AOA – an abbreviation for their official name Ace of Angels – as a girl group has had one of the more rocky trajectories in the history of K-pop, with a promising start and rise crippled (and possibly ended) by a series of scandals. You can trace their beginnings to 2012, when FNC Entertainment began teasing the debut of a new girl group through a series of concept photos. First came Seolhyun, then Choa, Hyejeong, Dohwa, Yuna, Mina, Jimin (not to be confused with Jimin of BTS), & finally Youkyung.
The unique angle of AOA was their promo as both a dance group (what you’d typically expect from an idol group) and as a band (what Americans would recognize as a group playing their own instruments). This band was called AOA Black and performed as a 5-piece. Youkyung, known officially as “Y,” would join the group as a band member whenever they played their own instruments. The group was marketed as literal angels, with hand painted artwork showing them reading books and playing harps in the clouds. An expansive mythology explained that Y was half angel, half human, which is why she only promoted with the group and performed when they were in band form.
They were a moderate success, with a string of middling releases that did well but didn’t rocket them to the top of the charts. They didn’t have a breakthrough until 2014’s Miniskirt. The eponymous single peaked at #11 on the Circle Chart and #8 on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100, garnering nationwide buzz in their home country. “Miniskirt” was officially their first hit song.
A career full of promise and potential ensued, until tragedy struck. The fabric of camaraderie within a close-knit friend group can fray with the slightest tug of unkindness. By 2020, Mina found herself unraveling amidst the callous remarks of one member. Each barb pierced her spirit, leaving wounds unseen but deeply felt. The weight of constant negativity grew unbearable, suffocating the laughter and joy that once bound them together as a group that was marketed as literal angels.
In the end, Mina, unable to bear it, made a series of Instagram posts about Jimin’s bullying, which had gone on for 10 years. It had grown so bad that it led to self harm and thoughts of suicide. It was a tragedy in slow motion. FNC tried to undo the damage (which they should’ve been trying to do for a decade behind the scenes) with public apologies, but to no avail. Jimin eventually left the group that year and retired entirely from the entertainment industry.
By the next year, contracts began to expire, and member after member began leaving AOA until there was nobody left. What remained was their last release before the scandal, New Moon, as a reminder of what could have been.
AOA is a cautionary tale that’s so stark and clear. You may project angelic purity to the world, but if you act like a demon behind closed doors, the truth will ultimately come to light.