Key Takeaways
- KARA members shared their 20th-anniversary ambitions at a Japan fan meeting, with Nicole calling for a world tour and Gyuri enthusiastically echoing, “World tour!”
- Seungyeon wants to release new music, Jiyoung hopes to debut new choreography, Youngji proposed another KARASIA concert, and Gyuri wants the group to return to a dome venue.
- The second-generation K-pop group, which reunited in 2022 after an extended hiatus, will mark 20 years since its March 2007 debut.
KARA is gearing up for their 20th anniversary in 2027, and the members are already sharing their hopes for the milestone year.
Over the weekend, the legendary K-pop group held their “Hello, Kamilia!” fanmeeting events on Oct. 23 and 24 at the Yokohama Buntai in Japan. During the final session, the members were asked by MC Masayuki Furuya to discuss what they wanted to do with their fans, Kamilia, next year.
A source who attended the performance tells Complex that Youngji said she wants to hold another KARASIA concert. Gyuri said she hopes to hold another “Dome” concert, while Seungyeon wants to release new music. Jiyoung shared that she wants to perform new choreography, and Nicole said she wants to take KARA on a world tour.
Gyuri interjected during Nicole’s response, repeating, “World tour!”
Nicole then added, "Recently we've already been to a lot of countries [such as] Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and we would love to be able to see Kamilia in even more countries."
Per the source, the members later took turns expressing their gratitude to fans and shared their hopes for the anniversary year.
Youngji said she came to Japan hoping to bring energy to everyone but ended up receiving just as much in return. "When I look at all your faces, I realize that I really love being here. I'm truly happy to be able to see and spend time with all of you like this," she said.
Jiyoung described seeing fans again as a long-awaited moment, saying, "This is the moment I've been waiting for, to see your smiles … Next year will be a very big and important year for us, and I would love to be able to see all of you like this again then."
Seungyeon said, “Thank you for creating those wonderful memories and for being a part of my life again. I believe there is still much more to come. Since it's our 20th anniversary next year, I think we'll be running again from here on out, so I hope you'll support us then as well.”
Nicole added, "Yesterday and today I got to see Kamilia for the first time in a while, so l'm so happy we can sing [KARA's] songs, play around, and have fun together … My hopes for next year? I really hope next year we can have a lot of [moments] like this too."
Gyuri said, "Somehow it's been 19 years. But together with all of you, I'm so happy that I can enjoy it so much." She then promised to keep working hard to perform for fans and asked them to continue supporting her.
Who are KARA?
KARA debuted under DSP Media on March 29, 2007 and became best known for its lineup that included Gyuri, Seungyeon, Nicole, Hara, and Jiyoung. They became one of the defining second-generation K-pop groups and found mainstream success with singles like “Mr.,” “STEP,” “Honey,” and more.
The group has frequently toured Japan with its KARASIA concert series and made their only stateside appearance at the Korean Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on May 1, 2010.
In 2013, KARA became the first K-pop girl group to headline a concert at Japan’s prestigious Tokyo Dome, selling out all 45,000 seats in five minutes, according to Soompi.
Youngji joined in 2014 after Nicole and Jiyoung's contracts with DSP expired. The group went on an extended hiatus beginning in 2016, and Hara tragically passed away in 2019.
KARA reunited in 2022 with their 15th anniversary EP Move Again, featuring the single “When I Move.” Two years later, KARA later released the single album I Do I Do, which includes “Hello,” a track featuring unearthed vocals from Hara, making it the group’s only song to include all six members.
