KARA Deep Dive #2/3: Still Making Sweet Melodies After Seventeen Years
TW: discussion of mental health, assault, depression, and suicide Here are my credentials (again): While I only became a k-pop fan after KAR
TW: discussion of mental health, assault, depression, and suicide
KARA was one of the most important groups of k-pop’s second generation, and though their name is not as well known now as, say, Girls Generation or SHINee, they’re also still going strong. They debuted in 2008 with four members: Sunghee, Nicole, Gyuri, and Seungyeon, but had a few lineup changes. The first in 2009 with Sunghee leaving, replaced by Jiyoung and Goo Hara, and the second in 2014, with Jiyoung and Nicole leaving, replaced by Youngji. They were on an extended hiatus until 2022, when they came back with all members except for Sunghee and Goo Hara, the latter of which took her own life in 2019.
Here are my credentials: While I only became a k-pop fan after KARA went on hiatus, I of course heard of them, and have heard a good handful of their title tracks. I know a bit about some of their members, having seen Youngji in the documentary K-pop Generation and having seen Nicole’s solo performances.
