Kara (band)

Kara

From left to right: Nicole Jung, Goo Hara, Han Seung-Yeon, Kang Jiyoung, Park Gyuri
Background information
Origin South Korea
Genres Pop, R&B, dance
Years active 2007 (2007)–present
Labels DSP Media(South Korea)
Universal Sigma(Japan)
Warner Music(Taiwan, Hong Kong)
Associated acts Rainbow, SS501
Website kara.dspenter.com
universal-music.co.jp/kara
karaweb.jp
Members
Park Gyuri
Han Seung-yeon
Goo Hara
Jung Nicole
Kang Jiyoung
Past members
Kim Sunghee
Korean name
Hangul 카라
Revised Romanization Kara
McCune–Reischauer K'ara

Kara (Hangul: 카라, Japanese: カラ, often stylized as KARA) is a popular South Korean girl group signed with DSP Media (DSP). The band name Kara comes from the Greek Word "chara" (χαρά, lit. "joy"), which the group interpreted to mean "sweet melody".[1]

Kara started as a four-member group and debuted with a "strong female" image through R&B style for their first album The First Blooming in 2007. In 2008, Kim Sunghee departed the group due to parental pressure, and two new members were brought in; as such, the group currently consists of five members: Park Gyuri, Han Seung-yeon, Nicole Jung, Goo Hara,[2]and Kang Jiyoung. The addition of the two new members also faced a change in the group's original image to a "pretty but natural" appeal. The five-member band went on to achieve their first number one song with "Honey".[3]

The group eventually made their debut in Japan in 2010. By the end of that year, Kara was dubbed as Japan's #1 Rookie Artist of 2010 by Oricon and also received the New Artist Of The Year Award (International) from the Japan Gold Disc Awards. The group also released their first Japanese album, Girl's Talk which was eventually certified as Platinum by the RIAJ. In February 2011, Kara's "Jumping" and "Mister" singles received Platinum and double Platinum certificates, respectively, from RIAJ. In March, Kara became the first foreign female artist to top Oricon’s Composite DVD Chart [3] and the first foreign artist to top this chart for 2 consecutive weeks.[3] In April 2011 with their 3rd single "Jet Coaster Love", Kara became the first foreign female group since the creation of the Oricon (43 years ago) to rank #1 in the 1st week of release and the first foreign female group in 30 years to rank #1 in the charts all together. They also hold the title as the first Korean girl group to top the Oricon Weekly Single Chart.[4] Their official fanclub is Kamilia, derived from a combination of the words "KARA" with the Latin word for family, "familia." Kara's official balloon color is pearl peach.

Contents

History

2007: "Debut"

Kara debuted on March 29, 2007 with "Break It" on M! Countdown, from their first album The First Blooming.[5] Two music videos, "Break It" and "If U Wanna," came from this album. Because of their similarity to Fin.K.L and the fact that both groups were signed to the same company, the two were often compared; in response, Kara stated that they regarded the comparison as beneficial and inspiring.[6] As the album was not a commercial success,[7] member Han Seungyeon participated in many TV variety shows in the following months to keep the group's name recognizable to the public.[7]

2008-2009: "Group image and line-up changes, rise of popularity"

The group was scheduled to have their comeback in March 2008 with their second album. However, Kim Sung-hee left the group suddenly due to parental pressure, as her participation in the group was contingent on the maintenance of her grades. In response, DSP stated that the second album would be shelved and replaced by a mini-album to come in May; in addition, two members would join the group. The two new members were eventually revealed to be Goo Hara and Kang Jiyoung. The group made their return in the music industry as a 5-member group on July 24, 2008 with "Rock U" on M! Countdown. They made their comeback with the "cute" and "playful" image which was the complete opposite of the group's original image from their debut. In the same month, their first EP titled "Rock U" was also released. [8]

On November 29, 2008, DSP Entertainment released a teaser video for their upcoming single, "Pretty Girl", which received over 40,000 hits within 12 hours.[9] The full video was released on December 2, 2008 online and was positively received by the public.[10] The EP was released on December 4,[9] embodying a "fun-party" concept.[10] The group began its comeback on all major music shows on December 4, 2008, starting with M.Net Countdown.[11] During their first national performance on KBS's Music Bank, member Goo Hara accidentally gasped "ah!" live on air due to slipping on falling confetti, and reportedly cried profusely afterwards.[12] The incident became a hot issue to many viewers, but Goo Hara received comfort instead of criticism from the general public.[13]

