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Is there anything better than some aespa in the morning? On Wednesday (Sept. 6), the K-pop stars graced Good Morning America for a performance of “Better Things” and a conversation about their ongoing Synk: Hyper Line Tour. “We are so excited to be here,” Giselle gushed. “We are so appreciative of all the love and […]
After kicking off their Born Pink World Tour last October, K-pop superstars BLACKPINK are set to conclude their worldwide trek with two new shows in Seoul, South Korea. The girl group announced the new gigs, dubbed the tour’s “finale,” on their Instagram page on Wednesday (Aug. 16). Through a meticulously curated series of posts that […]
South Korean companies SM Entertainment and Kakao Entertainment have launched what they are calling a “local integrated corporation” in North American as part of previously hinted-at efforts to accelerate their joint stateside operations and build upon the successes of their K-pop artists in the world’s largest music market. The companies said on Tuesday (Aug. 1) […]
More than half of the debuts on this week’s July 22-dated Billboard global charts come from Taylor Swift, as she lands 22 new entries from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). But despite her record-tying haul, she doesn’t score the highest new entry on either list.
This week’s Hot Shot Debut comes courtesy of NewJeans, starting at No. 2 on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. rankings with “Super Shy.” For good measure, the South Korean group adds a second arrival, the eponymous “New Jeans,” at Nos. 32 and 19, respectively.
“Super Shy” starts with 63 million streams and 6,000 downloads sold worldwide in the week ending July 13, according to Luminate. Not only is it NewJeans’ highest-charting single yet, its first frame yields the biggest one-week streaming total of the group’s career, surpassing the 46.5 million clicks for “Ditto” in the week ending Jan. 5.
NewJeans’ new peak is another in a year of building success. The five-person group – Danielle, Haerin, Hanni, Hyein, and Minji – earned its first global chart hit when “Attention” debuted on the Aug. 13, 2022-dated Global Excl. U.S. listing at No. 174. “Hype Boy” debuted one week later, and “Cookie” the week after that, signaling the arrival of K-Pop’s new contenders.
At the turn of the year, “Ditto” and “OMG” hit the top 10 of both lists, with the former reaching as high as No. 4 on Global Excl. U.S.
Just before the one-year anniversary of NewJeans’ global chart debut, “Super Shy” extends the group’s peak, blocked from the top spot by Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” on the Global 200 and by Myke Towers’ “LaLa” on the Global Excl. U.S. tally.
NewJeans’ international strength continues to spread. The group’s roster of hits has performed well on Billboard’s Hits of the World charts, crowning lists across Asia, including multiple No. 1s in Singapore, Taiwan and its native South Korea. “Super Shy” debuts atop those rankings and marks the group’s first chart-topper in Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Further, “Super Shy” is breaking ground in English-language markets as the first NewJeans track on Australia Songs, debuting at No. 22. In the U.S., it instantly becomes the group’s highest-charting entry on the Billboard Hot 100, arriving at No. 66.
Travis Scott, The Weeknd and Bad Bunny have cracked open the Utopia briefcase just a tad Friday (July 21) to release their new single, “KPOP.” “KPOP” comes just a week before Scott’s Utopia livestream event at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on July 28 to launch his first studio album in five years. The […]
Just a few months after launching Lights, his debut solo EP, MONSTA X’s JOOHONEY has announced that he will enlist in the military on June 24, in a statement shared with Billboard on Thursday (July 13). “I thought a lot about when would be a good time to share this news with you,” JOOHONEY wrote […]
TWICE was “ready to be” on a television screen near you with their performances for TODAY‘s Summer Concert Series on Wednesday (July 5).
The K-Pop girl group graced the show’s concert stage with multiple performances of hits from across its catalog, including selections from recently released project, Ready to Be. Ahead of hitting the stage, TODAY Show co-host Craig Melvin hailed them as “the history-making queens of K-Pop.”
Each of the group’s members — Momo, Minatozaki Sana, Nayeon, Tzuyu, Jihyo, Chaeyoung, Jeongyeon, Mina and Dahyun — got an opportunity to introduce themselves to TODAY viewers before lighting up the stage with a series of electric performances “Alcohol-Free,” “Set Me Free” and more, complete with bubbles, a live band and outfits straight out of their music videos.
TWICE is the first all-woman K-Pop group to sell out a stadium in North America. The global phenoms are set to headline New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium as a part of their Ready to Be World Tour, which boasts nearly 40 dates across Asia, North America, Europe and Australia. The group’s TODAY performance included a rendition of Ready to Be lead single “Set Me Free,” which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100, their highest peak on the ranking. The girl group also performed “Moonlight Sunrise,” their second English-language single and second song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 84).
