Before ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ there were these K-pop Groups

The hit movie ‘KPOP Demon Hunters’ took heavy inspiration from past K-pop groups in order to make maintain accuracy. Below you can see the character design art created by artist Marion Bordeyne. It’s fun to see the character silhouettes that changed throughout the decades as K-pop moved from one generation to the other.

Jeogori Sisters

What Korean musical acts inspired the designs for the earlier K-pop demon hunters? The first group that comes to mind is the Jeogori Sisters, arguably the first girl group in Korea. Jeogori (저고리) refers to the upper garment, the “jacket/top” of the hanbok. This 8-member group was active from 1939-1945 which covered the time period of World War II. There are not many pictures of them on the internet, but you can see the classy fashion that they wore. Though they are all dressed in western-style stockings and shoes, some of them donned on the traditional jeogori.

Kim Sisters

One of the members of the Jeogori sisters, Lee-Nan Young, had three daughters (well technically one was an adopted cousin but it still counts) who went on to form the Kim sisters (김시스터즈). Their mother taught them American songs so they could sing for American soldiers at bars and nightclubs. They got booze as a payment, which they traded in for rice at the black market. This was their lifeline during an extremely povertous time in Korea. Their popularity among American troops caught the ear of the entertainment producer Tom Ball and the rest is history. Active during the 50s and 60s, they met Louis Armstrong, performed for the Ed Sullivan show over 20 times, and had countless shows across the country. They were the very first Korean musical act to gain acclaim in the U.S., an incredible feat during a period of extreme xenophobia.

Setorae

Next up, a prominent trio in the late 80s was Setorae (세또래 means like 3-people in the same age group?? Sounds weird in English). People say that the were the very first of the ‘modern’ kpop-girl group. I definitely see it. They were known for their young and fresh image which is akin to a lot of girl groups today. The camera panning, cutesy hand motions, and catchy dance moves show that they helped set the model for modern day k-pop artists. They went on to perform internationally in Japan, Taiwan and other regions in Southeast Asia. Though the group was only active for a few years, they were the start of the K-pop ‘idol’.

S.E.S.

Lastly, lets talk about S.E.S, k-pop girl trio that dominated the pop charts from their debut in 1997. They are seen as the forefront of the first-generation K-pop stars. They were one of the first groups produced by SM entertainment (if you’re a big K-pop you may recognize SM as one of the big 3 entertainment companies in Korea). Their debut single “(‘Cause) I’m your Girl” was an immediate hit in Korea and is still iconic in today’s age. They disbanded in 2002 but had a mini comeback in 2016 to celebrate their 20th anniversary. To this day, they have success careers in music, acting, and business