SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – JANUARY 31: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (SOUTH KOREA OUT) In this handout image … [+]
This week’s Hot 100 is flush with debuts, as 14 tracks find their way to the all-encompassing ranking of the most-consumed songs in the U.S. Many of them come from some of the biggest names in rap, as Lil Wayne, Rich the Kid and Eminem land new smashes, while Meek Mill occupies quite a few spaces as tunes from his just-released album Expensive Pain arrive. One of the most successful acts in the K-pop industry appears on the ranking for the first time with a special single, and with their initial placement, they make history among their countrymen.
Twice’s single “The Feels” debuts at No. 83 on this week’s Hot 100, instantly becoming an important win for not just the one group, but all female-fronted bands from South Korea. Twice is now just the third South Korean girl group to appear on the 100-spot ranking at any point, which is somewhat surprising, given how quickly K-pop has been taking over the charts in the U.S.
The first girl group hailing from South Korea to make it to the Hot 100 was Wonder Girls, who split back in 2017. Their success predated the K-pop invasion that’s been taking place for years now, and they were actually the first act of any kind from the Asian nation to score a hit in America. The band’s “Nobody” once rose as high as No. 76 more than a decade ago. It may have only held on for one frame, but back in 2009, that was still a momentous placement.
Between 2009 and last week, the only other South Korean girl group to appear on the Hot 100 has been Blackpink, and the quartet remains the most successful all-female K-pop vocal act in the U.S. Thus far, the band has sent seven different cuts to the ranking, with three breaking into the top 40. The four-member outfit has accrued their wins thanks in part to collaborations with high-profile musicians like Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa and Selena Gomez, and a number of their solo releases have charted as well.
“The Feels” was written and recorded in English, and it serves as Twice’s first single to seemingly be crafted specifically for the Western market. The tune arrives on the Hot 100 thanks in large part to a healthy sales sum, as it opens at No. 5 on the Digital Song Sales chart with more than 10,000 copies sold in its first full frame of availability.
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