Ready to Be, the group’s twelfth EP, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with over 153,000 album-equivalent units. Of that figure, 145,500 units came from pure album sales, good enough for the group’s biggest consumption week in the U.S., as well as their highest-charting title in the U.S. to date.
TWICE has earned four consecutive top ten titles on the Billboard 200 dating back to 2021’s Taste of Love. “The Feels,” their first original English-language single, is their highest-charting Hot 100 hit (No. 83).
Check out some clips of TWICE’s TODAY performances below.
Multiplatinum-selling Grammy-nominated K-pop phenomenon BTS is celebrating its tenth anniversary, and to commemorate the milestone, the Bangtan Boys on Tuesday (June 13) gifted fans a live performance music video for their latest single “Take Two,” which they released last week (June 9) in celebration of their anniversary. Decked out in a fashionable collection of pastel […]
Three HYBE employees could be prosecuted for insider trading in South Korea for allegedly using non-public information about K-pop group BTS’ planned hiatus before the news was given to investors, according to multiple reports out of South Korea. South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), the equivalent of the Securities Exchange Commission in the U.S., […]
This story is part of Billboard‘s K-Pop Issue.
Los Angeles-born and -raised choreographer Kyle Hanagami has worked with pop stars like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez and Dove Cameron. But in more recent years, his résumé has started reading like a who’s who of K-pop’s biggest names: TWICE, aespa, Red Velvet, Girls Generation, NCT and NCT Dream, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and, most notably, BLACKPINK. All have enlisted Hanagami to help craft the fierce moves that power their music videos and stage performances, define their brands and now are oft-imitated on TikTok. He has also worked with members of BLACKPINK on their solo efforts — including with Jisoo on the video for her single “Flower,” which has over 118 million YouTube views. Currently choreographing the forthcoming Mean Girls musical movie, Hanagami spoke from its East Coast set about what it took to become K-pop’s most in-demand dance-maker.
Were you a K-pop fan before becoming enmeshed in this world?
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I actually used to listen to K-pop in high school — I had a friend who was really, really into it. But I never in a million years imagined I’d be working in it, especially because I didn’t start dancing or choreographing until after high school. It’s a total fluke.
How did you start working with K-pop acts?
I’d been posting videos on YouTube back when I had maybe 500,000 subscribers [He now has over 4.5 million], and one of the entertainment companies reached out to me. Then more artists and entertainment companies started reaching out. When I first started working in K-pop, there weren’t very many American choreographers. It has been a process figuring out that style and what it looks like and kind of creating it. I think that’s why so many artists I’ve worked with have gone on to become so successful — they have amazing teams who work with them, but it really has been about me developing styles for these people from scratch.
In the United States, it has been a minute since choreo-driven girl groups and boy bands were popular. Does that make working with K-pop acts especially fun?
I used to choreograph for a Latin boy band, CNCO, that was hugely into dance breaks. And then I did *NSYNC’s surprise appearance at Ariana Grande’s Coachella performance, and that was again [a lot of] dance breaks. I’ve always loved that style. It has been cool to figure out how to adapt it to these amazing artists who come out of Korea.
Why is dance so important to the identity of K-pop groups and their members?
It’s about really identifying what makes their music different and bringing it to life. I remember the first time I heard BLACKPINK, when I heard “Boombayah” [for which Hanagami choreographed the video]. I remember thinking, “Oh, this is different. I’ve never heard a K-pop group come out like this, especially as their first single. This group needs to look different than everyone else.” I had the opportunity to choreograph and give visuals that hadn’t been done for K-pop before, and I loved making that a signature of BLACKPINK.
How would you describe that signature?
They’re so innovative as a K-pop group, and I was able with the choreography to really lean into their individuality. They should dance the way they sing — and each of their voices are so unique. I really have to bring that out when I give them solo moments in choreography, but at the same time, it has to work together as a whole. I think what has helped make them successful is all four girls are relatable in their own ways, but they feel like a supergroup when they come together.
Are there certain things you would do with an American act that you wouldn’t with a K-pop act?
Obviously, I make sure there is that element of cultural sensitivity. There are definitely American artists who’ll go way overtly sexy in a way a Korean artist might not be comfortable with, and it’s something I keep in mind. I want to make sure if a 9-year-old is watching [a video] at home and they want to follow along, their parents feel comfortable.
But in general, the artists that come out of Korea train so hard to be where they are, [they’re] becoming these superstars before they even hit the stage, whereas in America, it’s often about finding existing talent versus talent development. Any time I get a new [K-pop] artist, it’s starting with what they have — if someone is a great vocalist, or a great rapper, or a great dancer or very charming — and knowing how and when to make them shine. Using the choreography to show what they do best.
This story originally appeared in the April 22, 2023, issue of Billboard.
