ARTICLE Music Recommendations: 5 Cpop Girl Group Recommendations + 5 Similar Kpop Releases

Polaris_Tae

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5 CPOP GIRL GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS + 5 SIMILAR KPOP RELEASES
Written by: Polaris_Tae
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I often find it hard to listen to K-pop girl groups as I don't usually find myself enjoying girl crush or cute concepts (barring a few) which are currently the two most popular concepts among K-pop girl groups. I find myself enjoying fresh concepts that can be found in songs such as Rocket Girls 101's "Extraordinary Girl" & Oh My Girl's "Windy Day" that blur the lines of traditionally cute concepts and finding myself more willing to stan groups that accomplish this. In this recommendations list, I have chosen five singles from C-pop idol groups (or collaborations) that I have enjoyed the most in recent months and five K-pop releases (+ note: only the C-pop recs will strictly be girl groups) that I enjoy while at the same time act as thematic equivalents to the Chinese counterparts. Keep in mind, this list will contain a large portion of SNH48 related groups, simply due to the oversaturation of the current market with groups associated with the supergroup.



#1. SING女团- 'Dive Into The Sky'



SING 女团 is an eight-member Chinese girl group under the management of Kugou Music that debuted in 2017. Interestingly, SING 女团 were sent over to Korea to be trained by RBW - most notably known as being MAMAMOO's agency - for an extended period of time. When thinking of music that defines SING 女团 as a group, retro-sounding disco music would rarely be the first thought, especially considering that SING 女团 is largely known for producing traditional-inspired EDM music. "Dive Into The Sky" was released as a digital single in early 2019 — without the participation of Lai Meiyun, who had begun promotions with Rocket Girls 101 — and is a retro-sounding disco track that will leave you at the edge of your seat wishing that you could party alongside them as they take you along for the ride going about their daily antics. The group lings about letting loose and being the life of the party hoping that the night never ends.

I believe that "Dive Into The Night Sky" was a great change-up for the group, even just as a temporary reprieve, as it went to show that SING 女团 won't just let themselves be confined to a single genre, but are willing to explore different sounds and try their luck at different genres - in this case, disco. The music video for "Dive Into The Sky" is bright and aesthetic to the max where Jiang Shen & Qin Yu, in particular, stand out as the girls go about their mission to never let the good times end by partying anywhere and everywhere.




#2. WJSN- 'Boogie Up'



WJSN's "Boogie Up" is sadly one of the songs that missed out on a feature in July's H+ Summer Playlist, but in my opinion, is the quintessential summer song. During my time as a fan of Rocket Girls, I was often indirectly exposed to WJSN both positively — through users on this forum — and negatively — via stan Twitter narratives such as "can HJSN disband already" — but I never actively sought out music by the group, be it due to disinterest or prejudice, prior to earlier this year. "Boogie Up" shows that even if SISTAR are no longer promoting as a group, Starship has not lost its ability to produce sweet summer songs which has been perfectly showcased through WJSN in this release.

The music video, just like SING 女团's "Dive Into The Sky" is bright and colourful that accentuates the freedom of summer and having all the time in the world as the group sings of being free and living their life to the fullest! Overall, "Boogie Up" is a great summer song that is often looked over in favour of their more conceptual songs like "Save You Save Me" and would be a great addition to anyone's summer playlist!


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#3. SEN7ES - 'Sandglass'



SEN7ES is one of SNH48's earliest and most successful sub-groups. The group consists of seven members, each of whom represents a different sense. They recently made their comeback last month in celebration of their 5th anniversary with the album, "The Shadows". Only five of the seven were able to participate in the release as Akira and Kiki were busy preparing to debut with their respective groups — THE9 & YTSN303. It has also been announced that Dai Meng, Tako & Bee - who are a part of the 1st Generation of SNH48 - are set to graduate from SNH48 in the coming months following the expiration of their contract with STAR48 & the graduation of all 1st gen SNH members. Currently, it is unknown whether SEN7ES will continue as a group contracted under SNH48, as Tako & Chen Lin still have a few years left in SNH48, or whether STAR48 will effectively disband one of their most popular sub-units.

