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| K-pop girl group H1-KEY / Courtesy of Grandline Group (GLG) |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Rookie K-pop girl group H1-KEY is revving up its presence in the K-pop scene with its latest release, "Rose Blossom." "Rose Blossom," the first mini-album by the four-piece act that dropped on Jan. 5, reigned atop the real-time physical album chart on Hanteo, a local album sales tracker, Saturday.
Unlike most other K-pop albums ― which usually top different charts during the first week of their release when fans make the most purchases ― "Rose Blossom" reached the milestone more than a month after its release, seeing a gradual increase in popularity.
The mini-album was quite a success from the beginning, too. Upon its release, it ranked first on the iTunes top album chart in Turkey and Bahrain, while securing the top spots in seven other countries including Singapore, Mexico and Australia.
Its lead single of the same name has also been creating a splash on major streaming charts in Korea. The track notched the No. 5 and the No. 32 spots on Hanteo and Melon, respectively, soon after its release. Its music video garnered more than 10 million views on YouTube as of Sunday afternoon.
The rise of H1-KEY has been called "a miracle" as it is one of the few groups formed by small record labels that has managed to survive in the cutthroat K-pop industry. H1-KEY, consisting of Seoi, Riina, Yel and Hwiseo, was created by Grandline Group (GLG), a company established in 2021, which currently represents only H1-KEY and singer-songwriter Stella Jang.
H1-KEY's musical journey was quite bumpy in the beginning. Shortly after H1-KEY debuted with the single, "Athletic Girl" in 2022 ― a hip-hop song highlighting the members' confidence and vitality ― its Thai member Sitala quit the act due to "personal reasons." Her departure came a few months after several K-pop fans in Thailand demanded her removal, claiming her late father Tua Saranyu was a supporter of the country's military dictatorship. GLG initially said it could not hold Sitala liable for what her father had done, but it later decided to drop her and added a new member, Hwiseo, to the group.
Against this backdrop, many people say the lyrics of "Rose Blossom" remind them of the group itself. Penned by Young K of boy band DAY6, the song's lyrics shed light on the members' determination to bloom against all odds, just like roses that grow between towering buildings in a grey city. Thanks to the combination of poetic lyrics and catchy melodies, the song is expected become H1-KEY's biggest hit.
"Through our new release, we want to bring our inner strength to the fore," member Seoi said in a recent media interview. "We also want to send a message to people that together, we can overcome hardships."
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