KARA - Step

Biography

KARA (카라) was a South Korean pop girl group formed by DSP Media in 2007, and disbanded in 2016. It was composed of: Gyuri, Hara, Jiyoung, Seungyeon, Nicole, Sunghee, and Youngji.

The group name comes from the Greek word χαρά (chara), meaning “joy,” which the group members interpreted as “sweet melody”.

KARA’s fandom name was Kamilia, combining “KARA” and “familia” (meaning family), which symbolized that the group’s fans were their families.

At the time of debut, the group was a quartet and consisted only of Gyuri, Seungyeon, Sunghee, and Nicole. Due to being sucessors of Fin.K.L, the group had high expectations. However, it was deemed a commercial flop despite their mature R&B sound, which was similar in regards to their senior sister group.

After one year, member Sunghee left due to parental pressure and a focus on her education, and two new members—Hara and Jiyoung—were added to the lineup.

Despite initial failure at debut, the group began achieving sucess in 2009, with the song “Honey,” earning them a top spot on South Korea’s Gaon charts, as well as their first win on Inkigayo’s M!Countdown and Mnet Music Award 2009 in the Best Dance category.

In 2010, the group debuted in Japan, with a Japanese version of the track “Mister.” The release would pay off for the group, gaining them popularity in the country.

Four years later, Nicole and Jiyoung announced their departures from the group, deciding not to renew their contracts with the company. This left the group as a trio, with Gyuri, Seungyeon, and Hara carrying the group. Later, in may of 2014, the group announced a reality show which would look for a replacement member for the group. The show, which was titled KARA Project, crowned Youngji the winner. With her addition, the group was once again a quartet.

KARA later released the EP Day & Night, the first to feature new member, which featured the title track “맘마미아 (Mamma Mia).”

Unfortunately, the company announced the group’s disbandment on January 15, 2016, due to the decision of all members deciding not to renew their contracts with DSP Media. While they were active, KARA released nine studio albums, eight compilation albums, seven extended plays, and 27 singles in both their native country of South Korea, as well as in Japan.