Kara to release new song 'Hello' featuring voice of late singer Koo Ha-ra

Girl group Kara will release a song titled "Hello" with the voice of late singer Koo Ha-ra included in the track.

Girl group Kara [RBW]

Girl group Kara will release a song titled "Hello" with the voice of late singer Koo Ha-ra included in the track.

“Hello” is a song that was originally slated to be included on Kara’s fourth full-length album “Full Bloom” in 2013. The song included the vocals from the five members of the group at the time, including Koo's.

"Hello" is being released after being rearranged and mastered to include additional vocals from member Hur Young-ji, who joined the group in 2014.

After it was ultimately left out of the final tracklist at the time it was recorded, Koo still included a Japanese version of "Hello" in her Japanese single “Midnight Queen,” released in November 2019. Koo died on Nov. 24, 2019, after falling victim to a case of molka, or illegal sex filming in Korean, by her former boyfriend Choi Jong-bum.

“The song is now finished with the late Koo’s Korean vocals prerecorded before her death, bringing all six members together,” the girl group’s agency, RBW, said Tuesday in a press release.

"'Hello' is a ballad themed around the greeting 'hello,' which signifies both meeting and parting," said RBW. “The song captures the diverse meanings of the word ‘hello,’ including the joy of reunion and the sadness of farewell, and enhances the poignancy, with the members' calm voices.”

Kara's last album, "Move Again," was released back in November 2022 to celebrate the 15th anniversary since debut. Lead track “When I Move” garnered positive reviews from both the general public and fans of the group.

The group is best known for hits “Pretty Girl” (2008), “Honey” (2008), “Mr.” (2009), “Step” (2011) and “Pandora” (2012). Its megahit “Mr.” was a major contributor to the rise of K-pop and Hallyu in Japan, leading Kara to become the first Korean girl group to host a solo concert at the Tokyo Dome.

To find out more about Kara, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]