RUNAWAY
Staff member
he/him
The Love Machine cover? I've been a fan of theirs since the beginning and I don't even know what you're talking about.
The After School Discography Rate • FINISHED
- Thread starter vague
- Start date
he/him
Dream Girl is a Momusu cover!
Are you for real right now? "Dream Girl" is the cover of Morning Musume.'s "Love Machine".
Last edited:
Yoo Soyoung... Okay, everyone, thanks for reading, see you for the Orange Caramel member write-ups! I kid, but the ping pong game we had trying to muster up a write-up for Soyoung when she was in After School for all of two minutes...
Soyoung was the last member to join the debut line-up and was, of course, the first member to leave the group, too. She had by far the shortest tenure in the group and seems to be mostly forgotten, even by some fans of the group. Kahi has alluded to the fact that Soyoung was only added to the group to ~brighten its image~... Well, she certainly wasn't chosen for her vocal talents! In fact, Soyoung only has a little over ten seconds of singing time in the group's discography and only recorded vocals on three ("AH", "Diva", and "Dream Girl") of the seven songs recorded during her short tenure in the group. Queen winked more than she sang… The GoWon Print™.
As I said, she was added to the group to soften up its severe image, and she played up the cute factor from day one. A funny anecdote from their Diary of... episode: When the other four members were figuring out what PCD song they wanted to cover next, Soyoung was busy learning the "Gee" dance with even more aplomb and enthusiasm than she has with her own group's material fffff.
@Love Deluxe has long had a working theory that if Soyoung never left the group to pursue acting, that we maybe would have never gotten Lizzy as a member. It seems so obvious that Pledis would've pushed Soyoung as the pre-packaged GP darling variety superstar.
Soyoung was the last member to join the debut line-up and was, of course, the first member to leave the group, too. She had by far the shortest tenure in the group and seems to be mostly forgotten, even by some fans of the group. Kahi has alluded to the fact that Soyoung was only added to the group to ~brighten its image~... Well, she certainly wasn't chosen for her vocal talents! In fact, Soyoung only has a little over ten seconds of singing time in the group's discography and only recorded vocals on three ("AH", "Diva", and "Dream Girl") of the seven songs recorded during her short tenure in the group. Queen winked more than she sang… The GoWon Print™.
As I said, she was added to the group to soften up its severe image, and she played up the cute factor from day one. A funny anecdote from their Diary of... episode: When the other four members were figuring out what PCD song they wanted to cover next, Soyoung was busy learning the "Gee" dance with even more aplomb and enthusiasm than she has with her own group's material fffff.
@Love Deluxe has long had a working theory that if Soyoung never left the group to pursue acting, that we maybe would have never gotten Lizzy as a member. It seems so obvious that Pledis would've pushed Soyoung as the pre-packaged GP darling variety superstar.
Soyoung's graduation was seemingly rather sudden, but it also didn't come out of nowhere, either. After missing some group events throughout late 2009, there were rumors circulating that Soyoung had left the group . On October 20, 2009, though, Pledis swiftly denied these rumors, but then, only nine days later on October 29th, they announced that Soyoung would indeed be officially leaving the group fffff. Prior to the official announcement, however, Pledis also said Soyoung would join After School for their next comeback at the end of October; both of those announcements would turn out to be untrue because After School didn't come back until the end of November - and without Soyoung! Though, perhaps Soyoung was meant to be part of the "Because of you" promotions and her hasty exit forced them to postpone and rework the next comeback, hence the month-long delay. Poor Soyoung leaving the group right before they were about to peak commercially. She's said multiple times, however, that she has no regrets about graduating from the group.
The details of Soyoung's departure remain murky, even twelve years after she graduated. Over the years, her reasons for graduating have changed multiple times. She has attributed her graduation to health issues, wanting to continue her education, not wanting to be labeled an idol, and, perhaps most often, because she wanted to follow her true passion of acting. She also once even blamed her graduation on the group's difficult choreography and all-night dance practices, saying, "Kahi unnie was formerly a backup dancer, so her standards were different than [the other members]. We pulled all-nighters often, so that was hard too." Perhaps all of these factors did play a role in her decision to leave the group, but I guess we'll never know for sure. Whatever her reason, though, she sure kept us on our toes post-graduation, that's for sure! I guess at the end of the day Soyoung is very much a WhyNotBoth.gif kind of woman and we love that for her.
