June 3, 2024
SINGAPORE – K-pop girl group NewJeans have achieved much, despite debuting just two years ago.
The quintet – comprising Minji, Danielle, Hanni, Hyein and Haerin – made it to Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list for 2024. The group, whose members are aged between 16 and 20, is the only K-pop act to make the annual list that features the music industry’s most innovative and influential young artistes.
According to Billboard, musicians are selected based on several metrics, including album and track sales, streaming volume, social media impressions, radio/TV audiences reached, career trajectory and overall impact in the industry.
Billboard said NewJeans have established a singular presence in K-pop since their debut in 2022. The American music publication noted the group’s remarkable achievements, such as scoring three top 10 hits on the Billboard Global 200, four on the Billboard Global Excluding US chart, five on the Hot 100 and six on World Digital Song Sales.
Ranked highest among NewJeans’ hit songs was the high-energy breakout Super Shy, from their second EP, Get Up. Upon release in July 2023, it bested the Barbie (2023) soundtrack for No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
In March, NewJeans won Group of the Year at the 2024 Billboard Women In Music Awards, becoming the first K-pop female act to earn the accolade.
Their latest single How Sweet, released on May 24, is performing well on domestic and international music charts, reported Yonhap.
The South Korean media outlet added that the track reached No. 85 on Spotify’s Weekly Top Songs Global chart and ranked high on South Korea’s major music charts.
Hanni, 20, credited the group’s global rise in part to social media. “It has become easier to reach wider audiences regardless of language or any other type of barriers,” the Vietnamese-Australian singer told Billboard. “That is something we definitely don’t take for granted.”
Other musicians on the 21 Under 21 2024 list include Canadian singer-songwriter Tate McRae, Mexican-American singer Angela Aguilar and American yodelling sensation Mason Ramsey. American pop star Taylor Swift topped the first ranking in 2010 at age 20.