With syndrome-like popularity, it is no exaggeration to say that NewJeans is a “monster rookie” which spurred a Kpop girl group generational shift.
On July 22nd, 2022, the first song of NewJeans, a group that will energize people on a hot and tiring summer day, was released, spurring a full-fledged Kpop girl group generational shift. Despite the music videos for NewJeans’ debut tracks “Attention” and “Hype Boy” being uploaded without any publicity, the songs went viral, reached the top of major music sites, and became representatives for 2022, going beyond music hits.
Following the release of “OMG” last month, NewJeans foreshadowed active activities in 2023 as well. In particular, with their pre-release single “Ditto”, NewJeans showcased their popularity by entering the US Billboard’s main chart “Hot 100” – a feat they did within 6 months, whereas other idols may take years to accomplish. As such, with their first record as a 4th generation group, NewJeans has gone beyond monster rookies and solidified their position as global stars.
NewJeans’ dream of becoming an icon of the times has become a reality, just like the jeans that we see every day and never tire of wearing. So, let’s take a look at some of the “girl group success rules” newly written by NewJeans.
1. Reliable and trust-worthy, a girl group made by Min Hee Jin
Min Hee Jin’s relationship with SM Entertainment (hereinafter referred to as “SM”), which started in 2002, led the concept of major 2nd and 3rd generation idols such as Girls’ Generation (SNSD), SHINee, f(x), Red Velvet, and EXO. As a visual director, she was directly in charge of the album concepts and visual arts of SM artists. However, due to burnout, Min Hee Jin, who had a positive impact on the idol world with her unique dreaminess and uniqueness, eventually resigned from SM.
In 2019, Min Hee Jin announced that she would create a syndrome with innovative branding again by joining hands with HYBE, the label of BTS. Having been responsible for the “virtue value” of previous idol generations, she raised expectations for the sensation that is now being led by girl group NewJeans.
2. “Pretty even without makeup”, presenting a comfortable style
NewJeans, which was previously only known as “Min Hee Jin’s girl group”, took off the veil with several music videos being suddenly dropped. Min Hee Jin must have had that much confidence in NewJeans, knowing for sure that NewJeans will shake Korea with a concept unprecedented in the music industry right after their debut.
In particular, when one listens to NewJeans’ songs, a novelty that does not follow the standardized formula of Kpop can be seen. The genre that NewJeans has newly established in the Kpop world is “Easy Listening”, which contains the pure and natural voices of the members in a variety of simple ways, giving it a sense of “natural sophistication”.
Meanwhile, the existing Kpop formula is to deliver ” intense and splendid stages which captivate the public”. Among them, BLACKPINK succeeded based on this formula, and as a result, many girl groups insisted on pursuing “girl crush” concepts.
This is shown in Mnet “Queendom” series, where even girl groups who previously maintained the innocent concept prepared “girl crush” stages to the fullest in order to win. There was also a team who forcibly pushed the concept of “Girl Crush” despite it being ill-fitted for them, and ended up in trouble. Through this, it can be seen that the singers themselves have a thirst for “girl crush”.
However, nowadays, the public may have grown tired of the beats and sounds constantly hitting their ears, as well as the intense performances. Accordingly, NewJeans soothed the tired eyes and ears of the public with their own “unadorned” genre.
3. Stimulate nostalgia for those in their 30s with the Y2K concept
For most people, adolescence is a memorable period which invokes nostalgia. As the millennial generation, who had been diligently producing and enjoying culture, entered their 30s, the Y2K craze also came to Korea. This trend has already started to spread rapidly in the music industry, and at the very beginning, there are NewJeans, who embrace the ”Y2K” spirit fully.
In “Attention”, the NewJeans members’ long, straight hair, cropped T-shirts, and baggy jeans styling were enough to stimulate the sentiment of the past. Meanwhile, in “Hype Boy”, NewJeans perfectly transformed into a high-teen star in the early 2000s and gave off a kitsch charm.
Also, in “Ditto”, the old school uniforms, camcorder, and attention to small details created an atmosphere of past school days, even resembling “girls’ high school ghost stories”.
NewJeans adheres to the Y2K concept all throughout, from styling to albums and goods. A representative example is their fan communication app called “Phoning”, which faithfully adheres to the Y2K concept. In addition, NewJeans launched a pop-up store where they sell goods such as CDs, CD bags, and book rests, all of which are famous items in the 90s.
Befitting the NewJeans who expressed their aspirations to unite all generations, their Y2K concept perfectly captured the taste of teenagers and people in their 20s, who considered the culture of the older generation to be “hip”, as well as those in their 30s.
4. Birth of “NewJeans meme”, viral marketing effect for Gen Z
These days, if you ask the MZ generation (also known as “Gen Z”) for music, they answer, “NewJeans’ Hybe Boy.” In a YouTube content, an MC asks people walking down the street with earphones about the title of the song they are listening to, and these people almost always reply with “Hybe Boy”.
The point of this meme is to give the same answer to any question, which is “It’s New Jeans’ Hype Boy,” in a way that’s unhelpful and evasive.
The MZ generation prefers videos to images and shorter videos to longer ones. As a result, there has been a natural emergence of “short-form” content, which lasts about one minute, to meet their demand. This has made content production easier and faster, leading to an even faster pace of trends in popular culture.
In this era of communication through video, the NewJeans meme has become a viral marketing sensation, contributing to NewJeans frightening surge in popularity.
5. All members are perfect enough that everyone could be the center.
As idols, it is only necessary for each member of the group to do their best in their assigned roles. The group’s main advantage lies in the synergy of each member’s key strengths coming together, rather than having everyone strive to be the center. However, in contrast to this norm, all five members of New Jeans are “all-around artists.” Each member has idol qualities such as good looks and charisma, as well as exceptional talent. In particular, all of NewJeans songs are based on hip-hop choreography, which is enhanced when the appropriate dynamics and flexibility are added. All members of New Jeans can handle high-difficulty choreography with ease, leaving no gaps in their dance performance.
New Jeans are also excels in live performances. At a time when some idols have issues with lip-syncing or relatively low live performance skills on music shows, NewJeans live performances are generally well-received. They have excellent vocal skills and all five members have trendy vocal tones, which has given rise to New Jeans own style of “easy listening pop.”
According to domestic music sites, despite being released last month, NewJeans songs “Ditto” and “OMG” are still holding onto the top two spots. Notably, their debut song “Hype Boy” is still in the top 10, occupying the 3rd position. New Jeans has secured a top-tier position in the K-pop industry with their solid concept and talent, proving once again the potential and endless possibilities of K-pop. Their success has become an important clue that shows that the potential and possibilities of K-pop are still ongoing.
Source: daum
