Though the K-Pop industry is dominated by a plethora of guy groups and their respective fandoms (and believe me, there are a lot of them), one must never forget the presence of girl groups. It is sad to say that most of the time, many of these groups do not make it to the top like their male counterparts. In fact, it is much more difficult for a girl group to succeed because of the high expectations everyone upholds them to. But this may be because there is no wide range of concepts in the girl group universe that are as widely accepted. Here are the two most popular ones:
1. The "Cute/Innocent" Concept
Lovelyz (debut: Nov. 2014) pre-debut Photo cr. OneHallyu
This one is definitely used at least 80 percent of the time in the K-Pop world, more so when a girl group debuts in order to gain the public's attention. But if everyone is doing the same big-eyed, constantly-winking-and-smiling look, then there is less of an impact. So, often, a girl group may deviate from this concept either because they have since established themselves in the industry or in order to gain a larger following in the first place. The only exception to this trend that I can think of is APink (debut: April 2011), who has stuck with the same concept (appearance-wise and sound-wise) ever since they first entered the music scene and still have a high rate of success.
NoNoNo (left) and Remember (right)
2. The "Sexy/Fierce" Concept
The second most widely-used concept is, to no one's surprise, the complete opposite of the previous. This is usually reserved for veteran girl groups, those who have been in the industry for much longer and/or have built up their reputation. A select few, such as AOA (debut: July 2012) and Girl's Day (debut: July 2010), who have switched over to this concept faced skyrocketing popularity.
"Twinkle Twinkle" (left) and "Expectation" (right)
But, of course, there is a fine line between "sexy" and "raunchy/dirty." Case in point, things have not worked too well for Stellar (debut: Aug. 2011), who have said themselves that the only reason their company keeps pushing the envelope is so that they become more famous and, as a result, earn more money.
Go Study" (left), Marionette (middle), and Vibrato (right)
There are also concepts that go beyond these two extremes. Though they may very well guarantee a lesser chance of success, there are a number of girl groups who stand out among the rest.
3. The "Tough" Concept
Most of the time, guy groups reign supreme with the tough, hip-hop concept. However, 2NE1 (debut: May 2009) has made their mark by breaking that presumption and have set a higher standard for it.
Pictorial for Choc Magazine, May 2014 Issue
There have been various other girl groups who have gone in a similar direction, such as EvoL (debut: Aug. 2012), GI (Global Icon) (debut: April 2013) and D-UNIT (debut: Aug. 2012), but no one has created an impression as big as the quartet.
There have been rumors that, as of Aug. 2015, EvoL has disbanded.
GI has since lost three of their original members and made a comeback last month with a new line-up and a more feminine "pop" concept.
After the departure of member U-Jin, D-UNIT has either officially disbanded or have gone on an indefinite hiatus.
4. The "Alternative" or "Funky" Concept
I put these two categories together simply because there are not many examples of each, but they do deserve their own spot in this article because they are so strikingly different from the other three. For the "alternative" portion, f(x) (debut: Sept. 2009) has everything down on lock. Some of their songs have nonsensical lyrics, but they possess an overall sound and aesthetic that is uniquely theirs in comparison to other groups, rookie and veteran alike.
Red Velvet (debut: Aug. 2014), f(x)'s "younger sister," is much funkier in musicality and style. Their songs are extremely catchy and they entertain their viewers through brightly-colored music videos and outfits.
On the other hand, MAMAMOO (debut: June 2014) ventures more into the jazz and R&B spectrum while still incorporating a touch of quirkiness in every release. They are renown for their stage presence and exemplary performance skills, which is probably why the majority of their admirers are fangirls (myself included).
Note: Unless otherwise stated, all of the images are from r/kpop on Reddit.
