The Follow-up - T-ARA

Image credit: Soompi

 After I had spazzed over SNSD for quite a bit, I began to take note of other K-Pop acts that were active during the time period. Hyomin did a fantastic job on Invincible Youth, because that was what eventually lead me to stan the powerhouse group known as T-ARA (티아라).

I entered the fandom during the Lovey Dovey era. It was a fun, catchy song, and I'm kind of a sucker for solid EDM beats. 😜 Then I discovered the masterpiece that was Roly-Poly...

 Just when you thought a song couldn't get any more addictive, they had put out a retro disco track! T-ARA did the kpop retro wave before it was cool (see Dynamite, et al.). 

 The Cry Cry comeback coincided with SNSD's The Boys, and since I was a hardcore SONE back then, I kinda backed off from the group because I found them to be a threat. Real mature.. 😅

Eventually, I was able to outgrow my apprehensions and dive into the fandom (thanks to Roly Poly, and its' second incarnation, Roly Poly in Copacabana)

There's just something about those karate chops 😜

As I sifted through the different performances and MVs that fansites usually have, I came across their debut stage with "Lies".

Just to be clear, this is NOT the debut stage, but the MV

The debut stage was... how do I put this nicely?.. Lacking.. Vocals were a little weak (even Soyeon), choreo was not in sync, and the costumes were atrocious to be honest.. People are hating on GFRIEND for having cheap-looking costumes early on, but at least they were neat and pretty. T-ARA's debut costumes made me pity them..

 

I didn't like Bo Peep at all, despite the fact that it as the song that got people talking about them. I just wasn't comfortable with the seemingly feline fetish concept. 😕

 

I wont be mentioning all the songs here anymore, since they have had quite an extensive discography. Let's just focus on those that I recall easily.

 

Kpop girls fighting with swords!

One of the most memorable chracteristics of T-ARA for me was the fact that they did movie-type MVs for a while, and that these videos are sometimes interconnected (see Lovey Dovey + Day by Day). 

Everything seemed to go well for a while, then they started adding members. Ahreum was a welcome addition (that girl be crazy talented with her vocal power!), but I draw the line at adding Dani. In a totally WTF move, CCM decided to cast a 12 year old Korean-American kid as a reserve member of T-ARA. Then the shit hit the fan.

The T-ARA bullying scandal totally decimated them, resulting in them lying low and putting out some weird ass concepts like that T-ARA N4 thing, The seventh member was a total snake, and I'm glad T-ARA was eventually vindicated in the end prior to going their separate ways. I just wish they never got the hate that they never deserved. They could have dominated and stood toe-to-toe with SNSD, but that was not to be.. The bullying scandal ruined them, and they were never the same again..

Sexy Love was the first comeback after the scandal broke and the snake was removed. It was a bop, and you gotta give props to the girls for soldiering on in spite of everything, but public opinion had already turned against them, especially since the management barely lifted a finger to protect the group.

I was really happy when Number 9 came out. It was like they were cautiously trying the waters to see if the public would still respond favorably to them While they never achieved the same levels that they had before, a whole lotta love was going their way. In fact, things got better with the next release..

I get chills when I imagine what things could have been had they come out with Sugar Free if they didn't get into the scandal. This was definitely a runaway hit! Unfortunately it didn't win number 1 at the music shows, since the backlash against them was still alive and well..

A few years later, the employees at MBK entertainment finally couldn't stand it anymore and exposed the snake and her equally snakey twin for what they really were, effectively clearing the name of the girls, but it was too little too late. OT6 was whittled down to 4 after Boram and Soyeon's contracts expired, but at least they were able to have one final hurrah, as What's My Name bagged them their first music show win in 5 years, and then they finally went their separate ways.. 😕

I find it irritating that MBK desperately tried to snatch the name T-ARA by copyright, but I'm glad the courts ruled in the girls' favor.. Listening to their extensive discography is always kind of a roller coaster ride for me. There are the fun disco parts, but there is also the deeply emotional part that I will forever associate with their last ever release as a group.. Will they ever get back together for an OT6 reunion project 5 years down the line? We can only hope and pray..

- B. Oppa