The Assimilation Is Complete: My Current Fave Group is...KARA!!!
Well, I just finished watching one of KARA’s Japan Concert videos (the awesome 2011 Best Clips II Show), and I have to say that while I don’t know where it came from or how long it will last, right now, my entire world is filled with the sweet, sweet sounds of Gyuri, Nicole, Seungyeon, Jiyoung and Hara, the girls of that phenomenal South Korean K-Pop unit KARA! Wow, Whowuldathunkit? AHAHAHA!
The first song I knew from KARA was the Japanese version ofa “Jumping”, but it would be another two years before I fell under the wonderful Magical Spell that they cast. In fact, though they were already gaining a huge foothold in Japan, not only was I not too familiar with their breakout song “Mister”, it wasn’t until their heralded appearance on this past year’s Kohaku Uta Gassen that I realized what a huge cultural impact the girls and their “Hip-Dance” moves had made.
Anyway, in the meantime, I had been getting introduced to all the other groups comprising the K-pop Invasion, with acts like Shoujo Jidai, 4Minute, and later (getting introduced to them by friends) 2ne1, T-Ara and After School, but it was my love of new idol group FAIRIES that inadvertently opened my eyes, when one day K-Pop Site MusicSoLoud uploaded the old KARA video “Mister”, and I have to tell you, watching that PV for the first time I realized how much IMPACT Kara had made on the overall Dance Style and Choreograph sensibilities of the current R&B styled groups (like Fairies)… KARA was the REAL DEAL!
I can’t tell you how many times I watched and re-watched that PV for “Mister”. I was SO impressed every time I saw it with how TIGHT the girls’ dancing was, so innovative and blatantly SEXY as opposed to the “Cutesy Idol” style going on at the time. Not that the girls in KARA weren’t Cute, they were almost distractingly beautiful, and that IN ITSELF was sort of a shock- where the gals in 2NE1 and 4Minute (reflecting their “Urban” style”) looked like they might break out of the computer monitor and kick my butt, KARA looked so dainty and sexily girlish! After immersing myself in the K-Pop R&B/Hip-Hop styled groups for so long, it was a complete turnaround to see these lithe, delicate princesses gyrating up a storm! I wanted to see MORE!
After this newfound interest in the group, I acquired Girls Talk and Super Girl, KARA’s two Japanese version CD releases, and I have to say that from the opening strains of “Jumping”, I was hooked…such happy, upbeat tunes, genki and catchy as HELL! As each song began, I found myself blown away over and over by how fricking terrific theses songs were! From the hits I’d already heard like Jumping, Jet Coaster Love and Mister, to cool techno/dance tracks like Baby I Need U and Lupin to get down with, smooth ballads like Winter Magic and Ima, Okuritai Arigato, and most unexpectedly of all were so many “idol-ly” songs, soooo adorable and CUTE, man, listening to songs like “Binks” and “Burn”, I just found myself suddenly so happy!
Binks:
Burn:
Now that I’d learned a whole smattering of songs and styles from the girls, it was time to venture onto the internet and see what PVs and (hopefully) live performances there were to be found…I went looking, and BOY was I rewarded! All the different phases of KARA’s career had been neatly documented, and I made haste downloading and checking out their incredible videos with those famous dance moves, MVs for songs like “Lupin” and “Jet Coaster Love” were just as fierce as the one for “Mister”, and the live performances were just as rocking!
Over the course of their careers, KARA have really covered just about every type of genre, from young idol beginnings, urban R&B, dancy girl pop and finally their sexy and smoky style. At first, I didn’t venture into their earlier Idol past, thinking I would be disappointed, but BOY was I wrong-Not only was I pleasantly surprised at how awesome those earlier songs of their were, it was amazing how much they sounded like “Old School” J-pop, with bright, poppy tunes and big smiling cheerfulness, harkening back to the days of if not CoCo then at least Morning Musume in their “Hey Mirai” days!
Songs Like “Pretty Girl” and “Step” were so much fun to listen to, and wouldn’t ya know it, their dance moves were as locked and tight as their later “Mister” days moves, so it was just as big a joy to watch! Listening to these newfound treasures, I realized I didn’t even care if the songs were in Japanese or not, and in fact began liking the Korean versions even better since they looked so much more relaxed and comfortable performing when they didn’t have to think about what they were singing! LOL
Once I began watching their concert performances, through their MC, I began to slowly get to know the girls better and was so tickled by their onstage banter, I decided it was time to check out some of the variety shows I saw up for grabs online. Japan has always been great at creating variety shows that showcase the guests characteristics, and programs like TOKYO FRIEND PARK really opened my eyes to KARA’s individual personalities and made me love them even more and more- indeed, enough to the point that I began to have distinct “favorites” in the group, a surefire sign that you’ve passed the point from casual listener into obsessed Fanatic!
I’m now at the point where I’ve run out and purchased all the KARA albums I could get my hands on, with a bunch of CDs on its way from CD Japan (and the like), and with videos, TV perfroamcnes and Concerts to watch online, it seems like my current obsession with KARA will be with us for AT LEAST a while! I’ve got their albums on the deck and the car full of gas, so we’re off on another KARA fueled ride….