Park Gyuri attributed their popularity increase to their "pretty but natural" appeal,[14] while media reports gave credit to the band for finally finding its own identity in the music industry since group's debut [15] and to older male fans, most notably singer Shin Hae-cheol.[16] Due to their increasingly hectic schedule as their popularity rose, a few of the group's members were taken to the hospital on December 19 after a KBS Music Bank rehearsal for cold and exhaustion.[17]

At the end of January 2009, DSP Entertainment announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at the group's official website for the follow-up single to "Pretty Girl", which ended on February 2.[18] By the deadline of February 2, "Honey" was the clear winner, with 60% of the votes.[18][19] The song was remixed from the original version, and also underwent a slight name change from "하니" (Ha-ni) to "Honey",.[20] The group released the music video for "Honey" on February 16 and had their first live broadcasting comeback on KBS's Music Bank program on February 13, 2009; a repackaged mini-album followed on February 19 which featured remixed versions of songs from the group's previous EP.[18][19] "Honey" became the group's first #1 single when it topped the countdown the M.Net M! Countdown show. The song also won the "Mutizen" ("music netizen") award on SBS's program The Music Trend.[21]

In June 2009 the group stated they would return in late July, with their concept upgraded.[22] The first teaser pictures of the group were then released in mid-July, showing radical changes in the group's style and also saw a slight return of their "strong and mature" image previously seen from their debut.[23][24] Their single "Wanna" was released on July 28, 2009 and immediately charted on various digital music charts.[25] The music video was released on July 29, with the full album, Revolution, available online on July 30.[25] Comeback activities commenced on July 31, beginning with KBS's Music Bank; the group performed both "Wanna" and "Mister".[26] "Mister" proved to be popular with netizens due to the "butt dance" that is featured prominently in the choreography.[26][27] Due to the popularity of "Mister", Kara's overall popularity increased, evidenced by an influx of advertisement requests by various companies; in total, they had more advertisements in October 2009 than they had had the previous two years.[28] "Wanna" also became a #1 single for Kara and won the "Mutizen Song" award on August 30, 2009 from Inkigayo.[29] During promotions for Revolution, the group also performed internationally, including at Bangkok's Parc Paragon.[30]

On December 14, it was reported that the group held a fan-meeting for their Japanese fans earlier that year on February marking the group's first promotional tour in Japan. Over 3,000 fans were reportedly registered, exceeding the capacity of the venue which resulted in a second showcase.[31]

2010: "Hiatus in South Korea, successful debut in Japan"

After a short hiatus, DSP Entertainment released two teaser photos of Kara's comeback concept on February 9, 2010. The photos garnered a lot of interest because compared to their past album concepts, the new photos showed the members in dark outfits and smokey makeup that elicited a darker, more mature, and sexier feel. The next day, the album jacket was unveiled with a "Stealer" concept as well as the title track "Lupin", which became #1 on several online music charts shortly after release. The teaser video was released on February 12 on Naver; the EP followed on February 17. Kara began their broadcasting comeback starting on M.Net's M! Countdown on February 25, 2010.[32][33] The music video was released on February 22, garnering more than 90,000 views in the first 2 hours.[34] On March 4, 2010, Kara won their first #1 award for "Lupin" on M! Countdown.[35] On the following week, Kara won yet another #1 award on M! Countdown, making it their second consecutive win on the music program. "Lupin" also gave Kara their first #1 win on Music Bank on March 12, 2010, making it the group's first win on this particular music show since their debut,[36] holding onto the position for three consecutive weeks.[37] The song also won the Mutizen award from Inkigayo,[38] and cumulatively Kara won an all-group best total of 6 awards during their "Lupin" promotional cycle.

On March 2010, it was announced that Kara will participate in the 8th Annual Korean Music Festival to be held at Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, with member Nicole as MC.[39] Kara then became very active in Japan, holding showcases and hand shake events as preparation for their official Japanese debut. After their successful debut with Mister, Kara performed at the Asia Song Festival on October 23, 2010 with other Asian artists.

