NewJeans’ Comeback Achievements Outside of Korea Take a Hit: Is HYBE to Blame?
NewJeans’ latest comeback with "How Sweet" isn't doing as well as expected internationally, and fingers are being pointed at HYBE
Things are particularly rough on the international front for NewJeans, one of the top 4th gen girl groups at the moment. Despite their strong presence in Korea, their global records are seeing a downward trend.
On May 24th, NewJeans made their comeback with “How Sweet.” This comeback coincided with a heated battle between HYBE and Min Hee Jin. “How Sweet” consists of two tracks – the title track of the same name and the b-side “Bubble Gum,” along with instrumental versions, totaling four tracks.
The visual concept was kept simple, featuring two MVs with youthful, energetic vibes. However, the promotions were somewhat subdued due to NewJeans being caught up in the HYBE – Min Hee Jin situation.
Despite the HYBE – Min Hee Jin fight, NewJeans continues to perform well domestically, with “How Sweet” debuting at high positions on Korean music charts. As of May 27th, “How Sweet” and “Bubble Gum” rank #2 and #3 on MelOn, respectively.
While they still maintain a strong foothold in Korea, NewJeans’ international performance has been lackluster this time.
On its debut day, NewJeans barely made a blip on the US music charts. “How Sweet” only managed to reach #46 on iTunes US, although it did hit #1 on iTunes in 11 countries and territories.
On Spotify, “How Sweet” pulled in over 1.64 million streams on its first day, landing at #118 on the Global chart. This represents a significant setback compared to their latest release, the EP “Get Up,” where four out of six tracks surpassed 2.4 million streams on their debut day, setting a record for a 4th gen girl group.
Notably, “How Sweet” dropped nearly 20 spots on Spotify. Meanwhile, BABYMONSTER’s “Sheesh” continues to climb the charts despite being released almost two months ago.
The most concerning sign of NewJeans’ international performance for “How Sweet” is the number of YouTube views. “How Sweet” MV only managed to gain over 4 million views on its release day. “How Sweet” even fell short of the number of views achieved by the b-side MV “Bubble Gum” back in April, which garnered approximately 10 million views on the first day. As of noon on May 27th, “How Sweet” has just reached 7.5 million views, with slow growth.
In 2022, NewJeans debuted with two hits, “Attention” and “Hype Boy.” Within just over 5 months, they made their Billboard Hot 100 debut with “Ditto,” followed by “OMG” dominating all 4th gen idols’ records on Spotify in 2023.
Their unprecedented success solidified NewJeans as the leading 4th gen girl group, achieving Perfect All-Kill with every comeback and fueling the ambition of CEO ADOR Min Hee Jin for “independence.”
Previously, debates swirled around NewJeans’ involvement in “payola” tactics and playlisting to boost Spotify rankings, with up to 800 playlists featuring their songs during “Ditto” era. Fans speculated that HYBE or Min Hee Jin worked with Spotify to auto-play NewJeans’ music regardless of user preferences.
On May 27th, fans noticed NewJeans’ “How Sweet” MV restricted by HYBE’s channel on YouTube. The restricted mode, typically used in public places like schools and libraries, limits content deemed inappropriate for certain age groups. Fans accused HYBE of intentionally hindering NewJeans.
Platform experts cited inappropriate imagery in “How Sweet,” including a car accident scene and a cartoon pig with a bloody head. Additionally, it’s sponsored content for a beverage brand boycotted by international fans, especially in the Middle East.
HYBE denied setting age limits for MV uploads, attributing the issue to YouTube’s standards and requesting clarification from YouTube.
Source: K14
