In an industry saturated with single-gender idol groups, KARD (카드, or stylised as K♠RD) is like a breath of fresh air. Young, good looking, and sexy, the group definitely possesses enough crush element to attract any K-Pop fan.
Three project singles and millions of YouTube views later, the group, which is made up of 2 male and 2 female members – J.seph (제이셉), B.M (매튜김, aka Matthew Kim), Jeon Somin (전소민), and Jeon Jiwoo (전지우), made their official debut in July 2017 with “Hola Hola”.
Want to know more about the group? Here’s a list of fun facts:
The group’s concept is one of a kind
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As one of the few K-Pop co-ed groups, KARD’s concept is a unique one. In case you didn’t know, each member has a card type (or card name) that represents a letter in the group’s name: B.M is King (K), J.seph is Ace (A), Jiwoo’s is Colour JokeR (R), and Somin is Black JokeR (R). Last but not least, the letter D is represented by “HiDden KARD” – the group’s fan club name!
Somin was a member of other idol groups
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Before KARD, Somin was a member of idol girl groups Puretty (which disbanded in 2014) and April. The 22-year-old star, who was placed 2nd in DSP’s trainee reality show “KARA Project”, revealed that she left April because she wanted to explore different musical styles. In an interview, she said, “I wanted to try my hand at different kinds of music, which is why I decided to leave April. I was lucky enough to be able to join K.A.R.D at that time. Many people have told me that it seems like I have found something that fits me, so it’s a relief.”
J.seph and B.M were supposed to make their debut as a hip hop duo
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Yes, that’s right – DSP originally planned to debut J.seph and B.M (who have trained under the agency for about 5 years) as a duo! Although that plan fell through, J.seph said that being in KARD was some sort of a blessing in disguise.
“Honestly, at first when I was told that I was going to be in a co-ed group I was against the idea because of stigma and the difficulties that we’d have to overcome. But from the moment I began facing the idea, I decided to overcome those thoughts and I instead became eager to show people that a co-ed group can exist as a team and there are no differences to any other bands,” he told Billboard.
The real reason why DSP chose Jiwoo
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Jiwoo, who is a former FNC Entertainment trainee, debuted as a member of KARD after 2 months of joining DSP. According to her agency, Jiwoo was added to the group because she is a singer who has “unlimited potential, charismatic appearance, and reversible charm”.
Besides that, it was also revealed that she has auditioned for other companies such as YG, Cube, and LOEN Entertainment.
They want to be world stars
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Despite being one of the most popular K-Pop idol groups around, KARD is aiming for the top. In just 2 years of debuting, the quartet has held concerts in Europe, the United States, and South America – a tremendous feat, if you asked us. And that’s not all, they have been interviewed by international media such as Billboard and Buzzfeed.
“We want to become world stars. We will work hard so that we will not just be the unique rookie group but will be a group that enters Billboard’s main chart,” said B.M in an interview in 2017.
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