Fanboy & Fangirl's 2010 Rookie Roundup
1:03 AM
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CN Blue,
Co-Ed,
Dalmatian,
F.cuz,
G.NA,
Infinite,
Miss A,
rookie,
SISTAR,
ZE:A
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6
comments
With the increased popularity of K-pop worldwide, demand for Korean pop idols has risen too. Thus we have new K-pop groups have been debuting by the dozen. Here are our thoughts on many of the rookies groups that debuted in 2010, in order of debut date:
CN Blue
Boy Band - F&C Music
Members: YongHwa, JungShin, JongHyun, and MinHyuk
Debut Song: I'm a Loner
Fanboy: I like it when these boys are featured with other artists. Such as their duet with SNSD for the Kelly Clarkson cover "My Life Would Suck Without You" or at last year's Gayo Daejuns with FT Island, Onew, Luna, Junsu, and IU. It's a shame that rock bands aren't as prevalent in the K-Pop world.
Fangirl: I was so psyched when CN Blue exploded on to the scene in January 2009. A cute Korean rock group? Sign me up! But I have to admit my enthusiasm has cooled in the last year. I suppose in order to succeed in Korea, rock groups have to be more pop than rock (ex. The Trax) but that kind of music just doesn't interest me as much.
F.Cuz
Boy Group - CAN&J Entertainment
Members: Kan, YeJoon, Lee-U, and JinOn
Debut Song: Jiggy
Fanboy: I feel bad for this band. They're sort of known as the failure group in K-Pop. At least they're still around and really trying their best to succeed. Sad that the recent car accident set them back again. However, I feel that they need to put out better material. "Midnight Sun" was decent, but can also be considered sort of generic.
Fangirl: I didn't like "Jiggy" much, but their third promoted song "Midnight Sun" is appealing and pretty catchy. But unless this band manages to hit it off in their next promotional cycle, I'm not seeing a bright future here.
Children of Empire (ZE:A)
Boy Group - Star Empire Entertainment
Members: HyungShik, JunYoung, Kevin, KwangHee, MinWoo, ShiWan, HeeChul, TaeHun, and DongJoon
Debut Song: Mazeltov
Fanboy: I respect these guys' dancing ability, because I'm always a sucker for great choreography. As for their music, umm... not my taste. "Mazeltov" just didn't impress me. I can't get past the English. Sadly, I also think there are too many members in this group. It would take me a while to learn who's who.
Fangirl: It's hard for me to take this group seriously when they have such absurdly bad English in their songs like they have in Mazeltov. But I decided everyone deserves a second chance, so I gave "All Day" a listen, and thought "Yeah... I could get into this."
SISTAR
Girl Group - Starship Entertainment
Members: SoYu, HyoLin, DaSom, BoRa
Debut Song: Push Push
Fanboy: I first heard of these girls when Jo Kwon danced to "Push Push". "Push Push" is ok to me, but "How Dare You" is once again not my taste. I'm not a total fan of that "cute" image.
Fangirl: I've heard good things about SISTAR, but I've never properly checked them out until now. My conclusion? Good, but not amazing. "Shady Girl" is charming and "How Dare You" is catchy enough, but I'm hardly signing up for their fanclub.
Infinite
Boy Group - Woolim Entertainment
Members: L, SungJong, WooHyun, SungGyu, SeungYeol, Hoya, and DongWoo
Debut Song: Come Back Again
Fanboy: This group is easily my favorite rookie group out right now. They are, unfortunately, so underrated. But luckily, they're starting to pick up some steam. They deserve more attention. Why? Have you seen them wipe the floor with Teen Top on the dance battle against them? Or how about their Star Dance Battle this year with Justin Bieber's "Baby" and Far East Movement's "Like a G6"? Yeah, see what I'm talking about?
Fangirl: I frequently call this group "the most in sync boy band EVA!" for their incredibly synchronized dancing. "Come Back Again" was one of my favorite songs of 2010, but I was unimpressed with their live performance of the song. All the difficult vocal parts had been pre-recorded. Still, I'm keeping an eye on these guys. They've got something.
Miss A
Girl Group - JYP Entertainment
Members: Fei, Jia, Min, and Suzy
Debut Song: Bad Girl, Good Girl
Fanboy: Once again, I first learned of these girls from Jo Kwon when he and 2AM covered it at the Star Dance Battle last year. He really introduces me to these girl groups. :) Sadly, I found their cover to be much more appealing, because it was so hilarious. As for miss A, the group is decent, but girl groups these days just don't impress me as much as the male counterparts.