Since her graduation from After School, Soyoung has landed supporting roles in a steady stream of dramas and movies keeping her in the limelight. She has worked with two of her former group mates since her graduation, appearing with Kahi in the second season of Dream High in 2012 and with U-ie in High Society in 2015. Soyoung has stated that she remains friends with several of her former After School groupmates, and is especially close with Raina from their trainee days.
Aside from her acting gigs, Soyoung has also remained active by appearing on various variety shows. Her most recent outing was on The King of Mask Singer in 2020, where we've probably heard her actually sing full out for the first time since she stepped into the entertainment industry. She said she avoided going on the show because of the expectations attached to being a former singer. In a rare moment of celebrity vulnerability, she shared feelings of aimlessness in her current career path and that she still doesn't know what she wants to do. Best of luck to ha and let's praying she joins After School for future reunions to come!
The details of Soyoung's departure remain murky, even twelve years after she graduated. Over the years, her reasons for graduating have changed multiple times. She has attributed her graduation to health issues, wanting to continue her education, not wanting to be labeled an idol, and, perhaps most often, because she wanted to follow her true passion of acting. She also once even blamed her graduation on the group's difficult choreography and all-night dance practices, saying, "Kahi unnie was formerly a backup dancer, so her standards were different than [the other members]. We pulled all-nighters often, so that was hard too." Perhaps all of these factors did play a role in her decision to leave the group, but I guess we'll never know for sure. Whatever her reason, though, she sure kept us on our toes post-graduation, that's for sure! I guess at the end of the day Soyoung is very much a WhyNotBoth.gif kind of woman and we love that for her.
Since her graduation from After School, Soyoung has landed supporting roles in a steady stream of dramas and movies keeping her in the limelight. She has worked with two of her former group mates since her graduation, appearing with Kahi in the second season of Dream High in 2012 and with U-ie in High Society in 2015. Soyoung has stated that she remains friends with several of her former After School groupmates, and is especially close with Raina from their trainee days.
Aside from her acting gigs, Soyoung has also remained active by appearing on various variety shows. Her most recent outing was on The King of Mask Singer in 2020, where we've probably heard her actually sing full out for the first time since she stepped into the entertainment industry. She said she avoided going on the show because of the expectations attached to being a former singer. In a rare moment of celebrity vulnerability, she shared feelings of aimlessness in her current career path and that she still doesn't know what she wants to do. Best of luck to ha and let's praying she joins After School for future reunions to come!
—
Also, if you weren't already aware, we've extended the deadline until 11:59 pm on October 17th! Please feel free to join us~
The defiant but oh-so-charming middle child of After School, Juyeon holds the position of vocalist in the group, and has gone on record to vehemently state her position more than once. Jung-A, during an interview in China, once said Juyeon is in charge of the "dreamy parts" in After School's songs, as in not the sexy parts, but the parts that are more like an accompaniment to the song because they don't require much vocal timbre. What a polite way to lowkey drag her vocals ffffffff. In November 2010, when After School was recording vocals for the Happy pledis single album, Pledis staff tweeted: "Jung-A is giving Juyeon vocal training but Jooyeon isn't improving lol." Juyeon's vocal talents - or lack thereof - were such a running joke for the members that even the staff were in on it.
Although Juyeon is a self-proclaimed vocalist, we all know that her real role in the group was the coveted position of visual. In the words of Irene via "Psycho", Juyeon is After School's ~original visual~. In fact, Juyeon would often introduce herself as the "member who ranked 1st as a visual member" on variety shows and interviews. Even before After School debuted, Juyeon had already made a name for herself online as a popular ulzzang, or "best face", and even landed endorsement deals for underwear on her pre-debut blog.
