2024.05.10
The KPOP idols that have started to be referred to as the 5th generation debut group from 2023.
Last year was the year of the rise of these 5th generation boy groups.
Starting with ZEROBASEONE (commonly known as ZB1), born from the male version of "Girls Planet 999," called "BOYS PLANET," followed by RIIZE, which SM Entertainment debuted as a boy group for the first time in 7 years since NCT, and TWS, a boy group under HYBE's PLEDIS Entertainment, which is a brother group to SEVENTEEN and marks their first boy group in 9 years. Additionally, BOYNEXTDOOR (commonly known as BND), debuted under HYBE's KOZ Entertainment (led by Block B's Zico) through Zico's production.
Then, in September, SM, which debuted RIIZE, held an audition program with Nippon TV and Hulu, leading to the simultaneous debut of NCT WISH, a Japan-based subunit of NCT, early in the new year.
While major agencies competed to debut new boy groups one after another, the debut of new girl groups honestly did not stand out in 2023. However, in 2024, perhaps as a reaction to that, a fierce battle between two major rookie groups is already unfolding.
The first group is ILLIT, born from the audition program "R U NEXT?" that aired last year.
Affiliated with HYBE's BELIFT LAB, ILLIT is positioned as the sister group of ENHYPEN, which also hails from the same agency's audition. However, as you can see from this promotional photo, it feels more fitting to say they are the sister group of HYBE's senior group, NewJeans.
With a gritty film-like texture and all members sporting black hair with nonchalant expressions, they embody the quintessential sister vibe of NewJeans.
The title track "Magnetic," included in their debut album "SUPER REAL ME," is an easy-listening song that NewJeans popularized and is currently sweeping the KPOP scene, while also ensuring a clear differentiation from NewJeans.
In contrast to NewJeans' world, which carries a certain poison and shadow, ILLIT presents a dreamlike world reminiscent of a fairy tale girl, evoking a sense of fragility.
This is likely a concept that could only be expressed because Min Hee-jin, the producer of NewJeans, was not involved.
Min Hee-jin always incorporates some dark elements, so if she had been involved, ILLIT would not have become such a non-toxic idol.
As a result, their popularity has rapidly spread not only among KPOP fans but also to the general public.
The initial sales of their album, a testament to their popularity among fans, exceeded 380,000 copies, breaking NewJeans' record of 310,000 copies and setting a new record for debut album sales among girl groups.
The performance of their music, a measure of their popularity among the general public, started at 93rd place on Korea's largest music chart, Melon TOP100, and gradually climbed to 1st place within two weeks of release.
Furthermore, their global performance is also strong, achieving 8th place on the Billboard Global 200 and 2nd place globally (excluding the U.S.).
This is the highest record for a debut song by a KPOP group in history.
It is not an exaggeration to say that they have already matched the performance of the current top 5 KPOP girl groups: NewJeans, LE SSERAFIM, IVE, aespa, and (G)I-DLE.
However, a group has emerged that has quickly surpassed ILLIT's initial album sales record.
That group is BABYMONSTER, debuted by YG Entertainment, the powerhouse of girl groups, for the first time in 7 years since BLACKPINK.
Their debut album "BABYMONS7ER" recorded over 400,000 copies, surpassing ILLIT's initial album sales of 380,000 copies and quickly breaking the historical record for initial sales of girl groups set by ILLIT.
This reminds us of 2022, when monster-level groups like IVE, Kep1er, NMIXX, LE SSERAFIM, and NewJeans debuted in succession, with later debuting groups continuously breaking the album sales records.
However, in terms of music performance, BABYMONSTER has fallen significantly behind ILLIT.
The title track "SHEESH" has not been able to enter the top 100 of Korea's Melon TOP100 even a week after its release, with its highest rank being 141 (as of April 9), indicating that it has not gained popularity among the Korean public.
This is due to BABYMONSTER being a hardcore girl group.
As mentioned earlier, easy-listening songs are currently trending in South Korea, and the public is seeking music that is pleasant and easy on the ears.
In contrast, BABYMONSTER's song features frequent rap parts and is quite intense, seemingly going against that trend.
However, their performance on Spotify, a measure of international popularity, is not bad.
They exceeded 1.7 million streams on the first day of release and have maintained that number even after a week.
That said, their rival ILLIT, while initially trailing with 1.3 million streams on the first day, steadily increased their numbers and surpassed 3.3 million streams after a week, creating a streaming gap nearly double that of BABYMONSTER. In terms of music performance, it can be said that ILLIT currently has the upper hand both in Korea and globally.
However, BABYMONSTER has over 400,000 otaku buying their CDs, and the MV for "SHEESH" surpassed 90 million views in just a week (considering that ILIIT's "Magnetic" reached about 30 million views in two weeks, you can see how impressive this is). The battle between these two groups could still take unexpected turns, and there is a strong possibility that a girl group born from "I-LAND2," which will finally start airing on April 18, could break into the competition between these two groups.
In any case, the KPOP scene in 2024 will be hard to ignore with the emergence of fifth-generation girl groups.
The end
Written by: Neko-machi Peko
Head of the SKOOTA KPOP team
Originally a Western rock music otaku, I once considered working for Rockin' On due to my deep knowledge of music. I started listening to KPOP thanks to BTS, then became obsessed with BLACKPINK, and dipped my toes into the KPOP world. I became completely hooked on the survival audition show 'Girls Planet 999,' commonly known as GaruPura, and as a result, I fully immersed myself in the KPOP scene with the debut of Kep1er.