KARA

One of the biggest girl groups in Kpop history comes a new girl group that’s ready to step in where Fin.K.L. left off. Kara was created by DSP Entertainment to bring a sweet and energetic breath of fresh air into the local pop music world. Made up of four cute, fresh-faced teens, 박규리 (Park Gyuri, leader), 한승연 (Han Seung Yeon), 김성희 (Kim Sung Hee, lead vocals), 정니콜 (Jung Nicole).

Their debut album “The First Blooming” shows off their diverse musical style, which incorporates funk, hip-hop, dance and pop.

KARA(카라)means “sweet melody” in Greek. When the group got together, they were discussing names. The leader, Park Gyuri, suggested Kara. The members took a strong liking to it, and decided to keep it thereafter.

Kim Sunghee left the group suddenly due to parental pressure, as her participation in the group was contingent on the maintenance of her grades. She failed to pass her college entrance exam, and as a result, she was forced to leave the group.

The two new members were eventually revealed to be Gu Hara and Kang Ji-young. KARA’s comeback as a 5-member group was on July 24, 2008 with Rock U on MCountdown. They made their comeback with the “cute” concept. The same month, their first EP was released, with the first single being “Rock U”.

Credit: Last.FM