Orange Caramel is an oddity in k-pop for many reasons, not the least of which being that they were originally a subunit of Afterschool whose popularity grew to be almost as much as that of Afterschool itself. Though they’re now inactive, they have three members: Nana, Lizzy, and Raina.

Here are my credentials: Like most k-pop fans, I know of Orange Caramel, most notably their hit Catallena. But just like with EXID, I wanted to learn more about who they are and what their discography is beyond the single that made them viral, and I figured that this was a good way to do it. So let’s get started!

EP #1: Magic Girl

Magic Girl was Orange Caramel’s first single, and has a 50’s/60’s sound with its twinkling piano, slight strings, and jaunty horns. It’s incredibly 2012, from the fritzy music video quality to the ultra-aegyo to the pastel color palette, and it did make me laugh a bit. But besides that, it’s a pretty decent song, especially in the moments where it slows down and allows the women’s vocals to take center stage.

EP #2: Orange Caramel 2nd Mini

A-ing has a deceptively relaxing framing device; smooth strings play as a little girl opens a fairy tales book, and for a moment I wondered if this would be a departure from the sound they’re known for. But have no fear; A-ing immediately disproves that assumption as its chorus shoots forward with pure pop determination. It leads us through various recognizable stories including Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and Alice In Wonderland, though always in fluffy miniskirts. I wasn’t sure about its hook the first time it came around—I’m always wary of onomatopoeic titles—but the final chorus and outro convinced me with their soaring vocals.

From the EP, aptly titled The Second Mini Album, I enjoyed the peppiness in the more relaxed One Love and the lovely vocals in Steal.

Single #1: Bangkok City

Bangkok City departs from Orange Caramel’s signature bubblegum for a more 80’s synth based song, which compliments the singers’ tones better than I was expecting. Between the pulsing instrumental and the very little space between its different sections, the track doesn’t really slow down at any point and thus has quite a tight structure. By the time the final chorus came around, I was dancing along.

Single #2: Shanghai Romance

Shanghai Romance is often considered the first of Orange Caramel’s classics, and it has that mood before anyone even starts singing. Though there’s as much cutesiness as ever in the voices, the rest of the song feels much more refined with the traditional Chinese orchestral swirls in the instrumental, a slowed-down bridge, and sharp, smooth dance moves combined with the usual girl group ones. The whole thing relies on showmanship as much as it does on music, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a good time. Or if I said it wasn’t perfect for a Korean remake of Sailor Moon.

From the single, also called Shanghai Romance, I enjoyed the strings-meets-soft-rock of Close Your Eyes.

Album #1: Lipstick

Lipstick reminded me heavily of Fromis_9’s FUN, from the orange sport number dresses to the electro beat to the complaining tone, though of course it would be more accurate to say that FUN reminds me of this song. It seems to continue the trend of Orange Caramel’s music videos becoming stranger and stranger as time goes on, though whether that was intentional or not I have no idea. It also tries to continue the sense of drama, but doesn’t have as good of a payoff, instead having somewhat of an anti-drop and going for an instrumental and catchphrase chorus, which is a little disappointing.

I was surprised that a subunit would be given a full album, but that’s exactly what Lipstick is. Although it does of course feature many past singles, I also enjoyed the synthy dancefloor sound of Bubble Bath and the accordion feature (I know, right?) on Dream Of Clara. My hidden gem was Superwoman, with its slowly building joyful sound. Seventeen’s S.Coups is actually featured on it, even though he was a trainee back then, and his voice is a nice contrast to Raina’s high one. It’s quite a strong release, actually; I was pleasantly surprised.

Single #3: Catallena

How to describe and / or explain Catallena? Well, that’s impossible, frankly, because it’s a song that at its core, shouldn’t work. It’s an overwhelming bubblegum explosion, incredibly kitschy and campy, and is so openly queer that I’m honestly shocked it survived censorship. Perhaps they thought that it was less sapphic due to the crossdressing? Who knows. The music video is also utterly bizarre and features sensual eating of sushi, mermaids, and some of the strangest makeup I’ve seen in a k-pop video. And yet it manages to be downright addictive, like it took everything that worked from Orange Caramel’s past singles and threw them at the wall with a glitter cannon. In short, it’s glorious, and you should check it out, if not for the quality than for the laughs. 

From the single, Catallena, my hidden gem was the fast-paced I’m Sorry, with its brassy interpolations, but I also enjoyed the smooth, synthy Cry.

Single #4: Abing Abing

Abing Abing is as bubblegum as a song can get, really, complete with comic book special effects and sets, a bottom-of-the-screen sing-along, and enough aegyo to power the k-pop industry for another decade. Arriving in Mickey Mouse ears and seemingly determined to get its audience craving ice cream, Abing Abing wastes no time establishing what kind of song it is, operating on a fritzy electronic beat tailor-made for summer with what may be some of Orange Caramel’s best vocal layering yet. It’s not one of my favorites, but it’s certainly solid.

Single #5: My Copycat

My Copycat is sadly the last of Orange Caramel’s singles, since they’ve been on hiatus for the last decade. With a irrepressibly catchy jazzy beat underscoring it and an overall tone of fun and whimsy, it’s hard not to find yourself moving along. By the time of its handclap-heavy bridge and final chorus, you’ll be won over. Its music video also has a fun split-screen encouraging the audience to “spot the difference”. It’s not quite as good as Catellena—few things are—but it’s a worthy addition to their work, and a fitting send-off.

From the single, My Copycat, my hidden gem was the magical, dance-floor ready Gangnam Avenue.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this. I confess that I was expecting not to like a majority of Orange Caramel’s work, but they proved me wrong! I was especially impressed by Lizzy, Nana, and Raina’s voices; even in such fast-paced and poppy work, they really shined. I couldn’t find much content out there that showed their personalities since they haven’t been active in a while, but what I did find gave me some good laughs.

My Top 5 songs are Catallena, My Copycat, Bangkok City, Superwoman, and Shanghai Romance, with Dream Of Clara as an honorable mention. Orange Caramel gets an 8.5 out of 10 from me. Often in kpop’s cutesy concepts nowadays, the over-aegyo is part of an effort to hide the singers’ voices, whether due to fears about their strengths or tones, I’m not sure. Though I admit I’m not the biggest fan of aegyo—and I have to listen to their work in small doses—they have the pipes to back up what they’re selling, and the music quality too. I had a lot of fun here, and it was great to see someone giving their all to a cutesy concept while not taking themselves too seriously.

I wish that Orange Caramel hadn’t disbanded—I would have loved to see how they’d evolve in a more modern k-pop landscape—but I’m glad that there are still groups now, like WJSN Chocome or Fromis_9, that carry on their unique style. Though there isn’t and likely never will be a group quite like Orange Caramel.

Next time, we have one more short review before a long boy group deep dive. Tschüss!