During After School's early debut days, it was such a scream seeing the juxtaposition of Kahi's perpetual seriousness/take-no-shit approach with Juyeon's nonchalance. Imagine how many times Kahi would scold Juyeon and was simply met with a stone-faced "kk girl" fffff. The good sis had so little care in the world she was even half asleep during dance practice, while filming a reality show with the group. This quote from a Japanese magazine interview best describes Juyeon's personality: "Juyeon tends to do things at her own pace and doesn't put up a front." Her nonchalant, give-no-fucks attitude is, perhaps, the key to her longevity in the group.
Juyeon's laid-back, funny persona also made her a natural for Korean variety shows. Perhaps most notably in May 2010, Juyeon joined the fixed cast of Invincible Youth, a variety show with various other girl group legends. The collective cast of girl group members was known in Korea as G7. Fun fact: Jung-A and Nana also auditioned for a role on the show, but Juyeon was, of course, the member chosen to join the cast.
Although Juyeon is a self-proclaimed vocalist, we all know that her real role in the group was the coveted position of visual. In the words of Irene via "Psycho", Juyeon is After School's ~original visual~. In fact, Juyeon would often introduce herself as the "member who ranked 1st as a visual member" on variety shows and interviews. Even before After School debuted, Juyeon had already made a name for herself online as a popular ulzzang, or "best face", and even landed endorsement deals for underwear on her pre-debut blog.
During After School's early debut days, it was such a scream seeing the juxtaposition of Kahi's perpetual seriousness/take-no-shit approach with Juyeon's nonchalance. Imagine how many times Kahi would scold Juyeon and was simply met with a stone-faced "kk girl" fffff. The good sis had so little care in the world she was even half asleep during dance practice, while filming a reality show with the group. This quote from a Japanese magazine interview best describes Juyeon's personality: "Juyeon tends to do things at her own pace and doesn't put up a front." Her nonchalant, give-no-fucks attitude is, perhaps, the key to her longevity in the group.
Juyeon's laid-back, funny persona also made her a natural for Korean variety shows. Perhaps most notably in May 2010, Juyeon joined the fixed cast of Invincible Youth, a variety show with various other girl group legends. The collective cast of girl group members was known in Korea as G7. Fun fact: Jung-A and Nana also auditioned for a role on the show, but Juyeon was, of course, the member chosen to join the cast.
Juyeon had displayed an interest in both musical theater and drama acting since her debut in 2009, and has gone on to have quite a fruitful acting career both during her time in After School and after her graduation. Her earliest roles were small, supporting roles, but she has since gone on to start landing leading roles from 2016 onward. Juyeon once said, "I love musicals; I think they're amazing. Musicals have dancing, singing, and acting. It's a genre that has everything I would love to do." In 2021, this desire to act in a musical would come true for her when Juyeon was cast in the stage show Special Liar, alongside Narsha from Brown Eyed Girls and Jeonghwa from EXID.
Juyeon's announced her graduation from After School on December 31st, 2014, the same day her contract with Pledis ended. Though this marked the end of her promotions with After School in Korea, she was still present for their final releases in Japan due to her then-ongoing contract with avex trax, After School's Japanese label.
It's kind of poetic that the member whose unwavering disposition of never wanting to be there (hell, she even joked about not being in the mood to join the 2021 reunion!), ended up staying the entire time from the very beginning. As much as Juyeon takes the piss on how much she loathes the ins and outs of idol culture, it's obvious that she's extremely fond of her time in After School.
Juyeon's announced her graduation from After School on December 31st, 2014, the same day her contract with Pledis ended. Though this marked the end of her promotions with After School in Korea, she was still present for their final releases in Japan due to her then-ongoing contract with avex trax, After School's Japanese label.
It's kind of poetic that the member whose unwavering disposition of never wanting to be there (hell, she even joked about not being in the mood to join the 2021 reunion!), ended up staying the entire time from the very beginning. As much as Juyeon takes the piss on how much she loathes the ins and outs of idol culture, it's obvious that she's extremely fond of her time in After School.
