Walking down the K-Star Road [Part 1/2]
In the midst of busy streets of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, there is a long road dedicated to dolls representing the Top K-pop groups who brought fame to Korea by introducing and spreading the Hallyu wave. Which means… you can take as many pictures as your heart desires with… BTS? SHINee? B1A4? Kara? You name it!
Read about the achievements of Korean music stars shinning on the K-Star Road, and see, what made them gain a place on one of the biggest streets in one of most expensive areas in one of the greatest cities in the world! There are more than ten dolls along the road, do you think you are able to name them all?
1. Girls Generation
Debuted in 2007 it soon became one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world. If you’ve heard of K-pop, undoubtedly, you’ve heard of Girls Generation too. As one of the most loved K-pop girl groups in history, they won multiple awards for their achievements and an international promotion of Hallyu Wave. Anyone heard of a song “Gee”? One of the most watched K-pop songs at that time, it was even ranked in Japan as the first non-Japanese single to reach top 3 on the Orion chart since 1980.
2. 2PM
After finishing a survival show called “Hot Blood Men”, originally 11 members have formed a boy band called “One Day” who qualified for a debut. However, soon enough the band was split into 2AM and 2PM. For a time, 2PM had a group leader Jay Park, who left the band in 2010 and gained a successful singers career on its own. The band has won multiple awards for their performances in South Korea and internationally, thus receives an honorable spot on the K-star road.
3. TVXQ!
Debuted in 2003 with a debut song “Hug”, the band gained instant popularity and are now known as the K-pop legends. Did you know that the band originally consisted of five people? However, due to personal issues, it soon became a duo, and a very successful one indeed. While the K-pop started dying in the early 2000s, TVXQ! released their debut album “Tri-angle” together with “Hug” and “The Way You Are”, which were massively bought out by the fans. In 2008 they gained a huge popularity in Asia, paving the way for K-pop into other Asian countries. Guess this is a group we should all be thankful to?
4. B1A4
Although the name might seem difficult to remember, but once you know the meaning it will definitely be hard to forget. B1A4 stands short for "Be the One All for One" and it is believed that it also refers to the member's blood types, 1 B Type and 4 A Type. Crazy, right? The band debuted in 2011 and the group has fast won the Hot Debut Star award. However, this wasn’t the only award, as they have also collected a number of other ‘goodies’, showing their international success!
5. Infinite
South Korean Boy band debuted in 2010 and since, they have released 9 full albums and 14 singles! Pretty good, right? Even more, they have had three world tours (in 2013, 2015 and 2016) and are well established boy band throughout Asia, often appearing as a headline group. They have collected over 30 music awards so far, and who knows how many more are coming their way?
6. VIXX
Another difficult name? Don’t worry, this is an acronym for “voice, visual, value in excelsis” and this really shines through in this boy bands performances. They control a different kind of stage, as their lyrics, music, choreography and overall stage performances are all united to tell a specific concept or a story. Debuting in 2012, within a year the boys were seen on the Baltimore stage in Maryland performing to the international audience! Their acts were very sought after, as they filled in the niche of the theatrical side of the K-pop industry.
7. KARA
Although in 2007 their debut song was not well received by the public, the group persisted and in 2009 achieved their first number one song! The bands popularity rocketed further, and only few years later they were ranked No. 6 and No.5 in Gallup Korea in 2009 and 2010 respectively, and were soon enlisted on the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list. However, the group has disbanded in 2016 due to expiring contracts, and then, in 2019 another news hit the K-pop and Kara fans, as their former member Hara has left this world. Hara, as the rest of the girls, has played a massive role in groups success nationally and abroad and was one of the most loved idols in the K-pop world.
Watch out for the 2nd part of the K-star road, as this only contains half of the dolls! What’s coming next might surprise you all….
Author: Raimonda Kekyte