Dal Shabet Is On The Verge of Breaking Out

"Moon Sherbet Ice Cream" is the first thing I thought about when I heard the name Dal Shabet. Actually, it's the name of a girl group comprised of six lovely ladies - Serri, Ah Young, Jiyul, GaEun, Subin, and Woohee who replaced the previous leader of the group, Viki. They debuted in January of 2011 and are still very active.

Happy Face Entertainment explains their name as the shortened form of "Dal Kom Han Sherbet (Sweet Sherbet)". Obviously they had a miscue on the spelling of sherbet, but I digress. As their name implies, Dal Shabet debuted with sugary dance pop singles "Bling Bling" and "Supa Dupa Diva".

It's strange to me that Dal Shabet has not yet broken through to be a mainstay among the K-Pop girl group headliners. I liken them to a high-ceiling prospect in baseball. They're almost there, but not quite there yet - like a pitcher who hits the 3.00 ERA but can't bring it down a hair to a sub-3 ERA. Catch my drift (or curve ball)?

I thought they would break out when former leader Viki left to pursue a solo career. They acted quickly, bringing in Woohee and releasing their first full album, "Bang Bang." However, their title song of the same name was as mediocre as their previous singles. They did the same with their winter title song "Have, Don't Have".

Perhaps tired of the same routine, they decided to go the way of "sexy" and released "Be Ambitious (Look At My Legs)." They were met with instant criticism for being overly sexually suggestive. That song did much better than their previous singles, however, so it may have been a happy compensation. It was, however, a little disappointing for me. Selling "sex" always seems like a last resort.

Compare this to A Pink, who debuted together with Dal Shabet in 2011. They bravely entered the saturated K-Pop girl group scene and managed to survive. They were, up until sometime last year, on the same plane of popularity. Typing "Girl Group" in korean on Naver.com will yield some interesting popularity maps (all self-made, of course), but I find that they generally have similar rankings for all the groups. Dal Shabet and A Pink were on the same place in those lists last year, but A Pink has now become a part of the "new wave" of girl groups spearheaded by Girls' Day.

I find A Pink's pure concept dull and manufactured, but I can't deny how effective it was (and is). Unlike Dal Shabet, A Pink chose one concept and stuck through with it. Can that really be the difference?

I find that hard to believe. Dal Shabet has the skills and the looks to join the ranks of groups such as A Pink and Girls' Day. If it took A Pink two and a half years to gain popularity, there is hope for Dal Shabet to break through yet. Like 4MINUTE before "What's Your Name" and like Girls' Day before "Something", Dal Shabet is on the verge of a break through. Here's hoping that they do it sooner than later.

Tags
Dal Shabet
Bling Bling
Supa Dupa Diva
A Pink
Join the Discussion

Latest Photo Gallery

Real Time Analytics