Crayon Pop, from Korea

I discovered the K-pop group Crayon Pop through their song “Bar Bar Bar,” particularly, the music video for that song. It’s a very catchy song, and the group had a different look compared to any other girl group I had seen. For one, they wore scooter helmets and track suits. Because they were so covered, it was obvious that they weren’t going for a sexy image. And, they had an unusual dance for the chorus of the song. Imagine someone using a tire pump, and jumping up in the air. I’m serious, you have to see it to believe it.

Crayon Pop started with Chrome Entertainment, which I gather is kind of low budget. Like, each staff member has to perform multiple roles (arranging locations for photo shoots, makeup, etc.) Crayon Pop consists of five members, Way, Choa, Soyul, Geummi, and Ellin. Their debut single did just OK. After that, they had a hard time getting booked on TV. They developed the concept of the scooter helmets and track suits, along with the song “Bar Bar Bar.” They started doing guerilla performances on the streets and subways of Seoul. They started to catch on and developed a small but devoted fan base. They made a super cheap music video for their song. It supposedly cost $347 to make. It became a viral video and the rest, as they say, is history.

They signed on with a larger company. They started performing in other countries, including Japan, China, Taiwan, and Australia. They were even the opening act for twelve Lady Gaga shows in the U.S. in the summer of ’14. They won a bunch of awards, and made a lot of TV performances.

Fast forward to Oct., ’16. They announced that their youngest member, Soyul (25 years old), would be taking a break from group activities due to anxiety. Then, in Nov., an ugly guy who used to be in a boy band announced that he and Soyul were engaged. I mean, Soyul is darling (see photo above). The guy she is engaged to is 38 and has a puffy face. He looks like he ate something that he is allergic to. I realize that it is probably the style, but it looks like somebody cut his hair with some rusty hedge trimmers. There are rumors that it is a shotgun wedding. Anyway, the wedding is scheduled for Feb. 12, ’17, at the Seoul Shilla Hotel. I’m not suggesting that anyone go and disrupt the wedding, but if it happened, let’s say I wouldn’t be disappointed.

I was doing some research about Soyul, and I came across something interesting. An article from Feb., ’15 said that she was admitted to Sungshin Women’s University’s College of Culture and Arts. Apparently, this is a high quality university. The article stated that one year earlier, she applied to the same university and was denied admission. She had her heart set on this particular university, so she waited a whole year, and applied again. The second time, it worked for her. I wonder if she every actually registered for classes. If she did, I wonder if that contributed to her anxiety.