Music / KARD

L - R: BM, Jiwoo, Somin and J.Seph.

KARD (also known as K.A.R.D, and K♠RD) is a four member South Korean group formed by DSP Media in October 2016. Just two months later, the group released their first single, Oh Na Na, which immediately gained international attention for its unique style among other k-pop groups, as well the fact that they're the first co-ed group to debut in years. The group released two more pre-debut songs - Don't Recall and Rumor - which followed similar success. They finally debuted in July, with their first mini-album, Hola Hola.

Members

• Kim Taehyung aka J.Seph – 21 June 1992. He represents the Ace card.
• Matthew Kim/Kim Woojin/Kim Jinseok aka Big Matthew "BM" – 20 October 1992. He represents the King.
• Jeon Somin aka Somin - 22 August 1996. She represents the the Black Joker.
• Jeon Jiwoo aka Jiwoo - 4 October 1996. She represents the the Colour Joker.

Discography

Singles:

• K.A.R.D Project Vol.1 "Oh Na Na" - 13 December 2016
• K.A.R.D Project Vol.2 "Don't Recall" - 16 February 2016
• K.A.R.D Project Vol.3 "Rumor" - 24 April 2017
• Bomb Bomb - 27 March 2019

Mini Albums

• Hola Hola - 19 July 2017
• You & Me - 21 November 2017
• Ride on the Wind - 25 July 2018
• Red Moon - 12 February 2020
• Re: - 22 June 2022

KARD provides examples of the following tropes:

• Alliterative Name: Jeon Jiwoo.
• All-Loving Hero: BM, who is always kind to everyone and goes out of his way to uplift the other members whenever he can. Fans have noticed that he's always quick to praise the other members and leaves friendly comments on their Instagram accounts all the time.
• Break-Up Song: Don't Recall.
• But Not Too Foreign: BM was born and raised in Los Angeles.
• Chess Motifs: Briefly used in the music video for Don't Recall.
• Childish Pillow Fight: Somin and Jiwoo do this in the Hola Hola music video.
• Fanservice: BM. He is known to flex for the camera, and will gladly show of his abs or even take his shirt of completely during live performances. Somin and Jiwoo also have no qualms with dancing sexily for the audience.
• Cool Shades: BM wears these the most in music videos, while Jiwoo has been seen wearing them in her spare time.
• Cover Version: 'I Won't Stop' is a remake of the song released by a 90s co-ed group also under DSP Media, known as ZAM.
• Deadpan Snarker: Besides BM, all of them have a tendency to be this, though a special mention goes to Somin, who teases the boys constantly.
• Determinator: Somin. After being in the unsuccessful Girl Group, Puretty, she joined the Kara project, competeting to become a part of the ten upcoming girl group, KARA. She came second place. She then joined another girl group called April, as The Leader no less, but left the group in 2015, yet, continued to train in the hopes of being debuting in a group more suited for her, eventually being added to KARD.
• Double-Meaning Title: While Hola Hola is clearly a greeting to the fans for the formal debut, it also sounds exactly like the Korean phrase for 'going higher/exceeding'.
• The Heart: BM.
• Hidden Depths: J.Seph enjoys Bollywood movies and music, and can sing some songs on request. He also enjoys singing German songs.
• Hotter and Sexier: Somin was previously The Leader of a group called April, which was Lighter and Softer and sang songs about confidence and believing in oneself. When compared with KARD's concept, she's unrecognizable◊.
• I Have Many Names: BM technically has four different names that he can go by: his stage name, his western name, and his two Korean names.
• Like Brother and Sister: How the members describe their relationships with each other.
• Lighter and Softer: Hola Hola is a much lighter music video - both literally and metaphorically than their three pre-debut videos, which consisted of dim lighting and dark rooms in contrast with their debut music video, which was clearly filmed outside at daytime.
• Lovable Jock: BM regularly works out, enjoys playing basketball, but is also very kind towards others.
• Lucky Charms Title: Their name is often stylized as K♠RD.
• One Head Taller: Both of the boys are a head taller than the girls.
• One-Steve Limit: Both of the girls have the surname Jeon, while the boys have Kim as their surname.
• Performance Video: Both music videos for Don't Recall and Rumor. Besides some occasional solo shots of the members, the videos mostly consist of the group dancing and singing their parts.
• Platonic Life-Partners: BM and J.Seph. They trained together for almost five years, lived together all that time (and still do!) and were originally going debut as a rap duo. When BM was asked what he couldn't live without, without missing a beat, he said J.Seph.
• Playing Card Motifs: Their entire concept, especially in the Oh Na Na music video. Each of the members represents a different card, having a different role in the group.
• Pretty in Mink: Jiwoo wears one in the music video for Oh Na Na.
• Road Trip Plot: The basic plot for the Hola Hola music video.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: J.Seph is the sensitive guy to BM's manly man.
• Silly Love Song: Oh Na Na is basically this.
• Singer-Songwriter: BM and J.Seph write a lot of their own raps, and all four of them have been involved with the composition of their songs.
• Stage Names: Both BM and J.Seph use stage names. BM stands for Big Matthew, while the meaning behind J.Seph's names has yet to be explained.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: BM is 6'1, and quite attractive.
• Title Track: Hola Hola, which is the title of their debut song and mini album.
• Translated Cover Version: Based on the concept of having 'hidden' versions of their songs, they released a full English language version of Don't Recall.