T-ara

Not to be confused with Tiara or Tara.

T-ara
T-ara in 2017
From left to right: Qri, Hyomin, Jiyeon, and Eunjung
Background information
OriginSeoul, South Korea
Genres
Years active
  • 2009–2017
  • 2020–present
Labels
Spinoffs
Members
Past members

T-ara (/tiˈɑːrə/; Korean: 티아라) is a South Korean girl group formed by MBK Entertainment in 2009, currently consists of four members: Qri, Eunjung, Hyomin, and Jiyeon. T-ara's career is marked by hook-heavy dance-pop music, a result of their close partnership with late composer Shinsadong Tiger.[2][3] A broad array of visual concepts have earned the group a "chameleon-like" reputation.[a][5] The group has achieved commercial success in several regions in Asia including South Korea and China,[6][7][8] with their single "Roly-Poly" (2011) being one of the most downloaded domestic singles since 2010.

T-ara made their debut with the single "Lies" in 2009, following line-up changes due to creative differences;[9] their debut studio album Absolute First Album (2009) was well received critically and spawned the hit singles "TTL (Time to Love)", "Bo Peep Bo Peep", and "You Drive Me Crazy". Both their debut Japanese single and studio album reached number one on the Oricon weekly charts and were subsequently certified Gold. They subsequently gained nationwide recognition after releasing "Roly-Poly" (2011), which went on to become the Gaon chart's best-selling single of the year. At the height of K-pop's popularity in Japan, T-ara signed onto management agency J-Rock for $4.7 million—reportedly the highest figure of any Korean girl group expanding into the territory at the time.[10] T-ara's Korean EP Black Eyes (2011) spawned three consecutive number ones: "Cry Cry", "We Were in Love" and "Lovey-Dovey".

In 2012, T-ara experienced a dip in popularity as the group faced accusations of internal discord, resulting in Hwayoung's immediate departure with Areum following a year after. T-ara's later material was released to varying degrees of success before the group began focusing on promotional activities in China, where they attracted attention for their cover of Chopstick Brothers' "Little Apple" (2014). T-ara's final release as six members was tentatively scheduled for May 2017, ahead of Soyeon and Boram's expiring contracts; however, conflicts with their management delayed What's My Name? until June 2017, effectively ending their involvement. After a four year hiatus,[11] T-ara reunited and released their first independent single album, Re:T-ara, in 2021. According to Sina Entertainment, T-ara has sold 1.14 million physical albums as of December 2020.[12]

  1. ^ "Girl band T-ARA signs with Chinese magnate". The Korea Times. August 20, 2015. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  2. ^ "T-ara Storms The K-pop Charts With Comeback Single, "No. 9"". Popdust. October 12, 2013. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  3. ^ Herman, Tamar (May 8, 2017). "T-ara Delays Album Release as Two Members Bow Out". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  4. ^ Yu, Jin-hyung. "[MD인터뷰①] 티아라 "김광수 사장이 곧 리더, 2번이나 재계약"". Daum. Kakao. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  5. ^ 티아라 "소시·원걸에 주눅들었지만 우린 카멜레온"- 스타뉴스 [T-ara "We were intimidated by SNSD and Wonder Girls, but we are chameleons" - Star News]. 스타뉴스 (in Korean). November 16, 2011. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  6. ^ "A detailed analysis of T-ara's immense popularity in China". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). JoongAng Media Network. August 17, 2015. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  7. ^ "T-ara's China debut becoming a hot issue". Korea Economic Daily. The Star News. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  8. ^ "T-ara's China debut becoming a hot issue". Yahoo Lifestyle. The Star News. September 25, 2014. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  9. ^ 전영록 딸 전보람, 티아라 새 멤버 합류! ‘가수 3대 집안’ [Jeon Young-rok's daughter Jeon Bo-ram joins T-ara as a new member! ‘Three generations of singers’]. Newsen (in Korean). June 3, 2009. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016.
  10. ^ 티아라, 50억 근접 역대 최고가 전속계약..일본 J-ROCK과 47억 [T-ara, close to 5 billion, the highest-priced exclusive contract ever... 4.7 billion with Japan's J-ROCK]. Newsen. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016.
  11. ^ "T-Ara Revamps as a Quartet with Individuality-Focused 'What's My Name?' EP". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 18, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  12. ^ "韩国女团实体专辑总销量TOP15,她们居然能超过少女时代拿下第一" [The total sales volume of the Korean girl group's physical albums TOP15.]. Sina Entertainment (in Chinese). December 10, 2020. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).