Girl crush idols in K-pop
In the sphere of K-pop, “girl crush” refers to female idols who have the ability to make a fangirl’s heart flutter with their personality, performance, charismatic features, and how they interact with their fans off stage. Find out if your bias made it to our list of 10 girl crush idols.
1. Jessi
Image credit: @jessicah_o
The resident ssenunni (tough sister) on this list, Jessi shot to mainstream fame after appearing on Mnet’s Unpretty Rapstar in 2011. Her iconic “We are not a team, this is a competition” line in her diss rap went viral, and it’s been co-opted for many memes ever since.
![[Unpretty Rapstar] ep.02: Jessi's diss rap (제시 인생 최대 굴욕! '니들이 뭔데!'@제시 돌발 디스 랩)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/B7kJ7pH_cds/sddefault.jpg)
Video credit: Mnet K-POP
Her straightforward and free-spirited personality are things that make her stand out from other celebrities in the K-pop industry.
In an episode of Hangout With Yoo, Jessi joined hands with other popular female singers to form the supergroup Refund Sisters. Their name is derived from the fact that the members have strong personalities that will make even the most stubborn of shop owners give them refunds upon their request.
(From left to right) Hwasa, Uhm Jung-hwa, Jessi, and Lee Hyori of Refund Sisters.
Image credit: @hangout_with_yoo
Soon, Jessi made her first comeback in 2021 with What Type of X.
A recent interview with Buzzfeed Celeb featured Jessi reading thirst tweets about her, cementing her popularity in the female-dominated fan community.
Video credit: Buzzfeed Celeb
2. Red Velvet’s Seulgi
Image credit: @hi_sseulgi
Red Velvet’s Seulgi is a girl crush idol who impresses us time and time again with her stable vocals, sleek dance moves, and charismatic visuals.
Video credit: smile -wA-
A fancam of Seulgi performing Red Velvet’s Rookie at Fever Festival 2017 racked up over 5 million views. Many fans mentioned that this video was the one that got them into Red Velvet’s fandom, and it also motivated them to go on a diet to get a healthy and toned body like Seulgi’s.
Image credit: @hi_sseulgi
Seulgi’s sense of fashion never fails to sweep fangirls off their feet. She was spotted in a biker jacket in one of her Instagram posts last year, channelling major girl crush vibes.
Video credit: Michelle Tang
Her awesome facial expressions while performing Ariana Grande’s Greedy was brought to light after a fan uploaded a fancam of her stealing the hearts of fans, and thus securing her position as one of the most iconic girl crush idols.
3. Sunmi
Image credit: @miyayeah
Sunmi shook the K-pop community with the release of her third single, Gashina (2017). The iconic dance quickly became viral, and many idols were spotted dancing to the song in their vlogs, VLIVEs, and Instagram lives.
![[MV] SUNMI(선미) _ Gashina(가시나)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ur0hCdne2-s/sddefault.jpg)
Video credit: 1theK (원더케이)
To repay the love she received, Sunmi released a special dance practice video of Gashina. It involved her backup dancers switching their roles – the girls dancing to the guys’ parts and vice versa.
Images adapted from: @miyayeah and @miyayeah
She has since made multiple comebacks that continued to solidify her position on the list of girl crush idols, emitting girl boss vibes and pulling off sexy concepts that shake fans’ hearts.
Check out her latest song, You can’t sit with us, below:
Video credit: SUNMI
4. Chungha
Image credit: W Korea
Chungha made a name for herself as a talented soloist since the project girl group, IOI, disbanded in 2017. She saw success release after release, and her successes landed her a contract with US entertainment company 88rising. The label also houses notable artistes such as Rich Brian and NIKI.
Image credit: MNH Entertainment
Her song, Rollercoaster, was what made her shoot to fame, steadily climbing up the Korean music charts with its tropical sound and catchy chorus.
A gif of one of her performances went viral as she winked perfectly on time and in sync with the first chorus.
![[Show Champion] 청하 - 롤러코스터 (CHUNGHA - Roller Coaster) l EP.259](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZQC5f17bkzU/sddefault.jpg)
Video credit: ALL THE K-POP
Later, she came back with more hits that displayed her performance abilities and girl crush image that swept fangirls off their feet.
Check her song Gotta Go, another song that made her enter our list of girl crush idols:
![[CHUNG HA - Gotta Go] Comeback Stage | M COUNTDOWN 190103 EP.600](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Hkf-X2S9W5k/sddefault.jpg)
Video credit: Mnet K-POP
5. BLACKPINK’s Jennie
Image credit: @jennierubyjane
BLACKPINK’s Jennie has been a girl crush since her pre-debut days. Her powerful rapping and charisma in pre-debut videos show that she’s made for the stage.
Fans and the general public have nicknamed her the “human Chanel”, and she lives up to her nickname, fitting the brand image perfectly thanks to her luxurious image.
Image credit: @jennierubyjane
Jennie’s solo debut song was also a hit, especially with her female fans, as it talked about how one can shine brightly though they’re single.