I haven't seen many variety shows with the girls, but whenever I saw Juyeon in any of them it was a total blast. The girl is definitely a firecracker and it only solidified at the 2021 reunion for me. I wonder why she was chosen for the cover of "SHINE". Did they use it as a graduation song for her akin to "Lady Luck" for Kahi?
Last edited:
Slice of Life
Staff member
@aux
@berserkboi
@BEST FICTION
@bimbo
@Blayke
@Chachachan
@citoig
@clowezra
@collxtion
@Conan
@Cotton Park
@Dangerous Maknae
@Deja-Boo
@Diet Pop!
@Dreampopboy
@eatyourself
@eliminathan
@eyeline
@Fantasy
@FunkyButChic
@GeiPanda
@Gintoki
@He
@Island
@Joli Chat
@JuanJose
@KimLippington
@lalaclairi_
@Macsun
@McQueer
@MiChiMadNesS
@Mikl C
@Mill.
@Monkey0
@Music Is Death
@Oleander
@ohnostalgia
@Osiris
@OspreyQueen
@PopZeitgeist
@Remorque
@RUNAWAY
@Sanctuary
@Shockbox
@Slice of Life
@SloMover
@speedyboi
@ThighHighs
@ThisIsRogue
@thommyh
@Ugly Beauty
@Vixen
@Wills
@yuuurei
@3Xs
@_hazzie_
Our current deadline is October 17th, so there are still THREE DAYS left to vote! If you're interested and need a little bit of extra time, please let us know!
After School's original maknae, main rapper, and Kahi's favorite child, Bekah was a sweet, positive, and vibrant presence in the group for her duration as a member. Kahi, who has known Bekah since 2005, was initially hesitant for Bekah to join the group due to the nine-year gap in their ages, but was ultimately instrumental in having her added to the group. During After School's Diary of… episode, Kahi recalled, "I realized there is no one else like Bekah, so I told the Pledis executive and he agreed it'd be a great idea [to add her to the group]."
As the group's main rapper, and with now naturally rapping came to her, you would think rapping was Bekah's area of expertise from the start but, according to her mother, she had more of a passion for dancing rather than singing or rapping. After being assigned her position in the group, though, Bekah took to rapping like it had been where her passions had always laid. In fact, once Bekah graduated, After School's rap line never really recovered. Kahi, Lizzy, and Kaeun tried their best to cover her lines, but they just couldn't quite match Bekah's natural talent and charisma (or her English skills nn).
Bekah wrote her own rap verses for "Bang!" as well as "Let's Step Up", incorporating her skill as a fluent English speaker. For "Bang!", she was only given thirty minutes to write her verse, but she knocked it out of the park. She also later wrote and composed her graduation single, "Take me to the place", by herself. Bekah is the only member of After School to get a special graduation single. Additionally, while still in After School, Bekah made appearances as a featured rapper on other artist's songs, including Tei's "Mr. Lonely" in 2009, Lee Hyori's "Bring It Back" in 2010, and Seo Ingook's "At First Sight" in 2010, and even featured on Kahi's "Sinister" in 2013 after she had left the group.
Bekah, who is one of the warmest and kindest members of the group, was also a welcoming presence for the new members who joined After School after its debut. E-Young, in particular, was extremely close to Bekah when she first joined the group. Kahi and Bekah have also remained in contact and are still seemingly as close as ever, even years after their respective graduations.
As the group's main rapper, and with now naturally rapping came to her, you would think rapping was Bekah's area of expertise from the start but, according to her mother, she had more of a passion for dancing rather than singing or rapping. After being assigned her position in the group, though, Bekah took to rapping like it had been where her passions had always laid. In fact, once Bekah graduated, After School's rap line never really recovered. Kahi, Lizzy, and Kaeun tried their best to cover her lines, but they just couldn't quite match Bekah's natural talent and charisma (or her English skills nn).
