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NewJeans: A girl group that broke the mold of a typical 4th Gen K-pop group and took over the scene
Let’s take a look at the new 4th Gen K-Pop called NewJeans that took over the industry with their unique songs, fun choreography, amazing fashion and dazzling concept!
NewJeans’ pre-debut activities:
Preparations for a new girl group to debut under BIGHIT MUSIC began as early as 2019 under the direction of Min Heejin, who joined the company as CBO that same year and is widely recognized for her art direction as visual director at SM Entertainment. Global auditions took place between September and October 2019, and casting into the group commenced from the beginning of 2020. Dubbed ‘Min Heejin's Girl Group’ by several media outlets, the group was originally scheduled to launch in 2021 as a collaborative project between BIGHIT and Source Music, but was later postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In late 2021, the project moved to Hybe's newly established independent label ADOR, after Min was appointed the label's CEO. A second round of global auditions were held between December 2021 and January 2022, and the group's line-up was finalized in March 2022.
Prior to debuting with NewJeans, several group members were already active in the entertainment industry. Danielle was a regular cast member of tvN's ‘Rainbow Kindergarten’, a variety show that aired in 2011. Hyein debuted as a member of the children's music group Usso Girl in November 2017 under the stage name U.Jeong, before departing from the group one year later. In December 2020, she re-debuted as a member of the music group and YouTube collective Play With Me Club via PocketTV, and graduated from the group on May 3, 2021. Hanni and Minji made cameo appearances in BTS' 2021 music video for ‘Permission to Dance’.
NewJeans’ Debut Activities:
On July 1, 2022, ADOR teased the launch of their new girl group by posting three animated videos of the numbers ‘22’, ‘7’ and ‘22’ on their social media accounts, fueling speculation that content would be released on July 22. The group released the music video for their debut single ‘Attention’ on July 22 as a surprise release, without any prior promotion or information on the group's lineup. The move has been described as risky-but-ultimately invigorating, crediting its success to an emphasis on the music before anything else. The video, which amassed over 1.3 million views in less than 24 hours, was followed by an announcement of their debut self-titled extended play containing four tracks, including two additional singles. On July 23, the group's second single ‘Hype Boy’ was released alongside a 50-second clip revealing the names of the members, further accompanied by four other music videos for the song, specific to the members' perspectives. A music video for their B-side ‘Hurt’ was released two days later. Pre-orders for the EP surpassed 444,000 copies in three days.
On August 1, the group's debut self-titled EP was released digitally, alongside their third single, ‘Cookie’. The group made their broadcast debut on Mnet's M Countdown on August 4, performing all three singles from their EP. On the first day of its physical release, ‘New Jeans’ sold 262,815 copies, breaking several records for girl group debut in South Korea. NewJeans set the record for the highest number of sales of a debut album in its first week. According to Hanteo Chart, the group gained over 311,000 purchases in the album's first week. NewJeans was nominated for Best Female Rookie Award at the 2022 Genie Music Awards.
NewJeans’ name:
The group's name, NewJeans, is a double entendre. It alludes to the idea that jeans are a timeless fashion item and the group's intention to carve a timeless image for themselves. The name is also a word play on the phrase ‘new genes’, referring to the group ushering a new generation of pop music.
Their unique concept:
As seen before, NewJeans debuted in the most unique manner, allowing their music to speak for them more than their visuals and it allowed the viewers to be unbiased and truly enjoy the music provided to them. Songs like ‘Attention’ and ‘Hype Boy’ have early 2000s inspired music which made the fans think it had a more western influence than the typical K-Pop genre and it continues in the two other tracks ‘Hurt’ and ‘Cookie’. While ‘Cookie’ is the official debut track of NewJeans, ‘Attention’ and ‘Hype Boy’ ended up grabbing all the attention, so to speak and one of the reasons is the easy-listening genre that the songs adhere which allows the listeners to groove to the upbeat songs, becoming one of the most popular K-pop songs on TikTok and Instagram.
Explosive popularity:
Undoubtedly, the group has gained a lot of traction in South Korea and globally as well and this is because the CEO decided to make the group a cut above the rest. In the time when all 4th Gen K-Pop groups were debuting or making a comeback with an EDM/ noise heavy track, NewJeans gripped on to the feeling of nostalgia by exploring the easy listening R&B of the 2000s. Coupled with their dancing skills, expressions, fashion and acting, they prove their worth from day 1- a feat that was difficult to achieve for the previous generations.
NewJeans are just starting out in their careers but there is no doubt that they will just be rising constantly with every comeback and we cannot wait to see it!
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