When Sistar—the group behind a veritable cavalcade of summer hits like I Swear, Loving U and Shake It—announced they were hanging up their hats, fans didn’t quite expect this.
Sister had never been known for their ballads, having a discography that ranged from summer-poppy to sultry-poppy to cheerful-poppy and back again. And yet, for their final hurrah, they chose Lonely: possibly their most melancholic song ever. What a wonderful downer of a track to end a nearly decade-long career.
As we enter the second year of Sistar riding off into the sunset, let’s marvel for a second at the picture-perfect ending that they deserved and got: no ugly contract issues, no scandals, no silent hiatus (looking at you, 2NE1)—just an announcement, reassurances of camaraderie, and a gorgeous final release that left their fans with a high note to end things on.
It’s worth looking at their very last live performance, held seven years to the day after their debut. Listen to the fan chants, and remember: this is with the audience mics turned way down for the broadcast version.
This is Goodbye Songs Week, where we go through some of the most heart-rending and saddening goodbye songs from K-Pop groups whose numbers came up before their time.