New releases mix up local charts after months of little change

Girl groups’ megahits from the summer led domestic music charts to remain largely unchanged for a period of time but some highly-anticipated comebacks and a popular hip-hop audition show are now mixing things up. Girl group NewJeans, whose ...

NewJeans dropped its pre-release track "Ditto" on Monday, which quickly topped domestic music charts. [ADOR]

Girl groups’ megahits from the summer led domestic music charts to remain largely unchanged for a period of time but some highly-anticipated comebacks and a popular hip-hop audition show are now mixing things up.

Girl group NewJeans, whose debut songs “Hype boy” and “Attention” released in August remain in the top ranks on Melon Chart, released “Ditto” on Monday.

“Ditto” is a pre-released track from its upcoming EP “OMG” set to drop next year. It immediately rose to No. 1 on Melon Chart and remains there as of Monday morning. Streams of "Ditto" have not yet been reflected on Circle Chart's Global K-pop Chart, which tallies worldwide streaming.

The Melon Chart as of Wednesday morning [SCREEN CAPTURE]

“Ditto” is a reinterpretation of Baltimore club, a genre fusing hip-hop and house music which originated in the 1990s. The music video for “Ditto,” which consists of two parts on YouTube, is also seeing positive reactions for its retro mood and going viral.

At No. 3 on the Melon Chart is “Candy” from boy band NCT Dream — a rarity as boy bands have not been seen on domestic charts’ top 50 since the summer.

“Candy” is a remake of the 1996 hit by H.O.T., one of the first-generation K-pop boy bands. Before its release, the remake had been used as background music for a television bank commercial that NCT Dream is currently the model for. “Candy” ranked No. 5 on Circle Chart.

Circle Chart's Global K-pop Chart as of Wednesday morning [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Music critics and the public alike have been viewing K-pop boy bands' recent music as overly intense, therefore unable to rank high on domestic charts. However, the trend among boy bands has shifted to focusing on intense performances that mainly appeal to their already-loyal fandoms.

“Candy” on the other hand is a ‘90s dance number, centering around a bubbly melody rather than a strong beat, making the song comfortable to listen to even without visual elements like a music video or performance.

NCT Dream's "Candy" is a remake of a '90s hit dance track. [SM ENTERTAINMENT]

Songs from Mnet’s hip-hop audition show “Show Me The Money 11,” which has been airing since October, are also making a mark on domestic charts. Rapper and television personality Lee Young-ji’s “Not Sorry (Feat. pH-1) (Prod. by Slom)” and “My Way” by rappers Justhis, Don Malik, Huh!, Khan, Mckdaddy and Los ranked at No. 5 and 7.

Competition numbers from the “Show Me The Money” franchise, which is in its eleventh season, have proved popular among domestic listeners. However, Korean television shows outside of K-pop idol auditions tend to lack a global following. The same has applied to audition shows for genres outside of K-pop like trot, popera, traditional Korean music as well as hip-hop. As a result, “My Way” is ranking at No. 31 and “Not Sorry” at No. 52 on Circle Chart.

Mnet's hip-hop audition program "Show Me The Money 11" has been airing since October. [MNET]

Notable girl groups' hits from the summer remain in Melon’s top 10: NewJeans’ “Hype boy” at No. 4, Le Sserafim’s “Antifragile” at 6, Ive’s “After Like” at 9 and (G)I-DLE’s “Nxde” at 10. Singer Younha’s chart-climbing ballad “Event Horizon” stayed at No. 2 amid intense competition between the star girl groups.

The top ranks of Circle Chart’s Global K-pop Chart remains largely unchanged as domestic hits see less or much slower reaction from the international audience. Le Sserafim’s “Antifragile,” dropped in October, regained the No. 1 spot after BTS member RM’s solo debut song “Wild Flower” topped the chart in early December.

Le Sserafim dropped "Antifragile" in October. [NEWS1]

The top spot was followed by NewJeans’ “Hype boy,” Blackpink’s “Shut Down,” Ive’s “After Like,” NCT Dream’s “Candy,” Blackpink’s “Pink Venom,” (G)I-DLE’s “Nxde,” Younha’s “Event Horizon,” RM’s “Wild Flower” and NewJeans’ “Attention.”

Trot singer Lim Young-woong’s “Love Always Runs Away” released in October 2021 ranked at No. 8 on Melon Chart but is nowhere to be found in the top 100 of Circle Chart, a clear indicator of the continued large gap between trot’s domestic and global chart performance.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]