about / members / videography / discography / storyline
a walk through eras ♫
following gfriend's musical journey is like reading a coming-of-age book series, which is why this summary has been separated into chapters. this is an effort for new fans to do a deep dive into their music step by step and witness how their soundscape matured gradually throughout the years.
| title track | album title | year | artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| glass bead 🔮 | season of glass | 2015 | gfriend |
| me gustas tu 🌳 | flower bud | 2015 | gfriend |
| rough 🕰️ | snowflake | 2016 | gfriend |
| navillera 🦋 | lol | 2016 | gfriend |
| fingertip 🔫 | the awakening | 2017 | gfriend |
| love whisper 📻 | parallel | 2017 | gfriend |
| summer rain ☔ | rainbow | 2017 | gfriend |
| time for the moon night 🌙 | time for the moon night | 2018 | gfriend |
| sunny summer 🍹 | sunny summer | 2018 | gfriend |
| sunrise 🎂 | time for us | 2019 | gfriend |
| fever 🌵 | fever season | 2019 | gfriend |
| fallin' light 🎨 | fallin' light [jpn] | 2019 | gfriend |
| crossroads 🐟 | labyrinth | 2020 | gfriend |
| apple 🍎 | song of the sirens | 2020 | gfriend |
| mago 🍷 | walpurgis night | 2020 | gfriend |
| play 🥀 | [rec.] | 2022 | yuju |
| bop bop! 🍚 | beam of prism | 2022 | viviz |
| aria 💐 | aria | 2022 | yerin |
| loveade 🏹 | summer vibe | 2022 | viviz |
< the english translations masterlist >
<all concept photos> <album track descriptions>full discography in the links below
the school series consists of the freshmen year glass bead, the summer holiday me gustas tu and the winter graduation story rough (running through time) concluding the cycle. navillera works as an epilogue for this golden era.rough was an addition to their musical spectrum while maintaining their color. being an epic and melancholic song in contrast with glass bead, an innocent and cheerful song, and me gustas tu, a cute and refreshing summer hit. adding more seriousness to their until then shoujo-esque sound, themes and concepts, showing all sides of youth.after two smash hits, they started fresh from the conclusion of the school trilogy with a retro concept in navillera differing from the old kpop nostalgia from their initial sound, but keeping their signature electric guitar. also being their first full album that incorporated a lot of elements from different genres in their discography.
SEASON OF GLASS (2015) <lyrics>intro: season of glass
an eerie intro also used in the teaser for their first concert.🔮 glass bead
debut song composed by iggy youngbae after they met gfriend, being a song inspired by them.➳ they performed the song in 2020. watch here.02. neverland
a feel good and energetic song.03. white
midtempo supposed to be their debut song before they changed to glass bead, it has a choreography with a lot of footwork (performance).⋆ gfriend debut story
⋆ yeochin tv
⋆ weekly idol: I, II and III.
⋆ more content
FLOWER BUD (2015) <lyrics>intro (flower bud)🌳 me gustas tu
a huge hit. the frog leap is one of the remarkable dance moves of the song. there is a japanese version.02. under the sky
beautiful lyrics about reaching dreams.03. one
another refreshing song (performance with choreography).04. my buddy
a song about friendship, we could say it's for buddies, with one of yuju's most iconic high notes.⋆ a turn-point of their career.
SNOWFLAKE (2016) <lyrics>intro (snowflake)
music video's outro.🕰️ rough
the song is about time travel and the choreography is known for the clock dance. check mma 2016 performance! it's pure magic!➳ they performed a beautiful ballad version in the asia tour: go go gfriend.02. say my name
following the star-crossed lovers thematic, it's a dramatic song and title track material (performance).03. luv star
a light pop song similar to their previous eps (stage performance with choreography).04. someday
a song with comforting lyrics.05. trust
first ballad is special. the song brings closure to "say my name" (stage performance).
