Pretty Girl is the second extended play by South Korean girl group Kara. It was released on December 4, 2008. A song with the same name was released as the title track to promote the album. The title track is a lively and upbeat track that showcases the group's catchy melodies and energetic choreography. A repackage of the EP, titled Honey (Special Edition), was released on February 12, 2009, and spawned the single "Honey".
| Pretty Girl | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | December 4, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 17:41 | |||
| Label | DSP | |||
| Kara chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Pretty Girl | ||||
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| Honey (Special Edition) | ||||
 | ||||
| Singles from Honey (Special Edition) | ||||
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Background and release
editIt was announced in late November that Kara would be releasing a second mini-album, two months after "Rock U", with a fun "party" concept.[1] Following the release of the song and the enthusiastic response it garnered, the group's name rose to the top of search results on numerous Korean portal websites, further boosting the girls' fame in South Korea.[2]
In addition, the song also charted high on various websites and digital music retailers, which allowed the group to rival some of South Korea's top girl groups such as Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation, and the Brown Eyed Girls.[3] The group's leader, Park Gyu-ri, attributed Kara's rise in popularity to their natural but pretty appeal,[2] while national newspaper Sports Seoul attributed it to the fact that the band finally found their own identity.[3]
Repackage
editA repackaged mini-album edition of the Pretty Girl EP was released on February 12, 2009.[4] The new EP features "Honey", various remixes of "Pretty Girl", and a remix "Good Day Season 2", a song that was initially only given a digital release.[5] Kara filmed the music video for "Honey" on February 10. The music video was to be released on February 17[4] but was moved up a day to February 16.[6] The music video features the girls in angelic dresses sitting at home.
In contrast to "Pretty Girl"'s cute and lively concept, the title track "Honey" is more wistful and features the members of Kara as soft, feminine women. The song was remixed from the original version, and also underwent a slight name change from "하니" (Ha-ni) to "Honey". It is considered the group's first hit.
Commercial performance
editThe Gaon Music Chart was launched in February 2010 as the official chart for South Korea. Pretty Girl entered at number 76 on the Gaon Album Chart for the second week of 2010 and peaked at number 23 for the week ending November 27, 2010.[7][8]
The repackage entered at number 84 on the Gaon Album Chart for the second week of 2010 and peaked at number 2 on the week ending April 17, 2010.[9][10] It spent three non-consecutive weeks in the top 10 in 2010 and became their second top 5 album as well as their third top 10 album.[11][12] Kara member Han Seung-yeon noted that the title track "Honey" climbed the charts much faster than "Pretty Girl" did, while Goo Hara stated that the song appealed to an older age group.[13]
Music video
editOn November 29, 2008, DSP Entertainment released a teaser video for "Pretty Girl", which received over 40,000 hits in one day.[14] The full video was released on December 2, 2008, online and was positively received by the public.[1]
Promotion
editThe group began its comeback on all major music shows on December 4, 2008, the single's release date, starting with M.Net Countdown.[15] During their first national performance on KBS's Music Bank, member Goo Ha Ra forgot part of the choreography and cried for an hour backstage.[16]
During Kara's December 14, 2008, performance on Inkigayo, the fans decided to cheer with pink rubber gloves, which positively surprised viewers; even the group was surprised, as member Han Seung-yeon wrote on her blog that she almost died of laughter.[17][18] "Pretty Girl" is featured in the international arcade music game, DJ Max Technika 3. The group debuted "Honey" on Music Bank program on February 13, 2009.[19][20]
Accolades
edit| Song | Program | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Honey" | M Countdown | March 5, 2009 | [21] |
| March 12, 2009 | [22] | ||
| March 26, 2009 | [23] | ||
| Inkigayo | March 8, 2009 | [24] |
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Honey" (하니) |
|
|
| 3:41 |
| 2. | "Pretty Girl" |
|
|
| 3:29 |
| 3. | "Yodel" (요를레이) | E-Tribe | E-Tribe | E-Tribe | 3:39 |
