KARA

Founded in 2007, Kara is a South Korean idol group formed in Seoul under the direction of the agency DSP Media, initially consisting of singers Seungyeon, Nicole, Sung-Hee and Gyuri - who personally chose the stage name Kara, which means "joy" in Greek. Their debut album, The First Blooooming (later retitled as Blooming), was recorded in 2007, reaching number 2 on the South Korean charts. The following year, Sung-Hee withdrew due to parental pressure and Kara welcomed two new members: Goo Hara (known as Hara) and Kang Jiyoung, recording EP, Rock U in 2008. The following year, Kara released their second studio album Revolution (2009) and EP Lupin, obtaining their first number one with its title track in 2010, paving the way for a series of hits including “Jumping” (2010), “Step” (2011) and “Pandora” (2012). During this time, the group broke into the Japanese market, recording chart-topping Japanese language albums Girl's Talk (2010) Super Girl (2012), Girls Forever (2012) and Fantastic Girls (2013), which earned them several Japan Gold Disc Awards. Attracting parallel success in their own country, albums Step (2011) and Full Bloom (2013) also reached the top of the Circle charts in South Korea, however after several successful tours, the group disbanded in 2016 to concentrate on their respective solo careers, with strong speculation that they would re-form in the future. Shortly after, however, group member Hara took her own life in November, 2019, and as predicted, the remaining members reunited in 2022, releasing Move Again to commemorate their 15th anniversary, performing for the first time at the 2022 MAMA Awards. The album's title track reached number 5 on the Circle Charts.