Bekah wrote her own rap verses for "Bang!" as well as "Let's Step Up", incorporating her skill as a fluent English speaker. For "Bang!", she was only given thirty minutes to write her verse, but she knocked it out of the park. She also later wrote and composed her graduation single, "Take me to the place", by herself. Bekah is the only member of After School to get a special graduation single. Additionally, while still in After School, Bekah made appearances as a featured rapper on other artist's songs, including Tei's "Mr. Lonely" in 2009, Lee Hyori's "Bring It Back" in 2010, and Seo Ingook's "At First Sight" in 2010, and even featured on Kahi's "Sinister" in 2013 after she had left the group.
Bekah, who is one of the warmest and kindest members of the group, was also a welcoming presence for the new members who joined After School after its debut. E-Young, in particular, was extremely close to Bekah when she first joined the group. Kahi and Bekah have also remained in contact and are still seemingly as close as ever, even years after their respective graduations.
Bekah's last few months in the group feel somewhat tarnished by Pledis' treatment of her and the somewhat shaky status of her place in the group. Pledis, it seems, was doing their best to conceal her, perhaps in an attempt to phase her out prior to the group's Japanese advancement and the Red and Blue subunit promotions. In 2010, after "Bang!" promotions concluded, Bekah returned to Hawaii for a two-month "rest" that would end up lasting through early 2011. During this rest, she missed out on the release of the Happy pledis charity album as well as After School's first Japanese release, "make it happen" with Amuro Namie.
Even when she returned for the VIRGIN album release and "Shampoo" promotions, Bekah sat out of the "Let's Step Up" tap-dancing performances as well as its music video. In May 2011, Bekah explained the reason she was absent for "Let's Step Up" was due to an ankle injury she had reinjured while practicing for the comeback. At the time of her graduation, it was heavily speculated by fans that Bekah was being pushed out of the group. Bekah herself has even alluded to the fact she felt like she was made to feel less-than in the group to the point where she had to leave. In an October 2011 Tumblr post, Bekah wrote, "When they tell you that you're not enough. That you quite don't meet their standards yet. Fuck it. You don't need that kind of negativity", leading fans to believe she was speaking about her experiences with Pledis. In a 2020 Q&A on her YouTube channel, Bekah stated that during the recordings for VIRGIN, Pledis had not approached her about graduation, but she had already started thinking about leaving.
In June 2011, Pledis announced that Bekah would graduate from After School in order to focus on her original dream of becoming a designer. Less than a year later, Bekah appeared on Lee Hyori's reality show, Golden 12, where she stated she planned to launch a solo career in the United States and had already begun writing her own music. Then, in October 2012, she launched her own line of handmade jewelry through her online store, I Crave You. The launch was a big success for Bekah, and she sold out her entire first collection of jewelry within twenty-four hours.
In 2013, as mentioned above, Bekah featured on "Sinister", a track on Kahi's second mini-album, Who Are You?, and then also made an appearance at that summer's KCON convention to talk about her experiences as an idol. Since then, she has returned to a normal life in Hawaii and has remained mostly out of the spotlight for the better part of a decade. She has kept fans updated about her life through social media and her YouTube channel, where she also occasionally posts song covers. After the 2021 reunion performances, Bekah has kept busy by opening her own online shop, Garage Sale by Bek, where she shares her original art. Her process is often documented on her personal YouTube channel.
Even when she returned for the VIRGIN album release and "Shampoo" promotions, Bekah sat out of the "Let's Step Up" tap-dancing performances as well as its music video. In May 2011, Bekah explained the reason she was absent for "Let's Step Up" was due to an ankle injury she had reinjured while practicing for the comeback. At the time of her graduation, it was heavily speculated by fans that Bekah was being pushed out of the group. Bekah herself has even alluded to the fact she felt like she was made to feel less-than in the group to the point where she had to leave. In an October 2011 Tumblr post, Bekah wrote, "When they tell you that you're not enough. That you quite don't meet their standards yet. Fuck it. You don't need that kind of negativity", leading fans to believe she was speaking about her experiences with Pledis. In a 2020 Q&A on her YouTube channel, Bekah stated that during the recordings for VIRGIN, Pledis had not approached her about graduation, but she had already started thinking about leaving.
