REFUND Sisters: the GIRL POWER group of KPOP
In the world of KPOP, as in everywhere else in the music industry as a matter of fact, 99% of the active groups are “fixed”.
It means that, as listeners, we will get to see them evolve TOGETHER for a certain number of years: depending on their contract, most of the time in KPOP, the period lasts around 7 years after their debut. It all lasts to the disbandment. Because yes, unfortunately, (almost) every group is inevitably bound to that fate whether they choose to make it official or not. At one point in time, all members will get into different directions: solo music, businesses, endorsement… That is always how it ends. But I am disgressing.
So, what about the other 1% you probably wonder?
Well, it represents the very few groups in the business that are “seasonal” and not fixed. It is a rarity but it does still happen from times to times. “Seasonal” means that the members only get together for a specific project and not an extended period of time. To the best of my knowledge, these kind of groups only exist to record one song or a couple of them maximum but never any albums.
And today, coincidentally, I would like to talk to you about one of these particular groups.
Their name is “REFUND Sisters” (in korean: 환불원정대), also called “Refund Expedition” or “Refund Squad”. They are a South Korean supergroup made of the 4 most badass women in KPOP, and they sadly only gifted us with one single in 2020.
Time to look back at it. Jingle.
I. The origins of a LEGENDARY lineup of singers
Let’s start from the beginning.
What does the name “REFUND SISTERS” actually mean?
I initially decided to look up the translation to find that out on my own and the result made me naively think that the name meant the 4 members of the group were like sisters.
However, the explanation given online is different:
With the officially stated meaning of their name in mind, it is now understandable to me why none of the members were satisfied with it and wanted to change it. We will simply therefore call them “Sisters” afterwards.
2nd question: The 4 Sisters, how did they get together?
I had no idea before, it all started with one of the members idea.
Indeed, on June 20, 2020, Lee Hyori was indeed a guest on “How Do You Play?” (also named “Hangout with Yoo”), a variety show of the company MBC with Yoo Jae Suk the host taking on the character of Jimmy Yoo.
With the cast, during a segment, she heard some potential tracks for the debut of another seasonal group she was a part of: a group named “SSAK3” (meaning: “Clean Sweep”) with Rain and Yoo Jae Suk who respectively adopted the stage names of Linda G (Lee Hyori), U-Doragon (Yoo Jae Suk), and B.Ryong (Rain).
Upon hearing one of the demo songs “Are You Ready” on the show, while the other cast members were advising her to get this for a solo, Lee Hyori suddenly came up with an idea: How about getting other women on the track with her? She named Jessi, Uhm Jung-hwa and Hwasa for it. In a next episode, she also named Yoon Jae-Suk as a potential manager for the group.
MBCentertainment Youtube Channel)
Looking back, Lee Hyori manifested a PERFECT girl crush group. Everything she joked about, came to reality. The three other singers responded positively to the idea and so did the public as well as Yoo Jae Suk who became their producer.
After what I supposed was behind the scenes talks, the project started on July 15, 2020 with a coming soon teaser.
놀면 뭐하니? Youtube Channel)
On October 10, 2020, the 4 Sisters finally dropped their only song: “Don’t Touch Me” under the company MBC, and 18 days later, the Music Video for it got released. The song became a commercial success in South Korea achieving a perfect all-kill aka the top of all of the charts in the country.
SUPER SOUND Bugs! Youtube Channel)
On November 14, 2020, the activities of the group ended and they disbanded. Not the end of our last article, though.
II. The Dream Girl Lineup
The 4 Sisters, they should have gotten an introduction earlier, they didn’t so let me give them one right now:
- Uhm Jung Hwa: dubbed the “Korean Madonna”, she is a renowned award winning actress and singer since the 80s, a role model for many female artists. You perhaps know her for her role in the series “Doctor Cha” which figures in the top 10 of the highest rating K-Dramas ever. As a 2NE1 fan, I heard of her through DARA who released in 2023 her first solo album with the title track sampling Uhm Jung Hwa’s “Festival”. Uhm Jung Hwa was one of the vocalists of the group with the stage name “Man Ok”.
- Lee Hyori: she is considered as an icon in Korea for being a 1st generation idol of the group “Fin.K.L” and later a soloist. She is best known for the song “Miss Korea” and held a vocalist and leader position in the quatuor with the stage name “Chun Ok”.
KOCOWA TV Youtube Channel)
Again, I love 2NE1 too much so I couldn’t help but to include this clip in our conversation (they also did another performance together of CL’s “The Baddest Female” during the same show):
SBS NOW / SBS 공식 채널 Youtube Channel)
- Jessi: she is a Korean-American rapper with a long career in the industry and quite a few changes of labels along the way. Her hit “NUNU NANA” got her in the limelight. Her personality is simply GOLDEN. She was a rapper in the group with the stage name “Eun Bi”.
- Hwasa: she was the maknae of the group and so is she in another excellent group called MAMAMOO. Like her 3 seniors, she can do it all and has a solo career as well since 2019. Her hit song “Maria” is great. She was a vocalist in the group with the stage name “Sil Bi”.
III. What the 4 Sisters bring to the scene
The 4 Sisters, what makes them so special?
Me being on the Internet way too much, I can’t help but think of the following tweet when I look at the four of them together:
Indeed, Hwasa, Jessi, Uhm Jung Hwa and Lee Hyori are extremely strong and tough female personas on their own. They are powerful and confident in their own skin and talents. As they should.
And when they:
- a) get together to form a group with a single song about consent that includes the following lyrics: “They all say (I’m) trouble, they say I look strong, so what” or “You dealing with a four headed monsta”. It actually reminded me of this trio, ALL are Queens:
- b) with performances that sound as great as the record itself, for example this one:
- the resulting slay becomes intergalactic.
Moreover, what I haven’t told you yet, is how the 4 members were each born in different decades.
Uhm Jung Hwa is in her fifties, Lee Hyori in her fourties, Jessi in her thirties and Hwasa in her twenties. That makes an age gap between the oldest and the youngest of 26 years. Yes, you heard it right. You couldn’t guess it with the appearance at all or the fact that there is a genuine feeling of respect (no akwardness of any kind, simply CHEMISTRY) between the 4 members who seem like real friends off camera to me.
All of these facts, which make the group all the more unique and wonderful/spectacular to me, leave me with a question:
Why aren’t there more middle aged women in the KPOP industry?
I will leave you with this. Feel free to give me your opinions somewhere. And stream “Don’t Touch Me”, as well as Mamamoo, Jessi, Uhm Jung Hwa and Hyori’s music for clear skin.
An article written by NICA — May 12th 2024 — France
