With a dual stream of influence on fashion and music, NewJeans is gaining vast recognition for being a new trendy icon of Kpop.
Before their debut, NewJeans’ success was firmly stated by ADOR (sublabel of HYBE) CEO Min Hee Jin on television program “You Quiz On The Block” that: “I am confident of my new girl group. Their debut was prepared two years ago. I am sure it will bring a new and different air to the current Kpop industry”. Several HYBE leaders also affirmed that NewJeans had the looks and talents no less than the top third-generation Kpop groups.
While the statement was deemed too arrogant when HYBE promoted their groups, currently, the girls’ influences proved it was not a groundless statement.
Making their debut two months ago, the group has a coverage that can compete with senior groups. According to the statistics from the Korean Business Research Institute, NewJeans stood in the top 5 of artists with the highest brand reputation of Kpop in September, surpassing many senior groups.
According to Lee Hye Jin, a professor of Communication at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the newly debuted girl groups have given a different perspective on style and image orientation, away from the too familiar girl-crush concept.
“NewJeans creates a comfortable and energetic feel with the classic 2000s style (y2k). Since all members are in their teens, the y2k style highlights the innocence and youthfulness of the group. Simply put, the change of the group is on the right course, especially at a time when the girl-crush concept is saturated in K-pop”, said Professor Lee.
Leading the music trend
According to Soompi, after becoming a K-pop girl group owning the first album with the highest first-day sales in Hanteo history, NewJeans continues to break other records. Their EP “New Jeans” recorded a total of 311.271 copies sold in the first week – the highest among girl group debut albums in Kpop history.
Moreover, in the domestic digital music segment, after a few hours of online release, the mini-album “New Jeans” with the title songs “Attention”, “Hype Boy” and “Cookie” entered the Melon Daily Chart. Notably, “Attention” achieved the first real-time All-kill (RAK) at midnight on August 12th, about 20 days after its release.
These achievements helped the ADOR girl group become the first Kpop girl group to garner this kind of achievement following BLACKPINK’s “Boombayah” in 2016. In addition, NewJeans also entered the top rankings of other popular music charts in Korea such as Bugs Daily Chart, Genie Daily Chart and many more.
In the international market, the two-month-old rookie has officially surpassed 10 million monthly listeners on the world’s largest music streaming platform Spotify. In particular, the group only took about 49 days to achieve this impressive milestone. Up to now, only 4 Kpop groups have reached the milestone on this platform, namely BTS, BLACKPINK, TWICE and NewJeans.
Recently, the Billboard chart announced that two of the group’s first 4 songs, “Hype Boy” and “Attention”, have remained on the Billboard World Album Chart and Billboard Global 200 for 10 consecutive weeks. In addition, the song “Attention” also ranked 36th on the playlist “Today Top Hits” (TTH) of Spotify’s representative.
Previously, the only Kpop artists that made it to the list were BTS and BLACKPINK. Therefore, the fact that NewJeans’ song was able to break into the “Today Top Hits” list right after its release partly proved the group’s position as a global artist.
A music expert expressed surprise at the widespread influence of NewJeans: “The fact that the group has achieved great success on the US Spotify chart without an official debut in this market or any extensive promotional activities here, is very rare. This is a prime example of how a K-pop artist can be proudly recognized in the American music market”.
A prospective brand ambassador
Daum commented that right from the debut MV, NewJeans showed the difference not only in music but also in fashion and the y2k shade of the group. This style is revived as a trend thanks to the truthful embodiment of the dynamic and creative spirit of the group. Under the wings of Min Hee Jin, NewJeans shows a close connection between fashion and music to breathe a new air into Kpop.
According to Naver, ADOR’s girl group is recognized by the Korean media as a new trend icon in the fashion industry. Despite doing activities for less than two months, the resounding success of the first EP has earned NewJeans invitations to cooperate from 100 companies. Therefore, HYBE has to consider carefully to find a brand that fits the image the group is aiming for.
Previously, one day after debut, all 5 members were spotted at a Chanel event. The girl group quickly stole the spotlight thanks to their impressive appearance and confidence. Their prominent appearance at the fashion event helped establish their professionalism and potential in the fashion industry.
By the end of September, NewJeans had his first CF in their career. In the promotional video for the SK TELECOM CM brand, NewJeans was highly applauded for their various styling as well as facial expressions.
Naver said that the HYBE rookies are making a name for themselves in fashion by interacting with many luxury brands such as Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Celine and Burberry. They also appeared in famous magazines at home and abroad such as ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ Korea… Many people think that NewJeans is the female group leading the disposition of 4th generation Kpop. Their posing was regarded to be on par with professional models.
Recently, the two-month-old girl group was chosen as the new model for O! Oi – a popular teenager-targeted clothing brand. Previously, BLACKPINK’s main vocalist, Rosé was chosen as the model for this brand. However, as of October 2022, the position was given to NewJeans, starting with the latest Fall/Winter collection.
Not limiting themselves to a rigid image, NewJeans also demonstrated their diverse ability to transform and adapt with a variety of concepts and fashion styles. Specifically, at the red carpet event for “The Fact Music Awards 2022” in early October, NewJeans stole the spotlight in their first attendance in the music awards ceremony. Different from the usual dynamic and youthful look, the 5 girls appeared in black outfits with a more mature and seductive makeup.
NewJeans’ new look quickly received positive reviews from the audience. Despite the black tone, the outfit retained the youthful y2k quality through the design and coordination of clothes and accessories. Also in this event, Vietnamese-born member Hanni was praised by the Korean media for her cute and charming beauty. The audience also grouped thes female idols among the top brightest faces on the 2022 TMA red carpet.
According to Yonhap News, despite being considered the “youngest group of Kpop” as their ages range from 14 to 18 years old, NewJeans has displayed great qualities and potential in fashion. Their outstanding and ongoing success in both music and fashion gains a solid ground for the group in the Korean entertainment industry.
Source: zingnews
