Meet K-pop girl group CSR, and their nostalgically addictive new single Shining Bright

Some K-pop tracks have gone viral thanks to Tiktok – like Fifty Fifty’s Cupid (2023) and Enhypen’s Polaroid Love (2022). More often than not, they are accompanied by a dance that’s easy to attempt.

But as I was scrolling through my for you page, I stopped to do a double take on this particular K-pop girl group – one which I’ve never heard of before.

They are a seven-piece girl band named CSR, or cheotsarang. It loosely translates to First Love in English.

They made their debut last year. And all seven members were all 17 years’ old then – a first in the K-pop industry.

But it seems like they are more well known for their newest lead single Shining Bright (2023). It was released together last week with their second mini album Delight.

Unlike fourth generation girl groups of today, CSR’s newest track has no big appetite to experiment with new sounds and genres. Instead, it evokes a nostalgically addictive sound.

It’s a feel-good bubblegum pop track – somewhat similar to Girls Generation’s Way To Go (2009). But it adopts a rock approach, heavy on the drums.

The K-pop scene is now reigned over by female acts like NewJeans, aespa and IVE. So CSR’s Shining Bright is like a breath of fresh air, almost like a throwback to the second generation of K-pop.

At the time of writing, the music video for the track has garnered almost 2 million views.