The Top 20 KPop Girl Group Comebacks of All Time
So, first and foremost I would like to apologize for abandoning my blog for the past 2 years. I had some falling outs with certain members of the music industry, had a stint in the hospital for severe medical reasons on and off for about 6 months of 2018, and was trying to rebuild my YouTube channel’s reputation as I shifted gears from covering wrestling to covering music, video games, anime and manga.
Needless to say I’ve kept busy. Anyways, this list was very hard to narrow down to 20 and as stated in the video that was made as a side by side to go with this article, these are in no particular order. Also, out of fairness and to be a impartial journalist, I limited myself to one comeback per group!
Below is the Companion Video, Anyways, Let’s get started! :
MILK — Crystal:
Let’s start with an old school Kpop group from the very early 2000s. SM Entertainment had an amazing group on their hands in the early 2000s, it’s too bad they didn’t promote them better. This song, has some very smooth vocals and the instrumental is near perfect. It definitely reflects the style of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, that was very popular at the time. I adore this song quite a bit as it was one of my first Kpop songs, (thanks Yahoo Music, you were good to me) when I was exploring online in elementary school. It was deemed controversial at one time for supposedly supporting Wiccan religious beliefs, which is a big no no in South Korea, who happens to be a predominantly Christian county.
I didn’t know that growing up but now knowing that, I love it a little bit more considering I’m a Wicca. Shout out to Seo Hyun-jin for continuing her career even after the group fell apart.
Apink — I’m So Sick
This group is really underrated and it makes me freaking sad. I feel like they should be the Wonder Girls to Blackpink’s Girls Generation but unfortunately this group comes from a smaller company. Their songs are still phenomenal and this comeback in particular pulls at your heartstrings, detailing a rough relationship where you just get tired of the turmoil, and all of the ups and downs. The music video fits the theme fantastically and although it doesn’t alude to the song fully, the members' acting in the video displays their disgust and overall discontent with their on and off again lover’s drunk dialing and emotional abuse.
EXID — Lie
This song is just so catchy and again explores the subject of an abusive relationship which Korea seems to not like women to do in their culture. Which makes this song and video about a partner’s infidelity and how her boyfriend ghostlights her consistently, to make himself the victim. I love songs like these and these concepts because it teaches young fans that these relationships aren’t healthy and that it is never your fault.
Stellar — Vibrato
I’m gay, like totally pansexual and I really love women, so why do you think I love this comeback?
No, in all seriousness this song has such a insane instrumental and the video is extremely sexy and provocative. This group was there back when Hyuna was just starting to push boundaries, the group hit the fuck it button so much it broke and completely got banned from MNet and almost every other Korean music channel, only played this video and their past ones, late at night. They push buttons when it was considered very dangerous to do such, and a lot of people were starting to try to. They not only succeeded in such but made the public give the media backlash for shaming them. This was not their first risky move but was one of their most risque ones. I have a large amount of respect for them for that.
Laysha — Chocolate Cream
Here we are with another underground KPop girl group that really should be competitive at the top of the charts (there’s room for more than a couple groups at the top of the tiers, you know, Korea).
This song has a fantastic saxophone and horn riff for the chorus and overall is extremely catchy. The video is very sexy and has at this time 12 million views on YouTube. The video has such great production values from such a small company, it’s a shame their comeback here doesn’t have more views and that they aren’t big enough to have a MNet Comeback Stage.
Twice — Fancy
Umm… .. It’s motherfucking Twice, and they finally have a girl crush-esque concept. I am not explaining this one further sorry.
Wonder Girls — Like Money
This FIRST ever time a Kpop group was truly promoted to try to cross over to the US and other markets. Yet, everyone slept on this song that was completely in English and the fact that all the members retrained themselves to sing in English and speak English for this crossover to the global market.
This song has some heavy use of auto tune but they Wonder Girls don’t ever need it and never have, but with the futuristic theme it fits very well. I love the extremely advanced fxs and outfits for 2009 Kpop. This video started picking up steam again on YouTube this year and is now at 13 million views. I hope maybe kpop fans will revitalize this song and get it on the charts like it should’ve been in the original release timeframe.
SES — Love
My first ever girl group from kpop that I stumbled on was SES and this song right here. I still have a strong love for it and wish SM entertainment would upload a higher quality version of the video on their YouTube channel. It still would fit in with today’s kpop as a ballad with no issues.
Sistar — Give It To Me.
This song still stands as one of the best comebacks. This song took over Tumblr when it was released and there were so many fan made cover arts for people to use in their iTunes, as the original cover art was atrocious and unfitting for many of our tastes. I think this song is one of the songs if you are a Kpop fan, you have to know of or at least give a shot as it is such a huge part of kpop history. Starship is the house Sistar built.
Everglow — Dun Dun
Umm… WTF happened to Everglow and Stone Music? They just kinda came out the woodwork and were like “Hey, yea Stone Music is still a thing and we are about to steal Blackpink’s spot, since YG is abandoning them.” I’ve been itching for some new Girl Crush ish and Everglow, Dreamcatcher, ITZY and the other groups like Twice and Red Velvet are slowly making it to where we truly have an interesting space with lots of female groups and competition. I love it. This song’s video is so fucking epic and the dance is insane. This group reminds me a lot of Four Minute and/or 2NE1 and I’m all for it.
ITZY — Icy
JYP, between TWICE and ITZY, y’all really like capitalizing your groups names. Now with Twice, grammar rules will let me uncapitalize the word but with this group I’m stuck.
Anyways, this group has a very bad ass image, which I love a lot. They are very girl next door looking but have a girl crush attitude that could eat you alive. I would totally be okay with them bossing me around. This is their first comeback and I already have a lot of faith in them and see a bright future for the group.
