That time when Korean music divas Insooni, Hyobum, Mikyung, Eunmi form the Golden Girls under the guidance of JYP

I thought I posted this back in December, when all of this shit happened—but it turns out that I did not. But maybe this is one of those ‘the right time’ instances, given that everything here feels even more relevant for now in light of the ‘is she / or isn’t she retiring’ discourse on BoA, and the part that being aged out of K-pop has played in all of it.

HENNYWAY.

Korean music legends Insooni, Hyobum, Mikyung, Eunmi participated in a talent reality show which chronicled their journey to become a K-pop girl group under the guidance of JYP: best known as the home of Twice, 2PM and the now disbanded Wonder Girls. And in reference to one of JYP’s most well known groups and that show you might have heard of starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty—the group was named Golden Girls. The show lead up to the moment of which they would release and perform their debut song “One Last Time”, which of course was written and produced by JYP.

The performance was great. And each of these women still look like they get a kick out of performing live. And the willingness to go along with this—despite it being out of their comfort zones and so different to what they are known for individually— was really charming and hugely inspiring. It also speaks to the malleability you need to have in order to make it in K-pop. So often these acts are wearing stuff which isn’t reflective of them whatsoever and putting out music which isn’t their preference, but they’ve just gotta do it until they reach a point where they can pull their own strings—and that’s if they even choose to.

Moments from the Golden Girls reality show are available on the official KBS YouTube channel, which also features a group performance of Miss A’s “Good-Bye Baby”. JYP really had women in their 50s and 60s lie on the floor and do leg choreo. He’s a mess. But I liked it though. At as least he didn’t make assumptions based on age, which I guess was the whole point of the project.

Aside from Golden Girls looking and sounding great, it also highlights that JYP really fucked up with Miss A and Wonder Girls. They disbanded long before their time was actually due. But so is the way in K-pop. Groups frequently disband before they should do.

Agism in the entertainment industry is a worldwide thing. It is very much prevalent in North America and across Europe. But there are still acts from the 70s, 80s and 90s who are continuing to make their presences known and are still a part of mainstream pop culture. Madonna. Celine Dion. Cher. Mariah Carey. Janet Jackson. And these women have constantly had to deal with audiences wanting to put them out to pasture. But in K-pop, it’s at a whole other level. The moment you so much as approach 30, entertainment companies are preparing the final singles, announcements and have trainees waiting in the wings to replace you. Nobody sees the grace nor beauty in aging K-pop stars, which is insane to me. So many acts don’t fully hit their stride and unlock their full potential until they are in their 30s. And as you get older, you realise that what was once a limit, no longer is and you unlock new parts of yourself which contribute to how you move through the world and how you approach your art. Look at BoA. Everybody thought she had it all in her twenties. But as she moved into her thirties, BoA took more control over her own career. Her looks got better. Her dancing got better. Her music got better. And yet netizens stay writing her off as ‘old’ when her output shits all over the younger acts they’re fans of.

Insooni is 66. Hyobum is 55. Mikyung is 58. Eunmi is 57. And they have my attention in a way so few of these younger K-pop groups do.

It’s weird that we’re simultaneously seeing something of an older K-pop star renaissance happening at the moment, between the formation of Mamadol back in 2020 and the reality show Camping Club, which reunited the members of Fin.K.L, a first generation K-pop group which Lee Hyori started out in - all alongside ageist reactions in regards to who is a legit K-pop icon.

I really do wish that the likes of Mamadol and Golden Girls were not just a one-time thing, because K-pop really does need to have more older women holding it down and showing that there is a place for them, and that your music career does not end once you hit thirty. It is so insane how women are constantly being aged out in K-pop. Young netizens will turn around call the Golden Girls old, all the while their faves can’t even sing, let alone do it live and deliver stage presence. And speaking of BoA, she still performing circles around the young’ns.

Hopefully younger netizens with taste will start looking into Insooni, Hyobum, Mikyung and Eunmi. All of whom have long careers and created lanes for themselves by not conforming in the ways they were ‘supposed’ to. And as a group, they are still doing it.

K-pop is a strange beast. It is so rarely retrospective—which is probably because K-pop history involves so much scandal and controversy that they define it to a point. There are huge acts whose histories are just unacknowledged because they feature moments nobody in an official capacity wants to go near. TVXQ. f(x). SHINee. Big Bang. Nope.

And whilst JYP gets dragged up and down the Internet for decisions he’s made (and rightly so in some cases), props to him for pitching this idea for a show and being willing to put his time and resource into making the Golden Girls happen. It truly is a mess that each of the big three are run by old Korean men who refuse to open doors for older women, and maintain such an obsession with youthfulness and girls. But men are trash. It’s going to be interesting to see ADOR’s approaches to this exact thing in 10 years’ time. If that company is still around in 10 years’ time.

I really hope the Golden Girls inspire generations of girls and women in K-pop who have been made to feel they are ‘past it’ realise they have only been conditioned to feel that way, and that there is always a path and a place for them - even if they have to create it themselves. And it would be great to see JYP continue with this and have an entertainment company which appeals to multiple generations. He did Miss A and Wonder Girls dirty. But the reformations of those groups or a reality show about the formation of a new group which features members from both should be something on JYP’s cards, if it’s not already. SM Entertainment could very easily do the same thing with S.E.S if they wanted to. Because we know damn well they will keep bringin’ out Girls’ Generation every few years when the sales are low and there are huge gaps in their scheduling.