LOL (2016) <lyrics>intro
only intro without a name.01. fall in love
cheerful and dreamy song reflecting its name (performance).🦋 navillera
the song name is an expression used in the poem “the nun’s dance” to describe a fluttering action similar to the movement of a butterfly.03. lol
lots of love or laughing out loud is a song about friendship (performance).04. distance
harmonica!!05. water flower
drums!! the most chaotic encore stage ever.06. mermaid
a mio song based on the little mermaid (lyrics).07. sunshine
r&b-ish ballad (performance with lyrics).08. compass
a house-oriented song about following a direction (encore stage).➳ yu huiyeol's sketchbook stripped version.09. click
a song about the moment recorded by a photography, a shouted chorus as an encouragement.10. gone with the wind
title track material and incorporation of dubstep in the dance break (stage performance).➳ check their weekly idol episodes, speed dance was a segment created for/by them.
they started the year with a retro concept dubbed powerful chic. fingertip is a music video that kick-started the idea of a gfriend ’verse, because there is a lot of symbolism (the meaning being up for our imagination and a lot of theories were made).they came back for summer proposing a new layer to the powerful innocent concept and a new chapter for their storyline. a great comeback for "glass bead" and "me gustas tu" lovers. love whisper has an intricated choreography with a lot of footwork.a month later they released a reissue anticipating autumn with two new songs: summer rain, a sentimental song that sampled robert schumann's dichterliebe op. 48:1 and rainbow, a powerful song and fan favorite bside to this day.
THE AWAKENING (2017) <lyrics>01. hear the wind sing
begins the album with a beautiful violin and an interesting metaphor of the wind, title track material (stage performance).🔫 fingertip
an excellent instrumental, bass line going crazy. memorable dance break and "gun" killing point (no pun intented).03. contrail
with ragtime influences, the song has poetic lyrics (just like most gfriend songs tho)04. please save my earth
a song with a mysterious and dreamy atmosphere from the same composers of mermaid (lyrics).05. rain in the spring time
a beautiful ballad, probably the best (stage performance).06. crush
it begins with an epic sound like a final boss battle (performance).
PARALLEL (2017) <lyrics>intro (belief)📻 love whisper
footwork in the water, summer, a song about memory and story. also there is an amusing p48's love whisper episode.➳ check them dancing in the water in a music show!02. ave maria
a dreamy song. we love retro gfriend (performance).03. one-half
innocent, 90s feels (stage performance).04. life is a party
fun dance song reflecting its name.05. red umbrella
based in shibuya kei.06. falling asleep again
ballad and a fan song (lyrics).
RAINBOW (2017) <lyrics>
repackage01. rainbow
rock-ish song and one of their most powerful lyrics, title track material, won gfriend's first world bsides cup (performance).☔ summer rain
a mellow song with an elegant choreography, incorporating ballet elements.➳ they had a beautiful stages for the ballad version: i & ii.➳ the music video choreography version is worth watching. they bring poetry to life.
gfriend was already known for the lyrics and emotional songs, but with time for the moon night they started a new era with a new main concept in addition to powerful innocent that they called passionate melancholy, exploring orchestral pop.time for the moon night is known for the initial/final dance move that represents moon cycling phases. gfriend always cared for the choreography that tells a story, but with this new concept you can see a subtle theatrical addition to their performances. a great shift from this era was the change of composers for the very first time. from iggy youngbae to noh joohwan. an in-house producer.during summer they released the special mini album sunny summer. the title track was composed by the known producers duble sidekick. a no-ballads album and summer fever from beginning to end, also first time the group proposed a choreography easy to follow.they finished the trilogy in the next year with their second full album and continuation of time for the moon night. sunrise has a special choreography but it was a crucial step for gfriend being recognized as a vocal group, showing that they are not only amazing dancers but also singers (ear purifier encore stage).fever is their fifth summer comeback (consistent summer fairies!), inaugurating the passionate sophisticated concept with a tropical night and a standalone era. if you don't see a storyline is because it's a hyundai cf (jk).
