Rookie group K.A.R.D has been a standout in the K-pop scene with its distinctive Latin dance-influenced sonic style that diverges from the K-pop norm.

After making an impression with its debut EP “Hola Hola” in July and wrapping up its world tour in October, K.A.R.D is back on home ground. It released its new love-tinged EP “You & Me” on Tuesday.

And the new EP is not about a fairy tale romance. Rather, it’s a tragic love story smothered with pain, obsession and jealousy. 

“While our previous works were also about love, our new EP is different in that it shows how a happy couple’s relationship gets twisted with ugly feelings, which then ends in breaking up,” said Jiwoo during a media showcase for the new EP in Seoul on Tuesday.

With a dark concept similar to its previous hits “Don’t Recall” and “Rumor,” the group’s second EP explores various aspects of crooked love. Led by the track “You in Me,” the EP’s six tracks are connected to form a heartbreaking love drama.

In the first track “Into You,” a dreamy electronic dance music tune, a couple delves into budding love. But jumping into darker tracks “Push & Pull” and “Because I lose,” the love birds enter a stage of fighting with an air of distrust and obsession. Finally, the struggling couple decides to breakup in the lead track “You in Me,” an explosive EDM track. As the song reaches its emotional climax, the vocals reflect on the couple’s past memories, drenched in pain.

Consisting of two women, Jiwoo and Somin, and two men, J.Seph and B.M, K.A.R.D released its first EP “Hola Hola” in July, which debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s World Album Chart. But the group has a more impressive portfolio in terms of its promotion strategy, as it had already built up a large following outside of Korea prior to its official K-pop debut.

From the start, K.A.R.D has successfully differentiated itself from others by releasing its three pre-debut singles “Oh Nana” “Don’t Recall” and “Rumor.” And before hitting the K-pop scene, the group gained wide popularity in both North and South America, where its Latin dance-tinged dancehall and reggaeton tunes were warmly received.

After the promotion of “Hola Hola” in Korea, the group went on another world tour that ran from September to October, visiting 13 countries and 25 cities around the world, from Europe to South America. The group received a rookie award at the 2017 Asia Artist Awards last week.

“We don’t feel sorry at being not as popular in Korea as overseas, though. We are just grateful for everyone who has been supporting us,”Somin said.

“We’ve never had our own concerts exclusive for fans in Korea. No matter how small it is, we’d like to throw concerts for them in the future. Next year, we plan to have more Korean activities as well,” she added.

“Now we are aiming at winning the first place at music shows,” Jiwoo said, 


By Hong Dam-young
(lotus@heraldcorp.com)