In June 2011, Pledis announced that Bekah would graduate from After School in order to focus on her original dream of becoming a designer. Less than a year later, Bekah appeared on Lee Hyori's reality show, Golden 12, where she stated she planned to launch a solo career in the United States and had already begun writing her own music. Then, in October 2012, she launched her own line of handmade jewelry through her online store, I Crave You. The launch was a big success for Bekah, and she sold out her entire first collection of jewelry within twenty-four hours.
In 2013, as mentioned above, Bekah featured on "Sinister", a track on Kahi's second mini-album, Who Are You?, and then also made an appearance at that summer's KCON convention to talk about her experiences as an idol. Since then, she has returned to a normal life in Hawaii and has remained mostly out of the spotlight for the better part of a decade. She has kept fans updated about her life through social media and her YouTube channel, where she also occasionally posts song covers. After the 2021 reunion performances, Bekah has kept busy by opening her own online shop, Garage Sale by Bek, where she shares her original art. Her process is often documented on her personal YouTube channel.
he / they
Bekah was definitely my favourite of the group. I mean, I love them all really of course, but Bekah was the one that my eyes would lock on to when watching a live performance. She just seems like such a kind, peaceful soul, always looking for good energy and happy experiences. I sadly wasn't a massive fan of her graduation song. It was fine. And showed a different side to her that we knew from After School. I remember being so happy to see her back for the MMTG reunion (although sad that other members weren't as well). I was surprised she did it to be honest. But yeah, no one can do the raps quite like Bekah. Her voice has such a great attitude. Her YouTube and art is super cute. I didn't know she did jewellery as well!
Anyways, countdown to the scores, mine are in!
Anyways, countdown to the scores, mine are in!
any
I had to put this aside because all I've been able to do when not working is re-watching Drag Queen content while high. But this weekend I shall finish rating this (less than half of it left) and hand in my scores in time.
RUNAWAY
Staff member
he/him
I've already finished and turned in my scores, but I CANNOT wait for this to start!!!! I have a sinking feeling that I know what the first out is going to be, and I hope it isn't true. Also, fun fact, Bekah and I are born a single DAY apart, year and everything. That might have influenced her becoming my favorite member, but who knows. And my actual birthday sharer is former Wonder Girl Sunye. Leo supremacy!
Love her or hate her (or ignore her), U-ie had a huge hand in After School catapulting their way into the consciousness of the Korean GP. From a marketing standpoint, adding U-ie might've been in the top three best decisions in, like, a total of five good decisions that Pledis made for After School. Many of the group's fans (and netizens in general) cite this viral clip of U-ie dancing to Beyoncé's Single Ladies as the exact moment she became the IT girl of After School.
U-ie debuted with After School in April 2009 for the release of their first digital single, "Diva". Before becoming Pledis' breadwinner, U-ie was set to debut in the, unknown to them at the time, all-star line-up of Five Girls, a girl group under Good Entertainment. The line-up consisted of Yubin from Wonder Girls, Hyosung from SECRET, Jiwon from SPICA / UNI.T, and soloist G.NA. The group's pre-debut life was chronicled in an episode of MTV's The Diary of Five Girls, which aired in 2007. Unfortunately, the group never ended up debuting due to financial difficulties faced by their company, and they disbanded later that same year.
U-ie's storyline in the After School lore might be one of the most heartbreaking ones. U-ie, more than probably any of the other members, was the main target of netizen's ire, getting nitpicked and scrutinized for everything she did or said, but most prevalently - and disgustingly - for her body. On top of that, U-ie has alluded to being lonely for most of her time as a trainee. This loneliness was probably further exacerbated after being thrust into a group with five other women with whom she had no previous relationship and didn't have the time to form a proper bond with because she was so busy being Pledis' workhorse from the second she debuted.