![190123 [4K] BLACKPINK JENNIE 제니 직캠 - SOLO @가온차트](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/h4Vt7tH4FLo/sddefault.jpg)
Video credit: Paint it Black
With her aura, stage presence, body figure, and fashion sense that many female fans look up to, Jennie will be a staple on lists of girl crush idols for a long time to come.
Image credit: @jennierubyjane
6. LOONA’s Yves
Image credit: @loonatheworld
LOONA’s Yves has been known to be a “thief” who stole the hearts of girls since her pre-debut solo single, New, was released.
The music video shows her being the perfect girlfriend, holding hands with her group’s fellow member, Vivi, and skating around a bowling alley.
So What saw a change in LOONA’s styling direction, and it fulfilled Yves’ dream of having a boyish concept for their performance.
Image credit: 엠넷
Decked in chic outfits, and with her hair slicked back, Yves was bursting with charisma in each performance of So What.
In a compilation video of So What live performances, many fans left comments saying that she suits the girl crush concept perfectly.
“The other members are doing good too but Yves really suits this the best ㄷㄷ (shivers) I can’t see anyone but Yves.. Coordi could you please try dressing her in a suit just for once (sulks)”
Image adapted from: 스징
Yves is slowly rising on the list of girl crush idols, and she is definitely one to keep an eye out for as she progresses in her career.
Image credit: @loonatheworld
7. ITZY’s Ryujin
Image credit: @itzy.all.in.us
Every picture of ITZY’s Ryujin screams girl crush. And don’t get us started on her performance skills – take a look for yourself.
Video credit: KITTZY
ITZY’s 3rd comeback, Wannabe, propelled her to even greater heights as she took the fan community by storm with her iconic shoulder dance.
Once, a fan asked her to teach them how to do Wannabe’s shoulder dance on VLIVE, and she did as requested. Fans did attempt to do likewise, but they ended up giving up as they felt like they couldn’t do it as effortlessly as she did.
Some comments on the re-uploaded VLIVE broadcast on YouTube
Image adapted from: Kami Sana, Ashanti Dilworth, Zacker X, and P.C Phoenix
Image credit: @itzy.all.in.us
Image credit: @itzy.all.in.us and @itzy.all.in.us
8. BLACKPINK’s Lisa
Image credit: @lalalalisa_m
BLACKPINK’s Lisa is the second member of the group to be known for being one of K-pop’s top girl crush idols.
Image credit: @lalalalisa_m
She lives up to her role of being the main dancer of the group, amazing everyone with her dance skills, charms, and fierce personality on stage.
This performance video of her dancing to Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin’s I Like It has racked up more than 30 million views and countless dance covers done by fans on YouTube.
Video credit: X ACADEMY
On top of that, Lisa’s chic fashion sense also inspires others to dress like her.
Image adapted from: Rachel Gania
9. CL
Image credit: @chaelincl
Our list of girl crush idols wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the baddest female, CL. Her solo debut single was titled The Baddest Female, and the song’s title became her nickname ever since.
Video credit: 2NE1
CL was the first-ever K-pop act to perform on James Corden’s The Late Late Show in 2016, paving the way for K-pop acts entering the US market.
Video credit: TY21 Entertainment 2
Image adapted from: Olympics
CL had the honour to open the concert segment of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony, and she did it with a bang – her performance hyped up the crowds on-site and those streaming online, earning praises from attendees.
Video credit: Olympics
CL recently made her long-awaited comeback with SPICY. Give the MV a watch here:
Video credit: CL Official Channel
10. f(x)’s Krystal
Image credit: @vousmevoyez
The OG girl crush is undoubtedly f(x)’s Krystal. Her chic personality has always attracted fangirls, making her consistently appear on lists of girl crush idols.
![에프엑스 f(x) 첫 사랑니(Rum Pum Pum Pum) [크리스탈] Krystal 직캠 Fancam (엠슈퍼콘서트) by Mera](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/250jFsINU_I/sddefault.jpg)
Video credit: Mera
A fancam of her performing Rum Pum Pum Pum with f(x) in 2017 went viral, and commenters praised Krystal’s proportions and said that she’s the “real deal” when it comes to girl crushes.
“Her abs are really freaking cool”
Image adapted from: 옹농
Image adapted from: Zena Cheong, Titania Masyah, BURN SM DOWN and Echizen Oh Chibi
Image credit: @vousmevoyez
Even after branching out into acting full-time, Krystal continued to maintain her girl crush image in other areas, especially in magazine pictorials. That said, we do miss her performing on stage and hope to see Krystal slay fangirls’ hearts on stage soon.
Girl crush idols taking over the K-pop scene
It’s said that if there are more female fans in a group’s fandom, there will be a higher probability of said group surviving in this cut-throat industry. That’s because fangirls are generally more passionate about supporting their idols, especially when it comes to streaming their music, buying albums, and coordinating fan events.
Judging by the career trajectories of these 10 girl crush idols on our list, we can safely say that the theory is true.
Also, check out these articles:
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- 12 Lee Do-hyun facts, including his favourite monster in Sweet Home
- At a Distance, Spring is Green review: Three college students face trials in college
- Doom At Your Service finale review: What we loved & what could be better
Cover images adapted from: @jennierubyjane, @hi_sseulgi, and @vousmevouyez
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