K-pop continues to prove that a song’s success doesn’t always end with its initial release—“reverse hits” are rewriting careers and music charts.
This year, TWICE’s “One Spark” has seen a resurgence, more than a year after its release in February 2024. Thanks to a trending YouTube Shorts dance challenge, where participants hold water bottles while dancing, the song has climbed back onto the charts. Fans say the choreography perfectly captures the refreshing energy of summer, fueling its viral success.
The phenomenon, often called “역주행 (yeokjuhang)” in Korean, was popularized by EXID’s “Up & Down” in 2014. The track initially underperformed, but a fancam of member Hani went viral with her charismatic expressions and dancing, leading to a belated music show win and saving the group from disbandment.
Other notable reverse hits include:
- 2PM – “My House” (2015 → Viral in 2020): Junho’s fancam in a red shirt reignited interest five years later, tripling album sales upon his return from military service.
- WOODZ – “Drowning” (2023 → Viral in 2024): His heartfelt performance on Immortal Songs during military service went viral, pushing the song back into the charts.
- Brave Girls – “Rollin’” (2017 → Viral in 2021): Boosted by witty fan comments on a military performance video, the song resurrected the group’s career.
- DAY6: While members served in different military units, reunion performances of You Were Beautiful and Time of Our Life went viral, causing their entire discography to surge. Even JYP’s Park Jin-young admitted surprise: “We came back from the military to this? Incredible.”
- EXO – “First Snow” (2013 → Viral in 2023): TikTok challenges gave the winter classic new life a decade later.
- NCT 127’s Mark – “1999”: University dance students popularized a new “hip ballet” routine to his track, earning it the nickname “Hip-re.”
Perhaps the biggest surprise of 2025 is TVXQ’s Yunho . His song Thank U, released four years ago, resurfaced when a YouTuber with 450K subscribers featured it in a video. The track’s unique lyrics— “This is the first lesson” —captured listeners’ curiosity, spreading rapidly across Shorts and Reels. To this day, the track continues to trend.
From fan cams to TikTok challenges, military stages to algorithm-driven rediscoveries, the K-pop industry shows that any song—no matter how old—has the potential to rise again. For artists, reverse hits have become a second chance at success, proving that timing and fan culture can be just as important as the original release.
Sources: TenAsia