When most people think of K-pop, their minds probably go to BTS. Not me. I used to love K-pop when I was in elementary school, but as soon as I hit puberty around 12, I jammed on my headphones and welcomed myself to the Black Parade. (A big thank you to My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Panic! At The Disco, Green Day, and all the other emo bands that dominate my playlist still to this day. Mom, it started out as a phase but turned out it wasn’t really.) Since then, my connection to my country’s own pop music has become pretty distant to my ears with the exception of some massive hits blazing out from speakers on the streets.
So when I think of K-pop, I think of Girls’ Generation, Wonder Girls, 2NE1, Brown Eyed Girls and so many more legendary groups with endless hits around 2009-2012. A lot of their members are in their late twenties or thirties now, and most groups had fallen apart due to company issues. Some suffered the loss of their members.
Still, I find myself coming back for their songs, even though I know they are not going to be performing together on stage. I listen to more recent K-pop songs and I really like some artists, but their songs don’t give me the same feeling as the older ones. Here are some of the second generation K-pop groups that I really like.
(Spoiler alert: No boy groups are included in this list. A lot of their members have caused problems, and I thought it was best not to listen to, nor recommend any of their songs.)
1. Girls’ Generation (SNSD)
Literal legends. All of their songs were massive hits, with examples of Gee, Genie, Run Devil Run, Oh!, The Boys, and so. much. more. Although one of their members (Jessica) had a falling-out with the group and left, Girls’ Generation is still legendary among people in Korea. My favorite is I Got A Boy. This song was different, rapidly changing between genres, and exciting. You’ll get what I mean after you listen to the song.
2. Wonder Girls
Who’s better, Girls’ Generation or the Wonder Girls? This was a general question between people. Because both groups were from different entertainment companies (SM and JYP) and each produced huge hits, people created a sort of rivalry between them. Tell Me, Nobody and So Hot were few of their hits on music charts. I liked Two Different Tears, just because it was funky and a little bit weird.
3. 2NE1
During their debut, they received a lot of criticism for being “ugly.” No one knew that they were going to be legendary with I Don’t Care, Can’t Nobody, I Love You, Go Away, and I Am The Best. They did break up 2 years ago, but I heard news about how the members are willing to perform together onstage someday. I love Lonely and Ugly, which sounds quite depressing when put together. They’re not exactly catchy, but has a really good melody and lyrics.
4. Brown Eyed Girls
A group that stayed together for 14 years, and that’s big. Everybody knows Abracadabra, and Sixth Sense is a true legend in K-pop history. The talented four members often performed as solos as well. They recently released a new song: check out the amazing cinematography and inclusion of drag queens in Wonder Woman.
5. Sistar
Queens of summer songs… until 2017. Everybody was at a loss of words at the news that Sistar was going to part. Sistar’s songs, fun and catchy, timely released every summer, were at the top of the charts every single time. So Cool, Ma Boy, Give It To Me, Touch My Body are a few to name. Shake It! was probably their last summer song, and that remains in my memory more than others.
6. T-ara, Miss A, Kara, f(x), Secret, and many other girl groups haven’t popped up right on the top of my head. If you’re a K-pop junkie and haven’t heard of these groups, definitely go and check them out.