KPOP DISCOVER

2nd generation · DSP Media / RBW

KARA

KARA / 카라

KARA were the group that made the second generation's move into Japan look inevitable, and they restarted as five after a fifteen-year gap in the line-up.

  • 2007DebutMar 29, 2007
  • 5Members
  • 2thGeneration
  • KamiliaFandom
▶ Start hereView members
ListenSpotifyApple MusicAmazon Music
Mister / Official MV
Mister / Official MV

Last updated:

01

In 30 seconds: KARA

Mister travelled furthest, Lupin and STEP carry the Korean peak, and the recent material belongs to Gyuri, Seungyeon, Nicole, Jiyoung and Youngji together.

Come here for a reunion that worked, which is rarer in Korean pop than the announcements suggest.

02

Key facts

Group name
KARA
Reading / Hangul
KARA / 카라
Company
DSP Media / RBW
Debut date
March 29, 2007
Days active
7,156 days (19 years, 7 months)
Debut song
Break It
Generation
2nd generation
Fandom name
Kamilia(カミリア)
03

Member guide

ギュリ규리 · GyuriView in Japaneseスンヨン승연 · SeungyeonView in Japaneseニコル니콜 · NicoleView in Japaneseジヨン지영 · JiyoungView in Japaneseヨンジ영지 · YoungjiView in Japaneseハラ하라 · HaraView in Japaneseソンヒ성희 · SungheeView in Japanese

Profile comparison

MembersBirth dateBlood typeMBTINationality
ギュリ1988-05-2138162cmABESTJSouth Korea
スンヨン1988-07-2438160cmANot disclosedSouth Korea
ニコル1991-10-0735165cmAENFJSouth Korea · United States
ジヨン1994-01-1832167cmOENTPSouth Korea
ヨンジ1994-08-3032165cmAISFPSouth Korea
ハラ1991-01-1335163cmBNot disclosedSouth Korea
ソンヒ1989-05-1737165cmNot disclosedNot disclosedSouth Korea

Ages are as of 2026-10-31.

Selected releases

04

Start here

Follow a few songs from the starting point to the group's current sound.

I Do I Do artwork

July 24, 2024 · Special Digital Single

I Do I Do

View tracksOfficial MV
View the full discography →
Mister MVMister MVMister is the one that crossed over, and the routine is why.STEP MVSTEP MVSTEP is the brightest of the Korean singles and the best for the sense of lift it has live.When I Move MVWhen I Move MVWhen I Move belongs to the reunion and sounds like five adults enjoying themselves.
MVView in JapaneseDance PracticeView in JapanesePerformanceView in JapaneseLiveView in JapaneseStageView in Japanese
View all official videos →
05

From debut to now

  • 2007
    Debuted from DSP Media and set out as a second-generation girl group that would later become widely known in Japan.
  • 2008
    An approachable concept widened the early image of KARA and built the ground that led to Honey.
  • 2009
    Honey fixed the early signature song, and Mister won choreography and pop appeal that stayed strongly remembered in Japan.
  • 2010
    They showed a KARA with more than a bright entrance and renewed the line of Korean signature songs.
  • 2011
    A stage song with real lift, easy to recommend to anyone following the Korean work for the first time.
  • 2012
    The visuals and the sound moved in a grown-up direction, strengthening a presentation unlike the early days.
  • 2013
    Hard concepts and album-scale work left a matured period that the three best-known songs alone do not show.
  • 2014
    After a change in the line-up, the KARA from Mamma Mia onward can be read as a separate phase.
  • 2022
    The five of Gyuri, Seungyeon, Nicole, Jiyoung and Youngji restarted, and When I Move became the present entrance.
  • 2024
    I Do I Do and Hello arrived as a special digital single, showing the softer present after the restart.
06

Achievements

Key milestones

2008Pretty Girl and Honey open the early signature periodThey established an approachable KARA as a second-generation girl group and built the way into the later work in Japan.
2009Mister wins a signature song remembered in JapanThe choreography and the hook are strong, and it is still easy to recommend to anyone seeing KARA for the first time.
2011STEP renews the Korean signature songsA bright sound with real lift, on record and on stage, marking the signature period of the Korean work.
2022MOVE AGAIN restarts at the fifteenth anniversaryWhen I Move arrived with the current five and set out where a long-running group stands again.
2024I Do I Do shows the restart continuingThe special single carrying Hello kept the restart from being a one-off and led into the next releases.

