ARTICLE Music Recommendations: 10 Ladies' Code Performances You Must Watch

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Galaxy

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MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS: 10 LADIES' CODE PERFORMANCES YOU MUST WATCH
Written by: Galaxy

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If you follow K-pop news, you must already know that Ladies' Code announced their departure from Polaris Entertainment on February 17th. Before the news dropped, I was working on an editorial called "Off The Radar: Ladies' Code" which evaluated the group's chances to finally hit big while staying under their current company. As an absolute fan of the girls, I could witness how those chances had been ruined for years, therefore I had already resigned myself and written that they would probably leave Polaris once their 7-year contract would expire. They ended up doing just that before I could post the article, and even though they are allowed to come back under the name "Ladies' Code" whenever they want, they immediately clarified that they would now focus on their solo careers.

In the letters they posted on social networks, Ashley, Sojung and Zuny insisted on the fact that they will always cherish the memories they've made together. This is something all groups who split up say to make their fans happy, but considering everything the girls went through in the past seven years, such words have rarely felt this meaningful. Reading those messages convinced me to write this new article, and this time I picked ten performances all K-pop fans should watch to know more about Ladies' Code—to see their evolution from rookies to confident singers, and potentially be convinced to anticipate the members' future solo activities. Choosing among dozens of amazing videos was a difficult task, so I hope you will enjoy my selection!




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#1- 'Bad Girl' - Debut Stage, MCountdown
(March 7, 2013)

On March 7th, 2013, Ladies' Code released their first EP, "Code#01" and its title track, "Bad Girl". On the same day, the group filmed their debut stage, and the audience discovered all about their jazzy, retro-influenced sound and their girl power concept. Ashley, RiSe, EunB, Sojung and Zuny all sang live (with backup vocals) for their first performance as a group—even though Zuny's voice was quite shaky, and Ashley could have sung her chorus parts a little louder—and we can only applaud them for taking on this challenge with confidence and charm. If you take a look at the video's comment section, you'll find that fans and casual listeners all agree on one thing: this was probably one of the best debut performances by an idol group, and the girls succeeded at showing their potential from the very first day.





#2- 'I'm Yours' - Special Stage, MCountdown
(March 6, 2014)

After the release of their first two EPs, Ladies' Code came back in February 2014 with the single, "So Wonderful". A few weeks after, the group was invited on MCountdown to sing one of their "Legend 100-Song" picks, Kim Soo-Hee's "I'm Yours". The five girls took turns at performing this ballad, starting from the sub-vocalists to the lead and main singers. Despite the flaws at the beginning—realistically, no one would expect the sub-vocalists of a rookie group to be amazing at singing ballads—the five girls managed to convey deep emotions, and the stage ended beautifully. Whenever I watch this video, I feel proud to see that at this early stage of their career, all five of them felt confident enough to sing such a legendary song on national television.





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#3- 'How Come' - Special Stage, MCountdown
(July 24, 2014)

Another video, another special performance for MCountdown. This time, the girls celebrated the 10th anniversary of the show with a cover of Brown Eyed Girls' "How Come". To participate in this concert, the girls took a small break from their preparations for "Kiss Kiss", allowing fans to get a glimpse of their new hairstyles. Even though rehearsing their new song must have left them exhausted, the girls still delivered a flawless and energetic performance, and the smile on their face is a real delight to see. On that night, our favorite rookies proved that they could sing and dance just as well as their seniors!





#4- 'Kiss Kiss' - Guerilla Concert, Seoul
(August 7, 2014)

On August 7, 2014, Ladies' Code came back with a new single, titled "Kiss Kiss". To celebrate this release, Polaris Entertainment organised a guerilla concert in the streets of Myeongdong, Seoul, and the girls performed their new song in front of fans and passersby. With its retro concept and cheerful vibes, "Kiss Kiss" fits perfectly in the group's early discography, and the members were visibly excited to reveal it to their audience. Their perfectly-synchronized moves, amazing visuals and obvious determination left me in awe when I watched this performance for the first time, therefore their stages from this era are definitely among my favorites.





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#5- 'If You Come Back' (by Sojung) - King of Masked Singer
(February 28, 2016)

Every K-pop fan is aware of the tragic accident that happened to Ladies' Code on September 3rd, 2014. After a long hiatus, a memorial concert in Japan and a digital single, "I'll Smile Even If It Hurts", Ashley, Sojung and Zuny announced they would come back as a trio with their new EP, "Myst3ry" and its title track, "Galaxy", on February 24th. A few days before the release, Sojung filmed two episodes of King Of Masked Singer under the identity of "Our Night Beautiful"— the main vocalist made it to the second round of the show before being eliminated. Lavelys immediately knew who was hiding under the extravagant mask, and were glad that Sojung got the opportunity to be appreciated for her singing skills and nothing else, just like she wanted. Gummy's "If You Come Back" is the second song she sang on that stage and the fact that she chose not to push her voice as much as usual, turns the performance into a very emotional experience.





