2022 is definitely the year of rookie girl groups. Due to the abundance of top female acts in the music scene right now, the race for "Rookie of Year" is heating up. Many groups, such as Kep1er, NMIXX, and LE SSERAFIM, are part of the running for the honorable award.
However, two acts are the most likely to win: IVE and NewJeans. With the 2022 Fact Music Awards scheduled for October 8, many are wondering which girl group will win the Rookie award in this - and other - award shows.
IVE: Monster Rookies Worthy of the Daesang
IVE debuted in December 2021 and has been active for less than a year. Though they have only been active for a short time, IVE has proved themselves by releasing hit after hit, starting from their debut song "ELEVEN," to "LOVE DIVE," to their August release "After LIKE."
IVE garnered over 30 number-one wins on music shows in less than a year with only three singles.
For their debut song "ELEVEN," IVE won 13 music program wins and even got a triple crown, with three wins on "Music Bank" and "Inkigayo" and four wins on "Show! Music Core."
"LOVE DIVE" was also massively successful, taking home ten music show trophies. The song continues to boast high popularity months after its release. For "After LIKE," IVE gained 11 number ones on music shows. In total, IVE has 34 music show trophies.
IVE also dominated online music charts. "ELEVEN" topped the MelOn monthly digital chart. In June, "LOVE DIVE" did the same. A week after its release, "After LIKE" rose to number one and remained at the top for a month.
"ELEVEN" and "LOVE DIVE" are still in the top ten, showing no signs of charting out. In addition to local music charts, "After LIKE" also charted overseas, such as on Billboard and Spotify.
IVE also boasts strong physical sales. As of August 27, "ELEVEN" sold 381,883 copies, while "LOVE DIVE" sold 713,232 copies. As of the end of September, "After LIKE" sold1,111,117 copies worldwide. Overall, IVE sold 2.2 million albums with only three singles.
IVE was awarded the "half million sellers" in August after "After LIKE" achieved 924,363 copies sold in the first-week sales period. This is the highest record among rookie groups that debuted in 2021 and 2022.
With their influence and popularity, it is highly likely that instead of the Rookie award, IVE will receive a Daesang.
NewJeans: Latest Sensation in the Music Industry
NewJeans is another artist in the running for the Rookie Award. The group debuted in August under ADOR, led by CEO Min Hee Jin. Upon debut, NewJeanswere dubbed rising artists thanks to their debut album "New Jeans."
Upon release, the album sparked a shift in trends in the music industry. They scored various achievements and broke records with this album.
As of September 30, NewJeans's debut songs "Attention" and "Hybe Boy" still ranked first and second on the top 100 of the MelOn chart. Other girl groups have topped the Melon chart with their debut songs, but NewJeans is the first to dominate both the number one and two spots on the top 100 with their debut.
Only 6 hours after its release, NewJeans's "Attention" ranked ninth on the top 100. After breaking the "debut song to enter top ten in the shortest time" record, "Attention" rose to number one 197 hours after its release. This achievement helped NewJeans's set the new record for the fastest girl group debut song to top the charts in the shortest time.
The combined number of streams of all the songs in NewJeans's debut album hit 2 million after only 24 hours. It then surpassed 13 million streams just seven days after its release. Among debut albums of groups that have debuted since 2019, "New Jeans" is the only album that exceeded 10 million streams in the first release week.
NewJeans popularity is not only in Korea. The girl group charted on Spotify's "U.S Weekly Top Song," making "Attention" the first debut song by a K-pop group to appear on this chart. In addition, NewJeans surpassed 10 million monthly listeners on September 19. ADOR's rookie group has also remained in the Billboard chart for eight consecutive weeks and is continuing its long-run success.
The girl's physical sales are also booming. A total of 311,271 copies of their debut album were sold within the first week of its release. This is the highest first-week sales in the history of girl group debut albums.
Therefore, it is highly likely that NewJeans will take home to Rookie award.
Who do you think will win? Tell us in the comments below!
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Written by Alexa Lewis