Verified information

Verified English information is not yet available for this section.

10

Official links

Official site

RBW JAPANrbwjapan.jpApple Musicmusic.apple.comSpotifyopen.spotify.comAmazon Musicmusic.amazon.com

Official social accounts and platforms

InstagramXJapan OfficialRBWYouTube

Shopping guide

Verified English shopping links are not yet available.

12

KPOP DISCOVER's KARA note

What anchors KARA is the second-generation move into Japan and where the group stands after its restart. The girl group debuted in 2007 and cannot be left out of any account of how second-generation K-pop reached Japan; the work today is gathered around the five of Gyuri, Seungyeon, Nicole, Jiyoung and Youngji.

The way in is Mister, Lupin and STEP. Mister gives the choreography and pop appeal that became widely known in Japan, and Lupin and STEP show the presentation as Korean signature songs. Pandora and Damaged Lady, from the stretch between 2012 and 2013, are key works for the cool, hard expression and the renewed concept of a girl group.

MOVE AGAIN in 2022 and I Do I Do in 2024 are where the restart stands. Following the music video and performance video for When I Move and then the music video for I Do I Do gives the air of the current five. Mister, then Lupin, then When I Move covers the move into Japan, the Korean signature songs and the present.

Editors' take Mister / Lupin / When I Move — three songs cover a second-generation move into Japan and the present after a restart, from a five-piece.

KPOP DISCOVER editorial team

Trivia worth knowing

Name

KARA is often introduced through a sense of joy in the word itself, which matches the brightness of the best-known singles.

Fans

Kamilia joins KARA to family, a fandom name that carries the warmth of a long-running act.

Japan

Mister was the way in for listeners who met KARA in Japan, and it belongs to a lane of its own beside the Korean signatures.

Relaunch

When I Move marks where the group stands after the 15th anniversary restart, which keeps the story from ending with the old hits.

Line-up

The line-up has changed over time, so holding the historical members apart from the current five keeps KARA readable.

Videos

Official video for the older releases is spread across several channels, so the music videos, Dance Shot, performance clips and music-programme stages are grouped in one place.

13

Japan activity score

KPOP DISCOVER original metric
No. 15/ 241 groups

No. 15 of 241 groups with recorded activity in Japan (top 6%)

  • 11Japanese releases
  • 43Japan-related tracks
  • 0Members from Japan
  • 3Official Japanese accounts

The denominator is the 241 groups, out of 564 covered by KPOP DISCOVER, whose raw score reaches at least one point. The score adds 10 points per Japanese-market release, 3 per Japan-related track, 12 per member from Japan, and 8 per official Japanese account. Japanese-market releases carry the most weight because they are the most direct evidence of activity; related tracks add track-level detail; members from Japan stand for Japanese-language communication and continuity; official accounts stand for a permanent point of contact. The weights are an editorial judgement, not a statistical optimisation, and the ranking tracks release volume in Japan closely. Source: releases, tracks, members, and official links recorded by KPOP DISCOVER (updated 2026-10-24).

How this score is calculated →View in Japanese

Frequently asked questions

What defines KARA?
Mister travelled furthest, Lupin and STEP carry the Korean peak, and the recent material belongs to Gyuri, Seungyeon, Nicole, Jiyoung and Youngji together.
Why should a new listener start with KARA?
Come here for a reunion that worked, which is rarer in Korean pop than the announcements suggest.
Which songs should a new listener try first?
Start with Mister, STEP, When I Move, then continue to the official video index.