| 4. | "My Darling" | Kim Boa | MonoTree | MonoTree | 3:10 |
| 5. | "I'm... (Ing)" (나는.. (Ing)) |
|
| MonoTree | 3:42 |
| Total length: | 17:41 | ||||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Honey" |
|
|
| 3:15 |
| 2. | "What Is This?" (이게 뭐야; Plastic Ver.) |
|
| PLASTICROOM | 3:04 |
| 3. | "Pretty Girl" (Bani Ver.) |
|
|
| 2:47 |
| 4. | "Good Day" (굿데이; Season 2) |
|
|
| 3:13 |
| 5. | "Pretty Girl" (School Rock Ver.) |
|
|
| 3:30 |
| 6. | "Honey" (Ver. 2) |
|
|
| 3:13 |
| Total length: | 19:02 | ||||
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Korean Albums (Gaon)[8] | 23 |
| South Korean Albums (Gaon)[26] Pretty Girl Special Edition |
2 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Korean Albums (Gaon)[27] Pretty Girl Special Edition |
94 |
References
edit- ^ a b 카라, '프리티 걸' 뮤비 공개...미니 2집 활동 본격 돌입 예고 Kara, "Pretty Girl" MV Released...2nd Mini Album Activities Rush-Announced Archived May 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. 매일경제 (Maeil Gyeongjae). December 2, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ^ a b 카라 "깜찍·발랄 국민여동생? 호호호~" (Kara "The Country's Cute and Lively Younger Sisters? Hohoho") Archived December 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Hankook Ilbo. December 10, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
- ^ a b 카라 '원더걸스-소녀시대-브아걸, 거기 서!' (Kara: "Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation, Brown Eyed Girls, Stop Right There!") Archived February 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Sports Seoul. December 15, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ a b Kim, Hyeong-woo. "카라 'Honey' 12일 선공개 순위 급상승 '청순 폴폴'". Joins.com. JoongAng Ilbo. Retrieved February 12, 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "가라 원더걸스! 카라가 다시 왔다...핑클처럼 깜찍댄스-애교안무". Nate. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
- ^ Kim, Hyeong-woo. "카라 '하니' 활동 스타트 "이번엔 청순본능!". Newsen. Newsent. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
- ^ "The 2nd Week of 2010 - Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ a b "The 49th Week of 2010 - Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ "The 2nd Week of 2010 - Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ "The 17th Week of 2010 - Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ "The 18th Week of 2010 - Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ "The 45th Week of 2010 - Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ Gil, Hye-sung (February 24, 2009). "'긍정적인' 카라 "그래도 1위는 꼭 해봐야죠"". Money Today. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- ^ Kim, Hyungoo. 카라 4일 새 미니앨범 발표 ‘2개월 만에 컴백’ (Kara's New Album on the 4th, "Second Comeback in Two Months"). Newsen/Joins.com. December 2, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
- ^ Kim, Hyungoo. 카라 구하라 첫 컴백 무대 후 눈물 펑펑 (Kara's Goo Hara Cried Many Tears After First Comeback). Newsen. December 5, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
- ^ Kim, Hyung-woo.카라 응원 화제 “깜짝 고무장갑 퍼포먼스 신선해” (Kara Cheer Type "Surprise Rubber Glove Performance was Fresh")[permanent dead link]. Joins.com. December 15, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
- ^ Kim, Sung-han. 카라 "어? 고무장갑 부대… 웃겨 죽을뻔" (Kara: "Huh? The Rubber Glove Accessories...I Almost Died Laughing"). Sports Hankook. December 15, 2008. Retrieved December 2008.
- ^ Choi, Dae-han. "카라 '하니' 후속곡으로 결정!". Today Korea. Archived from the original on May 6, 2009. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
- ^ "가라 원더걸스! 카라가 다시 왔다...핑클처럼 깜찍댄스-애교안무". Nate. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
- ^ "카라, '엠카'서 데뷔 후 첫 1위..감격의 눈물 '펑펑'" [Kara wins first place since debut on 'M Countdown' .. Tears of joy 'pow pow']. Star News (in Korean). Naver. March 5, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
- ^ "[포토엔]카라, 2주 연속 1위 차지~" [[PhotoN] Kara takes first place for 2 weeks in a row~]. Newsen (in Korean). March 12, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "카라, '엠카운트다운' 3주연속 1위‥손담비 컴백" [Kara, 'M Countdown' 1st place for 3 weeks in a row .. Son Dam-bi's comeback]. Hankyung (in Korean). Naver. March 26, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "카라, '인기가요' 뮤티즌송 수상..첫 지상파 1위 감격". Star News (in Korean). Naver. March 8, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ "Honey (Special Edition)". www.melon.com (in Korean). Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^ "The 17th Week of 2010 - Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ "2010년 가온차트 부문별 Top 100위" [2010 Gaon Chart Top 100]. Gaon (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2023.