There were probably many instances throughout her 5+ years in After School where U-ie might've considered jumping ship, and capitalizing on her popularity to expand her acting resume. But she didn't and stuck it out with her girlies (or maybe co-workers in her eyes) from the time she debuted in April 2009. Yes, After School was possibly just a stepping stone for U-ie to advance her acting career, but very rarely did U-ie phone it in for her After School activities. Girl always showed up (except for "Bang!" nn) and delivered in their live performances.
This write-up would be 5,000 words if we were to detail every acting role that U-ie has landed since she stepped foot into the entertainment industry, but trust us when we say she has quite the fruitful acting career. In fact, she's on her way to receiving more total individual awards than After School ever received as a group. U-ie remains booked and busy to this day with acting roles and variety show appearances. For reasons unbeknownst to us, U-ie didn't participate in After School's 2021 reunion. Perhaps she was just too busy.
~Japanese Bonus Track tidbit~ U-ie was responsible for making up the stage name for one of KPJ's resident beefcakes, NU'EST's Baekho.
U-ie debuted with After School in April 2009 for the release of their first digital single, "Diva". Before becoming Pledis' breadwinner, U-ie was set to debut in the, unknown to them at the time, all-star line-up of Five Girls, a girl group under Good Entertainment. The line-up consisted of Yubin from Wonder Girls, Hyosung from SECRET, Jiwon from SPICA / UNI.T, and soloist G.NA. The group's pre-debut life was chronicled in an episode of MTV's The Diary of Five Girls, which aired in 2007. Unfortunately, the group never ended up debuting due to financial difficulties faced by their company, and they disbanded later that same year.
U-ie's storyline in the After School lore might be one of the most heartbreaking ones. U-ie, more than probably any of the other members, was the main target of netizen's ire, getting nitpicked and scrutinized for everything she did or said, but most prevalently - and disgustingly - for her body. On top of that, U-ie has alluded to being lonely for most of her time as a trainee. This loneliness was probably further exacerbated after being thrust into a group with five other women with whom she had no previous relationship and didn't have the time to form a proper bond with because she was so busy being Pledis' workhorse from the second she debuted.
There were probably many instances throughout her 5+ years in After School where U-ie might've considered jumping ship, and capitalizing on her popularity to expand her acting resume. But she didn't and stuck it out with her girlies (or maybe co-workers in her eyes) from the time she debuted in April 2009. Yes, After School was possibly just a stepping stone for U-ie to advance her acting career, but very rarely did U-ie phone it in for her After School activities. Girl always showed up (except for "Bang!" nn) and delivered in their live performances.
This write-up would be 5,000 words if we were to detail every acting role that U-ie has landed since she stepped foot into the entertainment industry, but trust us when we say she has quite the fruitful acting career. In fact, she's on her way to receiving more total individual awards than After School ever received as a group. U-ie remains booked and busy to this day with acting roles and variety show appearances. For reasons unbeknownst to us, U-ie didn't participate in After School's 2021 reunion. Perhaps she was just too busy.
~Japanese Bonus Track tidbit~ U-ie was responsible for making up the stage name for one of KPJ's resident beefcakes, NU'EST's Baekho.
With her debut in After School's third single, "Because of you", third generation member Raina undoubtedly became the voice of the group instantaneously. After School wasn't lacking in singing ability with Kahi and Jung-A taking the reins vocally for the group's early songs, but Raina definitely added a different vocal timbre to the group with her large range and soulful tone. It was evident from her first note on "Because of you" that Raina was the real deal and elevated After School's sound to a whole new level. Although always great in the studio, some of Raina's early live performances were understandably shaky, but she grew into a solid, confident performer during her tenure in the group.
Raina's road to stardom wasn't an easy one, though. Before finally debuting with After School in November 2009, Raina trained at the SM Academy, a school affiliated with SM Entertainment that provides lessons in singing, dancing, and acting. She would then go on to audition for JYP six different times, but never actually passed and joined the company (maybe because she could actually sing… nn). In summer 2009, just months before her debut in After School, she also auditioned for the first season of Mnet's Superstar K talent show, but also did not pass. She then auditioned and joined Pledis that same year, and went on to become one of the company's biggest successes, having chart-topping singles as a member of both After School and Orange Caramel and then later with her solo releases.