TIME FOR THE MOON NIGHT (2018) <lyrics>intro (daytime)🌙 time for the moon night
classical music enthusiasts listen to the instrumental.➳ if you fell in love with this song like me, some special stages: dream concert, kbs song festival, mma 2018, run to you...02. love bug
a loved cute pop song with retro feels (stage performance).03. flower garden
another evocative and story-driven song composed by mio (mermaid, psme) with an emblematic choreography, up with the title tracks (performance)➳ umji made a long video showing all their process when they learn a new choreography (watch here).04. tik tik
another upbeat one for retro enthusiasts (justice for tik tik).05. bye
a ballad (performance).06. you are my star
another song for buddies (performance).
SUNNY SUMMER (2018) <lyrics>🍹 sunny summer
brass-y and chill summer song, members names are included in the lyrics (sung by themselves).➳ they performed a xmas version called snowy winter (dance practice).02. vacation
title track material. spelling bop (a fun concert stage).03. sweety
invented kawaii future bass.04. windy windy
yuju's legendary high note (performance).05. love in the air
90s feels, invented musical theater. let's power up (performance).
TIMES FOR US (2019) <lyrics>🎂 sunrise
a vocal battle with many twists. "sunrise" as the classical piece with the same name by haydn (showed in the music video) emulates the sun rising, the roller coaster effect through the song gives an intense feeling of catharsis.➳ you can watch the special clips: 1thek & move rec02. you are not alone
powerful lyrics, a warm hug, peak gfriend healing music (lyrics).➳ there is an unofficial choreography cover03. l.u.v.
a spoken chorus (performance).04. glow
a bright song (performance).05. our secret
gfriend's take on tropical house before "fever".06. only 1
classy song and choreography. one of the best songs from the album (run.wav performance).07. truly love
yerin proposing to sowon (performance).08. show up
umji's low register, based on future house.09. it's you
a sultry, charming song, very soft. listen to it (justice for it's you).10. a starry sky
a ballad (stage performance).11. love oh love
for who likes season of glass, this song is from their debut days. it references gfriend's old songs.12. memoria (korean ver.)
their first japanese original song.➳ memoria and sunrise mushow stage performance.
FEVER SEASON (2019) <lyrics>🌵 fever
light moombahton for a tropical night (studio choom).02. mr. blue
clean bandit tease, a tropical song with strings comparing love to a blue sea.03. smile
a bubbly and energetic song. serotonin boost.04. wish
an addictive dance song about facing love while you grow from your youth to adulthood.05. paradise
a funky beat with an acoustic band. bass line. underrated song.06. hope
self-written song performed in go go gfriend concert before its release with a retro feeling (performance).07. flower (korean ver.)
an orchestral dance pop song with a tango-inspired dance break (stage performance).
gfriend (ジーフレンド) debuted in japan with a "best of" ep with me gustas tu as lead single in may, 2018.fallin'light is gfriend's first japanese full album and third overall released on november 13, 2019. the album includes the previous singles memoria, their first original song. it's a passionate melancholic song like la pam pam. flower is gfriend's second original song released as single, an upbeat orchestral song, add a new color in their japanese discography as well as beautiful.oh difficult is a collaboration between gfriend and the japanese group sonar pocket released around the same time. in 2020, the group just has released japanese versions of their korean songs (tarot cards is a must listen).king records stopped properly promoting the group back in 2019 during fallin' light era for unknown reasons and they don't put the music in global platforms; however, their japanese discography is flawless, so please check through youtube or soundcloud.