The group was featured in a video message for a show called Arashi no Shukudai-kun (嵐の宿題くん Arashi's Homework?), hosted by Japanese idol group Arashi.[40] Kara held fan meetings on May 8 with more than 8,000 fans at Japan’s Grand Prince Hotel. In addition, Kara had an official Japan fan club meeting with 3,000 fans at Yokohama’s Mina Torimirai hotel on May 9. The group later on signed with Universal Music Japan and made their official debut in Japan by August with "Mister".[41][42] The single ranked in various music charts which proved it to be very popular in Japan. The group later on released their second single entitled "Jumpin'" on November 10, 2010. The song quickly climbed up in other charts including mobile downloads.[43][44] On September 29, 2010, Kara released their best hits album, "Kara Best 2007-2010". The album is a compilation of their selected Korean tracks since they debuted. It ranked #2 in the Oricon Daily Chart on the first day of release, selling 18,223 copies.[45] It was announced on November 3, 2010 that the album was certified gold by The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), making KARA the first ever Korean Group since the '90s to release an all-Korean album that is able break the 100k copies barrier in Japan.[46] Their debut Japanese album, "Girl's Talk", was released on November 24, 2010. It sold 107,000 copies in its first week and ranked number 2 in the Oricon weekly charts, making this the first album by a non-Japanese Asian girl group in Japan in 6 years and 9 months to sell more than 100,000 album copies in its first week.[47] The album received a platinum certification from RIAJ on January 14, 2011.[48]

In October the band represented Korea and performed at the 7th Asia Song Festival, organised by Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, at the Seoul Olympic Stadium.[49]

After about 9 months hiatus in Korean Music industry, Kara announced the release of their next single "Jumping" which will be promoted in both Korea and Japan. It was released as Kara's 2nd Japanese single and title track for their fourth Korean mini album. Despite promoting the song at the same time, Kara had 2 different concepts for the song in Korea and Japan.[50] A teaser photo of Jumping's album cover was released on November 3, 2010 and according to a company official, “Kara’s new album utilizes the optical art concept of black and white geometric patterns, which differs depending on each member’s physical characteristics and image.” He added, “You will see a new and upgraded Kara with these modern, yet chic images.”[51] Kara made their comeback with Burn and Jumping on MBC Music Core on November 20, 2010. On December 10, 2010, Kara got their second #1 win on KBS Music Bank for Jumping.[52] Two days after their win in Music Bank, Kara won a #1 Mutizen Award for "Jumping" on SBS Inkigayo's 600th episode.[53]

After a very successful year of debuting in Japan despite their long absence in the Korean music industry, Kara was chosen as the best rookie artist according to a popular Japanese mobile ringtone site, Recochoku. On December 20, 2010, Oricon also announced Kara as 2010's best rookie artist, generating revenue to some 1.3 billion yen (or $15.4 million USD[54]); and with a total of 493,000 copies of their releases sold this year.[55]

2011-present: Rise of popularity in Japan, return to South Korea

On February 23, the group released a DVD called "Kara Best Clips" which is a compilation of their past music videos. After one week, the group was able to set another record when they ranked #1 in the Oricon’s Weekly Composite DVD Ranking. This made them the first ever foreign artist to be #1 for two consecutive weeks since the charts implementation in 1999. Kara has sold approximately 230,183 copies of their DVD.[3]

On April 6, the group released their third Japanese single, “Jet Coaster Love“, after the original release date was pushed back due to the 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami. As soon as it was released onto the music charts, “Jet Coaster Love” instantly rose to #2 on the Oricon Daily Chart with 47,810 copies sold. Kara was able to set another record as “Jet Coaster Love” maintained its position and ranked #1 in Oricon's 4/18 Weekly Single Ranking selling 123,000 copies in its first week. Despite its success, plans for promotion in Japan were hindered due to the natural disaster. Instead, the group announced that all proceeds from the single will be donated to Japan's natural disaster relief aid.[56]

On August 4, the group officially announced that they will be releasing their third official album on mid-September and will resume their activities in South Korea for the first time in over six months. According to industry representatives, the group has used some of their spare time recording songs for the album while they were busy promoting their fourth Japanese single, "Go Go Summer!" which was certified gold by the RIAJ and has topped various charts in Japan. However, the group will only promote in Korea for about three weeks as they have many things scheduled in Japan. The group eventually released their third Korean studio album titled "Step", on September 6.[57][58]