"Sandglass" is the 2nd single from "The Shadows" and by far my favourite of the three that have currently been released to the public — the other two being "U KNOW" & "The Shadows", the latter of which was produced by Dai Meng. The song was both written and produced by Eliwa and is a Middle Eastern-influenced trap-infused track about time slipping through your fingers, just like the sand in the endless desert. This song in particular, greatly utilises the voice of Tako, especially during the repetition of characters, "Enchanting flower trembling in the wind // is so mesmerising, mesmerising, mesmerising, mesmerising, mesmerising // The strong willpower standing in the middle of the land // never quits, quits, quits, quits, quits". The use of her voice in this section is just absolutely mesmerising to listen to. Chen Lin, of course, who is likely one of the least popular members of the group despite having amazing raw talent — and one of the few to have not participated in a survival show — is stunning as always giving her all throughout the performance.

To sum it up, "Sandglass" is a genuinely fantastic song that portrays the traditional sexy concept that has been missing in K-pop following its decline in recent years, and I hope to see more artists come out with this kind of concept in the future.




#4. Brown Eyed Girls - 'Sixth Sense'



Okay, I'm being honest here, but other than the title, "Sixth Sense" has almost nothing in common with "Sandglass". Brown Eyed Girls released "Sixth Sense" back in 2011 (when they actually had regular comebacks), an anthem that talks about never being held down and rising up to the challenge and one of my favourite releases from the group. The music video actually reminded me of one of my favourite films (and comic books), "V For Vendetta", as one of the main themes of the music video is the allusion of a masked man enforcing his will on others and the members breaking out of their metaphorical chains and rising up to defeat the symbol of autocracy. "V For Vendetta" incidentally, just like this song, is about the exact same topic but delves into living under a totalitarian government and one man's mission to end it. One of the qualities that BEG is known for is their vocal prowess as basically every singer of the group has the ability to hold their own as a soloist and "Sixth Sense" is no different in that aspect giving us an absolutely stunning utilisation of the vocalists and the rapper thus proving to be another top tier song from an absolutely amazing group.


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#5. Mo Han & Dai Meng- 'Almost There'


Read the lyrics here (translated by Vanilla Cupcake for Hallyu+)

These next two songs emphasise the sweetness of girl on girl crushes, be it through the lyrics, the video or the overall performance. Mo Han & Dai Meng's "Almost There" is a great example of this. The song is a sweet and upbeat track that tells the story of heart-fluttering first love and unease at approaching the one you have feelings for. As with a lot of SNH48-related releases, there are a number of different releases and rendition of this single. The version released by Mo Han & Dai Meng, which was one of the winning tracks from "SNH48 REQUEST TIME BEST 50 5th Edition" where fans would vote for their favourite 48G single, and was released in 2019 as a part of SNH48's 23rd EP "Our Journey". This version is by far my favourite rendition of the single — other renditions include a solo release by
Li Yitong & the original by GNZ48 — as this version perfectly showcases the nervousness and hesitance that one would have when approaching their crush. The live performance of the song is just as adorable as it perfectly encapsulates all of the cliche moments that are expected during the beginnings of a relationship while at the same time being a heartfelt letter to all those experiencing love for the first time!



#6. Chuu - 'Heart Attack'



When I tell you I know nothing about LOONA, I absolutely mean it. I recently stumbled upon Chuu's 2017 solo, "Heart Attack", and was blown away. Not to the level of stanning them of course, but enough to have had this song on constant repeat for the past two weeks! Following this, I took some time to check out a few other solos from the group — namely Yeojin's "Kiss Later" & Kim Lip's "Eclipse" — but found that they did not leave the same feeling as "Heart Attack". "Heart Attack" is an upbeat confession song where Chuu confesses all of her feeling to Yves - who stars alongside her in the music video and acts in an aloof nature and either doesn't care for the former's feelings or is too sidetracked to notice. Throughout the music video, we see Chuu consistently vying for attention as she goes further and further with her antics only to be brushed aside. The song itself is an upbeat track with an even more adorable music video that will have you wishing for more & more of Chuu and never getting sick of having that loop button on while listening to cuteness personified in the form of Chuu 24/7.


