Who is the most deserving girl group for this year's "Rookie Award"? Among female acts who debuted in early 2021 to 2022 so far, here are five girl groups that could possibly fight for the crown based on their records and popularity!
In the K-pop scene, the "rookie award" is given every end of the year to a new group that showcased outstanding performance in their first year of debut.
In 2022, the interest in who will secure this trophy continues to rise, following the appearance of numerous girl groups who have been in the spotlight as soon as they debut for their visual and top skills.
On top of their idol qualities, there are also girl groups who swept the music charts with high physical sales, evidence of their fame.
In this article, let's take a look at the rookie girl group that showed great potential and made us look forward to their future activities.
Who Will Win 'Rookie Award' in 2022? IVE, NMIXX, LE SSERAFIM, More!
1. IVE
In December 2021, Starship Entertainment introduced their new girl group IVE, comprised of former IZ*ONE Jang Wonyoung and Ahn Yujin.
Shortly after their launch with their debut song, "ELEVEN," the six-member group received a lot of attention and immediately achieved 100 million streams on Spotify, the world's largest music platform.
Since then, their second single album, "LOVE DIVE," which was released in April continued their top status among rookies after winning six trophies in music shows. They also joined the Top 6 girl groups in history with the highest first-week sales through this release.
2. LE SSERAFIM
ALSO READ: LE SSERAFIM's Debut a Success? 7 Best Achievements of Group So Far
One of the most anticipated girl groups in 2022, LE SSERAFIM attracts attention if they will follow the path of other groups under HYBE such as ENHYPEN and TXT, who received the "rookie award" when they debuted.
Despite the bullying controversy involving Kim Garam, internet users and Korean media outlet Insight still think LE SSERAFIM have a high chance to snag the "rookie award" given their achievements.
In particular, their first mini-album "FEARLESS," proved its popularity by selling more than 180,000 copies two days after the album's release, not to mention that it also entered the Spotify Global Top 200 chart – recording the shortest time for a girl group to enter the chart with its debut song.
The MV for their title track with the same name also surpassed 10 million views within 19 hours, the shortest time among new girl group MVs that debuted in 2022.
3. NMIXX
NMIXX, who debuted under JYP Entertainment in February drew huge attention as well if they will rise as a top-tier girl group, too, just like their seniors Wonder Girls, Miss A, TWICE.
As of now, their records are promising. According to Hanteo Chart, a platform that provides K-POP real-time album sales charts, NMIXX's first single album "AD MARE" sold 227,399 copies.
In addition, the music video of NMIXX's debut song "O.O" (Oh) has surpassed 60 million views on YouTube, drawing attention from fans as it is heading to the 100 million view mark, their first MV to achieve the record if ever.
4. Kep1er
In January, Kep1er finally debuted after being selected from Mnet's survival show, "Girls Planet 999."
As soon as they were introduced, they showed the potential of a powerful new group after its first mini-album "FIRST IMPACT" achieved 200,000 initial sales shortly after its release.
In addition, the MV for the album's title song "WA DA DA" is currently under the spotlight with more than 100 million views.
Among the aforementioned girl groups, Kep1er boasted their unique presence by winning the trophy for "best female idol" in the rookie category at the 2022 Brand Customer Loyalty Awards" held on May 3.
5. CLASS:y
On May 5, CLASS:y which was born from MBC's audition program, "My Teenage Girl" made its official debut on May 5 with its album, "CLASS IS OVER."
Although they are yet to showcase their power in music charts, the rookie is already strengthening their fandom by showing impeccable skills, beauty, and talent.
READ MORE: 7 Most Anticipated K-pop Rookies in 2022: NCT Hollywood, Trainee A, Kep1er, MORE!
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Written by Eunice Dawson
