L-R: Soyou, Hyorin, Bora, Dasom
1, 2, 3... We the B.E.S.T. Sistar! Hello, we are Sistar!
Sistar was a four-member Girl Group from Starship Entertainment. They debuted in June 2010 with lead single "Push Push", and quickly followed up with singles "Shady Girl" and "How Dare You". They gained recognition after the brief stint of their first duo single, "Ma Boy", featuring members Bora and Hyorin, and steadily gained popularity after their first album, "So Cool" was released. However, it wasn't until their single, "Alone", that they finally rose to national recognition. They have since been pioneered as one of the leading girl groups in Korean Pop Music, due to their catchy dance tunes, unshakable confidence, and gratuitous amounts of fanservice. They were dubbed the "Queens of Summer" due to releasing a hit single almost every June/July.
On May 22, 2017, the members announced they would be disbanding
following the release of their final song "Lonely" on May 31.
Sistar's members were:
- Bora (main rapper, main dancer)
- Hyorin (leader, main vocalist, lead dancer)
- Soyou (lead vocalist)
- Dasom (vocalist, maknae)
Discography
Albums:
- So Cool - August 9th, 2011
- Give It To Me - June 11th, 2013
Extended Plays:
- Alone - April 12th, 2012
- Loving U - June 28th, 2012
- Touch N Move - July 21st, 2014
- Sweet & Sour - August 26th, 2014
- Shake It - June 22nd, 2015
- Insane Love - June 21, 2016
Single Releases:
- Push Push - 2010
- Shady Girl - 2010
- How Dare You - 2010
- Lonely - 2017 (Disbandment Farewell Song)
As Sistar 19 (Hyorin and Bora):
- Ma Boy - May 3rd, 2011
- Gone Not Around Any Longer - January 31st, 2013
Hyorin solo:
- Love & Hate - November 26th, 2013
- Erase (with Jooyoung, feat. Iron) - 2014
- Coach Me (with San.E, feat. Jooheon) - 2015
- It's Me - November 8, 2016
Soyou solo:
- Officially Missing You, Too (with Geeks) - 2012
- Stupid In Love (with Mad Clown) - 2013
- Some (with Jung Gi Go, feat. Lil Boi of Geeks - 2014
- The Space Between (with Kwon Sunil and Park Yongin) - 2014
- I Miss You - 2016
Bora solo:
- Mermaid Princess (with After School's Lizzy, KARA's Jiyoung, 4Minute's Gayoon, and Secret's Sunhwa as Mystic White) - 2012
- Feedback (with Kisum, Jace, Lil Cham, and Adoonga) - 2015
Dasom solo:
- Ya Ya Ya (feat. Kim Taehyung) - 2014
- You're Mine - 2015
- You & I (Collaboration with 40) - 2017
Tropes related to Sistar:
- The Ace: In addition to being the main vocalist of the group, Hyorin is also an exemplary rapper and a dancer.
- Action Girl: Bora is the most athletic member of the group. Also featured in their "So Cool" music video.
- Album Title Drop: A lot of their songs.
- Award-Bait Song: Hyorin sang the Korean version of "Let It Go".
- Big Eater: Soyou.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: It changes, but notable examples include: blonde Hyorin, brunette Bora, and red-haired Soyou and Dasom in the "Touch My Body" music video; blonde Bora, brunette Hyorin and Dasom, and red-haired Soyou in the "Shake It" music video.
- Breakout Character: Despite Hyorin's star status in the group, it was Soyou who managed this sort of success with the release of her duet single, "Some". The song catapulted to the top of the charts and was the best-selling single of 2014 in South Korea. This more or less solidified her position next to Hyorin as a respectable singer.
- Break-Up Song: In various shapes and sizes, from the powerful How Dare You to the melancholy Alone.
- Burlesque: The concept behind "Give It To Me".
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Notable in "How Dare You" as these are also their favorite colors.