Fangirl: It's hard to believe this group has been around for under a year. They're just everywhere! I guess this shows how much it helps to have a powerful management company. I recognize the girls' talent, and the choreography for "Breathe" was refreshing, but I'm not exactly a fan.
G.NA
Girl (Solo) - Cube Entertainment
Real name: Gina Choi
Debut Song: Things I Want to Do When I Have a Lover (with Rain)
Fanboy: I found the Rain duet to be forgettable. Shame, because it's Rain! However, "I'll Back Off So You Can Live Better" is a fantastic song. It's one of my favorite songs from 2010. If she released an English version here in America, it would be a hit. Sadly, I didn't care for her recent "Black and White" song. Do I need to repeat that I don't go for that "cute" image?
Fangirl: One of the most promising debuts of 2010. G.NA is beautiful, talented and personable, and I only see her popularity growing in the future. Like Fanboy, I don't quite go for the cuteness of "Black and White" but "꺼져 줄게 잘 살아" was great.
Dalmatian
Boy Group - IS Entertainment
Members: Inati, Dari, Day Day, Jisu, YoungWon, and Daniel
Debut Song: Round 1
Fanboy: I don't have a whole lot to say about this group. They don't particularly "wow" me, but I found their two recent singles to be appealing.
Fangirl: Dalmatian's debut in 2010 completely passed me by, but since their mini album came out last month, they have been flying up my favorite list at an exponential rate. Each member is talented and they sound great live (Daniel's voice is to die for). If The Man Opposed perks your interest like it did mine, I recommend Dalmatian's live performance of Officially Missing You, which they remixed themselves.
Co-Ed
Mix Group - Core Contents Media
Members: SooMi, ChanMi, HyoYoung, HyeWon, Noori, KwangHaeng, YooSung, TaeWoon, SungMin, and KangHo
Debut Song: Too Late
Fanboy: Hmm... I like the idea of a mixed-gendered group. It's something refreshing. However, the execution of this group's stages is not what I envisioned. I would prefer that they take a different approach. I liked their music video for "Bbiribbom Bberibbom". That was sort of what I had in mind. Too bad their performances don't encompass that. The stages make me think of "Grease" or some kind of musical. Sigh.
Fangirl: I have no particular love for this group (I think the concept is way too gimmicky and many of the members aren't very talented), but I find their music constantly stuck in my head - especially Bbiribbom Bberibbom.
Boy Band - F&C Music
Members: YongHwa, JungShin, JongHyun, and MinHyuk
Debut Song: I'm a Loner
Fanboy: I like it when these boys are featured with other artists. Such as their duet with SNSD for the Kelly Clarkson cover "My Life Would Suck Without You" or at last year's Gayo Daejuns with FT Island, Onew, Luna, Junsu, and IU. It's a shame that rock bands aren't as prevalent in the K-Pop world.
Fangirl: I was so psyched when CN Blue exploded on to the scene in January 2009. A cute Korean rock group? Sign me up! But I have to admit my enthusiasm has cooled in the last year. I suppose in order to succeed in Korea, rock groups have to be more pop than rock (ex. The Trax) but that kind of music just doesn't interest me as much.
Boy Group - CAN&J Entertainment
Members: Kan, YeJoon, Lee-U, and JinOn
Debut Song: Jiggy
Fanboy: I feel bad for this band. They're sort of known as the failure group in K-Pop. At least they're still around and really trying their best to succeed. Sad that the recent car accident set them back again. However, I feel that they need to put out better material. "Midnight Sun" was decent, but can also be considered sort of generic.
Fangirl: I didn't like "Jiggy" much, but their third promoted song "Midnight Sun" is appealing and pretty catchy. But unless this band manages to hit it off in their next promotional cycle, I'm not seeing a bright future here.
Boy Group - Star Empire Entertainment
Members: HyungShik, JunYoung, Kevin, KwangHee, MinWoo, ShiWan, HeeChul, TaeHun, and DongJoon
Debut Song: Mazeltov
Fanboy: I respect these guys' dancing ability, because I'm always a sucker for great choreography. As for their music, umm... not my taste. "Mazeltov" just didn't impress me. I can't get past the English. Sadly, I also think there are too many members in this group. It would take me a while to learn who's who.
