7 Energetic K-Pop Girl Group Songs That Are Actually Super Sad

K-Pop songs that have sad lyrics generally have equally sad melodies. Some rare finds, however, have a happy and energetic tune that is completely opposite to what their message.

Now that we’ve already seen a number of boy group songs follow this method, let’s check out some girl group versions!

1. 2NE1 – Ugly

To start off this list is the iconic 2NE1 song “Ugly”. Until today, it is one of the few tracks that is straightforward about the singer’s insecurities. With strong beats and powerful vocals, one wouldn’t be able to guess the sentiment of the song until the full-English chorus: “I think I’m ugly and nobody wants to love me. Just like her, I wanna be pretty.”

2. Bom – Don’t Cry

“Baby please don’t cry. Someday, we’ll meet each other again.” A song about letting go of one’s loved one and hoping to be reconnected, Bom‘s “Don’t Cry” is deceptively upbeat. In reality, it has the power to really make you cry once you read the full lyrics.

3. Girl’s Day – Thirsty

“Thirsty” is a track that actually drips with desperation. The members of Girl’s Day did a great job of making the persona look like a once-confident lady who now begs her boyfriend to “Touch me once more, I’m thirsty.”

4. Dal Shabet – Someone Like U

A true banger, “Someone Like U” could play in a club without anyone thinking it doesn’t belong in the set list. The truth of the matter is that Dal Shabet sings about the thoughts of a woman scorned. Some lyrics go, “I hope you meet someone just like you, someone who says bad things, breaking hearts.”

5. Taeyeon – Why

Taeyeon sings wistfully about trying to move on. Less of a breakup song and more of a personal one, the lyrics go: “If I leave now, good…It already glimmers in front of my eyes. But I hesitate, why?”

6. Stellar – Crying

With strong tropical beats and a memorable dance, Stellar‘s “Crying” sounds like a song people sing while throwing their hair back in a road trip, just like the music video suggests. Instead, it’s actually about a girl who cries after being reminded of her former lover.

7. 2NE1 – Happy

Finally, the perfect example of a happy-sounding-but-sad-meaning song is 2NE1’s “Happy”. With lyrics like, “You’ll be happy if I’m gone. Without you, I’m not happy but I hope you’re happy,” it shows how self-deprecating the singer can be.