History Of Girl Group Women In Indonesia

Cherrybelle (instagram @ fellyyoung21)

JAKARTA - Friday, February 27th, is Cherrybelle's birthday. Local music lovers may be familiar with this name. Yes, this first group created by Catz Records paved the way for other labels to co-founded girl groups. Understandably, at that time the hallyu wave, the term for the K-pop phenomenon was on the rise. The Hallyu wave in Indonesia is increasing thanks to the presence of girl groups such as Girls' Generation (SNSD), Wonder Girls, 2NE1, KARA, and so on.

The popularity of this girl group formed the idea of applying the same concept in Indonesia. Prior to Cherrybelle, several girl groups had been established such as 7 Icons and Super Girlies. 7 Icons, appears as the first girl group that comes from the relationship between seven members with their interrelated work. Playboy became their first single to adopt a K-pop style.

Single after single owned by 7Icons has been assisted by many reliable singers and writers such as Abdul from Abdul & Coffee Theory, Dewiq, and Bebi Romeo. The popularity of this group brought seven of its members to the world of soap operas, including Go Go Girls and Cinta 7 Susun. After 7 Icons, GP Records' Super Girlies group also attended. They chose Japanese harajuku as the group concept so that their music video and appearance were dominated by hitting colors here and there.

Unfortunately, this group only survived without releasing a single album. Starting his career with the song Malu Malu Mau, this song was criticized for allegedly plagiarizing Berryz Koubou's song entitled Rival. Then they released the single Aw Aw Aw and became the soundtrack for the soap opera Yang Masih under age. Because of this soap opera also the popularity of their song is increasingly known. They also continued to release the late Chrisye's Hip Hip Hura song. The song recently became a companion song for the film New Students in 2019.

Catz Records doesn't want to be outdone by this phenomenon. They formed Cherrybelle which officially debuted in 2011. K-pop fans did not accept the Cherrybelle concept which is said to be imitating SNSD from South Korea. In addition to the same number of personnel, namely nine people, fans judge Cherrybelle's songs to completely plagiarize SNSD. One of them, Best Friend Forever, has the same chorus tone as SNSD's Kissing You.

Throughout his career, Cherrybelle changed formations 10 times. Although not the first, this group has succeeded in becoming the benchmark for girl groups in Indonesia. The attention received by Cherrybelle grew when they starred in films, ftv, and soap operas. Countless fans are also able to fill the venue every time they hold a concert. This girl group has also been the inspiration for the four books they released, video games and led them to star in more than 20 commercials. This is rare for girl groups of their age who mostly revolve around music and television.

Cherrybelle then established several sub units, including Fun Chibi, Sweet Chibi, and Beauty Chibi. This sub unit has a different concept from Cherrybelle but is in accordance with the title of the unit. Recently, the Cherrybelle members were seen getting back together. Even though there was no initiation to release a new project, they managed to treat fans' longing.

In July 2011, Blink became the fourth group present in the Indonesian music scene. The personnel come from alumni of the Little Idola talent search event and the Laskar Pelangi musical event. Excellent vocal skills are clearly the selling points of Sivia, Pricilla, Ify, Shilla, and Febby. At that time, they were still young, they became the idol of teenagers.

Until 2016, Blink spawned a number of singles and played in the soap opera White Gray as the main character. The last track released as a group was the song Percayalah which was composed by Bemby Noor. Currently, all five members of Blink are pursuing solo careers.

In the fourth half of 2011, Vierra group personnel, Kevin Aprilio announced that he would launch a girl group called Princess through his agency, Aprilio Kingdom. With the title track Don't Go, they showcase a side of adult girl groups that is different from existing groups. Unfortunately, after one of its personnel, Alika, left the Princess, the group lost its way. They decided to disband in 2014.

In 2012, artist Indra Bekti's Inbek label presented the Winxs group with members Salsha, Steffi, Cassie, and Bella. Along with the release of the single Malu Tapi Mau, Winxs tried the world of soap opera by becoming the main character in the soap opera Only Kamu with Coboy Junior. Being a group with a kids concept, Winxs gained fans in no time.

SOS is the girl group that closed the girl group era in the 2010s. Sensation of Stage - hence its long name - is the winner of the Galaxy Superstar competition. They get training opportunities in South Korea with the Rainbow Bridge Agency (now turned into Rainbow Bridge World), an agency for Geeks, MAMAMOO, and VROMANCE. They also released a mini album with the title track Drop It Low in Indonesian and English versions. However, even training in South Korea does not guarantee a long way to go for a group.

After 2012, the hallyu wave waned slightly due to the heavy influence of international singers. The music program, which was originally a venue for their promotion, has also decreased because the concept has changed.

In 2017, the Soulsisters group gave a new breath to the Indonesian music industry. The group formed by The Next Boy / Girl Band program is looking for personnel with various abilities, both dancing and singing. The Soulsisters won and performed the song Curi Hatiku, produced by Laleilmanino. There has been no latest news from Soulsisters other than Vanya, who has now joined ZGirls, a group from Zenith Media Contents.