After the group finished their promotions in South Korea, they returned to Japan to release their fifth Japanese single, "Winter Magic".[59] The single ranked #3 in Oricon's Weekly singles chart with around 79,000 copies sold on the first week. On November 21, the group released their second Japanese studio album, "Super Girl". The album received over 360,000 preorders alone. The album eventually went on to debut on #1 on Oricon Daily and Weekly album charts making it the group's first successful studio album release. Oricon ranked the group at #4 on the Top 5 best selling artists of the year 2011 with fellow South Korean idol group Girls' Generation following closely at #5. [60][61]

On December 30, DSP Entertainment announced that KARA will embark their very first Asia concert namely KARASIA in early 2012. The concert is the first solo concert by KARA in 5 years since debut days. The concert will kick off on February 18 and 19 at Seoul Olympic Gymnasium. Fans from Korean fanclub can purchase the ticket starting January 10 next year. Expectation for KARA first concert has risen since they are among the most successful girlgroup alongside with the Girls' Generation and Wonder Girls.[62]

After a busy year, the group celebrated their success by appearing on six major end-show programs in Japan. Along these were the 53rd annual Japanese Record Awards after "Go Go Summer!" was nominated for the Best Song award. They were also invited to the prestigious 62nd Kōhaku Uta Gassen which is held annually at the end of the year, marking the group's first appearance on the program. They opened the second half of the program by performing a special medley of "Jet Coaster Love" and "Mister".[63][64]

Other works

Soundtracks and promotional single

The original group recorded a song titled "Fighting" on the soundtrack for 강남엄마 따라잡기 ("Chasing a Mother from Kangnam"), a drama that aired on SBS; the soundtrack was released on July 25, 2007. Their second song was "Butterfly" on the soundtrack for the anime Naruto, which was released on September 29, 2008. Kara also participated in the second soundtrack for Boys Over Flowers, recording the song "Love is Fire".

"Ddokateun Mam" ("똑 같은 맘", "The Same Heart") was a song used in "i-Musician", an upcoming mobile game that Kara promoted; the song was released digitally in June 2009.[65]

In January 2010, they sang the main original soundtrack of drama series "별을 따다줘" (Catch Me a Star).[66]

Kara appeared on MBC's Music Travel LaLaLa on October 22, 2009, where they performed "길" ("Road") by g.o.d and "빙글 빙글" ("Round and Round") with NoBrain. These tracks were included on Music Travel LaLaLa's soundtrack, released in February 2010.[67][68]

On April 2010, it was revealed that Kara will sing a cheer song for the 2010 World Cup entitled "We're With You". Behind-the-scenes and individual member teaser videos were revealed along with photos of Kara wearing cheerleader outfits.[69] The single was released on May 3, 2010.

Kara also released a single "2ME", the soundtrack for online game We Online.

In November 2010, Seungyeon's solo track "Superstar" for KBS's drama "Mary Stayed Out All Night" was revealed.

In 2011, Gyuri and Hara recorded 2 songs for the soundtrack of the SBS's drama "City Hunter": "시티헌터" sung by Gyuri was released on June 23 and "I Love U, I Want U, I Need U (Sweet Acoustic version)" sung by Hara was released on July 27.

Commercial activities

Kara has endorsed online games, clothing, food & beverage, cosmetic products as well as shoes.[70] Kara became endorsers of a cosmetics product, Mistine BB Wonder Compact in Thailand by April 2010. In May 2010, Kara became the female faces of Samsung Doogeun Doogeun Tomorrow Campaign.[71] Kara has also been endorsing for Ask[72] and also for fleece boot company Bear Paws.[73]