- Hyorin - Red
- Bora - Purple
- Soyou - Black
- Dasom - Yellow
- Custom Uniform of Sexy: "Touch My Body" had them wearing nothing but crop tops and short shorts on stage.
- Dance Party Ending: The final chorus of "Touch My Body" culminates in a crazy house party in the girls' apartment. Also, "Shake It".
- Darker and Edgier: After a string of high-energy dance singles and colorful, revealing attire, the girls released "Alone", a sultry ballad about break-ups, with an accompanying music video that featured mainly black and red visuals. Also, "Gone Not Around Any Longer" to "Ma Boy".
- Erotic Eating: The concept photos for "Touch My Body" have the girls eating whipped cream out of a can, with whipped cream not just on their faces, but everywhere else.
- The Face: Hyorin is the most well-known member of the group, due to her powerful vocals, which have, on more than one occasion, drawn comparisons to Beyoncé.
- Fanservice: They are famously known for their shapely bodies, which they accentuate with very revealing outfits and very high heels.
- Genki Girl: Bora is the most energetic member, and is also the most childish, despite being the oldest.
- Gratuitous English: A majority of their songs have this."Shake It": Money maker, rump shaker / Heartbreaker, chance taker / Net payer, one slayer
- High School Rocks: "Shake It" has the girls pose as queens of the school yard, from shutting down bullies to going on shopping sprees at the mall to hosting block parties while dancing on top of pink leopard print firetrucks in six-inch heels. Think Heathers meets Clueless.
- Homage: Their concept photos for "Shake It" have them channeling key members of the Birds of Prey, with Hyorin as Catwoman, Bora as Harley Quinn, Soyou as Poison Ivy, and Dasom as Batgirl.
- Hotter and Sexier: In contrast to their earlier releases, their songs have steadily been going down this route.
- Idol Singer
- Incredibly Long Note: Hyorin for a majority of their songs, notably "Give It To Me" and her solo single, "One Way Love".
- The Leader: Hyorin.
- Lighter and Softer: In comparison to the rest of their songs, "Shady Girl" is this due to the lack of focus on their sex appeal and overall cuter costumes (pink, fluffy dresses anyone?). Also, "Loving U" to the previous release, "Alone".
- Male Gaze: Common in their music videos, but "Shake It" in particular has really prolonged, extreme close-ups of Soyou's butt and boobs.
- Melismatic Vocals: One of Hyorin's trademark vocal techniques in many of their songs.
- Never Trust a Trailer: The teaser video for Sistar19's "Ma Boy" featured a heavy club beat, racing sports cars, and shots of the girls lounging inside a bathtub. The actual song itself is a sweet pop song with pastel visuals and none of the aforementioned hard imagery.
- Pool Scene: Featured in their music videos for "Loving U" and "I Swear", but takes the cake in "Touch My Body", where 75% of the music video is them dancing and frolicking in or by a pool in revealing swimsuits. Cue the nosebleeds.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Youngest member Dasom tends to be this because of her stark black hair and her very pale skin.
- The Rival: Subverted. Fans and media alike originally pitted Sistar against miss A in the early days of their careers, due to being both dance quartets that debuted in the same time span. While miss A was touted as the more superior group back then, Sistar's boom in popularity led them to rise above their peers, and spent the latter part of their career sitting comfortably in the highest rung of girl groups with groups like 2NE1 and Girls' Generation.
- Road Trip Plot: The main synopsis for their music videos for "Loving U" and "I Swear".
- Show Some Leg: While a lot of their outfits show a lot of leg, their leather outfits for "Alone" are notable for concealing nearly everything but their legs (complete with a side slit!).
- Stage Names: Hyorin's real name is Hyojung, while Soyou's real name is Jihyun.note
- The Smart Guy: Dasom. In an interview, the members pointed out Dasom as the most intelligent out of all the girls.
- Team Mom: Despite not being the oldest, Hyorin considers herself this because of her more serious, no-nonsense attitude with the rest of her members.
- Vocal Tag Team: Hyorin and Soyou share ample amounts of all their songs.
