The girl group streak isn’t over—this year’s releases are proof of it
If you stan women, then 2022 was the year for you. Here’s a refresher of what went down the past year in music.
There were girl group debuts that brought in fresh talent on a level we never imagined.
- IVE: Eleven, Love Dive
- LE SSERAFIM: Fearless, Antifragile, Impurities
- New Jeans: *their whole discography*
- NMIXX: O.O
- XG: Tippy Toes
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There were stellar solo debuts from members of long-standing groups.
- Nayeon: Pop
- Seulgi: 28 Reasons
- YENA: Smiley
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There were releases from our old favorites.
- Blackpink: Pink Venom, Shut Down
- VIVIZ (from GFriend): Bop Bop
- Red Velvet: Feel My Rhythm
- (G)-idle: Tomboy, Nxde
- Girls Generation: Forever 1
- STAYC: RUN2U
- TWICE: Talk that Talk
- ITZY: Cheshire
- Jessi: ZOOM
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The list isn’t comprehensive (we aren’t Wikipedia, after all), but you get the idea. Though I found myself growing out of K-Pop then, I eventually found myself gravitating towards K-Pop time and time again. Even P-Pop came through in 2022, with debuts from G22, KAIA, LITZ and R Rules.
RELATED: 5 Promising P-Pop Girl Groups You Need To Know
It turns out, the girl group streak isn’t over. Three months into 2023, we’ve been gloriously rewarded with the best visuals, performances and bops from our favorites. Here are some groups we’ve been playing repeatedly since the start of the year.
New Jeans: “OMG”
Excluding New Jeans from this list would be a crime. The 4th gen front liner solidified their #Year_of_NewJeans claim as early as January 2 when they came out with TikTok-favorite single OMG accompanied by a theory-fueled, surrealist-inspired music video. They revolutionized a new approach to K-pop, from their lack of promotions leading to their debut to their emphasis on quality music, resulting in their no-skip discography since coming out with Attention.
XG (Xtraordinary Girls): “Shooting Star”
XG was a group that fell under my radar when they debuted in 2022, with the song Tippy Toes. They’re an all-Japanese global girl group under the label XGALX that promotes their music in Korean music shows. Just when I thought I was done stanning new girl groups (I was at the point wherein I was ignoring posts on my Twitter feed about other groups), XG pulled me out of my K-pop stan semi-retirement as I accidentally heard a snippet of their songs, Shooting Star and Left Right, on an Instagram post. As soon as their songs lured me in, I discovered my awe for these seven girls. With the oldest at 21 and the youngest at 17, they are packed with talent, gaining worldwide recognition not only for their rap line's skills, but also for their dance, and now their vocals.
RELATED: Rocking With the Dream Team: Why We’re All Eyes on XG
If that isn’t enough to make you stan, the group’s creative direction is enough to make any creative’s heart leap with joy. They take notes from Y2K (Tamagochis in their stage outfits!) and contemporary references (see: BeReal-inspired photos!). The styling is supreme, and their MVs are just as amazing.
Purple Kiss: “Sweet Juice”
Purple Kiss is the little-sister group of MAMAMOO, hailing from the label RBW Entertainment. The latter, their 3rd generation predecessor, gained fame for their vocals and rap despite coming from a small company. If you think they have a lot to live up to, you’ll find comfort in the fact that Purple Kiss filled their shoes well. Though they’re not a newly debuted girl group (they debuted in 2021), they’re definitely underrated.
The septet is not lacking when it comes to talent, but my favorite members are Swan, one of 4th generation’s best vocalists, and Yuki, their rapper. If you want to see their stage presence and live vocals in action, watch their cover of Adore U by Seventeen.
Sexbomb Girls: “The Spageti Song”
Sexbomb Girls—the mother of all girl groups. They were formed back in 1999, back before K-pop was popular. They completed our childhoods with songs like The Spageti Song, Bakit Papa and Di Ko Na Mapipigilan, proving their success by being the Philippines’ best-selling girl group of the 2000s with over 12 million sales from four studio albums, four compilation albums and Christmas singles.
We have to thank Netflix PH for giving us a dose of nostalgia when they featured OG members Rochelle Pangilinan, Jopay Paguia, Che-che Tolentino, Sunshine Garcia, Mia Pangyarihan and Johlan Cruz in their latest advertisement announcing their drop in prices with a redrafted rendition of their hit The Spageti Song.
BINI: “Na Na Na”
While I have yet to explore the world of P-Pop, BINI was one of the Filipino girl groups I became familiar with. P-Pop has a rep for patterning K-Pop treatment, but Na Na Na stood out to me because it reminded me of feel-good romcom movies circa 2010s, when it revolved around cheesy love teams, kilig moments and happily-ever-afters. Though it isn’t a recent release, it’s found a place in my playlist.
After listening to Na Na Na, give Hanap-Hanap a listen. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself transported back to high school, back when all your worries were about crushes and quizzes.
With the year just beginning, the girl group music scene is looking up, and we’ve got even better releases to look forward to.
Words Gwyneth King
Art Macky Arquilla
