Honorable Mention: Girl's Day
* New Releases: N/A
Enough is enough. Girl's Day is the only group on this list that has not released anything in over a year. They can only go by on their legacy for so long. Thankfully they haven't reached After School-levels of a disappearing act, with members still being productive through acting adventures and variety show appearances. Hyeri is still making it rain and their ever-elusive comeback should help bring them back into the spotlight. They have plummeted from the #1 spot in September of 2015, but with a comeback in January, they'll look to go on a revenge tour for all the ranks they've dropped.
Honorable Mention: Red Velvet
* New Releases: Russian Roulette, Always In My Heart (Joy)
Red Velvet retain their Honorable Mention placing from the summer. This is mostly due to the ineffectiveness of "Russian Roulette," which in my eyes is their worst showing since their dreadful debut. It's still a solid C- song but that ain't quite good enough to push themselves into the top 10. Joy also had an opportunity with Station that she took full advantage of, which highlights one thing about Red Velvet that often goes underappreciated: they have solid voices from top to bottom. The duet with Seulong proves it. Better news / hype is that we should be slated for a Velvet comeback, which will have more soft tunes in store.
#10. Wonder Girls (--)
* New Releases: Why So Lonely
Wonder Girls aren't new to the #10 spot, which was their previous location back in fall of 2015. They had inhabited one of the Honorable Mention placings for most of last year but thanks to the wonderful "Why So Lonely" EP, they've managed to get back to this spot. Wonder Girls are extremely well-balanced. They have Yubin who is one of the best girl group rappers, Sunmi and Yeeun who are solid vocalists (with established material as individuals to boot), and a retro band theme that they own (when was the last time you saw a girl group band in Kpop). Dance is no longer their emphasis as it was back in the day but that's to be expected when everyone is playing instruments now.
#9. Black Pink (NEW)
* New Releases: Whistle / Boombayah / Playing With Fire / Stay
Much like Twice, Black Pink make their debut in the rankings at #9. But unlike Twice, they started off hot with their debut track and kept blazing from there. Each of their four tracks are distinctly fun and exciting, and they live up to the hype of being the successors to 2NE1. And with 2NE1 fading into oblivion this type of sound will be theirs and theirs alone moving forward. Jennie and Lisa are a pair of promising young rappers, Rose has a memorable singing voice, and Jisoo is the undisputed variety master of the new generation (or at least she too is off to a hot start). Their strong image during performances and softer innocent side in variety is a key aspect of this group.
#8. Apink (--)
* New Releases: Only One / Cause You're My Star
Apink are the first of a few groups who have not changed positions since the summer. Their latest songs have been infatuated with awkward dance breaks that ruin the flow of the song. The thing is, past releases like "Luv" have had that but they felt less disjointed compared to those of "Only One" and "Cause You're My Star." However, I appreciate that "Cause You're My Star" deviated from the standard Apink formula of throwing the choruses to Eunji and Bomi and the like. That was getting extremely predictable and so I enjoyed the breath of fresh air. Combined with Eunji's solo debut, Bomi appearing on We Got Married and concert efforts, it was a pretty good year for Apink overall.
#7. GFriend (+2)
* New Releases: Navillera
With songs like "Rough" and "Navillera," GFriend has usurped Apink as the premier innocent girl group in my eyes. Since their debut with "Glass Bead," they have been going strong with release after release. "Navillera" was one of the best songs of the year, and the various members have branched out with collaborations and OST appearances, too. GFriend's choreography has always been notable for being difficult and contrary to Apink, their dance breaks are much more timely and appropriate. Compared to their rivals, GFriend have been extremely consistent (there isn't a single title track of theirs that has faltered) and should keep that up moving forward.
#6. AOA (-3)
* New Releases: Excuse Me / Bing Bing (upcoming)
AOA have slowed down in recent years compared to 2014, so there isn't much to go off of. In fact they might have had more Japanese songs than Korean ones, but I digress. Combined with their activity in Japan, they also went in hiding for a bit thanks to classic obnoxious "controversy" with Jimin and Seolhyun. Either way, Seolhyun is still one of the most popular girl group members out there and no doubt still making bank for her team. I haven't checked out their newest songs yet but the teasers do look promising, if not a little interesting. Could this be the start of another solid run?
