Great news for T-ARA fans: your girls are making a comeback!
Eunjung, Hyomin, Jiyeon, and Qri broke the news last July 29, during the live broadcast they held to mark the 12th anniversary of their debut.
“There are many people waiting for us. Our fans have waited such a long time. How many years has it been already? The last time we released an album together was in 2017. Four years have passed already. We’d always talk about the possibility of making a comeback whenever we’d meet up, but realistically, we faced a lot of obstacles. But now it seems to be the right time. We all thought the timing was right. We found an opportunity, and I think it’s the right time for us to take advantage of it. So we’re all working hard to prepare for this comeback,” Hyomin said.
Her bandmates cheered, “We’re making a comeback!”
Jiyeon then asked the question that was on the minds of those who had tuned in to their live broadcast. “When will that be? We can’t keep all of you waiting forever, so the question of when we’ll be coming back is very important. However, we don’t have a precise answer for you all right now. We’ll give you a fuzzy one instead. Roughly speaking…”
Hyomin interjected, “Honestly, it could take a long time. But I think it’ll be before the end of this year, before winter comes.”
The others shrieked at those words. “Yah, you gave too much away!” they protested. In response, Hyomin giggled and said cheekily, “It’ll be before the first snow falls.”
T-ARA was formed in 2009 by MBK Entertainment. After several lineup changes due to creative differences, they debuted in July 2009 with the single “Lie.” Their debut studio album Absolute First Album was released in December of that year and spawned the hits “Bo Peep Bo Peep,” “TTL (Time to Love),” and “You Drive Me Crazy.”
They gained nationwide recognition in South Korea after releasing “Roly-Poly.” It went on to become the Gaon chart’s best-selling single of 2011. T-ARA subsequently signed to the management agency J-Rock and made their Japanese debut with the album Jewelry Box, which was eventually certified Gold. Its lead single, a Japanese-language version of their song “Bo Peep Bo Peep,” sold 49,712 copies in its first week to debut atop the Oricon Weekly Singles chart, making them the first Korean girl group to achieve such a feat.
Meanwhile, their third Korean EP Black Eyes spawned three consecutive chart-toppers: “Cry Cry", “Lovey-Dovey,” and “We Were in Love.” Sadly, T-ARA’s popularity took a dip in 2012 when rumors of infighting between the girls came to light. While they continued to promote as a group even after losing two of their members, their subsequent releases weren’t as successful. They eventually focused on promoting in China, where T-ARA attracted attention for their cover of Chopstick Brothers’ “Little Apple” in 2014.
Their last album What’s My Name? was released in 2017, after members Boram and Soyeon left when their contracts with MBK Entertainment expired. Eunjung, Hyomin, Jiyeon, and Qri had previously renewed theirs; however, they too left the agency in 2018.
Following a long hiatus, T-ARA reunited on October 2, 2020 to celebrate Chuseok. They performed “Roly-Poly” and “Sexy Love” alongside Narsha, SS501, Teen Top, and U-Kiss. The girls’ most recent group activity was an appearance on Ask Us Anything in July 2021.
Are you excited for T-ARA’s upcoming comeback?
