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[FEATURE] Co-ed Rookie Group KARD Is Bringing Something Special to K-pop

A typical K-pop group usually consists of several youngsters, either all male or female. DSP Media’s rising co-ed group KARD seeks to buck that trend as they officially made their debut on 19th of July with ‘Hola Hola’!

The group is composed of four members – J.seph, B.M, Somin and Jiwoo. Prior to their debut, they have already garnered a massive international fanbase with the release of not one, or two, but a whopping three pre-debut tracks – ‘Oh NaNa’, ‘Don’t Recall’, and ‘Rumor’.

If you have yet to check them out, here are three reasons why you should!

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THE UNIQUE CO-ED FACTOR
The bold move for a co-ed concept has seemingly paid off dividends with the group’s taste of success prior to their debut. Despite their recognition as a co-ed group, B.M revealed that the hybrid concept was initially not the plan for him and J.seph, because they were meant to debut as a hip-hop duo. Looking back, he felt like it was a great blessing because Somin and Jiwoo have made up for his and B.M’s weaknesses and because of that, they are now able to appeal to fans in a way that only a co-ed group can.

K-pop is known for its cut-throat competitiveness and with a generational shift in its midst, it’s never been more important for new acts to actively bring something new to the table. To this, KARD has appeared like a new musical oracle far beyond its native land with a distinguished factor of its own, being an active co-ed group in the Korean music scene.

 


A DISTINCT FLAVOUR TO THEIR MUSIC
While most people would presumably attribute KARD’s immense popularity based only on their co-ed factor, the group doesn’t necessarily share the same sentiments – and so do we. Rather, it stems from the unique sound and music they have branded themselves with, that is synonymous with the growing success they’ve attained in the K-pop community, both internationally and locally.

KARD has also mentioned that their music genre which relatively falls between electropop and synth-pop is popular amongst international fans and that they would be even more popular with additional promotion.

Just by listening to their pre-debut tracks, it’s already clear what kind of identity they’re trying to imbue themselves with in the industry. To say that their songs are addictive and catchy is a painful understatement. While some people may think that their songs sound too similar with one another, it can be a good thing that they are already familiar with the unique flavour they’ve embedded into their own music. Their songs possess a fine musical balance of reggaetón instrumentals coalesced perfectly together with the dynamic vocals of the members to give listeners the best of both worlds. The fresh and unfamiliar reggae groove choreography was also highlighted as their ‘biggest weapon’ is yet another welcoming addition to their list of outstanding facets.

 

A MASSIVE INTERNATIONAL FANBASE EVEN BEFORE DEBUTING
Unlike most groups, KARD has forgone some of the more traditional promotional methods and has opted instead to promote themselves with their own YouTube channel. Despite this, their first pre-debut track ‘Oh NaNa’ has garnered well over a stunning 20 million views and KARD’s channel has over 1 million subscribers in the span of only seven months! They followed up with ‘Don’t Recall’ which has surpassed the numbers with a staggering 28 million views, and ‘Rumor’ at an impressive 12 million views.

Still need more convincing? Then take their first tour in America for an example. What? A tour? In America? Even before their official debut? Yes, they did that! KARD’s tour has been receiving an overwhelming amount of positive response even adding extra stops to it! Not only that, they are heading to Europe as well, expanding their reach internationally as much as possible. It is definitely an amazing accomplishment for a rookie group and it’s clearly quite evident KARD is offering something special to K-pop as they prepare fans for an exciting ride.

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In an industry where everyone is moving at a fast speed embarking on a full-blown race to the top, KARD definitely stood out in their own way. While the group has taken the right steps in introducing themselves to the K-pop field, it remains to be seen how they will progressively grow over the years in making music that will continue to stay relevant to the public’s taste without forgoing their multifaceted musical identity. Till then, we look forward to more interesting releases from KARD! 🙂

 

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