Among the multitude of girl groups that debuted last year, T-ara was one of most anticipated. Supposedly three years in the making, and hailed as the next Fin.K.L (aren't they all though?), everyone expected big things from them. But their title track, "Lies", and a tired schoolgirl/baby doll concept failed to make waves, and they were drowned out by flashier rookies like 4 Minute and 2NE1.
I thought they'd disappear along with all the other hastily put together girl groups that debuted during that Summer. Promotions for "Lies" came and went without much ado, but their popularity took a turn for the better upon the release of "T.T.L." (Time To Love), a collaborative effort with Supernova (a boy band). This time around their style fit with the current trends in KPop and the song became fairly popular, topping a few online charts. I thought it was alright, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.
They came out with their full album shortly after promotions ended for T.T.L. and I really enjoyed it. Two music videos were released, one for "Like The First Time" and "Bo Peep Bo Peep." The latter video was extremely racy (for Korean standards), and was banned on some television channels, and slapped with a 19+ warning on others. Though the actual video doesn't depict any of the members committing sexy acts of treason, the plot follows a woman shown as a sexual deviant (who is actually some kind of cat creature idk idk). I thought it was a smart move, as T-ara got some publicity out of it without tarnishing their image. Anyway, "Bo Peep Bo Peep" was chosen as the lead single and I was reasonably excited for their comeback, expecting a sexier look and concept. That is what one would be led to believe, as this promo shoot would suggest:
WRONG. Instead we're presented with this:
WTF mate? In addition to wearing large cat paws for the accompanying "kitty dance", tails and ears were donned for later performances. Everyone, including myself was thrown for a loop. Is it 2008 again, when girl groups could prance around in princess outfits and it was accepted as the norm? Despite their outward appearance (T-ara even recently admitted that some of the costumes were "embarrassing at first", and that it was the doing of their CEO), the song was unexplainably catchy and T-ara took home a couple awards.
As of now they're set to start promotions for "Like the First Time", which had actually been chosen as the lead single by fan voting. That being said, I predict that greater success will be achieved. Are they my new favorite girl group? No, but it's always fun to root for the underdogs and I need something to hold me over until the Brown Eyed Girls come back with a new album.
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