Kara

[Edit]
Current

Park Gyuri (박규리)

- Position: Leader, Main Vocal
- Date of birth: May 21, 1988
- Educational Background: Currently attending Dongduk Woman's University (Theatrical Broadcasting Major)

Acted on drama's as a child in Ladies of the Palace as Neum-keum and Oneul eun Cho-eun Nal as Sonagi, Podogi’s girlfriend. She also appeared as an extra in Lee Jun Ki's Pomegranate Juice Commercial. Park Gyuri was a child actress and in another company before she left and auditioned for DSP. She also chose the 'Kara' name.

Han Seung Yeon (한승연)

- Position: Lead Vocal
- Date of birth: July 24, 1988
- Educational Background: Graduated from Tenafly High School (New Jersey); currently attending Kyung Hee University.

Currently has a hosting job on the Starcraft TV show MSL Break and a Korean Talk Show where she has recently replaced So Nyeo Shi Dae's Tiffany; So Nyeon So Nyeo Gayo Baekso or SSGB with Kim Hye-sung. She was also in the Lucky Days PV with SS501, a boy band from her company. Han Seung Yeon almost got into medical school but gave it up because she wanted to be a singer instead. Her parents were initially resistant to the change but eventually gave their consent. It was announced that Han would be joining MBC's entertainment news show Section TV as a "pop columnist", debuting on November 21, 2008.

Jung Nicole (정니콜)

- Position: Sub Vocal, Rapper, Lead Dancer
- Korean Name: Jung Youngjoo
- Birthdate: October 7, 1991
- Educational Background: Currently attending Laurel Springs School

Featured on Sunha's first album Fahrenheit in the song "끈" (String) and featured segment host on KBS's Star Golden Bell Nicole Jung auditioned for DSP Entertainment from the United States. She wrote the rap lyrics for KARA's first album and also came up with the "Yo Jump" for Rock U in the choreography. Jung also joined Star Golden Bell, hosting a segment in which the guests have to guess a term or title from her clues; the challenge comes due to her comparative lack of skill and experience with the Korean language. She debuted on December 20, 2008 and continues to host the segment as of February 2009.

Koo Ha Ra (also known as Goo Hara 구하라)

- Position: Sub Vocal, Main Dancer
- Birthdate: January 13, 1991
- Educational Background: Seoul Girls High School

One of the new members, Koo auditioned for many entertainment companies, including JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment but unfortunately was declined to all and was accepted into DSP.

Kang Ji Young (강지영)

- Position: Sub Vocal
- Birthdate: January 18, 1994
- Educational Background: Gwanghui Junior High School

She sang Girls Generation's "Kissing U" for her KARA audition.

Former

Kim Sung Hee (김성희)

- Position: Main Vocal

Work History: Sang the Official OST of the drama Three-Leaf Clover in 2005. She trained for 3 years in DSP and initially thought she was going debut as a solo artist, but was put in the group. Kim eventually had to leave KARA after failing her college entrance exams.



Debut

They debuted as a 4-member girl group on March 29, 2007 with "Break It" on M! Countdown. Their first album was called The First Blooming, and they debuted with the mature, independent, "strong-female" image and they focused primarily on singing and music, instead of appearing on variety shows. They made two music videos from this album: "Break It" and "If U Wanna". Promotions ended in the summer of 2007.

On August 8, 2007, KARA came out with a documentary called "KARA selfcamera" which showcased the group and their talents, as well as the relationship they had with each other. It had 4 parts in total, and 15 episodes total. The series ended on December 12, 2007.

Because of their similarity to Fin.K.L and the fact that both were under the same company, the two were often compared to each other; in response, Kara stated that they wanted to work hard enough to deserve the comparison.

New members and comeback

The group was scheduled to have their comeback in March 2008 with their second album. However, Kim Sunghee left the group suddenly due to parental pressure, as her participation in the group was contingent on the maintenance of her grades. She failed to pass her college entrance exam, and as a result, she was forced to leave the group. In response, DSP stated that the second album would be shelved and replaced by a mini-album to come in May; in addition, two members would join the group, chosen through public auditions, to be chronicled by music television station M.Net. However, this show was canceled the day it was supposed to air.

The two new members were eventually revealed to be Koo Ha Ra and Kang Ji-young. KARA's comeback as a 5-member group was on July 24, 2008 with Rock U on MCountdown. They made their comeback with the "cute" concept. The same month, their first EP was released, with the first single being "Rock U".

On August 19, 2008, the KARA members made the second season of a behind-the-scenes documentary that described their lifestyle and relationship with 2 new members. These were simply called Kara SelfCamera, with a total of 8 episodes.

on October 13, 2008, KARA released a digital single of Good Day: Season 2. A music video of this song was released a few days after.

2nd mini-album "Pretty Girl"

On November 29, 2008, DSP Entertainment released a teaser video for their upcoming single, "Pretty Girl", which received over10,000 hits in one day. The full video was released on December 2, 2008 online and was positively received by the public, while the EP was released on December 4. The mini-album is supposed to have a "party"/fun concept. The group began its comeback on all major music shows on December 4, 2008, starting with M.Net Countdown. During their first national performance on KBS's Music Bank, member Koo Ha Ra accidentally slipped due to falling confetti and cried for an hour backstage. Netizens made it a "hot issue", but Koo received comfort instead of criticism from the public.

After the release of "Pretty Girl", "Kara" become a popular search term on various Korean portal sites. Leader Park Gyu-ri attributed their popularity increase to their "pretty but natural" appeal, while media reports gave credit to the band finding their own identity[10] and to older male fans, most notably singer Shin Hae-cheol.

Due to the hectic promotional schedule, a few of the group's members were taken to the hospital on December 19 after a KBS Music Bank rehearsal, but a DSP representative said that it was not serious.

"Honey"

At the end of January 2009, DSP Entertainment announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at Kara's official website for the follow-up single to "Pretty Girl", which would end on February 2.[13] By the deadline of February 2, "Honey" was the clear winner, with 60% of the votes. The group is filming a music video for the song, and will debut the song on KBS's Music Bank program on February 13, 2009; a repackaged mini-album will follow on February 19.



Debut Album - The First Blooming [ March 29, 2007]


1. "못 지킨 말" ("The Words I Couldn't Think")
2. "맘에 들면 (If U Wanna)"
3. "Break It"
4. "Secret World"
5. "Don't be Shy"
6. "우리 둘" ("The Two of Us")
7. "I'll be there" (Composed/Lyrics/Arranged by Big Bang)
8. "눈물 지우개" ("Tear Remover")
9. "Break it" (Instrumental)Title Song
10. "못 지킨 말" ("The Words I Couldn't Think") (Instrumental)

Mini Album - ROCK U [July 24, 2008]

1. "ROCK U"
2. "Baby Boy"
3. "이게뭐야" ("What's This?")
4. "Good Day"
5. "Wait"

Good Day: Season 2 [ October 13, 2008]

1. "Good Day:Season 2"
2. "Good Day:Season 2 (inst)"

2nd Mini Album — Pretty Girl [December 4, 2008]

1. "하니"("Honey")
2. "Pretty Girl"
3. "요를레이" ("Bedspread")
4. "My Darling"
5. "나는...(Ing)"("I Am")