NewJeans rock Tokyo Dome

Girl group NewJeans perform at their first solo concert and fan meeting in Japan, Bunnies Camp 2024 Tokyo Dome, Thursday. Yonhap

By KTimes

• Published Jun 28, 2024 3:41 PM KST
• Updated Jun 28, 2024 3:41 PM KST

At Tokyo Dome in Japan on Thursday, NewJeans member Hanni performed the hit song "Blue Coral Reef" by legendary singer Seiko Matsuda, who achieved phenomenal popularity in Japan during the 1980s.

Hanni donned a short, curled hairstyle reminiscent of Seiko’s look during her peak years and wore a long white skirt.

"Blue Coral Reef" is characterized by its undulating rhythm and refreshing melody, making it a quintessential example of the City Pop genre that was hugely popular in both Japan and Korea in the past.

This genre has recently seen a resurgence among the 20s and 30s age group in Korea, riding the wave of retro trends.

As soon as Hanni began singing, the 45,000-strong audience erupted in cheers, shaking the Tokyo Dome. It was a moment where young people from Korea and Japan united through retro culture.

NewJeans, renowned for blending their latest K-pop hits with retro sensibilities in the newtro genre, facilitated cultural exchange in Japan's concert market at Tokyo Dome with City Pop .

Hyein covered Mariya Takeuchi's "Plastic Love," another City Pop classic, while Minji performed "Odoriko" by Vaundy, a Japanese singer-songwriter born in the 2000s. Their song choices were described as NewJeans' deliberate attempt to make a significan impact in Japan.

Fastest entry into Tokyo Dome

At their fan meeting concert, Bunnies Camp 2024 Tokyo Dome, NewJeans performed 16 songs, including hits that topped both Korean and Japanese music charts like "Ditto" and "Hype Boy."

The concert also became a platform for musical exchange between Korean and Japanese artists.

Kazuki Arai from the famous Japanese band King Gnu played bass guitar with the group during the performance, and the group Yoasobi, who performed in Korea last year, also took the stage. Hyein performed the song "Bad Friend" alongside Japanese singer Rina Sawayama.

Over the course of two days, starting from June 26, NewJeans drew a crowd of over 90,000 to the Tokyo Dome.

Despite being a stage that even famous Japanese artists rarely perform on, NewJeans managed to perform at the Tokyo Dome just 1 year and 11 months after their debut, marking the shortest time for a foreign artist to secure a performance at this venue.

Fans in their 40s and 50s

On June 21, NewJeans released their debut Japanese single "Supernatural," marking the beginning of their activities in Japan.

Japanese media outlets such as Sponichi, Sports Hochi, and Sankei Sports highlighted their Tokyo Dome performance with special editions, noting the significance of NewJeans performing at the Tokyo Dome only five days after their Japanese debut.

The group's debut in Japan caused quite a stir, with the opening of their pop-up store in Shibuya on the 26th attracting a line of about 600 people that extended to nearby Yoyogi Park even before the store opened.

NewJeans is the flagship star of the 4th generation of hallyu in Japan. Following in the footsteps of BoA and TVXQ (1st generation), who ignited the K-pop craze in the early 2000s, Girls' Generation and KARA (2nd generation), and BTS and TWICE (3rd generation), NewJeans has expanded their influence.

They have secured a solid fan base among teenagers and people in their 20s, and their retro-inspired music has even attracted fans in their 40s and older, affectionately referred to as NewJeans Ojisan (Japanese for uncle) fandom.

Japanese music producer Motohiko Tokuriki noted in a column that NewJeans' music, which sounds almost like Western songs, has captivated middle-aged men who previously did not listen to K-pop.

According to an official from their agency, Ador, many audience members in their 40s and 50s attended the two-day fan meeting concert.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by staff of The Korea Times.