The K-pop scene has a new girl group to keep their eyes on, if the charts are any indication
Recently debuted female sextet (G)I-DLE -- pronounced as "idle" or "idol" -- charts high on both of Billboard's world-genre charts in a move rarely seen by new female acts. The act's debut EP titled I Am jumps from No. 7 to No. 5 on World Albums this week while on World Digital Song Sales, their debut single "Latata" jumps from No. 11 to No. 4, selling 1,000 copies in week ending May 10, according to Nielsen Music. The jump makes "Latata" the best-selling K-pop song in America this week, upping its total to 2,000 copies sold in America to date.
The doubling up in both the world album and song charts is rare for a female K-pop act's first release. To date, only five other acts accomplished this feat with their debut releases: Girls' Generation-TTS in 2012, Red Velvet and Twice in 2015, Blackpink in 2016, and Pristin in 2017. Of this elite group, the only to have debut entries in the top 10 of both charts were TTS, Red Velvet, Blackpink and, now, the (G)I-DLE girls. See a breakdown of the list below:
Artist, Debut album (peak position on World Albums), Debut single (peak on World Digital Songs):
Girls' Generation-TTS, Twinkle (No. 1), "Twinkle" (No. 4)
Red Velvet, Ice Cream Cake (No. 2), "Happiness" (No. 4)
Twice, The Story Begins (No. 15), "Like Ooh-Ahh" (No. 6)
Blackpink, Square Two (No. 2), "Boombayah" (No. 1)
Pristin, Hi! (No. 10), "Wee Woo" (No. 11)
(G)I-DLE, I Am (No. 7, so far), "Latata" (No. 4, so far)
As made clear from "Latata" and its accompanying music video, (G)I-DLE look to blend a fierce and soft image over trendy, exotic sounds. Leader Soyeon (who appeared on popular Korean TV shows like Produce 101 and Unpretty Rap Star) has a charismatic rap style, that pairs nicely with her members' sweet and strong vocals. The visuals of the "Latata" play to that style as well as the ladies move from rocking red fishnets to rainbow sweaters while donning henna on their hands. I Am tracks like bubblegum-trap joint "$$$" and the acoustic pop-dance hyrbird "Maze" play with the vibe as well, with the album closer "Hear Me" showing off the group's ballad side.
Get to know the group a bit better by watching one of the group's debut live performances below: