WBW: The Dream Roster for the Ultimate Old School Girl Group
Last week I did a fun little project of constructing theultimate boy bandfeaturing members of old school groups. I think for the most part readers at least understood the final choices and some were kind enough to post lineups of their own. This week we'll take a crack at building the ultimate girl group.
The thing about a girl group is, it doesn't necessarily have the same structure as a boy band. I was pretty clear that my boy band would have the specific "roles" for each member like lead vocal, main dancer, etc... But girl groups don't necessarily follow the same format. While I do think that you need certain positions (lead singer for example), the roles do have to change because, for example, back in the day, girl groups didn't always have a rapper and they certainly didn't have a Korean and English rapper.
I'll try to stick as closely to the same roles but here are the updated rules for girl groups:
The final group will consist of 5 members, each having an official "role" in the group
Lead vocal
Second vocal
Third vocal
Rapper
Main dancer
Each member has to have been part of an idol group. No solo artists.
Each members' group must have performed between the years 1995-2003 (can still be active but the group has to have debuted in that window)
Cannot have multiple members from the same original group (note: this rule was a killer for me this time. You can't just stick all the best singers or prettiest girls in the group because then you're going miss out on certain members from that same group who you absolutely want to include… this was playing chess against a super computer!)
You can debate the rules all you want but it's my list so here we go.
Lead Vocal: Ok Ju Hyun
The formerFin.K.Llead singer is easily my favorite old school girl group singer and still in my top 5 favorite female vocalists in Korea. She has that lower, alto tone and with her classical training, could hit just about every note. In her second act as a musical actor, she has continued to grow as a singer and is now better than she ever was. One of the downsides of her career has been the fact that she's amassed quite a large following of anti-fans because of various reasons but I am certainly not one of them.Second Vocal: Eugene
I just had to include my favorite girl group member to this team. Even though Eugene was my original girl group crush, the addition of the formerS.E.Smember isn't just based on my own personal bias (I can't believe I just used that word. I think all the haters are growing on me). Eugene's more pop-like vocals are a good complement to Ok Ju Hyun's power sound and can even take the lead on the more cutesy songs which the group will inevitably have to record. Oh who am I kidding, of course she's on this list because of my 15 year infatuation with her! But still, would anyone really not agree with this pick?Third Vocal: Park Jung Ah
I admit that the whole third vocal thing is a little odd but like I said, girl groups were built differently back in the day and focused more on vocals than the boy bands. As such, I can't think of a better candidate than the formerJewelryleader and lead singer Park Jung Ah. The thing with her was when the group hit it big with songs like "Superstar" and "One More Time", Jewelry was known more for its performances than her singing but make no mistake, she can sing and has the leading lady looks.
Rapper: Yoon Mi Rae
This is a bit of a stretch but a necessary one because it would be a crime not to include the legendary Yoon Mi Rae on this list. Her early career began in the groupUptownwhich wasn't really an idol group per se but a group trying to bring western style hip hop to the K-pop mainstream. After her time in Uptown, she continued her career through the duoTashannie. While her idol background might be sketchy, her talent and abilities are not. Along with her rap skills, she also has an amazing singing voice which she is still showcasing to this day and any group would kill to have her.Main Dancer: Stephanie
TheCSJH the Gracemember made it in by the skin of her teeth as the group debuted in 2005. I don't think anyone would argue about this pick as Stephanie was known for her dancing prowess, frequently doing her thing on variety shows like 'Xman' and 'Love Letter'. The Grace had been on hiatus for the past few years (I seriously don't know what SM is doing with them) but Stephanie made an attempted comeback late last year but unfortunately without much success. She needs to get back in the game soon although last I heard she's continuing to study dance in college.So there's my ultimate girl group but there are a few notable absences that need to be addressed, specificallyLee Hyori. It's almost unimaginable to build a girl group without the queen of K-pop but like I said, this was a challenging exercise and I just felt that Ok Ju Hyun was a must have. Plus, arguably, Hyori is more known for her solo endeavours as she had a hugely successful solo career so I think she'll be fine without being a member of my totally fake band.
As always, please share your ultimate girl groups with everyone because I am curious to see who everyone chose to include. I have to say that this was harder for me than the guys but that's probably my inner fan boy who just wants to include everyone.