Opinionated Profile of AOA

I really never thought this group would make it here. I’ve never been a big fan of AOA, and I’m still not, but not so subtle pressure from friends combined with the group’s general growing popularity these days made it hard to ignore them. I tend to always know the members of the most popular groups, and since AOA is getting up there, this was about time. Plus my friend Alice really wanted me to like them, so. 

While I’m now starting to accept the idea of being at least a casual fan of AOA, I still barely ever listen to them. I really like their debut song “Elvis” and I’m fond of their latest release “Heart Attack” as well. And I don’t hate their 2013 effort “Confused”. But when it comes to the songs that seem to have catapulted them into the limelight such as “Miniskirt”, “Short Hair” and “Like A Cat” I just don’t see what all the fuss is about. They’re alright songs, but to me they’re quite generic. I guess that’s why I’ve never fallen in love with the group.

But this post isn’t about why I don’t like the group’s general music style, it’s about the members! Let’s get ranking!

7. Mina

Birth name: Kwon Min Ah

Stage name: Mina

Birthday: September 21, 1993

Official height: 160 cm

Position: Vocalist, Dancer, Bassist in AOA Black

Comment: Mina is adorably cute and little. In general she’s really not sexy, so when AOA pushes it further in that direction she truly gets left behind. That’s not necessarily bad though, since I don’t find the group in general to be that sexy.

Mina has a good personality that I quite like and I haven’t seen her embarrass herself vocally just yet. I even remember hearing a few rap parts here and there from her that I kind of liked.

There’s nothing wrong with Mina, not at all, she just hasn’t blown me away.

6. Choa

Birth name: Park Cho Ah

Stage name: Choa

Birthday: March 6, 1990

Official height: 160 cm

Position: Main Vocalist, Dancer, Guitarist in AOA Black

Comment: Choa has a great voice and is clearly the best in the group in that department. She’s a true standout, and I’d love to see a solo from her some day. I don’t think the group at all allows for her to truly stretch her wings, which is a shame.

Choa is a sweet, motherly and slightly awkward girl that I like, but that doesn’t interest me a whole lot. It’s her voice that’s the main pull with her, that’s for sure. No doubt about it.

5. Seolhyun

Birth name: Kim Seol Hyun

Stage name: Seolhyun

Birthday: January 3, 1995

Official height: 167 cm

Position: Lead Dancer, Sub-Vocalist

Comment: Seolhyun is the visual that isn’t the visual. When I first started learning their names I thought for sure that she had to be the one, since she was often in front,  got more lines than her talent maybe warranted etc. But as it turns out, she isn’t the official face of this group. I’m sure that if the positions were being distributed now she would be though, since she seems the most popular when it comes to that sort of activities.

Seolhyun is not a superb singer and to me personally her look isn’t all that special compared to the other members. But there’s something about her that I like. A certain je ne sais quoi if you will.

4. Chanmi

Birth name: Kim Chan Mi

Stage name: Chanmi

Birthday: June 19, 1996

Official height: 166 cm

Position: Sub-Vocalist, Main Dancer, Rapper, Maknae

Comment: Chanmi isn’t the typical cookie-cutter pretty that the majority of kpop girls, including her group members, are. She’s very pretty, but in a different way, and I really like that. There’s a certain roughness that I think they try to smooth out through styling, but that I find to be her most charming aspect.

There’s something about her rapping that I really like… She’s obviously an idol rapper and not a standout one at that, but there’s something about the way she raps that I enjoy. Her voice in general is something I quite enjoy, as this applies to her singing as well.

3. Jimin

Birth name: Shin Ji Min

Stage name: Jimin

Birthday: January 8, 1991

Official height: 160 cm

Position: Leader, Main Rapper, Dancer, Guitarist in AOA Black

Comment: If I never thought that AOA would be big enough in my life to get an opinionated profile I for sure never thought that Jimin would be anywhere near the top half of this ranking. During my sort-off dislike for AOA, Jimin has always received the biggest blast of my hatred. But I’m all done with that now. I used to absolutely hate her voice, and while I still don’t love it, I’ve definitely gotten used to it. I might even start liking it some day, who knows?

I always pictured Jimin as having a super annoying personality, for some reason. Probably because I wanted to legitimize my hatred for her even more. It’s to be said that I still haven’t seen many interviews etc with them, but so far I don’t find Jimin annoying at all. I find her quite endearing to be honest.

I love that she’s such a huge fangirl of Jay Park’s. Because well… So am I. It makes her more relatable.

Jimin is a very pretty girl, but I personally really prefer her in long hair. The hair that she had at debut was perfect for her, and back then I even found her sexy.

2. Yuna

Birth name: Seo Yu Na

Stage name: Yuna

Birthday: December 30, 1992

Official height: 163 cm

Position: Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Keyboardist in AOA Black

Comment: Personally I think Yuna is the absolute prettiest member in the group, especially in this blonde hair.

If you read the post that I wrote about AOA back when my friend Alice made me, you might remember that while this is Alice’s bias, this was also the girl that I wanted. I found her so beautiful, and as the clearly second-best singer in the group she was more than just a pretty face. But well… Alice said I couldn’t have her. It was difficult, and I even considered keeping her in secret, but I eventually moved on. I still like Yuna a lot but I’m at peace with her not being my bias.

1. Hyejeong

Birth name: Shin Hye Jeong

Stage name: Hyejeong

Birthday: August 10, 1993

Official height: 170 cm

Position: Sub-Vocalist, Dancer, Face of the Group

Comment: I’m not entirely sure how I ended up with Hyejeong. Regardless of her being the visual, I don’t find her to be the prettiest. And she is not anything special as a vocalist, especially not compared to Choa and Yuna. But there’s just something about her.

For one she has a naturally sexy vibe that most of the girls in the group don’t have. They’ve been going for a somewhat sexy image for a while now but the only members that I find truly sexy are Yuna and Hyejeong, with Seolhyun and Jimin sometimes having short moments of sexy brilliance.

One thing I find interesting is that while in the beginning of learning them I kept mixing up Hyejeong with Seolhyun, the more she grew on me and the closer she got to claiming this position the more I started mixing her up with Yuna. Now I think that Hyejeong and Seolhyun look nothing alike, while before I found them almost identical. Now suddenly Hyejeong and Yuna look a lot alike to me. Strange magic.

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What do you think about AOA? Do you think they deserve their burst in popularity?