K-Pop Conversion Step 6: The Essential Ladies
The K-Pop community continues to grow, reaching as far as the other side of the world. With more acts breaking into the Western music scene, audiences are increasingly becoming aware of K-Pop and are rapidly showing interest. Time and time again, this specific formula for dragging others into the hype of the Hallyu Wave has proven totally successful. This week we will take a look at some of the the songs by girl groups that are absolutely essential to know when immersing yourself fully into the Hallyu Wave.
“Gee” - Girls Generation
This is it. The legend itself. The first wave of K-Pop sweeping the globe can easily be traced back to SM Entertainment’s mega group Girls’ Generation, with just about every person recognizing the addicting tune of “Gee,” whether a super fan or not. Go to any K-Culture event and you’re bound to hear “Gee” at one point or another, and I guarantee a large group of fans will gather to perform the choreography almost instantly.
“TT” - TWICE
Arguably the biggest girl group in Korea today, the title releases from JYP Entertainment’s TWICE are guaranteed to be mega hits that sweep the nation and even the globe. At least one point of choreography from their comebacks is going to go viral, it’s just a fact at this point. Nothing has been quite as impactful as the famous “TT” pose, which even sprung the meme lingo “I’m like TT” used all over every social media platform. Let’s be real, does it get any more iconic than actually creating a widespread internet meme? On top of that, “TT” is a beloved track to just about every K-Pop fan out there.
“Something” - Girl’s Day
The iconic “Something” by Girl’s Day has been out for four years, but time hasn’t changed the novelty of this track. Chances are your favorite idol has a video somewhere online of them dancing the memorable choreography of “Something” (BTS did it, B1A4 did it, GOT7 did it, not to mention this number, just to name a few). It is impossible to navigate the K-Pop world without running into this one, that’s for sure.
“Up and Down” - EXID
The description of iconic doesn’t even do EXID’s “Up and Down” justice. Even today, no one is quite sure what is going on in this music video, but honestly no one really cares that much after one listen of this track. This is another famous hit that all your favorite idols dance to. Besides all of that, “Up and Down” has one of the most addictive beats complemented by the stunning vocals EXID is known for and, all around, just needs to be on your radar.
“Touch My Body” - SISTAR
Picking the final track for this list was incredibly difficult since we have so many iconic ladies to cover, but it just didn’t feel right without SISTAR’s 2014 summer hit “Touch My Body.” 2014 was certainly the year for beyond iconic girl group releases. “Touch My Body” is another song with memorable choreography that literally everyone covers at some point. These summer queens deserve recognition for this iconic bop, and even to this day you can’t go very long without being exposed to it.