IVE and LE SSERAFIM prove themselves to be the strongest competitors in the race of 4th gen rookie girl groups.
Among this year’s hottest 4th gen girl groups and girl groups in general, IVE and LE SSERAFIM are definitely at the top. Sharing many similarities, both groups enjoyed success as long as they debuted. Their popularity is similar.
What makes IVE and LE SSERAFIM similar besides their popularity? They are both 6-member groups with two former IZ*ONE members in the lineup, (IVE’s Jang Wonyoung and Ahn Yujin, LE SSERAFIM’s Kim Chaewon and Sakura). Both groups include Japanese members. IVE has one, Rei, while LE SSERAFIM has two, Sakura and Kazuha. And these two groups are both on a winning streak.
LE SSERAFIM, the first girl group launched through the collaboration between BTS’s global agency HYBE and Source Music, garnered explosive interest even before their debut. In addition to receiving high expectation for being HYBE’s first girl group in a long time, LE SSERAFIM naturally drew interest thanks to the presence of ex-IZ*ONE’s Kim Chaewon and Sakura. And with their “FEARLESS” debut, LE SSERAFIM lived up to that expectation.
Produced by Bang Si Hyuk, having their debut showcase held at Jangchung Arena, over 300,000 copies of their debut album sold in the first week, winning 1st place in music shows, entered the Spotify Global Top 200 in 8 days, and topped Japan’s Oricon weekly digital album chart. These are LE SSERAFIM’s achievements in just 8 days with the debut album “FEARLESS” released on May 2nd.
A closer look shows just how great these achievements are. The first-week physical album sales of 307,450 copies helped LE SSERAFIM set a new record for the best-selling debut album by any K-pop girl group within a week after release. In the ranking of all girl group albums with the highest sales in the first week, LE SSERAFIM’s “FEARLESS” is No. 9. Among all girl groups, only 6 groups, including LE SSERAFIM, have surpassed 300,000 copies of first-week sales, with LE SSERAFIM’s “FEARLESS” as the only debut album. LE SSERAFIM becoming a Half Million Seller is totally possible.
In addition, as of May 3rd, the title track “FEARLESS” charted on the Global Top 200 chart at No. 161 and was streamed 805,471 times on Spotify, the world’s largest music streaming platform. LE SSERAFIM became the fastest K-pop girl group ever to enter Spotify’s Global Top 200 in only 2 days, and “FEARLESS” stayed on the chart for 5 consecutive days until May 11th.
Before their debut, LE SSERAFIM was swept up in controversy due to the school bullying allegations involving member Kim Garam. However, like the lyrics of “FEARLESS”, which contains a confident message of moving forward without hesitation and being shaken by the past, Kim Garam’s bullying rumors have been denied by HYBE and Source Music, saying they were “edited with a malicious purpose” and Kim Garam was actually a victim. The agency also announced they would take legal actions against those who spread the rumors.
One thing to note here is LE SSERAFIM’s performance on domestic digital charts. Compared to the album sales that set a record for a rookie girl group, the digital rankings of the title track “FEARLESS”, which placed 85th on the Gaon Weekly Chart (May 1st – May 7th), fell short of expectations. LE SSERAFIM is showing a pattern similar to that of boy groups with strong album sales thanks to strong fandoms.
However, as LE SSERAFIM entered the second week of their debut, they began to stand out on digital charts and ranked No. 36 on the Melon Daily Chart on May 11th. When “FEARLESS” was released, one of the many reactions was, “When I first heard it, it sounded somewhat boring, but I keep thinking about it”. Like such a reaction, “FEARLESS” is making people keep searching for and listening, thus rising on the charts.
Making their debut in December last year before LE SSERAFIM, IVE is exploding in popularity by recording both great album sales and digital performance. If LE SSERAFIM’s strength is their fandom, IVE is considered the public’s pick.
IVE’s debut single “ELEVEN” released on December 1st of last year was a hit. The album sold 150,000 copies in the first week, and the cumulative sales until April reached 380,000 copies. The rise in popularity of “ELEVEN” is also exceptional. On the 5th day after its release, the song rose sharply on the domestic chart, entered the Top 10, and peaked at No. 3.
“ELEVEN” entered Spotify’s Global Top 200 on December 5th, the 5th day after its release, at No. 185, making it the first-ever debut song by a K-pop girl group to enter this chart. The ranking also rose to No. 88 on January 5th.
Above all, IVE’s long-run performance with “ELEVEN” is amazing. On the Gaon Monthly Digital Comprehensive Chart, starting at 6th place in December last year, “ELEVEN” climbed to 5th place in January, 2nd place in February, 11th place in March, and 12th place in April. IVE earned a total of 13 wins on music shows with “ELEVEN”, and they received about half of them after completing their official promotions.
IVE became even stronger with their “LOVE DIVE” comeback, released on April 5th. 330,000 copies of the new album were sold in the first week. “LOVE DIVE” was No. 9 on the Gaon Weekly Digital Comprehensive Chart. The song has continued the success of “ELEVEN” and topped domestic charts along with BIGBANG and PSY.
IVE’s physical sales have also increased steadily. With about 540,000 copies sold by April, IVE officially became a ‘Half Million Seller’ five months after they were launched. IVE is having a record-breaking first year of debut in both album sales and digital performance.
Source: Daum