Fangirl: It's hard for me to take this group seriously when they have such absurdly bad English in their songs like they have in Mazeltov. But I decided everyone deserves a second chance, so I gave "All Day" a listen, and thought "Yeah... I could get into this."
Girl Group - Starship Entertainment
Members: SoYu, HyoLin, DaSom, BoRa
Debut Song: Push Push
Fanboy: I first heard of these girls when Jo Kwon danced to "Push Push". "Push Push" is ok to me, but "How Dare You" is once again not my taste. I'm not a total fan of that "cute" image.
Fangirl: I've heard good things about SISTAR, but I've never properly checked them out until now. My conclusion? Good, but not amazing. "Shady Girl" is charming and "How Dare You" is catchy enough, but I'm hardly signing up for their fanclub.
Boy Group - Woolim Entertainment
Members: L, SungJong, WooHyun, SungGyu, SeungYeol, Hoya, and DongWoo
Debut Song: Come Back Again
Fanboy: This group is easily my favorite rookie group out right now. They are, unfortunately, so underrated. But luckily, they're starting to pick up some steam. They deserve more attention. Why? Have you seen them wipe the floor with Teen Top on the dance battle against them? Or how about their Star Dance Battle this year with Justin Bieber's "Baby" and Far East Movement's "Like a G6"? Yeah, see what I'm talking about?
Fangirl: I frequently call this group "the most in sync boy band EVA!" for their incredibly synchronized dancing. "Come Back Again" was one of my favorite songs of 2010, but I was unimpressed with their live performance of the song. All the difficult vocal parts had been pre-recorded. Still, I'm keeping an eye on these guys. They've got something.
Girl Group - JYP Entertainment
Members: Fei, Jia, Min, and Suzy
Debut Song: Bad Girl, Good Girl
Fanboy: Once again, I first learned of these girls from Jo Kwon when he and 2AM covered it at the Star Dance Battle last year. He really introduces me to these girl groups. :) Sadly, I found their cover to be much more appealing, because it was so hilarious. As for miss A, the group is decent, but girl groups these days just don't impress me as much as the male counterparts.
Fangirl: It's hard to believe this group has been around for under a year. They're just everywhere! I guess this shows how much it helps to have a powerful management company. I recognize the girls' talent, and the choreography for "Breathe" was refreshing, but I'm not exactly a fan.
Girl (Solo) - Cube Entertainment
Real name: Gina Choi
Debut Song: Things I Want to Do When I Have a Lover (with Rain)
Fanboy: I found the Rain duet to be forgettable. Shame, because it's Rain! However, "I'll Back Off So You Can Live Better" is a fantastic song. It's one of my favorite songs from 2010. If she released an English version here in America, it would be a hit. Sadly, I didn't care for her recent "Black and White" song. Do I need to repeat that I don't go for that "cute" image?
Fangirl: One of the most promising debuts of 2010. G.NA is beautiful, talented and personable, and I only see her popularity growing in the future. Like Fanboy, I don't quite go for the cuteness of "Black and White" but "꺼져 줄게 잘 살아" was great.
Boy Group - IS Entertainment
Members: Inati, Dari, Day Day, Jisu, YoungWon, and Daniel
Debut Song: Round 1
Fanboy: I don't have a whole lot to say about this group. They don't particularly "wow" me, but I found their two recent singles to be appealing.
Fangirl: Dalmatian's debut in 2010 completely passed me by, but since their mini album came out last month, they have been flying up my favorite list at an exponential rate. Each member is talented and they sound great live (Daniel's voice is to die for). If The Man Opposed perks your interest like it did mine, I recommend Dalmatian's live performance of Officially Missing You, which they remixed themselves.
Mix Group - Core Contents Media
Members: SooMi, ChanMi, HyoYoung, HyeWon, Noori, KwangHaeng, YooSung, TaeWoon, SungMin, and KangHo
Debut Song: Too Late
Fanboy: Hmm... I like the idea of a mixed-gendered group. It's something refreshing. However, the execution of this group's stages is not what I envisioned. I would prefer that they take a different approach. I liked their music video for "Bbiribbom Bberibbom". That was sort of what I had in mind. Too bad their performances don't encompass that. The stages make me think of "Grease" or some kind of musical. Sigh.
