Crayon Pop: Quirky and Refreshing

Crayon Pop is a refreshingly quirky anomaly of a K-pop girl group. Known for catchy tunes and a slightly crazy, unconventional style, Crayon Pop has captivated fans since the beginning—not just in South Korea, but across the world. The five-member girl group’s success is centered around their quirky concepts, bold visuals, and viral hits.

Before their debut, Crayon Pop was known as Hurricane Pop. The group started with five members: Geummi, Ellin, Choa, Way, and Soyul, though Soyul later left the group in 2017. They later debuted in 2012 under Chrome Entertainment. Although the group’s first EP, Crayon Pop 1st Mini Album, did not perform very well, the group moved forward with holistic methods of promoting their music, often performing in extremely cold weather. By doing this, their next song was a hit.

Crayon Pop’s breakout hit was “Bar, Bar, Bar” in 2013. The MV was unusual, with choreographed jumping and scooter helmets as a part of their outfits. They won a ton of awards from the song and were able to move from their small home into a luxury apartment.

Leaning more into their quirky concepts of “delinquent school girls” mixed with disco-pop and electropop, Crayon Pop released the MV for their song “FM.” The song is different, with a Sailor Moon/Power Rangers look about it. Complete with action scenes and superhero outfits, the song went viral despite being unconventional.

In 2017, Soyul left the group and later announced her engagement to former idol Moon Hee Jun. Later that year, Chrome Entertainment released a statement about the group’s contracts expiring, then said that Geummi, Ellin, Choa, and Way signed a non-exclusive contract to continue promoting as Crayon Pop while also pursuing solo careers. Crayon Pop continues to function as a four-member group, and their future projects are sure to continue to be unique contributions to the K-pop world. 

Crayon Pop is a great example of embracing the unconventional and making it work, a symbol of being themselves in a world so often masked by glamor.