FALLIN'LIGHT (2019) <lyrics>☄ fallin' light
final title track. lush and soothing melodies and vocals. somehow, it went semi-viral on tiktok.02. emotional days
already a loved ballad. listen here.🎨 memoria
lead single with music video.04. beginning of love
a carnival day, euphoric like the title. listen here.🌹 flower
lead single with music video.06. my my my!
a pop rock based song by mio. listen here.09. la pam pam
a dreamy and orchestral gfriend by mio. listen here.10. beautiful
a feel good song, indie movie ost esque. listen here.
reinterpreting myth with “回” series: a festival of mythical women, as reimagined by gfriend"回 (hui)" means "to return". the series marks the first comeback after their agency was acquired by bighit entertainment. they officially established their fictional universe's name a tale of the glass bead, expanding to story books and other additional contents (with its own section in the guide).labyrinth is very wistful and soothing and the part of the series that talks about "the moment of choices the girls face while in the process of growth, looking back to the past, they have to consider what to choose in the future, creating a stronger narrative for their own growth story". you can have in mind that labyrinth is a place where one's apart of the external world and to find yourself again you need to turn into your own ariadne.they take a difficult path in song of the sirens, the chapter that deals with the temptation theme and moral dillema. it's the first significant participation of the members in songwriting. the era compared to the sonically driven labyrinth (2020) works around its thematic, being more lyrically driven. the common denominator being a bold and intimate storytelling in its lyrics and delivery. "apple" stages heavily recommended.the final installment from the 回 (hui) series, walpurgis night, is gfriend's third full album and reaches the peak of their transformation as a witches' festival celebrating women as modern witches. the series was an important journey for them as artists. the members worked in unit tracks for the first time and all members have participation in songwriting in the same album, from lyrics to composition. interviews and recording behind videos heavily recommended. the album has a clear progress in storytelling finishing with the evocative "wheel of the year" concluding the journey and cyclical message.
回 : LABYRINTH (2020) <lyrics>01. labyrinth
edm infused chorus with rock influences, we pretend that's a second title track. a song about being agonizing inside a maze-like world not knowing whether to stay or escape from it, the internal conflict reflects in its lyrics.➳ no music video, but an amazing special clip!🐟 crossroads
a new addition to their melancholic orchestral pop songs. it delivers yearning and sorrow, interwoven with a restless state of mind due a moment of choice. cross over or not? the isolated vocals being the highlight of the song (studio choom).03. here we are
a sentimental song with powerful chorus about the desire to go to your most beautiful moment. also a fan favorite.04. eclipse
a tango inspired sound with orchestral instruments about the desire to get closer again, using solar/lunar eclipse as a metaphor.05. dreamcatcher
a lovely song with a lyrical atmosphere as you're feeling protected.06. from me
a delicate and beautiful alternative pop song with acoustic guitar, it "has the meaning of loving yourself" with a heartfelt deliver.
回 : SONG OF THE SIRENS (2020) <lyrics>🍎 apple
eunha and yuju (lyrics and composition)
a bewitching dance track with lush vocals and alluring delivering about girls accepting temptation at their own terms, reclaiming the witch name, but at the same time acknowledging this is not a flowery path to take.➳ there are a special clip, the showcase performance... but the music show stages are the most recommended for all the effort from the girls and creative team with the theatrical aspect making them completely award show worthy.02. eye of the storm
umji and yuju (lyrics)
rock based song emulating the stages of a typhoon. it's based on one of yuju's diary entries about finding herself in a moment of crisis – inside the eye of the storm's time.03. room of mirrors
an elegant and dramatic song with envy as theme, seeing the world as a room of mirrors.04. tarot cards
yuju (lyrics), eunha (lyrics and composition) and umji (lyrics)
an energetic, refreshing song – and their most anime like song yet – about the desire for someone to choose for your comparing with playing tarot cards.05. crème brûlée
a sweet slow jam with bubbly and playful (but also daring) meaning.06. stairs in the north
a rock ballad based on sinb's experiences about the group's trajectory."the lyrics are about how one can see the scenery when they went down the stairs, the same scenery that they didn't see when they climbed up the same stairs breathlessly. the song tells us that we can go up again with the energy we get when going down, so there's warm comfort offered."
