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Who is Kara? 15th anniversary reunion has K-pop fans saying '2nd gen renaissance'

Kara was a popular second-gen K-pop girl group and was dubbed the second-best in South Korea and rookie of the year in Japan in 2010

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: If we thought 2021 was the year of reunions, we were way off. Yes, we did get some iconic second-gen groups back like SHINee, 2PM, 2AM, After School, and T-ara, but 2022 has even been better. We got back BIGBANG, 2NE1, Girls' Generation aka SNSD, EXID, and now Kara. Kara has become the next second-gen K-pop group to come back after a long period of inactivity to reunite for their 15th debut anniversary.

On September 19, it was announced that not only would Kara be coming back but even the members who had left will be joining the reunion. All five members will be present including Nicole and Kang Jiyoung who left the group in 2014. Their former label RBW which is home to popular K-pop groups like Mamamoo, KARD, and ONEUS shared that Kara was planning an album for their 15th debut anniversary and since they were reuniting after a long time, the label would be giving them their full support.

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Who is Kara?

Kara currently has five members -- Park Gyuri, Han Seungyeon, Heo Youngji, Nicole, and Jiyoung. They previously had Seunghee who left a year after debut and the late member Goo Hara who passed away in 2019. The girl group sans Nicole and Jiyoung had released their seventh and last K-pop album 'In Love' in May 2015 before disbanding in 2016. They had debuted under DSP Media now under RBW back in 2007. They had several iconic songs that represented the second gen like 'Mamma Mia', 'Jumping', and 'Wanna'. They were declared the second-best girl group in South Korea and the rookie of the year in Japan in 2010. In June 2022, they reunited and shared group photos which sparked comeback rumors that have now materialized.

Kara has shared that their reunion album is for fans who have sent them love and support throughout these recent years. The members hope to express their desire to enjoy their 15th anniversary with fans by releasing a festival-like album that is full of happy and bright energy. The release of the album is not the only thing planned, as Kara is set to make a proper K-pop comeback complete with TV show appearances. 

'Time to let Kara through'

A fan declared, "KARA will be coming back in November for their 15th anniversary.. and 2022 is officially the year of the 2nd gen renaissance." One fan made a reaction meme, "SNSD and KARA at the year end award shows." Another fan posted, "GIRLS GENERATION MOVE TO THE LEFT. T-ARA GO TO THE RIGHT. AFTERSCHOOL GET OUT OF THE WAY. SISTAR DO WHATEVER BUT TRY NOT TO GET RUN OVER. WONDER GIRLS STEADY YOURSELF. F(X) YOU'RE FINE WHERE YOU ARE ON THE SIDE. IT'S TIME TO LET KARA THROUGH." One fan tweeted, "KARA COMEBACK IN NOVEMBER WITH SEUNGYEON, GYURI, NICOLE, JIYOUNG, AND YOUNGJI! NO ONE IS READY FOR THE JOINT SLAYAGE THAT IS UPON US!" With Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation, and Kara leading the second-gen girl groups, fans wished for Wonder Girl to complete the WonSoKa reunion, "Wonsoka comeback like together pls."