Among newly debuted groups that were launched this year, TREASURE, Aespa, STAYC, CRAVITY, and many more dominated as "Rookie of the Year!"
Despite the coronavirus, the K-pop industry strived through the non-contact and online promotion. In fact, many singers were introduced this year, giving various genres that became companions of K-pop fans through this trying time. In continuation of the " Best K-pop Artists 2020" Ranking, News1 also surveyed to determine the "Best Rookie of the year" among K-pop agencies' officials and broadcaster officials.
This year, there have been many notable newcomers in the music industry, which has heated up competition more than ever.
"Rookie of the Year" (FEMALE CATEGORY)
According to the survey's results on the Dec. 19, Saturday, the female rookie category's first place was claimed by Aespa and STAYC. The two female groups tied with 7 votes, proving the skyrocketing attention they were gaining from the music scene.
STAYC, who recently released its first single "Star To A Young Culture" in November, amazingly topped multiple charts with their title track, "So Bad." The song ranked no. 21 on the U.S. Billboard's "World Digital Song Sales" Chart and 90th on the Billboard's "K-POP 100." Also, STAYC was able to surpass 10,000 sold copies and reach 11 million views for "So Bad" MV.
Officials highlighted their visuals and skills, and their potential to create buzz and ripple effects.
Meanwhile, Aespa debuted under SM Entertainment with their track, "Black Mamba." The debut song peaked at 100th place on Billboard Global (excluding the U.S.) the highest on the chart as the K-pop artist's debut song.
Experts explained that the group captured several attention as the first girl group of SME since Red Velvet who recorded great effect upon debut.
PlayM girl group WEEEKLY, earned four votes and ranked second place due to their notable performance, and for recording the largest album sales among rookie girl groups.
SECRET NUMBER also entered as third place with three points, while four officials declined to vote.
"Rookie of the Year" (MALE CATEGORY)
Among the boy groups, CRAVITY and TREASURE won the title of "2020 Best Male Rookie" with six votes each.
Starship's new boy band CRAVITY debuted in April with their mini-album "HIDEOUT: REMEMBER WHO WE ARE - SEASON1" and their second album in August "HIDEOUT: THE NEW DAY WE STEP INTO" on September.
With these, they received numerous awards such as the Soribada "Best K-Music Awards," and "Rookie Awards" for numerous awards ceremony. An official noted their solid and stable growth, due to their combined skills and visuals.
As for TREASURE, a 12-member boy band launched by YG Entertainment, the officials said, "Even though it's only been three months since its debut, they have a good record of album sales, music rankings, and music video views."
There were also opinions that "team with high potential for global growth in the future" and "it is growing fast in a short period of time."
Moreover, ENHYPEN received three votes and ranked second in the male category. They were praised by officials for showing meaningful results upon debut by recording 280,000 album copies.
On the other hand, DRIPPIN' received two points and ranked No. 3 along Lim Young Woong, while MCND and P1Harmony tied at fourth place with 1 point.
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Written by Eunice Dawson
