Looking back on 2011: Dal★Shabet

THE BASICS
6 Member Girl Group: Viki, Serri, GaEun, Jiyul, Ayoung, Subin
Hit Singles:  Supa Dupa Diva, Pink Rocket, Bling Bling
Mini Albums: Supa Dupa Diva, Pink Rocket, Bling Bling


MY THOUGHTS
Ahh Dal★Shabet.... where do I begin? Without a doubt, these girls have been the best rookies of 2011. They debuted in the first week of January and throughout 2011 they've gone from strength to strength. For some reason, I really connected with this group from the beginning. Of course, "Supa Dupa Diva" is no lyrical genius, it can be cheesey and cutesey - but there was something about Dal★Shabet that had me mesmorised.


Their debut was so bright and colourful and just FUN. They didn't debut with a sexy concept and they didn't often wear matching outfits - each girl was unique and different from the beginning. I also felt like they weren't trying to be like another group - they weren't aiming to be the next Girls' Generation or 2NE1 like most girl groups seem to want to be like nowadays. Instead, they were just Dal★Shabet - unique.





Their debut was a big success for a new girl group, in my opinion - and were constantly performing on the music shows. And as soon as the "Supa Dupa Diva" promotions had stopped, they returned almost immediately with "Pink Rocket" - a song which couldn't be any more different to "Supa Dupa Diva" if they tried. This time round, there were cool, sleek and elegant space chicks (with a space captain gorilla in their music video too).

"Pink Rocket" was equally colourful as "Supa Dupa Diva", yet more grown up and sophisticated and showed so much growth for the 6 girls. I also thought that their "Pink Rocket" mini album was fantastic - especially "Shakalaka", a stomping R&B dance number that showcased the girls' rapping skills too.


And when we thought Dal★Shabet had gone again, they returned with "Bling Bling" in August! Their 3rd mini album in 8 months, proving how determined they were to be the best they could be. "Bling Bling" was a very clever choice, in my opinion. It was a mix of the styles of "Supa Dupa Diva" and "Pink Rocket" - fun yet sophisticated.

With their third comeback, it seemed like Dal★Shabet were no longer rookies. They had established themselves as quite the force, and their "Bling Bling" mini album became their best-selling to date. And whilst T-ARA and the Wonder Girls also had retro styles, Dal★Shabet's "Bling Bling" was a glitzy disco number that proved to be different to the others.


As it's now the end of 2011, I can look back on Dal★Shabet's success with a real smile. I was an immediate fan of these girls as soon as I saw "Supa Dupa Diva" and to see how far they've come in 2011 is great for me. They've already won a couple of awards and titles for being the 2011's best newcomers and one music site chose Dal★Shabet to be the new group that will go onto the most success.


I have no doubt that Dal★Shabet will release more fantastic music in 2012 and shake off that rookie title to become true K-Pop Idols. In fact, with their new album due in the first half of January, the most hard-working girls in K-Pop will no doubt shine yet again.