回 : WALPURGIS NIGHT (2020) <lyrics>🍷 mago
an earworm and dreamy disco pop track! a self-acceptance song that goes well with the music video setting of a women-only night club. the lyrics reflects a purification imagery ("fly reborn") paired with self-discovering ("my life is waiting for you" / "she's smiling at me in the mirror") (studio choom).➳ mago means both wizard and the korean deity. being a mago is part of its message.02. love spell
song with the message "there is no magic in love". a garage rock song emulating the 90s alt-rock bands with lush female vocals. the husky delivering being a highlight of the song.03. three of cups
a city pop song celebrating female friendship, reflecting the tarot card meaning.04. grwm
it means get ready with me, an upbeat song about the internet trend matching the modern business women theme of the album.05. secret diary | sinb and yerin
a preppy and fresh song about their friendship (performance)06. better me | sowon and umji
an upbeat sultry track about these members and their experiences in finding their own colors and blooming in their own time (performance)07. night drive | yuju and eunha
a soothing song about the atmosphere of being on the road at night (performance)11. wheel of the year
a dreamy and gfriend-esque song closing the ambitious narrative arc proposed by the series, interwining their personal stories and fictional universe. the message being about looking forward the future after a reminiscence of the past.umji: "it provides a closure to all the conflicts and time feeling lost with a promise that we always move forward."
➳ gfriend on the meaning of their new op song of the sirens
umji: "we’ve participated in the overall creative process and extensively discussed amongst ourselves and with our staff about the record. in that sense, this ep is about what everyone is going through or may already have gone through."➳ siren songs: the transformation of gfiend
"[...] combining the fantastical elements of legends and fairy tales with the raw, straight-forward emotionality of their own lives, gfriend has managed to craft an intricate soundscape that’s as imaginative as it is intimate."➳ gfriend members release song of the sirens
gfriend: "our previous album, 回: labyrinth, was a story about girls facing a choice and the complications in their thoughts. the new album is about having selected a path and yet again facing another choice."➳ gfriend on writing ‘walpurgis night’ (video)➳ gfriend talks new music and more with liam mcewan (video)➳ gfriend members talk about new album walpurgis night, the girl group’s ode to female empowerment, and why it channels witches.
sowon: "i’ve talked to friends who have listened to our songs from our debut to today. they tell me that they feel and hear their life stories in these songs. the growth of gfriend is reflected in our individual growth as people, so that’s what i feel defines gfriend.”➳ we asked gfriend all about their new album "回:walpurgis night"
gfriend: "the new album reflects ourselves exactly the way we are today. not only does it include aspects of gfriend as a girl group in its sixth year, but also freely expresses the various emotions and thoughts women feel in their twenties on a daily basis."➳ gfriend says their 'walpurgis night' album captures their growth as artists
gfriend: "in the beginning, participating in the creative process felt somewhat difficult and burdensome. this time, however, we were able to express our own individual desires both as an artist and an individual, learning the joyful side of working on a song."➳ 'modern witches' gfriend and the magic of collaboration
"[...] whether it’s their lively personalities, complex dance routines, or shredding guitar solos, they consistently offer more than meets the eye. but now, their intrinsic magic is in plain sight."➳ weverse magazine about walpurgis night.
"[...] this is the moment where the witch depicted in the song liberates herself. together with disco, gfriend has entered the world of witches or the world of adulthood."➳ gfriend talk new album that spotlights ‘career women who value work & friendship’
eunha: songwriting is an area that i’ve been longing to try.
yuju: always hoped to write songs even before the debut.
umji: it was a new experience for me to actually witness a song being completed based on my ideas.➳ gfriend on changes and ‘walpurgis night’ album
eunha: "the themes expressed throughout the trilogy like confusion, temptation and confidence are something that people of our age can relate to."➳ non gfriend related but an interesting podcast episode on how "female artists are appropriating elements of witchcraft as an expression of feminist politics in their art."