With Kara's successful debut in Japan on August 2010, offers from different electronics, clothing and beverage brands started coming. In October 2010, it was revealed that Kara has sealed a revenue of 2 billion won from endorsements just 2 months after their Japanese debut. Officials said, "Kara shows a sophisticated image on stage while outside the stage, they show a friendly image" [74] On October 28, 2010, it was confirmed that Kara was chosen as the new models of one of the three biggest Carrier companies in Japan, "KDDI", showing their popularity.[75] Starting on November 1, Kara promoted the "Au Santa Letter of Challenge", organized by the "Au Smart Sports Run&Walk", where the group members dressed up in Santa Claus costumes, offering the users gifts with various contents. They also created a "Challenge Live" Twitter account where users could post support messages and 15 pairs people were chosen to attend the Limited Kara Live Event via lottery.[76] Furthermore with their success in Japan, Japanese game production company Rhaon Japan revealed through their official TalesLand official website that Kara became the new models for this game. Players were able to find Kara characters in the game, and were be able to see a short animation of Kara, along with a promotional video on the landing page.[77]

In 2010, the group opened their own online clothing franchise called "Karaya", which members Gyuri, Hara and Jiyoung were chosen as spokesmodels. The said online shop proved to be a big hit and rose to 4th place in popularity among celebrity owned internet shopping mall sites.

In June 2011, the group was chosen by LG Electronics as the Japanese CF models for their upcoming cellphone brand, LG 'Optimus Bright'. They also released their Japanese single titled 'Go Go Summer', which was used for the commercial and was promoted at the same time. The commercial and print advertisements were launched on June 17.[78] Moreover, members Park Gyuri, Goo Hara and Kang Jiyoung shall be the female models for Korean cosmetic brand "Nature Republic". The 3 members will officially start their exclusive activities with Nature Republic on June 3, 2011.[79]

Controversy

Request for contract termination

On January 19, 2011, a lawyer representing four of the five Kara members announced to the media that they would be terminating their contract with DSP Entertainment, effective immediately; a lawsuit was also filed on their behalf.[80] Park Gyuri, the leader of the group, was the only one remaining with the management company. In a statement, the lawyer representing the four stated that "the company repeatedly denied any requests and unilaterally forced tasks upon the members", and that they have been preparing for legal action for two months.[80] Later that day, it was announced that Goo Hara would discontinue her involvement with the suit and has rejoined the company,[81] as she apparently was not fully aware of the lawsuit's details.[82] In a statement, DSP Entertainment firmly rebutted all accusations, also stating that they wished to resolve the issues and reconcile with the members quickly.[83] DSP also denied earlier reports of denying Kara members their fair share of profits, stating that each member was paid 300,000,000 for their work.[84]

The lawyer for the three remaining members released another statement giving further details of their allegations. Their representatives stated that they were misinformed regarding their Japanese promotions, and that their relationship with the company severely deteriorated with the hospitalization of CEO Lee Ho-yeon in March 2010.[85]

On April 28, 2011, the dispute between DSP Entertainment and Kara's 3 members (Han Seung-yeon, Nicole Jung, Kang Ji-young) was resolved.[86]

Members

Current

Member Birth name Birth Date Position Notes
Gyuri
Park Gyuri May 21, 1988 Leader, Lead Vocalist Gyuri is a child actress. She originally auditioned to be the rapper of the group. Her rapping skills can be heard in their song "Magic" from their 2nd album "Revolution". Starring in the "200 Pound Beauty" Musical.
Seungyeon
Han Seung-yeon July 24, 1988 Main Vocalist Studied in the US but left in order to pursue a singing career. Currently a host in SBS Animal Farm.
Hara
Goo Hara January 13, 1991 Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Rapper, Visual Auditioned for SM then JYP before joining DSP Media, She was also a model before joining KARA, Joined in 2008. Starred in City Hunter as Choi Da Hye. Currently hosting the SBS's music show Inkigayo, along with Nicole and IU.
Nicole
Nicole Jung October 7, 1991 Lead Rapper, Vocalist, Main Dancer Was born in the US. Speaks fluent English. She composed most of the rap in all their first album "The First Blooming". Currently hosting the show Inkigayo, along with Hara and IU.
Jiyoung
Kang Jiyoung January 18, 1994 Vocalist, Rapper Joined in 2008. The maknae (Hangul: 막내, mangnae), youngest in the group. Casted on Invincible Youth 2.

Former

Member Birth name Birth Date Position Notes
Sunghee
Kim Sunghee May 17, 1989 Lead Vocalist Left the group in order to concentrate in school and religious life. Married in May 2011.

