KARA (Sweet Melody) Profile
Kara (Hangul: 카라, Japanese: カラ, often stylized as KARA) is a popular South Korean girl group signed with DSP Media (DSP). The band name Kara comes from the Greek Word "chara" (χαρά, lit. "joy"), which the group interpreted to mean "sweet melody".[1]
Kara originally started as a four member group and made their debut with "Break It" while displaying a strong female image and a mature R&B sound. Expectations for the group to be as big as their senior labelmates, Fin.K.L, were extremely high and the members were promoted as successors to them. They released their first album titled The First Blooming in 2007. However, their debut was not well received by the public, and the album was a commercial failure.
In 2008, Kim Sunghee departed the group due to parental pressure, and two new members were brought in; as such, the group currently consists of five members: Park Gyuri, Han Seungyeon, Jung Nicole, Goo Hara,[2] and Kang Jiyoung. The addition of the two new members also faced a change in the group's original image to a "pretty but natural" appeal. The five-member band eventually went on to achieve their first number one song with "Honey".[3]
The group eventually made their debut in Japan in 2010. By the end of that year, Kara was dubbed as Japan's #1 Rookie Artist of 2010 by Oricon and also received the New Artist Of The Year Award (International) from the Japan Gold Disc Awards. In April 2011, the group achieved their first #1 single with "Jet Coaster Love", making them the first foreign female group since the creation of the Oricon (43 years ago) to rank #1 in the 1st week of release and the first foreign female group in 30 years to rank #1 in the charts all together. They also hold the title as the first Korean girl group to top the Oricon Weekly Single Chart.
Kara originally started as a four member group and made their debut with "Break It" while displaying a strong female image and a mature R&B sound. Expectations for the group to be as big as their senior labelmates, Fin.K.L, were extremely high and the members were promoted as successors to them. They released their first album titled The First Blooming in 2007. However, their debut was not well received by the public, and the album was a commercial failure.
In 2008, Kim Sunghee departed the group due to parental pressure, and two new members were brought in; as such, the group currently consists of five members: Park Gyuri, Han Seungyeon, Jung Nicole, Goo Hara,[2] and Kang Jiyoung. The addition of the two new members also faced a change in the group's original image to a "pretty but natural" appeal. The five-member band eventually went on to achieve their first number one song with "Honey".[3]
The group eventually made their debut in Japan in 2010. By the end of that year, Kara was dubbed as Japan's #1 Rookie Artist of 2010 by Oricon and also received the New Artist Of The Year Award (International) from the Japan Gold Disc Awards. In April 2011, the group achieved their first #1 single with "Jet Coaster Love", making them the first foreign female group since the creation of the Oricon (43 years ago) to rank #1 in the 1st week of release and the first foreign female group in 30 years to rank #1 in the charts all together. They also hold the title as the first Korean girl group to top the Oricon Weekly Single Chart.
~ Member Profile ~
Birth Name: Park Gyu Ri
Stage Name: Gyuri
Birthday: May 21, 1988
Position: Leader, Lead Vocalist, Sub-Rapper
Height: 160 cm
Twitter: http://twitter.com/gyuri88
Birth Name: Han Seung Yeon
Stage Name: Seungyeon
Birthday: July 24, 1988
Position: Main Vocalist
Twitter: http://twitter.com/fateflysy
Birth Name: Kang Ji Young
Stage Name: Jiyoung
Birthday: January 18, 1994
Position: Vocalist & Maknae
Height: 168 cm
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kkangjii
Birth Name: Jung Yong Joo
Stage Name: Nicole
Birthday: October 7, 1991
Position: Main Rapper, Main Dancer, Vocalist
Twitter: http://twitter.com/_911007
Birth Name: Goo Ha Ra
Stage Name: Hara
Birthday: January 13, 1991
Position: Lead Dancer, Vocalist, Face of The Group
Height: 163 cm
Twitter: http://twitter.com/_sweethara
* FORMER MEMBER *
Birth Name: Kim Sung Hee
Stage Name: Sunghee
Position: Lead Vocalist
Birthday: May 17, 1989
Reason for Leaving: Wanted to focus on school, as it was a promise to her parents
Facts: Has married to Yang Won Joon in May 2011
Discography
Korean Discography
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Japanese discography
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Tours
- 1st Asia Tour: Karasia (2012)
Achievements
Kara managed to top the list of Gallup Korea in 2009 and 2010 at #6 and #5 respectively, thus making them the second best girl group in Korea for 2010. In February 2012, in celebration of Forbes Korea's 9th year of establishment, Forbes Korea has reported this year’s list of the top 40 ‘Power Celebrities'. Kara made it in the list and ranked at #4, thus making them as the second most powerful girl group and the third most powerful female celebrity. ‘Celebrity’ refers to an individual who is widely known by the masses, and Forbes takes 100 of these celebrities and ranks them based on income, influence, fame, and professionalism. The format is the same that Forbes in the United States uses for their ‘Celebrity 100′ list, and the list is reported on an annual basis.[103]Awards
| Years | Awards |
|---|---|
| 2007 |
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| 2009 |
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| 2010 |
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| 2011 |
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| 2012 |
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