The ghost of 2012 continues to haunt T-ara, even three years on. Whichever side of the fence you are on, you cannot deny the fact that the alleged bullying scandal that led to ex-member Hwayoung‘s departure from the group (a full breakdown of that here) still dogs T-ara to this day. Since 2012, T-ara has lost another member (Areum), and the groups previously prolific output of music has slowed somewhat.
Much hinged on last year’s “Sugar Free” comeback, but even that was dogged with controversy, with web users leveling plagiarism charges at both the track itself and the promotional artwork.
This year has seen an almost unending slew of much-younger girl groups debut, and the challenge for an act like T-ara, who debuted in 2009, is to stay relevant.
Although there have been several successful post-2012 solo projects, the biggie is the full-group release, and even though it has been only eight months or so since the group’s last song, T-ara, arguably, needs to return fast. This act’s next release needs to be big, controversy-free, and eye-catching, because the girl group scene is now more competitive than ever.