IZ*ONE was built different: from PRODUCE 101’s debut team to the best output with IVE and LE SSERAFIM
The new girl group division of the music awards season is expected to be fierce at the end of this year.
In particular, the battle between IVE and LE SSERAFIM is expected to be fierce. Given that both teams include IZ*ONE members, some say this is an IZ*ONE family fight.
IVE, who debuted in December last year, has set various records as soon as they appeared in the music industry, continuing their relentless rise. IVE topped the music show only 7 days after debut, and achieved 13 trophies with their debut song. This is the highest number of music show wins among girl group debut songs in history, and also their first all-kill Triple Crowns on terrestrial music shows.
IVE, who has set an unprecedented new record in K-pop music history since debut, continued their strong pace by winning eight trophies on music shows with their second single “Love Dive” released in April. Since the scoring method is different for each music show, such as digital, physical, broadcast, and fandom voting, a “music shows all-kill” is possible only when their fandom’s power, as well as public popularity, is secured. This is proof that IVE is a group that has captivated both the idol fandom and the public audience at once.
The record-breaking spree of LE SSERAFIM, which debuted in May, is also not an easy game. LE SSERAFIM recorded 170,000 copies sold on the release day of their debut album “FEARLESS,” the largest sales on the first day among girl group debut albums. The group then surpassed 300,000 initial sales (album sales in a week after the album’s official release), which is a popular indicator of K-pop idols, breaking the record among girl group debut albums.
Their overseas performance is also remarkable. They achieved a new record on Spotify, the world’s largest music streaming company, as the fastest to enter the “Global Top 200” chart among all girl group debut songs, and continued their chart-in record for five consecutive days. Their music video also surpassed 10 million views within 19 hours after release, which is the shortest period of time among new girl groups that debuted this year.
IVE and LE SSERAFIM, which are reorganizing the ranking of K-pop girl groups with their fierce momentum, drew attention early on as groups that included IZ*ONE members. Jang Won-young and Ahn Yu-jin belong to IVE while and Sakura and Kim Chae-won belong to LE SSERAFIM. However, it is worth noting that those coming from Mnet’s “Produce 101” series are not just holding onto short-term interest, but are steadily on a fast-paced march towards new records.
In fact, the “Produce 101” series was problematic and full of troubles, but the debut groups through the program all gained huge popularity at once such as I.O.I in Season 1, Wanna One in Season 2, IZ*ONE in Season 3, and X1 in Season 4. All these groups were at the center of attention for breaking various records and reversing the music scene at their time.
All four teams have finished their project activities and returned to their original agency, having now re-debuted as solo or new idol groups. However, most of them were relatively struggling compared to when they were in their project groups. PRISTIN, Gugudan, and DIA, which has I.O.I members, have disbanded, while Wanna One and X1 members are also not as famous as they were back then.
Of course, there are members who have made remarkable achievements, including Jeon So-mi, Chung Ha, Kang Daniel, and Yeon-jung of WJSN. Among them, if you look at the report card at this point, IVE and LE SSERAFIM, to which IZ*ONE members now belong, are performing the best. In other words, IVE and LE SSERAFIM are the biggest harvest and “maximum output” among those who “graduated” from the “Produce 101” series.
A K-pop insider said, “It is true that the members who were from the debut group of ‘Produce 101’ have an advantage over other rookies in terms of recognition. However, the public’s impression of them remained strong after, so they can’t be easily put in their new groups, and as their image consumption was already large, they are no longer seen as fresh faces when they re-debut. Although the interest is high when they re-debut, they cannot keep up with the popularity of when they were still working as a project group. In a way, they are under a shadow. However, IVE and LE SSERAFIM overcame these shadows and make use of IZ*ONE’s fame smartly. Not only the members from IZ*ONE, but other original members are also loved by the public, so I’m looking forward to more than just the performance of IZ*ONE’s ex-members from them”.
Source: Daum
