AZER: The First University Idol in History

AZER: THE FIRST UNIVERSITY IDOL IN HISTORY

By: Chae-Ri Park/ 박채리

Many students dream of becoming famous pop stars and celebrities when young but soon give up on their dreams after starting their studies as they realize how it is almost an impossible dream to pursue. However, a girl group that has recently made their debut in South Korea shows that this should not always be the case.

7 students in Howon University’s department of K-Pop (established in 2019) have formed a girl group and have released their song as well as their own music video. These students have been selected via audition in which students who have been in the K-pop department since 2019 participated. Their name ‘Azer’, which means “the first woman” in Eygptian language, conveys the message that they will write their own history with confidence. Their title “Elegante”  (which means being graceful in both Spanish and Italian) have impressed many listeners with its addictiveness, being a trendy but melancholy dance song. It is told that their manager, the head of department who was a leader of the legendary vocal group ‘Big Mama’ made a special request to her acquaintances to write a song for her students. The amazing choreography is also something that must be seen; all of the Howon University K-pop department students participated in creating the choreo for this amazing song and succeeded in making graceful but difficult dance moves.

Shin Yeona, their manager (a.k.a. the head of department) said that “There being many K-pop artists struggling with excessive competition, I hope that students will feel fun and accomplished in the process of creating new things with their classmates.” On being questioned the reason for forming this group, she answered by saying that she “wanted to give more chances to students who have not been successful in making their debut and show them that it wasn’t the end.” She also revealed that “At first, I thought it would be a cover group imitating the songs of famous girl groups; I didn’t know it would go this far.”

The members also expressed their amazement at the amount of support they were receiving. Park So-yeon, who was a trainee at an agency but came out during the training process, says that she was surprised as her father who once reacted violently at her being a trainee became a big fan and showed off his daughter's video to his friends. Jang Ju-yeon’s parents even check the comments on YouTube and let her know. 

The members say that they want to release a second album and also want to perform on programs such as Music Bank. Choi Yoo-jin says that “We could go anywhere if the military would call us. We’ll perform harder and put in more effort, even than Bravegirls.