2012 seems to be THE YEAR to introduce new K-Pop bands, because for once, my K-Pop fan-girl self is starting to lose track of the newest debuting groups. Of course, the larger entertainment companies will already have started a fan-base and hinted to the members (but really, not everyone is SM). Since there are so many groups, I have decided to narrow down the ones that stand out the most. My criteria for a group's credibility are the following:
- SINGING ABILITY (Are they actually singing, or is the background music louder? This is usually obvious, but when it isn't, I look for the "Mr. Removed" YouTube versions.)
- DANCE COMPLEXITY (How hard is the dance, how synchronized are the moves?)
- ENTHUSIASM (Are they performing with the utmost vigor, or is it a lackluster effort?)
- EXPRESSION (Do their facial expressions match the lyrics of the song?)
With this being said, say hello to SPICA, a new girl group found under B2M Entertainment, the same label that is hosting Lee Hyori. Their group means "The brightest star under the Virgo Constellation," and they do seem to be standing out quite distinctly among the fray of new girl debuts. First of all, they are five female members ages 23-25, which may scream "too old" compared to the other new artists, who have been training even in their pre-teen years (think GP Basic and Chocolat). Then you find out that they have a good mix of singing talent/experience on the side, and you add interest by announcing that most of them were supposed to debut with other popular veteran girl groups like T-ara and 2NE1.
It really is a group of talented individuals, but I would have to say the ratio for "amazing" talent and "good talent" is 3:2. Firstly, you have Kim Bo Ah, who's slightly raspy, deeper voice creates emotional background as one of the main vocalists. Being the eldest, she harbored experience as being the vocal coach for Infinite as well as singing cover songs for popular tracks.
Here's Kim Bo Ah singing "Lucky" pre-debut with Sunggyu from Infinite, while L strums the guitar
Pre-Debut covering Brandy's "Right Here"
The other main vocalist is the maknae, Kim Bo Hyung, who was supposed to debut under highly popular group 2NE1. She has a cool, deep tone to her voice that is paired with great control and pitch. Yang Ji Won was supposed to debut under the group name "Five Girls," along with G.NA, Wonder Girls' Yubin, After School's Uee, and Secret's Hyosung. Also, she was supposed to debut with T-ara and had released a track called "Good Person" as an soundtrack for Korean Drama "Cinderella Man." Due to creative differences, Yang Ji Won left before T-ara's debut. Park Narae participated as a contestant in SuperStar K, and Park Joo Hyun also had respective musical experience prior to debut.
Thus far, Spica debuted in January 10, 2012 with the song, "Potently," sparking much interest as it featured their famous labelmate Lee Hyori. Then, a formal debut was issued and a mini-album was released called "Russian Roulette." The same name was given to their title song, "Russian Roulette," a catchy, sophisticated song with a slight 80's vibe. It says a lot about their edgier, funky music style that "Russian Roulette" wasn't named "Bang Bang," which is actually a part of the chorus.
The song that shows off their individual talents the most so far has to be their latest track, "Painkiller," which has a very cool, angsty R&B vibe to it. You hear the main vocalists belting out their parts of the song, and the live version sounds almost as good as the audio track. My main qualms are the music video and stage outfits. They're so blinged out and street that they look like they should be performing Big Bang's female version of "Bad Boy." Also, though the choreography lacked difficulty, I would've traded a true vocal performance over a dancing one any day. Besides, they wouldn't have been able to fully sing if their choreography required too much energy. That didn't mean I didn't like specific parts of the dance, like the lean-back and snap movements, the cool body roll with the behind the head snap, or the sassy body swings. Already, Spica is starting to be known as a vocally talented group, as all five members are strong singers and can actually harmonize. Check it out yourself, here's one of their best performances:
More extensive member profiles can be viewed here:
http://sumandu.wordpress.com/kpop-profiles/girl-groups/spica-the-brightest-stars-profile/
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