K-Bops in K-Pop

Today I want to talk about a group that is very near and dear to my heart: Sistar. They, in my humble opinion, were one of the greatest Kpop girl groups of all time and it is thanks to them that we have the scene of girl groups that are out there today. They made so many strides and did so much amazing work in Kpop and I frankly miss them to bits, but they are so much more than what they mean to me.

A Little History

Sistar was formed in 2010 by Starship Entertainment and debuted in 2011 with “So Cool.” They were four angels: Bora, Soyou, Dasom, and Hyolyn. Every comeback was met with abundant praise and they even formed a subgroup titled Sistar19. The subgroup consisted of Bora and Hyolyn and they were known for their single “Ma Boy.”

Sistar as a whole never stopped putting out the hits, memorable for songs like “Loving U,” “Touch My Body,” “Shake It,” and–my personal favorite–“I Swear.”

So it was no surprise that nearly everyone was heartbroken upon hearing of their disbandment in May of 2017. Fans across the globe had their world shattered at the news that their four favorite girls were no longer going to be working and making music together and many–like me–still grieve the loss of such incredible pioneers of the K-Pop industry.

Queens of Summer

Sistar was not only a Kpop girl group that produced successful hits. They were a Kpop girl group that dominated an entire season. There came a time where people expected a Sistar comeback as soon as the weather started warming. Sistar became synonymous with summer.

But this was not simply because they wore summery outfits and shot music videos by the ocean. No, Sistar embraced summer. They radiated summer. Sistar was the epitome of short shorts and sun tans.

And it was because of this that they were so incredible. They were marketed as the sexy girls of summer and managed to expand beyond that. Yes, summer belonged to Sistar but they were capable of so much more. They had depth and genuine vocal talent and a realness that made them tangible and approachable.

Which meant that they not only catered those who were attracted to them, but emboldened those who could be inspired by them. They encouraged embracing your sexuality and femininity and made you want to be yourself without apology. Sistar was, in short, inspirational.

Always in Our Hearts

It is difficult, and will always be difficult, to forget the legacy that Sistar has left behind. With all due respect to Monsta X, they pretty much singlehandedly brought up Starship Entertainment to where they are today and they paved the way for their babies, the Cosmic Girls.

Without Sistar, we wouldn’t have the generation of Kpop girl groups we have today. They shaped the scene with their comebacks and their personalities and their interactions with their fans and the world is a little dimmer without them to remind us that summer is coming.

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