Bright, cheerful, and upbeat - these words perfectly describe the bubblegum concept. The lyrics are often light-hearted, but some kpop groups have nailed the art of hiding meaningful lyrics in a cute song. The themes often involve having fun in a friendship or the clumsiness of young love. To top it off, we have the playful choreography that helps us to dance through the catchy music. So here is a list of the top ten groups that do the bubblegum concepts well.
1. Twice
Twice debuted in 2015, but they got their first hit in 2016 with Cheer Up. This song sure is the definition of bubblegum pop, as the iconic phrase ‘shy shy shy’ took over the whole of South Korea. These girls then followed up with more hits such as Likey, Yes or Yes, What Is Love? , Signal, and so on. The bubblegum concept became their signature style and earned them the title of ‘Nation’s Girl Group’.
2. StayC
Even though this fourth-generation girl group debuted with a badass song, soon they were to transition into the cutest concepts ever known to humankind. So, they came with their first comeback, ‘ASAP,’ which indeed broke South Korea’s TikTok. Everyone was doing the point choreo, and none could remove the song from their heads. They followed up with ‘Stereotype’ and ‘Bubble’, thus capturing the hearts of the audience even more.
3. NCT Dream
This one is a subunit of the even larger parent group NCT. They had started their debut with a refreshing song, ‘Chewing Gum’. To this date, they still do their best to maintain the cute concept, even though they have songs falling into the opposite spectrum, too. Recently, they made a remake of H.O.T’s song ‘Candy’ , and it was so catchy that you will still find people singing to it after so many months of release.
4. APink
It is a rule for every OG Kpop fan- they must have ‘Mr Chu’ as their wedding song. If their group name weren’t cute, then songs such as ‘NoNoNo’ and ‘MyMy’ would convince you with their adorable beats. The girls have now grown into women and are currently dwelling on mature concepts. But none could have done the cute concept better than APink, at least in the 2nd generation, and they would still nail it if they ever think of returning to it.
5. Fromis_9
Consider yourself deaf if you haven’t danced to ‘Love Bomb’. I said what was meant to be said. At least you should be able to dance to ‘Talk & Talk’ or ‘Fun’. The girls of Fromis_9 are a spring breeze. Yet they make summers the happiest ones with their catchy melodies and playful stage presence. Last chance, you should have done the point choreography of ‘We Go’, right?
6. I.O.I
If the genie from Aladdin exists, then my only wish to it will be to bring back this wonderful group. They stayed with us only for a mere year, but that was the best year the K-pop industry ever had. Their pre-debut song ‘Pick Me’ is a classic cute song. Honorable mentions should also go to ‘When The Cherry Blossoms Fade’ and their debut ‘Dream Girls,’ which never fail to give a burst of energy. Finally, we get to the queen ‘ Very Very Very’ - ah, the sweet days of dancing to it while Somi gives her famed high kick; those were the days!
7. Oh My Girl
It was 2020. Your whole family was tensed as they discussed the ongoing pandemic. But there you were, in the next room, dancing to ‘Dolphin’. Cheers to Arin and Soobin for making this song so famous, for Oh My Girl deserves all the love. And so do their songs, such as ‘Nonstop’, ‘Dun Dun Dance’, and ‘Bahnana’. Research says that swinging your hips to ‘Dun Dun Dance’ keeps the doctor away. Sources? Trust me, fellow kpop fan.
8. CSR
The fourth generation of kpop craved cute, bubbly songs so much. None of them served adequately, but then CSR came. ‘Pop? Pop!’ revived the whole industry. ‘Shining Bright’ does shine bright and makes your whole day even brighter. The girls’ captivating performances as they enjoy the stage make them a promising team!
9. Lovelyz
Today people might know of Lovelyz because of Mijoo and Kei. I know them because of their adorable discography. Have you ever thought to make your sneezing adorable? Make your nose listen to ‘Ah-Choo’. Meanwhile, as you slowly fall into the heaven of cuteness, don’t forget to be accompanied by ‘Candy Jelly Love’ and ‘Wow’. Lovelyz will always stay in every kpop fan’s hearts as one cute bomb.
10. The Wind
Time goes fast! A minute ago, we were reminiscing about a second-generation group, and now we are suddenly in the fifth generation. But if you have ever thought that this generation shadows the cute concepts, fret not, The Wind is to your rescue! ‘We Go’ successfully lifts your spirits on a bad day. ‘Island’ makes me want to escape somewhere happily. Their debut has not spanned a year, but they will make their mark in the industry with their bubblegum concept.
