2023.10.10
Kep1er made their comeback on September 25 with ‘Galileo’ after five months.
Kep1er? Galileo? Is this a story about astronomy?
No, this is a story about KPOP.
Kep1er is a nine-member KPOP girl group formed from the audition program "GirlsPlanet999" (commonly known as GalPra), which aired on South Korea's Mnet in 2021 (and was available for free streaming in Japan on Abema).
The nine members were selected from a total of 13,000 applicants:
Six Koreans: Yujin, Chaehyun, Dayeon, Huening Bahie, Yongun, and Yeso; two Japanese: Mashiro and Hikaru; and finally, the Chinese member, Xiaoting.
They debuted on January 3, 2022, with their 1st mini-album "First Impact", selling over 200,000 copies in its first week, setting the record for the highest first-week sales for a debut album by a KPOP girl group at that time.
They topped the iTunes charts in 14 countries and regions, including Japan, and ranked second on the global album chart.
The title track "WADADA" became a massive hit worldwide, with the music video surpassing 100 million views in just three months. The #WADADA Challenge on TikTok went viral, accumulating over 600 million views, and in Korea, they achieved the fastest-ever number one on a terrestrial music program just 12 days after their debut, marking a spectacular start for Kep1er.
In Japan, their popularity was astounding, with tickets for three performances at the Japan Debut Showcase held at Makuhari Messe Event Hall in September 2022 selling out in just three minutes after general sales began. They also topped the Oricon annual ranking for new artists in 2022, despite being an overseas artist.
Additionally, at the "64th Japan Record Awards," they received a "Special Award", and 2022 was truly a year of soaring success for Kep1er. Riding that momentum, they held their first solo concert from May to June this year, conducting an arena tour across three cities (Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka) with six performances, drawing approximately 50,000 attendees. The final concert at Kobe World Memorial Hall was also streamed live on Lemino, concluding their first tour with great success.
The author attended four out of the six performances, including two at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, one at Aichi Sky Expo, and one at Kobe World Memorial Hall, experiencing tears of joy at every concert.
Having watched and supported them since they were just a concept in GalPra, it was emotional to see the venue filled with over 10,000 fans. It was impossible not to cry watching them perform their signal song "O.O.O" with all their might from start to finish! Surely, all Kep1ians (the fan name for Kep1er) would agree with this sentiment.
And now, after about five months since the release of "LOVESTORUCK!" in April, Kep1er is back with their fifth mini-album "Magic Hour"!
The title track "Galileo" is a lively disco-punk song that depicts a girl in love observing her feelings of "liking" and gradually learning about "love."
The music video prominently features pink, reminiscent of the world of the globally successful film "Barbie," and the sound of "Galileo" is a cute twist on Dua Lipa's "Dance The Night," the theme song of "Barbie," infused with KPOP elements. It's a song that naturally brings a smile, truly embodying what Kep1er is all about!
The mini-album "Magic Hour," which includes "Galileo," has reached second place on the iTunes global album chart, made it into the TOP 10 of the European iTunes album chart, and topped the iTunes album charts in nine countries and regions, including Japan, proving their continued international popularity. As the second half of 2023 unfolds, Kep1er is sure to keep the world excited.
While I would love to wrap up this column neatly, the reality of Kep1er's situation makes that difficult. For someone who knows nothing about them, the impression from reading this far would likely be that Kep1er is incredibly popular. However, the truth is that their situation is not as smooth sailing as it seems.
From a global perspective, there is no doubt that Kep1er is a popular group. There are only a few girl groups that can hold arena tours in Japan, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they are one of the top groups among KPOP girl groups here.
However, the situation changes drastically in Korea.
On Korea's largest music streaming chart, Melon, "Galileo" peaked at 636th place on its first day. Considering that groups categorized in the fourth generation of KPOP, like IVE, NewJeans, LE SSERAFIM, and aespa, consistently enter the TOP 10 on the Melon chart with their new releases, the fact that "Galileo" only reached 636th place highlights how poor that performance is.
Moreover, while their debut album sold over 200,000 copies in its first week, the current release "Magic Hour" has only sold 108,000 copies in its first week, nearly halving their initial sales. In other words, very few people in Korea are currently listening to Kep1er's new music, and it's clear that the fanbase is shrinking in terms of CD sales.
Kep1er is a limited-time group with a planned activity period of only two and a half years, set to disband next July. This means that with less than ten months until their disbandment, it is honestly tough for those of us who support Kep1er to see their current situation.
However, in Japan, their popularity remains strong, as evidenced by the long lines at Tower Records in Shibuya on the release day of "Magic Hour," where I also waited for about 30 minutes to purchase a copy. It was so busy that even those who had made reservations had to wait in line to buy it.
Just a few days later, many Tower Records locations across Japan reported sold-out stock.
Thus, I find myself genuinely perplexed by the gap in popularity between Japan and Korea. It even makes me wonder if the Korean music scene, which isn't supporting them, is the anomaly, given that this album is selling well on iTunes worldwide.
The groups I mentioned earlier, like IVE, NewJeans, LE SSERAFIM, and aespa, consist of four to six members and evoke words like stylish, sophisticated, and cutting-edge, setting them apart from previous KPOP. Kep1er, on the other hand, is a larger group that embodies the fun and lively dance music characteristic of the third generation of KPOP.
Because of this, some even go so far as to say that Kep1er is "uncool." However, I have never thought of Kep1er as uncool, and I don't think I ever will. The people who call others' favorite music uncool are the ones who are truly uncool.
Music is something that clearly reflects a person's tastes and preferences, and it's not something for others to criticize. I want to see those people look back during the remaining 10 months of activity, and I believe Kep1er can do it.
Kep1er is Back.
The journey of Kep1er is not over.
End
Written by: Nekomachi Peko
SKOOTA KPOP Team Leader
〈Originally a Western rock music enthusiast, I even considered working at Rockin' On for a while. I started listening to KPOP thanks to BTS, then got hooked on BLACKPINK, and dipped my toes into the KPOP world. I became completely engrossed in the survival audition show 'Girls Planet 999', also known as Galpra, and as a result, I became a hardcore fan of Kep1er, fully immersing myself in the KPOP scene.〉
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