#6- 'Galaxy' - dingo music
(March 14, 2016)

Three weeks after their aforementioned comeback, Ashley, Sojung and Zuny performed their new title track for dingo music's YouTube channel. As my username might strongly indicate, "Galaxy" ranks high on the list of my favorite K-pop songs ever released. Even though I could have picked any of their music show performances for this article, I decided to feature this acoustic version instead. In this video, the girls show how much they have improved over the years—Ashley and Sojung's powerful voices perfectly blend with Zuny's beautiful harmonies. Just close your eyes, and let your ears be blessed by this flawless performance.





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#7- '24 Hours' and 'No No No' - Girl Spirit
(August 23, 2016)

In the summer of 2016, Sojung participated in JTBC's singing competition Girl Spirit, which focused on the main vocalists from twelve girl groups that had yet to achieve success in South Korea. Ashley and Zuny endlessly showed their support to their friend, and were invited to perform with her in a battle along with three members of Oh My Girl. Sojung and Seunghee take turns at hitting the highest notes to gain more votes, and the fanchants coming from the soldiers in the audience proves that this stage was a complete success. What else could we have expected from two of the most talented groups of the third generation?





#8- 'Butterfly' - Immortal Songs 2
(January 7, 2017)

In January 2017, Ladies' Code unknowingly started another long hiatus between two promotion cycles—their first single album, "Strang3r" dropped in October 2016 and their next single, "Feedback" was released in May 2019. In the meantime, the girls performed together at numerous events, Ashley and Sojung made their solo debuts, and Zuny started her career as an actress. The group still appeared on television from time to time, and in January 2017, they participated in the show Immortal Songs 2: Singing the Legend. This cover of Loveholics' "Butterfly" is truly my favorite stage of theirs, as all three members sing the song confidently and show how much they have improved over the years. Their harmonies and high notes are heaven to my ears, at this point of their career, they truly deserved to be called a vocal group. Everything in this performance makes me smile and cry at the same time—KBS showing OT5 pictures toward the end of the song doesn't help me contain my tears—and if I had to pick only one video to explain my love for Ladies' Code, it would probably be this one.





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#9- 'I'm Fine Thank You' - dingo music
(September 3, 2018)

On September 3rd, 2018, which marked the 4th anniversary of their tragic accident, Ashley, Sojung and Zuny paid a tribute to EunB and RiSe with the help of dingo music. For this very special performance, the girls sang "I'm Fine, Thank You", a b-side from their 2nd EP that was given a commemorative music video in mid-September 2014, and released again by Sojung and various artists in 2015. This time, the girls chose to sing while delivering the lyrics in sign language, and letting a 4th signer take over during EunB and RiSe's parts in the 2nd verse. The result is filled with so much emotion that it is very difficult to describe this performance with words—and instead of endlessly searching for the right sentence to write, I will let you (re-)discover the video by yourself.





#10- 'Never Ending Story' and 'Set Me Free' - Simply K-pop
(October 25, 2019)

In October 2019, Lavelys were given what they had wanted for a long time: Ladies' Code finally released a new EP, "Code #03: Set Me Free", and started their second promotion cycle of 2019. Even though I suspected that the girls would leave Polaris Entertainment sooner than later, I didn't realise that I was probably witnessing their last comeback as a group. Now that they have unofficially disbanded, I can see the double meaning of their b-side "Never Ending Story": in the lyrics, the girls don't only thank us for our support, but also bring a closure to this chapter of their life and ask us to follow them in their new adventures. This live performance of "Never Ending Story" is simply beautiful, and it is followed by one for "Set Me Free" — a lead single that was ignored by pretty much all non-fans, but still remains one of the strongest songs in their discography.





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As I wrote in the introduction, picking only ten performances for this article was a difficult task. The members of Ladies' Code are incredibly talented, and as a Lavely, I don't regret spending the last four years of my life following their activities and anticipating their releases. Whether you were already a fan of the group, a casual listener or knew nothing about the girls, I hope you have enjoyed this selection and maybe, you will keep an eye on their individual activities. Ashley, Sojung and Zuny deserve all the love you can give them, and I wish them the best in their future solo careers. And who knows, maybe we will see them perform together again in a few years...



PROOFREAD BY: Akidoki
GRAPHICS BY: Yerimmie
 
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George

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Nice article about Ladies' Code! Thank you, @Galaxy ! 10 classic performances and yes, Ladies' Code have more, and maybe will have even more in future. I rewatched all 10 performances. But, could it be, that I've never watched Brown Eyed Girls "How Come" cover (at #3) before? Could be. Covering Brown Eyed Girls song has special meaning for Ladies' Code. Also this song is by Brave Brothers. I mean, when some time ago I've thought about choice of new music producers for future Ladies' Code songs, I've dreamed of collaboration with Brave Brothers. I mean I wanted MonoTree or Super Changddai collaboration for Ladies' Code, and Brave Brothers in addition, or, if MonoTree/Super Changddai collaboration is impossible, then Brave Brothers instead of it. One of reasons for that dream of Brave Brothers may be some predebut Ashley's dance covers of some After School songs.
And this (re?)discovered Brown Eyed Girls "How Come" cover by Ladies' Code is partial fulfillment of this dream.
 
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