VIDEO IZ*ONE resets girl band's first-week album sales

Korean-Japanese project team IZ*ONE has sold more than 132,100 copies of its album “HEART*IZ”. Courtesy of Off The Record Entertainment

By Dong Sun-hwa

Korean-Japanese project group IZ*ONE, comprised of the 12 finalists from Mnet's idol survival show “Produce 48,” has set a record for album sales of K-pop girl bands during the first week of its release.

From April 1-7, the group sold more than 132,100 copies of its second mini-album “HEART*IZ,” according to Korean website Hanteo Chart.

The previous record was held by nine-member girl group TWICE, when its first studio album “Twicetagram” sold more than 129,600 copies in a week in 2017.

Album sales during the first week are considered a crucial barometer, which most agencies use to decide how many more albums to release.

The music video of IZ*ONE's lead track “Violeta” has had more than 17 million views on YouTube as of Monday.

Watch the MV of “Violeta”: bit.ly/2TMpOjc

The group, which debuted in October with the lead track “La Vie en Rose,” will stage its first concert in June.

It is composed of nine Koreans and three Japanese ― Lee Chae-yeon, Kim Min-ju, Kim Chae-won, Kang Hye-won, Kwon Eun-bi, Ahn Yoo-jin, Choi Ye-na, Jo Yu-ri, Jang Won-young, Miyawaki Sakura, Honda Hitomi, and Yabuki Nako.