When the news that KARA member Nicole had decided not to renew her contract with DSP Media early next year was announced last week, shock waves rolled through the K-Pop universe.

Follow that up with another member of the popular girl group, Jiyoung, admitting that she too is contemplating not resigning with the agency in order to focus on her studies, and you have a whole host of KARA fans speculating what will happen to the group in 2014.

DSP Media has said that they have no plans to replace Nicole in the group, and the singer stated in a message to fans that she wishes to continue promoting with KARA, just not under their current agency.

With the remaining three members, Gyuri, Hara, and Seung Yeon all having already decided to stick with DSP, however, this option seems highly unlikely.

If KARA is to go down to three members, there are many questions that need to be answered. Mainly, will they continue under the original group's name? That is a definite possibility seeing as how the group already has considerable name recognition and a really strong fan following around the world.

But it seems far less likely that they will be able to continue with the same image and music style.

Therefore, the remaining three members and DSP Media should see this as a fantastic opportunity to branch out and try something new.

KARA currently fits into the typical K-Pop girl group spectrum. Five very pretty members who coordinate outfits and perform sometimes cutesy, sometimes ultra sexy songs and trade off singing parts in their different tracks.

It is an equation that has proven to be successful for many girl groups over the years, but it is starting to get old. While die-hard fans will undoubtedly argue that KARA has something very unique and special to offer, the average listener would have a difficult time telling the difference between them and say SISTAR or T-ARA.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

The whittling down of KARA means they have a fresh opportunity to bring a unique sound, and collaboration may just be the way to start out.

Initially the thought was to mix Gyuri, Hara, and Seung Yeon with a more urban sound - perhaps a hip-hop infused collab with 2Chainz or Kendrick Lemar. But that line between K-Pop and hip-hop is also getting over-worked and is all too common to make any sort of significant impact on the group's new image.

Instead, maybe KARA should team up with a modern rock 'n' roll diva like Alexis Krauss.

Krauss is the lead singer of American rock duo Sleigh Bells, an edgy noise-pop group based out of Brooklyn, New York.

Sleigh Bells's music may initially sound very different from KARA's, but break it down and the basic element are the same, meaning combining sounds wouldn't be very difficult at all. The band's tracks are noted for their simple pop hooks and dreamy vocals that are then positioned in a field of strong guitar riffs, electro beats, and rhythmic noise - putting them in a genre all their own.

Krauss herself made the jump to her current matured sound after being a member of teen pop group RubyBlue during her younger years.

KARA and Krauss may seem like a stretch at first, but it is important to note that when Sleigh Bells's other half Derek Miller first wanted to put the duo together, Krauss realized the sound was going to be very different from what she had been used to performing in the past. They made it work, so who's to say that KARA can't stir things up a bit with a harder sound?

A collaboration with Alexis Krauss and Seung Yeon, Gyuri, and Hara would take KARA's own K-Pop hooks and infuse them with elements of glam metal and industrial rock to create a very new sound unheard of in the current Korean music industry, giving new life to the dwindling girl group.

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What do you think? Could this collaboration work?

Share your ideas and suggestions you have for future fantasy collaborations in the comments section below.

Interested in past Fantasy K-Pop Collabs? Click HERE for more!