Raina is perhaps best known as the leader of Orange Caramel, After School's first subunit made up of the group's three third generation members, Raina, Nana, and Lizzy. Upon their debut in June 2010, Orange Caramel's unique blend of quirky cuteness was an instant success. Their debut single, "Magic Girl", reached the top twenty of Gaon's digital sales chart and sold 1.5 million copies. Orange Caramel was probably the most consistent venture that Pledis embarked on, landing hit after hit in both the Korean and Japanese markets over the following four years. However, for reasons still unknown, Pledis would abruptly halt their activities as a group and put them on an indefinite hiatus in 2014 after the release of their final Korean single album, "My Copycat". If you somehow don't already know all about Orange Caramel, @Deja-Boo ran an incredibly comprehensive discography rate for them a few years back that you should definitely check out!!
Raina remained active with After School throughout the duration of their run until Pledis also put them on indefinite hiatus in 2015. After the group halted activities, Raina concentrated on her solo career, releasing a string of singles, OSTs, collaborations, and two mini-albums. Raina remained with Pledis until her contract expired in December 2019. In October 2020, she joined the cast of MBN's Miss Back, a reality show chronicling the attempted comebacks of several second generation female idols, and released several OST singles associated with the show. In June 2021, Raina was one of the five former After School members to reunite on MMTG and perform "Bang!" and "Diva".
Raina's road to stardom wasn't an easy one, though. Before finally debuting with After School in November 2009, Raina trained at the SM Academy, a school affiliated with SM Entertainment that provides lessons in singing, dancing, and acting. She would then go on to audition for JYP six different times, but never actually passed and joined the company (maybe because she could actually sing… nn). In summer 2009, just months before her debut in After School, she also auditioned for the first season of Mnet's Superstar K talent show, but also did not pass. She then auditioned and joined Pledis that same year, and went on to become one of the company's biggest successes, having chart-topping singles as a member of both After School and Orange Caramel and then later with her solo releases.
Raina is perhaps best known as the leader of Orange Caramel, After School's first subunit made up of the group's three third generation members, Raina, Nana, and Lizzy. Upon their debut in June 2010, Orange Caramel's unique blend of quirky cuteness was an instant success. Their debut single, "Magic Girl", reached the top twenty of Gaon's digital sales chart and sold 1.5 million copies. Orange Caramel was probably the most consistent venture that Pledis embarked on, landing hit after hit in both the Korean and Japanese markets over the following four years. However, for reasons still unknown, Pledis would abruptly halt their activities as a group and put them on an indefinite hiatus in 2014 after the release of their final Korean single album, "My Copycat". If you somehow don't already know all about Orange Caramel, @Deja-Boo ran an incredibly comprehensive discography rate for them a few years back that you should definitely check out!!
Raina remained active with After School throughout the duration of their run until Pledis also put them on indefinite hiatus in 2015. After the group halted activities, Raina concentrated on her solo career, releasing a string of singles, OSTs, collaborations, and two mini-albums. Raina remained with Pledis until her contract expired in December 2019. In October 2020, she joined the cast of MBN's Miss Back, a reality show chronicling the attempted comebacks of several second generation female idols, and released several OST singles associated with the show. In June 2021, Raina was one of the five former After School members to reunite on MMTG and perform "Bang!" and "Diva".
—
Our deadline is technically tomorrow, Sunday the 17th, but a few people have asked us for a bit more time to finish their scores. We're trying to figure out the best date to accommodate any potential voters without stepping on @junglefish and @ysev's toes by overlapping our new deadline with the due date for their WJSN rate. Please stay tuned for a new deadline; we'll let you know what we've decided by Monday here in the thread once we've heard back from these voters. I'll also send out another round of PM reminders around 24 hours before the new deadline. Thanks for your patience with us!! x
Last edited:
