Group of housewives appeals to power of music

Girlhood recently released its debut single “Darling, Honey, I Love You.”

By Kwon Ji-youn

“Girlhood” has yet to make their on-stage debut, but they have drawn fans like moths to a flame, which is a feat considering all four of the members are housewives, or “ajumma.”

Park Su-ah, 28; Wang Hee, 36; Kim Yoo-jung, 35; and Hyun Ye-eun, 30, are holding down jobs and running households at the same time.

Three of them have children — one has two — and so the group works between noon and 4 p.m., and whenever they can, they go home to their families.

Each member had once dreamt of joining the entertainment industry. A couple had modeled while Hyun was a vocal major at college.

“I had always dreamt of becoming a singer,” said Kim, leader of the group. “I spent quite some time preparing for my debut, but after I got married, nothing was quite the same.”

The members met at a “Mrs. Korea” contest, where Kim suggested to the other members that they go find an agency that might give them a chance to show off their talent.

It wasn’t easy, but they convinced their husbands that this opportunity would be good for them.

“After I got married, I stopped smiling as much,” Wang recalled. “But now, my husband says I am brighter than I have ever been. He was surprised at this new side of me.”

The Girlhood members recently released their debut single, “Darling, Honey, I Love You,” and are busy with promotional events and interviews.

“I still can’t believe that my dream has come true,” said Park. “There’s so much waiting for us. It’s scary and exciting.”

But as ready as they were to show the world what they’ve been practicing for the last year, the public wasn’t as welcoming. Some comments on the Internet told them off for “ditching” their families, while others berated them for copying the name of girl group and idol Girls’ Generation.

“It’s an honor to be compared to such a hit group, but we’re nothing like Girls’ Generation,” Kim said. “If Girls’ Generation is a department store, we’re just a street vendor. Our paths don’t cross at all.”

According to Wang, all four members have experienced the depression that comes with being a married woman, a mother and a daughter-in-law.

“We wanted to overcome those feelings in a healthy way,” she said. “In a way it’s better that this has happened now, because as married women, we’re more secure and we have husbands to lean on when things get rough.”

Girlhood plans to attract audiences that are their age, rather than forcibly appealing to teens.

“We’re not idols, and we don’t plan on forcing ourselves onto an unwilling public,” said Kim.

“We just hope they will give us a chance and listen to our music. They might just become addicted to our songs,” Hyun added.