SPICA became known as the group full of lead vocalists, and with the soulful “You Don’t Love Me,” they proved to be deserving of the name. 

In the reality show Lee Hyori X Unnie, the legendary singer and K-Pop sex icon took her company juniors, SPICA, under her wing and helped them develop a stage presence as big as their voices. The result was the ‘60s-inspired track “You Don’t Love Me,” produced by Lee Hyori and co-written by her and SPICA’s leader BoA, that was released on January 26, 2014. 

SPICA released “You Don’t Love Me” off the heels of success from their previous single “Tonight.” The group’s breakout hit came after the five members approached Lee Hyori for help in producing their next song, since their previous releases failed to gain significant traction among the public. Lee Hyori initially said no, but finally relented and went on to pen lyrics, guide photoshoots, and organize promotion for the August 2013 single.

“Tonight” became SPICA's highest-charting song since their debut, peaking at No. 10 on the Gaon Digital Song Chart, and at their comeback stage even Lee Hyori cried tears of joy. After their success, SPICA asked for Hyori’s help one more time to produce the follow up single “You Don’t Love Me.” This time Hyori would also get to debut her own work as a producer and composer.

In “You Don’t Love Me,” SPICA uses the stylings of 1960s soul music to showcase their powerful vocals and express the frustrations of being in a one-sided relationship. With Bohyung’s vocal runs off the top, the song is immediately impressive. Although the lyrics are angry and emotional, the music video was meant to show a new side of SPICA that was sassy and sexy.

Famed art director Lumpens produced the music video where viewers sit in on the five members of SPICA bonding over their shared heartbreak while preparing for a show in a backstage dressing room. The members unleashed their anger through quirky antics like biting on small male figures and hitting them with toy trains, stomping on cupcakes, and trashing their dressing room with junk food and confetti. Between these chaotic moments, SPICA also gave glimpses of their flirtatious choreography in pin-up-style fashion. 

The quintet channeled the likes of Motown girl groups for a powerhouse comeback performance on Show! Music Core on February 1, 2014. The stage matched the flashy mod style of the ‘60s with the members in high cut, brightly patterned dresses with big, curly hair. In the second half of the song, the ladies teased their male backup dancers by pushing them around and stealing their hats while lamenting about being unloved.

Within five hours of the single’s release, SPICA shot to the top of the Soribada Music Chart, a first for the group in the two years since they’d debuted. They also rose to No. 2 on the Bugs Music Chart and broke into the Top 5 across other Korean music sites. “You Don’t Love Me” became the group’s second highest charting single on the Gaon Weekly Digital Chart, peaking at No. 16.

Two weeks into music show promotions for “You Don’t Love Me,” SPICA faced off against AOA and Girl’s Day for the No. 1 spot on the February 9 episode of Inkigayo, an accomplishment that was made even more meaningful for happening on the day of the group’s second anniversary. Although it ended up being AOA’s first win, the SPICA members were still moved to tears at finally having been a No. 1 contender. A representative of their company described the feeling as, “finally seeing the fruit of their hard work during the past two years.”

In trying to keep up the momentum and also experiment with new opportunities, SPICA made their American debut with “I Did It” and later broke out a sub-unit, SPICA.S. Despite their attempts to bring a fresh image with each comeback, the group took a two-year hiatus and disbanded after one last single in 2017. However, Bohyung keeps fans' hopes up, saying there’s a possibility for a reunion in the future.

Edited by Omani