#5. EXID (--)
* New Releases: N/A
While AOA have been developing their Japanese promotions, EXID have turned to China. To kickstart their foray into the Chinese market, they've released a version of "Cream" in Mandarin and will also have a Mandarin version of viral sensation "Up & Down" to boot. Given that the only other notable name that has promoted in China is T-ARA, I think EXID have a fairly decent shot at doing well in China, too. Though both groups intersect with their electrifying dance numbers, they can probably carve out a niche with Solji and LE being stronger than their T-ARA counterpart in singing and rapping. Hopefully more Korean activities are in store after that (and after Solji recovers). And yes, I'm still hoping for a Dasoni revival!
#4. Mamamoo (--)
* New Releases: Decalcomanie
Now that they have added their 4th EP under their belt in addition to their first studio album, Mamamoo have entrenched themselves in the upper echelons of girl groups. Despite the disastrous start for the "Decalcomanie" MV, the song is still splendid as it continues to mix Mamamoo's vocal talent with the retro pop sound they love. They're gaining traction in the variety world too, what with Solar having been voted "Best Couple" alongside Eric Nam for end of the year awards stuff. Mamamoo have been spectacular since debut, but they'll need a bit more firepower if they ever want to crack into the highest ranks.
#3. Twice (+4)
* New Releases: TT
If "Cheer Up" brought me into the crazy world of Twice, then "TT" is enough evidence that this is a nice place to be. To continue some sort of analogy or parallel, "Cheer Up" skyrocketed their popularity, but "TT" showed that they aren't gonna be a one-hit wonder. Both songs are pleasant on the ears, have great repetitive quality, and contain memorable dance moments. With such diversity in faces and personalities, they're only going to keep getting more popular as long as their music is anything like their latest two tracks. Personally, it scares me that they're already this high up on my list, especially since I've been so skeptical of them during their debut. Plus the groups above them have excellent histories. But Twice have earned every bit of their march towards the top, make no mistake about that.
#2. Sistar (--)
* New Releases: Love Like This / One Step / Paradise (Hyorin), One More Day
Sistar had a pretty solid year all things considered. "I Like That" was followed up by "One More Day." With the help of Giorgio Moroder and a standout MV addressing topics rarely touched, these elements turned it into one of the more potent and overlooked songs (if you can ever really call a Sistar song "overlooked") of the final few months of 2016. Hyorin also had plenty of solo activity and a good "It's Me" EP. Even though "Paradise" was mediocre and couldn't live up to the hype of "One Way Love," the other tracks on the mini album were a nice mix of different genres and styles. Ultimately though, they needed a better showing from her for them to have taken over as the best girl group going into 2017.
#1. Girls' Generation (--)
* New Releases: Sailing, Secret (Seohyun & Yuri), Born To Be Wild / Mystery (Hyoyeon)
It's not that SNSD doesn't deserve to not be #1, but also the other groups have yet to really (a) blow me away with recent songs or (b) haven't been around long enough to have a portfolio that can match SNSD. Ultimately, I've got to put more emphasis on the here and now (therefore placing less emphasis on their history), which will cause more rankings to jumble up. And that should make for more exciting writing. Especially if Girl's Day gets dropped out of the stratosphere for being inactive, SNSD should suffer a little, too (but they still had new music through Station). For now, Girls' Generation will hold onto this spot for one more cycle. We'll see how this year goes for them, with rumored solo projects for Seohyun and Hyoyeon along with the group's 10 year anniversary. Damn, I miss Jessica.
Final Glance
H: Girl's Day
H: Red Velvet
10. Wonder Girls
9. Black Pink (NEW)
8. Apink
7. GFriend (+2)
6. AOA (-3)
5. EXID
4. Mamamoo
3. Twice (+4)
2. Sistar
1. Girls' Generation
Previous Ranking (Summer 2016)
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