Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
‘SheStars!’ revives forgotten legacy of pioneering K-pop girl groups
Musical "SheStars!" serves as a tribute to and a celebration of the women who pioneered the K-pop landscape decades ago. Courtesy of Seensee Company
By Kwon Mee-yoo
In the realm of global music, K-pop girl groups have etched a prominent mark, showcasing power, talent and resilience. However, modern glitz and glamour overshadow the pioneers who set the stage for these groups decades ago. A new musical "SheStars!" pays homage to these trailblazers, conjuring a vivid journey back in time from Korea's first girl band Jeogori Sisters in the 1930s to Hee Jamae in the '70s.
The musical, co-written by Kolleen Park and Jeon Su-yang and directed by Park, aims to celebrate unsung heroes of K-pop history.
Park, who took inspiration from questions surrounding the origin of Korea's girl group phenomenon, traveled some 80 years back through chronicles of Korea's popular music history to create "SheStars!"
The musical brings to life the essence of K-pop's "ancestors," dramatizing their struggles and triumphs. The show features elements like old newspapers, photos and videos, reimagining the girl bands' heyday.
The Korean version of the show's title is pronounced phonetically the same as "sisters" in Korean, referring to the many girl groups in the history of Korean pop music and the sisterhood they embodied.
"SheStars!" employs a unique system that sees actors taking on multiple roles. When not portraying their primary characters, they serve as supporting members of girl bands or dancers. This arrangement echoes the collaborative spirit found among members of K-pop groups, where each supports the others.
Ten actresses, including Yoo Yeon, Shin Ui-Jung, Kim Ryeo-won, Sunmin, Ha Eugene, Lee Yea-eun, Jung U-ji, Jeong Yeon, Lee Seo-young and Hong Seo-young alternate playing the six women, while one male Hwang Sung-hyun plays the narrator who also appears in numerous supporting roles such as an entertainment producer or alter ego of a musician.
The Jeogori Sisters, considered the first modern girl band in Korea, are portrayed in the musical "SheStars!" Courtesy of Seensee Company
Deep dive into K-pop history
The musical opens with the dancing legs of the six actresses, each representing one of the six girl groups who influenced different times of Korea’s modern music history.
First up is the Jeogori Sisters, which is recognized as modern Korea’s first girl band.
Formed in 1935, the tale of the Jeogori Sisters is deeply intertwined with Korea's history under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. The narrator in "SheStars!" sets the stage by discussing how the advent of radio, introduced to Korea by Japan, became a catalyst for the explosive growth of the music industry in Korea.
Operating similarly to today's project groups, the Jeogori Sisters were part of the Joseon Musical Troupe under Okeh Records, one of the earliest record companies established by Koreans in the early 1930s. Members went came and went, but at the group's core was Lee Nan-young (1916-65), most renowned for her poignant song "Tears of Mokpo," among other members.
"SheStars!" highlights a defining moment for the Jeogori Sisters, showcasing how they managed to keep the Korean spirit alive during the challenging colonial era. As seen in their name, "Jeogori," refers to the top part of hanbok ― traditional Korean clothing ― which the members wore during their performances. When they faced pressure to remove the iconic Korean folk song "Arirang" from their repertoire, Lee cleverly wove the song into their performance of "Maiden Chorus," persuading Japanese officials that the two pieces harmonized perfectly. This shrewd maneuver allowed them to maintain Korean elements in their music.
Actors portraying the Kim Sisters showcase the group's rise to success in the U.S. in the 1960s. Courtesy of Seensee Company
The narrative then transitions to the Kim Sisters, the pioneering Korean music group that broke into the U.S. entertainment market. Amid the chaos of the Korean War from 1950-53, Lee of the Jeogori Sisters made a strategic decision to produce a group consisting of her own daughters and niece. Initially, they performed at U.S. army bases in Korea until in 1959, their talent caught the eye of an American producer, who offered them the opportunity to perform in Las Vegas. As they prepared to embark on this new chapter, their mother and producer Lee laid down three guiding principles: learn toplay as many musical instruments as possible, steer clear of men and do not return to Korea before achieving success.
Under Lee's guidance, Kim Sook-ja, Ai-ja and Min-ja grew from being young girls who practiced singing and dancing to the distant sounds of bombs into seasoned entertainers. They became the first Korean act to secure performance contracts with Las Vegas hotels and earn $15,000 weekly ― equivalent to over 200 million won in today's currency.
