Imagine how it felt for girls back in the ’90s and 2000s to lie down on their zebra print bedsheets, talk to their friends on their blocky Nokias or flip phones, and blast their favorite girl groups on their CD players in the background. This experience has been almost every girl’s dream ever since that era ended. Luckily for girls everywhere, trends always seem to recycle. As the fashion from that era has returned to the mainstream world, so has the music. Groups like the Spice Girls, TLC, Destiny’s Child, and the Pussycat Dolls took over every pop and R&B lover’s heart back in the ’90s and the 2000s. Ever since these groups lost their popularity, many girl groups have tried and failed to take their spot. However, in recent times, it’s KATSEYE and GIRLSET that have taken the lead.
“I think they [past groups] came out first, freshly new,” Vivian Pham (10) said. “I feel like they were just so true to her style and their beats were just classic.”
The girl groups back then were as iconic as they were because they brought something new to the table and showed unique authenticity. Their voices were just as well-known as their styles as each of these groups had very different concepts. They worked so well because they showed a level of girlhood and teamwork that was previously unheard of.
“I think they’re appealing because they are very diverse, and they share a lot of different cultures,” Lilian Kang (10) said. “There’s a lot of modern representation, which is important for a lot of communities, especially teenagers.”
One of the main reasons why groups like KATSEYE and GIRLSET are now gaining prominence is that they have girls from all kinds of cultures coming together in literal harmony. In KATSEYE, the group consists of Indian, Filipino, Cuban-Venezuelan, Korean, Swiss-Ghanaian-Italian, and Chinese-Singaporean cultures. On the other hand, GIRLSET has girls of Hmong, Vietnamese, Cuban, and Venezuelan-Trinbagonian backgrounds. Before these groups, representation was not as common as it should be in the mainstream music world. These diverse girls serve as outlets for almost all people to be seen, heard, and noticed.
“I think the general appeal behind KATSEYE and GIRLSET is the group dynamics between those people, and performance-wise, they have really grand performances,” Flower Park (10) said.
In the age of social media, these groups’ audiences have more access to the behind-the-scenes bonds between the girls and different choreography routines. With this special access, many young viewers feel like they can relate to the performers at a personal level, creating a comfortable space for them to feel like they can be themselves and not be ashamed. If a pop star can be silly and unapologetically themselves, then so can anyone.
As for performances, lots of effort goes into choreography and stage presence. Both groups have intriguing choreographies that have turned into trends on social media. For example, “Gnarly” by KATSEYE and “Little Miss” by GIRLSET are the most recreated choreography routines in their discography. Their performance costumes are suited to each member of the group perfectly, creating iconic eras and costumes like those seen in groups in the past. In KATSEYE specifically, they do an especially great job at facial expressions, which adds a certain pizzazz and emotion to their performances that other dancers take inspiration from.
“They’re under K-pop companies,” Park said. “Their standards are really high and the way of training is really unethical.”
Unlike many of the groups that were formed back then, KATSEYE and GIRLSET were formed under survival shows. In survival shows, each of the girls is picked through fan voting, so sometimes pure skill and talent won’t matter if the general public doesn’t like you. The KATSEYE girls originally were not informed that their selection process was a survival show, so many were upset, and some even quit trying in the program due to the unfair setting that the voting system put the girls into. On the other hand, the GIRLSET girls were informed, and they worked hard for their spots. Even if they knew or not, both groups still had to go through very intense training and even some cases, mistreatment under K-pop management. Nonetheless, these girls worked very hard to get where they are, and their efforts will not go unrecognized.
“I also want to see more girl groups with intentions of changing the music industry and more diversity,” Pham said.
Obviously, KATSEYE and GIRLSET are not the only groups that will come out of this new girl group resurgence. For future groups, many would like to see more unique, experimental elements in music, choreography, and general concepts. Just like how the girl groups in the ’90s and 2000s brought something new to the table, people today are hoping for even more. Along with that, people from all kinds of cultures and backgrounds would love to see their own representation in modern mainstream media. Diversity and authenticity are as iconic as they can get, and many are anticipating a truly transformative era in music as the rise in girl groups swoops in on the industry.
KATSEYE and GIRLSET are the first stepping stones into a new resurgence in global girl groups. They are bringing in a wide representation of girlhood in pop music that we haven’t seen done this well in decades. We can only hope that they continue to show off their talent, improve, and inspire more girl groups to come about.
