Year of the Rabbit? Or Year of NewJeans?

From left: Haerin, Hyein, Hanni, Minji, Danielle

By Kevin Kim

As 2023, the Year of the Rabbit, began, Korean music charts were filled with the cartoon character of a black rabbit and a blue rabbit running around. These rabbits went straight to first place and most of them are still running around at the top of the charts. The blue rabbit represented the album cover of NewJeans' first EP "New Jeans," while the black rabbit was the album cover of their new EP released at the start of the year, "OMG."

It seems that the new K-pop girl group NewJeans is targeting 2023 with the rabbit image but it has been their main identity all along. Their website uses a bunny as the main character, and all of their themes, designs and even merchandise are connected to the character. Even the name of their official fan club is called "Bunnies."

These bunnies are not only running around in Korean charts, they are everywhere. Since their first release, NewJeans has been a global sensation. Recent release "Ditto" on Dec. 19, 2022, became NewJeans' first entry on both the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 85, and the U.K. Singles Chart, charting at number 95. "OMG" was released on Jan. 2 to much critical acclaim, topping South Korea's Circle Album Chart. Their Spotify accounts attract 20 million listeners each month. Critics praised the album for its retro-style theme, further cementing NewJeans' status as one of the most promising new girl groups in South Korea.

The group's name, NewJeans, has two distinct meanings. First, it alludes to the idea that jeans are a timeless fashion item, a symbol of longevity and classic style, and the group's intention is to create a similar timeless image for themselves. Additionally, the name is a play on the words "new genes," referring to the group's mission to bring a new generation of pop music to the scene, which reflects current times. This mission of creating something modern and fresh, but with the same timeless appeal, is reflected in the group's sound and style, and is embodied in the group's name.

The act is made up of five incredibly talented and diverse members who have come together from all corners of the globe ― Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein. Each one of them brings a unique set of experiences and styles to the group, making them truly international in every sense of the word. It's no wonder that their music is so popular, as their varied backgrounds and perspectives come through in every song.

Before their much-anticipated debut, the girl group had already made a name for themselves as the sister group of the world-famous K-pop boy band BTS. This was due to the fact that their label, ADOR (All Doors One Room), is a subsidiary of Hybe Cooperation, the entertainment company responsible for the success of BTS. This close connection between the two groups has brought about a great deal of anticipation for the debut of NewJeans, with fans of BTS eager to see what kind of music the girl group would bring to the table. As a result, the debut of the girl group was met with much enthusiasm and excitement from both new and long-term fans of the music genre.

On July 1, 2022, much to the surprise of many, the group released the music video for their debut single "Attention," without any prior promotional activities or information about the group's lineup. The unexpected move was met with a positive response from fans and critics alike, with Billboard describing it as "risky but ultimately invigorating," crediting the single's success to "an emphasis on the music before anything else."

In less than 24 hours, the song's video amassed over 1.3 million views, and was followed quickly by an announcement concerning their debut self-titled extended play containing four tracks, including two additional singles. On July 23, the group's second single "Hype Boy" was released, along with a 50-second clip revealing the names of the members and four other music videos for the song, specific to each individual member's perspective. Two days later, the group released a music video for "Hurt." Pre-orders for the EP shot up to 444,000 copies in just three days.

Up until recently, Korean girl groups had been focused on being idols for female fans and the term "girl crush" had been the driving force of the industry. These groups had very beautiful but tough images and made songs with powerful sounds, often with heavy rap. However, NewJeans is breaking the recent patterns of the girl crush concept, releasing songs with joyful, bright, exciting yet simple sounds.

They are focusing on easy-to-listen-to pop with lyrics that are easy to understand and relate to, which seems to be going back to the roots of the Korean girl group sound. But at the same time, they are challenging the boundaries of the K-pop genre by applying new hip genres such as Jersey club beats or U.K. garage, which focus on bright and light dance club music. And with their own colorful characters, they are transforming trends in Korean pop music. NewJeans is revolutionizing the K-pop industry by introducing innovative ideas and pushing the limits of what is possible.

Kevin Kim (kevin.kim@routenote.com) works in the music industry as the head of Asia for global music business company, RouteNote. He has worked for YG PLUS and CJ E&M Mnet before joining RouteNote.