In "SheStars," the sisters' transformative journey is portrayed in their rendition of "You Are My Sunshine” and “When the Saints Go Marching In,” following them from a train compartment in Korea to the dazzling stages of Las Vegas. Along this journey, they hone their skills on more than 20 different musical instruments and make an impressive 22 appearances on the "Ed Sullivan Show."
In Korea, Yoon Bok-hee stands as an enduring legend in the music industry. The musical portrays her beginnings as a hungry child with a prodigious voice, who eventually rises to become a household name during the 1960s.
As the U.S. military presence shifts from Korea to Southeast Asia amidst the Vietnam War, the musical follows how this geopolitical shift also impacts the Korean entertainment scene. Many Korean musicians, including Yoon, embarked on tours in Southeast Asian countries and Yoon goes on to form the Korean Kittens with dancers whom she had previously collaborated.
"SheStars!" brings to life a key moment of the Korean Kittens, as evidenced in a video, that appeared on YouTube about eight years ago, capturing their riveting performance of "What'd I Say" in Vietnam. Not only is the powerful performance re-enacted in the musical, the show also highlights one of Yoon's most iconic fashion moments as the actors lengthen the slits in their skirts for the famous "mini skirt" scene, paying tribute to Yoon's trend-setting style.
Yoon herself contributes her voice to the show, adding a layer of authenticity and emotional depth to her storied career.
Following the massive success of the Kim Sisters, a wave of "sister" girl bands swept through Korea. While some groups consist of actual siblings, others do not. And the Lee Sisters was a hybrid. Kim Myung-ja, a high school senior, auditioned for Hwayang, Korea's first entertainment agency at the time, which monopolized performances at U.S. army bases across the country. After successfully passing the audition, she was advised to form a trio and invited her sister Kim Cheon-suk and colleague Lee Jeong-ja to join her. Despite having two members with the surname Kim, they opted for the name Lee Sisters to distinguish themselves from the already-famous Kim Sisters.
On stage in "SheStars!," the Lee Sisters offer their rendition of "Washington Square" and a medley of tunes they've recorded for radio and TV commercials. However, the highlight of their performance arrives when they are presented with "Ulleungdo Twist" by composer Hwang Woo-roo. At first reluctant to accept the song due to its vulgar lyrics, they eventually embrace it and the song becomes a seminal hit in Korean popular music history.
The legacy of "Ulleungdo Twist" continues as evidenced by several modern remakes. "SheStars!" cleverly places a contemporary girl group's rendition of the song alongside the original, highlighting how these pioneering musicians laid the groundwork for the global phenomenon that is K-pop today.
The final artist to be featured in "SheStars!" is Hee Jamae, a group that once counted singer Insooni among its members. Born to a Korean mother and an American father, Insooni faced insecurities in her youth, often hiding her curly hair by wearing a cap. Joining Hee Jamae ignited her aspirations to become a singer, although she soon found herself navigating the path alone.
In a solo performance of "A Goose's Dream," Insooni poignantly illustrates how she shattered societal prejudices against mixed ethnicity.
Ko Jae-sook of Bunny Girls, third from left, Kim Myung-ja of Lee Sisters, third from right, and Yoon Bok-hee of Korean Kittens, second from right, stand alongside the actors who portrayed them in the musical "SheStars!" during the opening night of the show at Hongik Daehangno Art Center in central Seoul, on Sept. 8. Courtesy of Seensee company
Sharing the stage with real legends
On the opening night of “SheStars!” on Sept. 8, three of the real-life inspirations behind the show ― Kim Myung-ja of Lee Sisters, Yoon Bok-hee of Korean Kittens and Ko Jae-sook of Bunny Girls ― took to the stage amid rapturous applause both from the actors and audience.
Ko shared her overwhelming feelings, saying, "It was an incredibly touching, enjoyable and wonderful experience," while Yoon acknowledged the actors' effort in recreating pivotal moments in Korea's entertainment history.
Kim from the Lee Sisters said, "I'm very nervous, grateful and happy to be standing on a stage like this and seeing the audience after almost 60 years."
Director Park noted that the audience's reactions to the historical revelations confirmed that all our preparations had paid off.
"That historic moment of these women and our actors singing and dancing on the same stage was exactly what we aimed for. It was a deeply emotional experience," Park said in a statement.
Serving as both a tribute to and a celebration of the women who shaped the K-pop landscape, the musical “SheStars!” is being staged at Hongik Daehangno Art Center in central Seoul through Nov. 12.