Jewelry — One More Time
They are the group that SME messed up really bad promotion wise in the early 2000s. Please listen to all of their music as you get into Kpop as they influenced a lot of groups as one of the first generation Kpop groups but never get credited.
Dreamcatcher — Scream
I had originally chosen another one of their songs but then this song came out as their first comeback for their upcoming new album. After that, I just dropped all prior plans for any other song of theirs to be placed on this list because this comeback just slams down all their others.
Now if you don’t know who these girls are I highly recommend their music. They are a horror core Kpop girl group. Yes, a HORROR CORE KPop girl group!
This is like all my dreams come true when it comes to music. Please give them a listen. Their concepts are eerie and creepy but also sexy at the same time. At first you might be confused but their concepts are so intriguing and creative. This song has such a good build to the bridges and the chorus is very powerful, in your face and vocally pleasing. The opera in the chorus and raspy vocals mixed together provides a unique rock sound with a very dance worthy instrumental.
Girl’s Day — Female President
Another GG from another smaller independent music company. God, my palette of music would make you think I have no hobbies. I adore this song’s title and the overall feel of the song’s instrumental, the chorus is infectious and the video just is the cherry on top. The visuals and overall immense amount of high notes the ladies nail with ease, makes this comeback for easy listening and a fantastic female empowerment anthem.
F(X) — Four Walls
Now, I am going to start off by saying, #RIPSulli, your beautiful life was ended far too soon and you deserved much better than to be bullied to death on Twitter for simply dating someone.
This song was a huge departure from their fast paced heavy EDM influenced tracks that fans are used to, but I am extremely okay with it. The heavy EDM as replaced with an crazy creepy beat and an Alice and Wonderland theme. This song had loads alludes to Sulli’s situation at that time. It is haunting how quickly they were shoved in the studio after Sulli chose to leave due to the bullying she was suffering before she took her own life not too long after. This song is such a strong and gorgeous song with a fantastic house grove. It is a masterpiece.
2NE1 — I Am The Best
You knew this had to be on this list. I almost added their final song “Goodbye”, but it was a goodbye song not a comeback and one they recorded with disdain as they did not want to be disbanded. So, out of respect for this group I haven’t included it despite it being a beautifully crafted song by the group.
This is probably their most known song, which is why I tried to find something else for their spot but this song is rightfully so their most famous song. It isn’t popular because they sold out to trends, it just ended up becoming popular. I honestly love the song and the video is just, fucking woah. Honestly, the damn thing opens with CL holding a replica of the WWE Championship of hers, and looking like a badass fighter. That is sick! Everyone’s raps and vocals in the song were on point and it was mixed very well in the final production stages so the beat doesn’t overpower their voices like on some of their past songs.
CLC — Hobgoblin
This song brought this group out of a cutesy but meh and overdone, cheerleader sporty concept that they were saddled with at debut, to attempt to compete with Twice. News flash, that didn’t work! What did work was letting Hyuna (a then fellow Cube Entertainment artist and one of the holy trinity of female Kpop solo artists), write/produce a song for them and direct the music video. They blew up with this direction from a legend not only in Kpop but music in general. Cube made a big mistake dropping Hyuna for becoming committed in a relationship, as it in turn ruined their most promising girl group’s future, right after 4 Minute’s separation. They literally digged their own grave and are now making CLC suffer for the company’s mistakes. This song launched a very talented group into the genre of KPop they should have been in to begin with. It is such a fantastically built song, with brilliant bars, vocals, bridges and a chorus that could put the top english speaking female rappers to the test. It’s a shame they are now in limbo, maybe Psy has some room over at PNation for CLC when their contract with Cube expires in a couple years….
Blackpink — DDu Du DDu Du
I almost chose Playing with Fire….or As if It’s Your Last.
But the only ones that made some sense were this and Kill this Love, as the other two weren’t really successful in comparison to this. I don’t really care for Kill this Love as much as this one as it feels like a rehashed instrumental and song, though it is catchy, and this is the original version.
If you listen to Kpop and don’t at least know of this song’s existence, you have been living under a rock, please listen to the song. I know it is overrated but it is good. I hope they release something like Playing with Fire or As if, and that it becomes just as successful but until then. This has a spot on my list.
4 Minute — Crazy
Gosh, now onto more Hyuna. Actually, we are going on to the second of many groups she was a part of in her career, before going permanently solo 2 years ago.
4 Minute is where Hyuna ended up the lead vocalist after leaving the previously mentioned Wonder Girls in 2007 to fight a life threatening disease, and making the comeback of a lifetime. The group is consistent of some of the best vocalists in KPop, they adapt to any sound you put in front of them so easily and have no issues jumping from genre to genre within a couple tracks all within the same album. They had many comebacks that were great and were the main Kpop inspiration for me to get involved in music even more. They were rebellious and fierce, they didn’t care what the public said about them or called them because at the end of the day they had to label them among the best of their genre.
I chose this song because it was one of the last we heard from 4 Minute and is such an empowering and infectious song with insane bars and a intense music video, that puts many professional dancers and male legendary artists of Kpop to shame with ease.
Girl’s Generation — Run Devil Run
Remember when Kesha wrote a Kpop song????? This was one of the demos she recorded when she was very young and before she signed with Dr. Luke who would have a negative impact on her career and personal life, after she spoke out about who he is behind the scenes. Thankfully, due to when this song was recorded as a demo, she had the right to sell the song to anyone she wanted. She chose, the legendary and most well know Kpop group of all time, Girl’s Generation. Boy am I glad she did, the girls of this massive group, rewrote some of the lyrics and then recorded it. The production is fantastic and the video is a huge punch to the gut of anyone who says that Kpop is a joke and not that important. This song and “I Got A Boy” cemented the legacy of this group like no one else.
What did you think? What are your top 20?