Discography

Korean Discography

Studio albums
Extended plays

Japanese Discography

Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles

Tours

Awards

Years Awards
2007
  • Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Korea Culture & Content Agency: Best Newcomer
2009
2010
2011

Music programs

These are a collection of KARA's wins on Korea's televised music shows. Inkigayo is aired on SBS, M! Countdown on Korean cable channel Mnet, and Music Bank on KBS.

Music Bank

Year Date Song
2010 March 12 Lupin
March 19
March 26
December 10 Jumping
2011 September 16 Step
September 23

Inkigayo

Year Date Song
2009 March 8 Honey
August 30 Wanna
2010 March 14 Lupin
December 12 Jumping
2011 September 25 Step

Note: An artist may only win three times for one track on Inkigayo before they are taken off the 'Take 7' nominees list.

M! Countdown

Year Date Song
2009 March 5 Honey
March 12
March 26
2010 March 4 Lupin
March 11
2011 September 15 Step
September 22

Note: An artist may only win three times for one track on M!Countdown before they are taken off the nominees list.

References

  1. ^ (Korean) "카라, 데뷔앨범 'Blooming' 발표". 머니투데이. 2007-04-05. http://star.mt.co.kr/view/stview.php?no=2007040509261574617&type=1&outlink=1. 
  2. ^ (Korean) "koo hara's Twitter". Twitter. 2011-06-06. http://twitter.com/#!/_sweethara. 
  3. ^ a b c d Jo, Dong-joon. 카라1위 데뷔이후 첫 1위 감격! (Kara's First #1 After Debut, Grateful!). TodayKorea. March 6, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  4. ^ (Korean) "KARA、海外女性グループ初のシングル初登場首位". http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/rankmusic/86507/full/. 
  5. ^ (Korean) 1집 Blooming. Naver Music. March 29, 2007
  6. ^ (Korean) Yeong-hyeon Kim. "카라 '핑클과 비교될 정도로 잘하고 싶어'". Hankooki.com. May 1, 2007. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
  7. ^ a b (Korean) Myung-Hwa Jung "한승연, 카라 지키려던 무명시절 눈물 고백". joynews.inews24.com. November 4, 2009. Retrieved July 21., 2010.
  8. ^ http://joynews.inews24.com/php/news_view.php?g_menu=700100&g_serial=315667
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  13. ^ 카라 "깜찍·발랄 국민여동생? 호호호~"(Kara "Cute & Lively National Sisters? Hohoho~"). Sports Hankook. December 10, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  14. ^ 카라 "깜찍·발랄 국민여동생? 호호호~" (Kara "The Country's Cute and Lively Younger Sisters? Hohoho"). Hankook Ilbo. December 10, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  15. ^ 카라 '원더걸스-소녀시대-브아걸, 거기 서!' (Kara: "Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation, Brown Eyed Girls, Stop Right There!"). Sports Seoul. December 15, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
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  17. ^ (Korean) Park, Gun-wook. 카라, 감기 피로누적으로 '집단 응급실행'…큰 이상 없어 (Kara, Due to Cold and Exhaustion "Taken to Emergency as a Group"...Nothing Serious). Asia Economy. December 19, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  18. ^ a b c (Korean) Choi, Dae-han. 카라 '하니' 후속곡으로 결정! (Kara "Honey" Chosen as Follow-up Single!). Today Korea. February 2, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  19. ^ a b (Korean) 카라하니, 달려라 하니? “‘프리티걸’ 인기에 이어 달릴 거야!!” (Kara Honey, Let's Go, Honey? "We Will Ride 'Pretty Girl' Popularity!!"). Hankook Gyung-jae. February 2, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  20. ^ Kim, Hyeong-woo. 카라 ‘Honey’ 12일 선공개 순위 급상승 ‘청순 폴폴’ (After Kara's "Honey" Released on 12th, Quick Rise in Popularity, "Purity Overflowing"). Joins.com. February 12, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  21. ^ 카라 “소녀시대 게 섯거라” 데뷔 2년만에 TV 첫 1위 눈물 울먹울먹. Joins.com. March 9, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
  22. ^ (Korean) 걸그룹 대란속 ‘조용한’ 카라 뭐할까 “업그레이드 카라 온다” (What is "silent" Kara doing during the girl group uproar - "An Upgraded Kara is coming."). Newsen. June 16, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
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External links