that year they released the mini album, “Day and Night,” which features their (in my opinion) fantastical comeback track, “Mamamia.”

Now for my favorite music videos! To be honest, I ADORED their debut music video, “Break It,” “Step” is a MUST, it was my first after all, followed by “Lupin,” “Wanna,” “Honey,” “Pretty Girl,” and then for their later releases, “Damaged Lady,” “Pandora” and of course, “Mamamia.”