Oh My Girl is one of the pillars of 3rd generation “cutesy” k-pop, at odds with the more “mature” side that many other popular bands of the time showed. They debuted in 2015 under WM Entertainment (which also formed ONF, B1A4, and Uspeer), with eight members: Hyojung, YooA, Seunghee, Arin, Yubin, Mimi, JinE, and Jiho, though the last two left in 2017 and 2022 respectively.

Here are my credentials: I know more about Oh My Girl than a lot of the groups I’ve covered on this blog (though I recognize that’s not saying much). I watched the season of Queendom they were on and enjoyed their performances, I think I’ve heard most of their singles, and I’m a big fan of YooA’s solo career. But most of that is more surface level, and I wanted to get to know them better. So let’s get into it!

(Part Two)

EP #1: Oh My Girl

Cupid was their debut, and immediately transports the viewer back to the 60’s with its doo-wop vocalizing, brassy hook, and colorful visuals. Its sprawling chorus goes from a fun English refrain to a percussive build-up to a chanty post-chorus that shouldn’t be as catchy as it is. Normally, this style of song is too aegyo-heavy for me, but I really enjoyed this! It feels like it doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is something I appreciate in a song. 

From the EP, Oh My Girl, I enjoyed the bubbliness of the intro (also called Oh My Girl), and the whistling hook of Curious.

EP #2: Closer

Closer goes in a different direction than Cupid established. While still firmly in the pop genre, it’s softer, ethereal, and delicate. It’s difficult to make a song like this catchy without ruining the vibe, but Closer manages. When everything comes together in the bridge, spotlighting their voices with just a little instrumentation, before the last chorus kicks in, the song hits its stride and never looks back. I also wanted to say that this music video is beautiful, taking place in fantastical woods that look like the perfect setting for a fairytale.

From the EP, Closer, I enjoyed the punchy hook of Say No More, the jazzy vaudeville of Sugar Baby (my hidden gem), and the peppiness of Round About.

EP #3: Step By Step

Liar Liar makes the choice to start with its chorus, a hook that reminds me of Red Velvet’s Dumb Dumb in how it toes the line between catchy and cloying, and I’m still not entirely sure which side it falls on. The song is a return to the bubblegum explosion of Cupid, and perhaps even more so. But the vocals manage to keep it grounded in emotion, even while the video takes place in a set of brightly monochrome rooms. I actually liked the rap here, too, which is unusual for me, since I often find them out of place and irritating. But Mimi’s more mature voice and confidence fit in well as a contrast to the petulance of the rest of the track.

Windy Day was the first song I ever heard of Oh My Girl’s, and it’s quite an introduction. In a way, it’s a little bit like NMIXX’s O.O. or Aespa’s Next Level, the infamous k-pop songs that change tempo every five minutes. While it doesn’t quite do that, Windy Day combines so many different sounds together—a gentle acoustic guitar, Middle Eastern horns and flutes, a solidly k-pop base, and a chorus straight out of an ABBA song—that it should be incomprehensible. And yet it’s kind of wonderful instead. The music video too is lovely, and follows their trend of spotlighting nature, which is a refreshing change of pace from the usual music videos.

From the EP, I enjoyed the classical flourishes in Step by Step and the jaunty piano of I Found Love, but my hidden gem was absolutely Knock Knock. As much as I like Liar Liar, Knock Knock is something special. It’s delightfully catchy, and stands out with its hints of jazz and more toned-down aegyo. And, it’s a song from a girl to another girl warning her about her new partner, which is a nice change of pace.

EP #4: Listen To My Word

A-ing is a solidly summer song, and I quite like the majority of it. But, I’m not a fan of the feature, though. It takes the k-pop habit of imitating AAVE and takes it even further than usual, even into the video’s subtitles, which read like a “joke” that’s in incredibly poor taste. I know that they’re a reggae duo, but they’re still Korean, and this feature is completely in English. Even though the rest of the song is fine, I just never find myself listening to it because of how uncomfortable it makes me.

From the EP, Listen To My Word, my hidden gem was easily Je T’aime, which is led by a heartfelt acoustic guitar and a rousing campfire-side refrain that’s equal parts catchy and soothing. If only that had been the single. Imagine!

EP #5: Coloring Book

Coloring Book is a single that I actually hadn’t heard before, and I’m unsure why. It’s very them, and I mean that as a compliment. I love the way the color in the music video explodes as the song itself does, and the same way it turns a plain white canvas into something exciting, the post-chorus’ great vocals interspersed by chants turn a fairly straightforward pop song into something more unique. The whole thing has a big band flair, delighting in its own joy, and it’s so much fun to watch.

From the EP, Coloring Book, I enjoyed the softer accompaniment in Real World and the absolute throwback that was the Disney-Channel-theme-song-ready Perfect Day. This was overall a more subdued album than their usual, and while it’s not as much to my taste, it was still a nice break.

EP #6: Secret Garden

Secret Garden opens with a sunny piano, and only builds from there. For such an understated and gentle track, it carries this sense of quiet power and self-fulfillment that’s infectious. The lyrics too are lovely, encouraging the audience to try and achieve their dreams, no matter the obstacles that they’re facing. When the strings kick in and the vocals start to soar, it’s hard not to be pulled along for the ride. I don’t find myself re-listening to it much, but whenever I do, I always feel less alone.

From the EP, Secret Garden, I enjoyed the gentle, gliding vocals of Butterfly and the call-and-response chants of Seventeen.

Next Time, we’ll be taking a quick break with a boy group, before returning to Oh My Girl. Tschüss!