Kara - who made its debut five years ago in March 2007 - has experienced more twists and turns than most people would have guessed. At one point, there were even discussions about disbanding the group and it was a true test of character for the Kara members to overcome those difficult times.
In April 2012, however, Kara finds itself as hallyu’s representative girl group in Japan. Their first solo concert in Seoul was a smashing success and the group made its way to Tokyo to perform in front of 20,000 fans at the Yokohama Arena on April 14-15. After the performance, Kara will continue its Japan tour with 12 performances in seven different cities, including stops at Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Tokyo.
As many as 130,000 spectators are expected to see Kara’s Japan tour just one year removed from its disbandment crisis. And it’s astonishing to see how much things have changed for Kara. We met with Kara, who started its Japan tour at the Yokohama Arena on April 14, and found out what kind of meaning the last five years held for each of the members.
We listened to the thoughts and regrets of the Kara members, who overcame many obstacles earlier in their music career to become hallyu’s representative girl group.
Han Seung Yeon
“Five years have gone by since our debut. Although our team has continued to improve, I have faced many conflicts and there were times when I hid due to my exhaustion. I feel really good about enduring the [difficult times] and coming this far. I’ve committed many slip of the tongues and heard many negative things in the past, yet the fact that I can still smile brightly and talk with people makes me think that I′m doing something right. In the future, I will continue to work hard without exhausting myself.”
Goo Hara
“Kara made its debut as a three member group and it took the group four years to find itself in its current position. Although it was only [four years], it also felt like a long time. I debuted when I was 18 years old, and now I am already 22 years old. I changed as a woman and gained more responsibility as a member of Kara with the change in the first digit of my age. Although I am proud of how far we have come as a group, we experienced many shortcomings. And while I gave my best effort, I still feel I was not able to fully show my potential. As a result, I felt discouraged and embarrassed. With time and the Kara members by our side, we will continue to improve and polish our skills in order to put our very best foot forward in the future.”
Park Gyuri
“Although Kara experienced a member change and dealt with many other issues after its debut, I feel we were fortunate to not have been successful from the get go. As we continue to become more popular these days, we know how to be thankful and even though we sometimes grumble when our schedule becomes hectic, we are still thankful [to be in our current position]. I’m happy because we still have a long way to go as a group. It’s better to gain popularity slowly and still have goals to look forward to instead of rising quickly and going away just as quickly. Our members will continue to work hard and we are grateful in our activities.”
Nicole
“I came to Korea when I was 16 and there have been a lot of changes with the change in the first digit of my age. I was able to see many things in a different light due to my recent injury. As I am usually restless, I was very grateful to be able to stand on stage even through my injury. And although I have practiced hard for the past five years, there were many times when I was filled with regret. In the future, I′ll value each and every one of our performances and do my best to show our very best to our fans.”
Kang Ji Young
“I don’t know what to say. Although I′m still young, I made my debut when I was 15 years old. I have learned many things and even graduated twice since my debut. It’s amazing to think that the first digit of my age will change next year, just like my older group members. I have also learned many things about social life since my debut. I learned how to give myself to others, how to become closer to one another, and how to live with other people. Although there are still many things I don’t know about, life is fun at the moment. In the future, I plan to live my life to the fullest.”
Meanwhile, Kara captivated the 20,000 fans who were present at the Yokohama Arena on April 14-15. Kara’s KARASIA tour will feature its Japanese album songs and domestic hit songs, as well as include the solo performances of its members. Afterwards, Kara plans to visit Taiwan and Thailand.
Yokohama (Japan) Kim Ji Yeon
Photo credit: DSP Media
Taken from enewsworld
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