According to the Japan ‘Oricon Annual Ranking 2023’ announced on January 5 (aggregate period from December 12, 2022, to December 10, 2023), LE SSERAFIM secured the first place in the ‘Rookie Ranking’ in the sales category among artists.
LE SSERAFIM recorded sales of 2.12 billion yen (approximately 19.3 billion won) during the aggregation period. This marks the first time in 20 years that a girl group in the ‘Rookie Ranking’ has exceeded sales of 2 billion yen (approximately 18.2 billion won) since 2003.
Established in 1969, the ‘Rookie Ranking’ combines sales figures for singles, albums, streaming, music DVDs, etc.
Considering LE SSERAFIM’s first tour in Japan, which drew a total of 60,000 attendees, along with various performances and advertising fees not included in the calculation, their overall achievements in Japan last year are predicted to be even greater.
Examining LE SSERAFIM’s ‘Rookie Ranking’ sales, streaming (49%), singles (31%), albums (18%), and downloads (2%) were evenly appreciated. Their success includes consecutive hits with title tracks like ‘ANTIFRAGILE’ from the mini 2nd album in April and ‘FEARLESS’ from the debut album in May, each surpassing 100 million streams.
The 1st full album’s title track ‘UNFORGIVEN (feat. Nile Rodgers)’ and the track Bluebeard’s Wife’ also achieved a cumulative playback of 100 million within six months of release.
In the field of physical sales, LE SSERAFIM achieved remarkable success. Their debut single in Japan, ‘FEARLESS,’ released in January last year, broke the record for the highest first-week sales set by any K-pop girl group in Japan.
Moreover, their Korean 1st full album, ‘UNFORGIVEN,’ released in May, entered the Oricon weekly album ranking at No. 1 (as of May 15, 2023), charting in the ‘Top 100’ for 21 consecutive weeks.
LE SSERAFIM showcased their exceptional presence in Japan’s year-end special broadcast, NHK’s ‘Kohaku Uta Gassen,’ for two consecutive years, proving their solid popularity and influence.
Their first English digital single, ‘Perfect Night,’ also maintained a strong position on Japanese music charts during the year-end season, raising expectations for LE SSERAFIM’s activities in the new year.
Source: daum
