Hey! Hallie here!
I’ve been a huge fan of BTS for a while now, and while it’s been amazing, it’s also taken up all my time. I’ve only introduced myself to a handful of other groups because I’ve found BTS’s music so addicting. So this week I finally decided to explore more K-pop groups and diversify the K-pop I listen to. I was especially interested in looking at girl groups to see more of what women are doing in the industry. Before this, the only girl group I was absolutely familiar with was BLACKPINK, and they’re the most popular girl group out there. But now that I’ve made myself familiar with a much larger amount of K-pop groups and hit songs, I’ve made a realization. I REALLY like Everglow. Everglow is the perfect mix of beautiful melodies, talented members, and powerful messages. And they only started in 2019. Every major song I’ve heard from them has been empowering and badass. Most of their B-tracks are too good to pass up. They definitely have some problems, which I’ll talk about later, but I can’t say I’m not blown away that all but one of them is younger than me. I’m going to go through all of the members so I can gush about each of them.
E:U
E:U (Meaning ‘Especially for U’), or Park Jiwon, is the leader of Everglow. She’s the main rapper for the group and also serves as one of the front dancers. E:U is the only member as of now to contribute lyrics to a few songs, namely “Moon” and “LA DI DA”. E:U’s energy is infectious, and despite the fact that she’s the group’s oldest member, she seems to be one of the main troublemakers. But she’s also an extremely talented rapper. Every verse she has is a stand out and every MV appearance makes her seem intimidating. E:U doesn’t sing much, so the only moments fans get to hear her in songs are her rap verses and the inevitable “Everglow” heard in every song. This is where we run into a problem. As I said, this group is new and the company still needs to figure out a few things. For E:U, they need to give her more rap verses. While rap verses are evident in every song, there is both one other rapper in the group, and a vocalist who seems to get occasional rap lines for no reason. E:U is amazing at what she does and she should get more time to show it off!
Sihyeon
Park Sihyeon is one of the lead vocalists for Everglow, as well as one of their two main visuals. Sihyeon is well known for cracking jokes and often being the voice of reason amongst the group. Her voice is one of the most noticeable features of any Everglow song. It’s light and crisp, which often earns her some of the most singing portions in each song. However, she often doesn’t get enough to sing. Sihyeon balances a lot of singing lines with Mia, who I’ll talk about in a second. Mia, however, gets the majority of these lines despite Sihyeon’s amazing vocals. It baffles me because I often find Sihyeon’s voice fits each song just as much as Mia’s. Because she’s used so often she doesn’t face as many problems as some of the other members, but hopefully Sihyeon will be given an even share in the future.
Mia
Han Eunji, or Mia, is the main vocalist and one of the main dancers of Everglow. She is cited as being in charge of their girl-crush image, which is an image that promotes female empowerment. The other members of Everglow have said that she appeared rude to them initially, but that she is ultimately helpful and kind. Mia has a slightly richer voice than Sihyeon and can be heard the most in any given song out of any of the other members. Once again, this is where the group needs some fixing. Mia gets the most lines out of any member of Everglow by a fairly large margin. In “DUN DUN” she’s even given a dance break to herself when the other members are given no such treatment. A lot of fans have used this as a means to attack her, which is absolutely ridiculous. These problems aren’t her fault and she most definitely has the talent to keep up with the amount of work she’s been given. The company simply needs to give some of her lines to the other members, including the rap lines she confusingly has in some songs.
Onda
Jo Serim, or Onda, is one of the main dancers, a sub vocalist, and another visual of the group. Onda is easily spotted by her brightly-colored style and she has a bubbly personality to back it up. Unfortunately, she doesn’t bring much else to the group other than her style and the independent personality the other members boast of. Her voice is extremely good, but according to some, not as developed as some of the other members. Because of this, she doesn’t get much to sing in each song. She also doesn’t get pulled to the front of the dance line as often as the other main dancers. Which is a shame because Onda is definitely one of the best dancers of the group. Onda is a great singer who could definitely use more content to show off her talents, but even more than that, she needs to be brought forward to the main dancing position. Even amongst a group her dancing talents are eye-catching and it’s a shame the company doesn’t seem to have noticed it yet.
Aisha
Heo Yoorim, or Aisha, is the other main rapper and a sub-vocalist for Everglow. She is easily spotted by her tallness compared to the other members of the group. Aisha’s known for her calmness and patience amongst the adorable chaos the Everglow members can be. She can be recognized in each song by her lower register. Aisha is used pretty frequently for both rap and vocals. Because of the unique sound of her voice, she’s brought forward for many pre-chorus lines. Aisha’s treatment is about as problematic as Sihyeon’s. She could use some more time to show off her talents, similar to many of the other members, but the balance of vocals and rap she’s given eliminates some of the issues other members have had. Still, she’s my bias and I’d love to hear more from her!
Yiren
Wang Yiren is another of the main dancers of Everglow and another sub-vocalist. She’s the other main visual of Everglow, and, like Sihyeon, is considered one of the two faces of the group. Yiren is Everglow’s maknae and their only Chinese member. Just like most people imagine a maknae would be, she’s very energetic and sweet. She’s also a trained dancer which is the reason why she’s often brought forward in the dance line. The issue is she’s trained in Chinese traditional dance, and while she’s shown she’s very talented, she is definitely pushed forward too much. Especially as opposed to members like Onda, who should be given more time to shine amongst the dance line. She’s another member who’s vocals are often pushed to the background because she isn’t considered to be as polished as some of the other vocalists, but her voice is beautiful and deserves more time!
Those are the members of Everglow. As I said above, all of them are extremely talented. I see a lot of people “complimenting” this group by saying that they’re good for rookies but not anywhere near the talent of BLACKPINK. Everglow is good for any K-pop group, but they still have a long way to go. There’s a lot the company needs to work out and there’s definitely more each girl, aside from Mia, could be doing. As for Mia, I appreciate her many talents and I don’t blame her for getting the majority of the attention. I simply hope that the group achieves a more even balance in the near future. However, this entire scenario isn’t a reason to disregard the group entirely. Not only are they still new, but K-pop has had this issue for a while. Jin from BTS is a famous example of a member of a group not getting as much attention as the others. And Jennie of BLACKPINK is another famous example of a member of a group getting too much attention as opposed to the others. Everglow simply joins them, and hopefully, like these groups, everything will even out.
Don’t do anything fun until I get back!
Hallie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 