Fangirl: I have no particular love for this group (I think the concept is way too gimmicky and many of the members aren't very talented), but I find their music constantly stuck in my head - especially Bbiribbom Bberibbom.
I think you should have included Teen Top because they're probably the last notable rookie you guys didn't cover. Personally I would also include The Boss, even though they're not all that notable, because I think they were probably vocally the strongest of the rookies last year.
My top 3 faves from those you mentioned are Infinite, CN Blue, and G.NA. About CN Blue, the reality is that K-rock is not the same as what WE think of as rock. I have to defend against what fangirl said about Infinite: most groups have chunks of their chorus pre-recorded, the fact that this part happened to be the most vocally difficult part of the song is unfortunate, but I don't find it to detract from them :) Only recently getting into Dalmatian; impressed by Daniel and Jisu's voices.
I'm entirely unimpressed by miss A and Sistar's songs, though I acknowledge they're strong singers and/or dancers. Also unimpressed by Co-Ed. F.Cuz is kind of sad, Korea doesn't pay them any attention, but they've found success in Taiwan. ZE:A is in the middle for me. I like "All Day Long", but not any of their other songs. I'm waiting for them to come up with something I can really fall in love with.
Out of all the rookies that debuted in 2010..my favourites are..
G.NA,C.N Blue, SISTAR and miss A
G.NA - I'll back off so that you can live better.
That song is AMAZING! I agree with fanboy that Black and White didn't impress me at all with that cute image. I mean, G.NA don't even suit cute, she's more of a bad arse singer XD Not to mention that she has huge boobs and i mean HUGE.
Her vocals are very awesome too. Dang, those boobs.
C.N Blue
Love their songs! Especially I'm A Loner, Tattoo, Black Flower, Love.
They really impress me with a little indie touch to their music. Because I think their songs are not entirely ROCK-ish.
SISTAR
Although I'm not buying their cute image and cute songs, but I think if they were given decent songs, they would make a huge impact with their vocals. They have really stable vocals.
miss A
I like them because...they can sing and dance!
I like Min the most of out all because she leaves the hugest image for me. With that short black hair and impressive vocals. "Breathe" was definitely catchy enough to grow on me haha.
I guess I'm not really a fan of other boy groups.
Yeah, personally, I kind of defy the stereotype that boys go for girl groups while girls go for boys groups. I just seem to be more impressed with the guy groups. And Justin's right, G.NA defies the Asian stereotype, she does have huge boobs, haha.
Oh, and Kaorupanda, Fangirl cut Teen Top because she and I didn't have anything to say about them. I think she and I should have cut more from this list now looking back at this post.
It's nice to read your favorites. All of these groups are popular, because they fit someone's taste. :)
hm maybe it's because i'm not big into girl groups... so that girl rookie groups haven't really caught my attention. granted miss a is definitely the rookie group that made it big. they're everywhere lately so it's hard to imagine they're actually still a rookie. i'm a bit disappointed that f(x) isn't gaining as much attention granted they're not rookies anymore...maybe it's because i'm also a SM bias xP but i'm hoping to see a lot more from them.
C.N. Blue is also a big favourite of mine. also again i didn't really know them until i watched WGM with yonghwa and seohyun xP, but their music is definitely catchy. i've had "i'm a longer" stuck in my head for the longest time. and the banmal song was so good. i agree it's unfortunate that boyband groups aren't getting recognized as much among other idol groups (probably because not a lot of people get the appeal of band/instrumental v.s. choreography). again i'm also waiting to see more from them.
I didn't know that F.cuz was hitting if off in Taiwan. Good to know, thanks kaorupanda!
Maybe we should have included Teen Top, but I couldn't think of much to write about them other than how incredibly awkward their official YouTube channel name is (TeenzOnTop).
Yes, the Korean concept of rock seems to be that "guitar = rock", and that annoys me a bit. But right after we published this post, I saw CNBLUE's teaser for "First Step", and I find myself getting all excited again. Think I'm going to look a little deeper in CN Blue's discography today...
For me, it's only Miss A - mostly because I remembered their faces the moment I saw them. Plus they're fun. They've got some character. Other than that, none of the groups made me listen to them twice. GNA made me curious when she debuted, but her second single was boring. And CN BLUE makes me turn my head away. Cute idol rock isn't kind of music for me.