All Kill Within a Month of Debut, The Power of Capital Behind NewJeans' Success

Hive Label ADOR's First Girl Group 'NewJeans' Sets Various Records
Highest Album Sales on Day 1, Enters 5 Overseas Charts Including Billboard
Girl Group Produced by CEO Min Hee-jin, Former SM Concept Planner, Gains Attention Before Debut

NewJeans group photo. Photo by ADORE

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] NewJeans, the first girl group introduced by ADOR, a label under HYBE, is rewriting the idol debut formula by breaking various records.

According to the Melon daily chart on the 26th, NewJeans' debut album's first title track "Attention" has held the number one spot for 15 consecutive days. Since achieving their first number one on the 11th, NewJeans has maintained the top position for 15 days. Their second title track "Hype Boy" and third title track "Cookie" also proved their strong digital music power by holding 4th and 10th place respectively on the Melon daily chart as of the 26th.

NewJeans debuted with the aspiration to become an icon of the era like jeans that are sought after daily and never get boring to wear, and their group name carries the meaning of becoming New Genes. The support of Min Heejin, ADOR's CEO, who planned concepts for SM Entertainment's Girls' Generation, SHINee, f(x), EXO, Red Velvet, and NCT, and incorporated 'worldviews' into idol albums and activities, is reflected in the group.

As Min Heejin moved to HYBE and established the label, NewJeans is the first girl group introduced, making them a 'gold spoon' girl group that attracted industry attention even before debut. Their debut method was also new. On the 22nd of last month, they unexpectedly released the music video for their debut song "Attention" without any prior notice, introducing the group name for the first time.

They chose a distinctly different approach from traditional idol debut promotions such as member reveals, album pre-releases, and music video releases. Considering Min's emphasis that "idol trends unfold in three stages: formation, opposition, and synthesis," NewJeans is positioned as an anti-position to 3rd generation K-pop girl groups, absorbing their strengths to build a more realistic worldview.

For "Hype Boy," the music video was produced in four versions, focusing on the daily lives of teenage girls and forming empathy. Along with releasing a total of seven videos, the initial buzz was supported by HYBE's powerful capital and the brand of Min Heejin.

NewJeans also showcased their exceptional visuals by starting their first public activities not through broadcasting but by attending a promotional event for the luxury brand Chanel. The emphasized visuals extended beyond each member's style to the album as well. The "New Jeans Bag" version, shaped like a CD player (CDP) and released on the 8th, sold out during the reservation phase.

Table = Record for the highest first-week sales of girl group debut albums in 2022.

NewJeans set a record for the highest album sales on the first day of release (262,815 copies) and sold a total of 311,271 copies during the first week of their debut album release (August 8?14) according to Hanteo Chart, setting a new record for the highest first-week sales for a girl group debut album. The previous record was 307,450 copies set by LE SSERAFIM, another label under HYBE's Source Music, which debuted in May.

Thanks to the activities of these two groups, HYBE, which faced a crisis following BTS's announcement of a temporary suspension of group activities, recorded its highest-ever performance in Q2 with consolidated sales of 512.2 billion KRW and operating profit of 88.3 billion KRW.

Success continues on overseas charts as well. According to the latest charts (dated August 27) announced by the US music media Billboard on the 23rd (local time), NewJeans appeared on five charts including Billboard Global (excluding the US), Billboard Global 200, Heatseekers Albums, World Albums, and Emerging Artists.

In particular, "Attention" entered the Billboard Global (excluding the US) chart at 174th place on the 13th, climbed to 51st place the following week (dated the 20th), and settled at 34th place on the latest chart, marking a remarkable achievement.

Regarding the album's direction, CEO Min explained, "I wanted to make an album with music I like, and since the first album should show the group's character, I did not want to be obsessed with rankings." The power of planning that aimed to break away from the typical idol formula and show something new continues to be in progress today.