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#7. Rocket Girls - 'Extraordinary Girl'



It wouldn't be a girl group recommendation without at least one Rocket Girls' recommendation and this is no different! "Extraordinary Girl" was released as a B-side to the groups' first (and only) full-length album "立风" — literally, "The Wind" — and was, up until the release of their farewell album, one of my favourite promoted tracks from the group. It is one of their best songs when it comes to line distribution as it relies on a lot of group harmonisation rather than individual vocalisation. This song coincidentally had three different releases. The original Chinese release linked above, an English release, along with a remixed English version, of which the latter two were released in mid-2020 in the lead-up to the group's disbandment. "Extraordinary Girl" is a carefree song that, just like other Rocket Girls' songs, discusses social issues. Throughout the song, they discuss the way that society looks down on you just because you might be slightly different from the rest of the girls in the crowd. Despite that, they want to live their life as they please and will not take anyone's harsh words to heart as they are who they are and others shouldn't argue that fact. The best aspect within "Extraordinary Girl" is the use of the group harmonisation, which, when paired with the flute-like instrument, adds a further dimension to the song. If removed would make the song sound flat and two-dimensional, but, when included in the song, adds to the carefree and airy feel of the song, while the rapping in the bridge does not detract from the song, but creates a natural transition into the final verse of the song.



#8. Oh My Girl - 'Windy Day'



Oh My Girl's "Windy Day", just like "Extraordinary Girl", is a music video that has both a fresh image and has the aesthetics to go with it! The song was released in early 2016 - while JinE was still a member of the group - and is an upbeat airy song with a sitar-dominated chorus that talks about a feeling that knocks them off their feet just like the wind. Throughout the music video, we see a story told about the diverse thought and feelings when one encounters their first love. The music video opens to a soft beat as members seemingly portray deers in the forest relaxing and enjoying themselves. The beat picks up once they leave their figurative cage only to be blown away by the gust, just like on a "Windy Day", from all the new encounters. I found that the song itself is great at portraying mixed emotions through the airy tones of the girls' voices, which is perfect when remembering that the topic of the song is the heart-attack and excitement that comes with first love, but also the feelings of unrest and worry when thinking about opening your heart for the first time and trusting them not to break it in the process. In essence, Windy Day is a perfect autumn song that will leave you wishing that you could open your heart to them like this every single day of the year!


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#9. SING女团- 'Smiling Through The Smokey Rain'


Read the lyrics here (translated by Vanilla Cupcake for Hallyu+)

Okay, so I already mentioned SING 女团 at the beginning of this list, however, I wanted to show SING 女团 when they perform at their best, which is in their traditional pop-infused tracks that gave them an initial boost in popularity and "Smiling Through The Smokey Rain" perfectly encapsulates this aspect. Sadly, there isn't a music video for this but I feel that the dance performance for this song is absolutely stunning in its intricacy. The song is about a love story where the pair meet by happenstance on a cobblestone bridge and are "Smiling Through The Smokey Rain" as they meet for the first time and know that they're the only one they can love. The choreography - rather than using the traditional fans that the group is renown for using - instead uses handkerchiefs in order to portray the weariness of coming across the love of your life at first glance and becoming gentle in the attempt to approach the person. The best aspect by far is the operatic singing technique within the bridge that adds an extra layer while at the same time helps to blend the song into yet another amazing release by a stunning, yet underappreciated, girl group.




#10. VIXX- 'Shangri La'



VIXX released "Shangri-La" in early 2017 as the title track of their 4th mini-album of the same name. Compared to SING 女团's "Smiling Through The Smokey Rain", "Shangri-La" does not have an overarching obvious traditional influence that remains consistent throughout the song as it is more subdued and drawn out due to the added synth effects that are incorporated into the track. Instead, there are certain sections in the song where it is obvious that the group is drawing on traditional elements to incorporate it into the music, such as the use of the Guzheng to separate verses at around 1:17. Traditional aspects have instead been largely incorporated into the music video where the visual aspects enhance the lyrics that are spoken in the song which then correlate into the actions and visuals in the music video. This aspect is best seen at around 1:41 - 1:46, where they sing of peaches and wilted flower petals and the visuals are then portrayed on the screen. Essentially, "Shangri-La" is a stunning piece of art both musically and visually that takes influences from traditional Chinese culture to create an amazing product that does not delve into the territory of appropriation, but is the telling of a story of appreciation.

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I hope that you enjoyed this set of recommendations as much as I did when discovering both old and new favourites that will hopefully give you at least a small insight into what kind of music Chinese idol groups have been producing during the past few years, especially in lieu of the recent debuts of THE9 & BonBon Girls 303, who will most likely change up the female idol landscape yet again.

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PROOFREAD BY: @Dragon of the West
GRAPHICS BY: @yerm

Special thanks to Vanilla Cupcake from H+ translations!
 
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