Haunting Girl Group Songs for Halloween
It’s October 31, which means it’s time to pull out your Halloween K-Pop playlist. Whether it’s for a Halloween party, or for the trick-or-treaters visiting the neighborhood, look no further than this small list to help guide your music choices. It can also double as last-minute Halloween costume inspiration: spookiness and K-Pop? There’s no other better combination.
CLC - “Devil”
On September 6, 2019, CLC dropped their digital single “Devil.” Seunghee, Yujin, Seungyeon, Sorn, Yeeun, Elkie, and Eunbin followed up their previous digital single, “ME,” with something that initially appears brighter with a twinge of mischievous intentions. The “Devil” music video reflects the lyric, “A really cruel devil / You’ll never know from the outside.”*
The usually friendly colors of vibrant blues, pinks, greens, oranges, and yellows fill a setting full of sabotage. This assortment of colors eventually drain into black. Though not officially a Halloween-themed track, the latter half of the music video also contains lots of unsettling imagery of dolls and eyeballs. Combined with the lyrics, the “Devil” is in the details.
PURPLE K!SS - “Zombie”
PURPLE K!SS’ first comeback arrived on September 8, 2021 with their second EP HIDE & SEEK. Former member Park Jieun and current members Na Goeun, Dosie, Ireh, Yuki, Chaein, and Swan promoted the title track “Zombie,” one very fitting for Halloween. The song combined spooky elements—interspersed screams and a haunting chant in the bridge—with a funky and upbeat track.
The music video is also pure Halloween fun: PURPLE K!SS dances amidst a zombie apocalypse. The final scene features more lighthearted fun, which shows the members wearing creepy face paint to scare ONEWE’s Guik, who contributed to the song’s lyrics. Additionally, PURPLE K!SS released a Halloween-themed performance video for “Zombie,” which remixed the song and changed the choreography.
DreamNote - “GHOST”
In 2021, DreamNote released “GHOST” five days before Halloween. YOUI, BoNi, Lara, MISO, Sumin, and Eunjo swapped DreamNote’s usual cute concept with one for the spooky season. The introductory evil cackle sets the tone easily: it’s time for Halloween. If the song’s instrumental wasn’t chilling enough, the howls in the chorus drive home the eerie environment.
The song’s music video combines fairytale-esque elements with powerful choreography shots. The shadows of hands dragging across the white choreography contrast interestingly with the final shot. A tree goes into full bloom in spite of its wintery climate, spreading pink blossoms. Where the white set creates a feeling of being captured, the newly-pink background shows that freedom has been granted. Months later, “GHOST” also received a Mandarin version on February 18, 2022: get your spook on in multiple languages.
TRI.BE - “WITCH”
From devils, to zombies, to ghosts, we finish this list with witches. Halloween came early this year with “WITCH,” the pre-release for TRI.BE’s second EP W.A.Y. Originally released on January 19, 2023,“WITCH” sees the group act as witches who lure listeners into their spell. Songsun, Kelly, Hyunbin, Jia, Soeun, and Mire don black dresses and gloves for the song’s performance video.
The choreography, made by the members, captures the obsessive nature of the song. During the line “Come and become the main character of this tale I draw,” the way the choreography mimics pulling a puppet’s strings feels very impactful.* While “WITCH” did not foreshadow the EP’s eventual title track “WE ARE YOUNG,” an opposite bubbly image, “WITCH” is perfect for any Halloween playlist.
*Note: lyrics taken from English captions in the official music video.