December 5, 2023
SEOUL – Blackpink’s music video for “Kill This Love” has generated 1.9 billion views on YouTube as of Monday, according to label YG Entertainment.
This follows the video of “Ddu-du Ddu-du” and makes the foursome the first K-pop artist ever to have two hits to achieve the feat.
The music video came out in April 2019 and was one of the top 10 most-viewed music videos in 2023 while the song hit Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 41, setting a record for a K-pop girl group at the time. It fronted the mini album of the same title that debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 24, another new record for a K-pop female band then.
Separately, the quartet is yet to officially renew their contracts with the label but appeared at Buckingham Palace together last month, where King Charles named them honorary members of the Order of the British Empire.
NewJeans logs 500m Spotify streams with ‘Ditto’
NewJeans surpassed 500 million streams on Spotify with “Ditto” as of Saturday, said agency Ador on Monday.
It is the group’s second song to reach the milestone on the platform, after “OMG.”
“Ditto” is a B-side track from single “OMG” and was dropped in December last year in advance to the full release of the album.
The winter song was the rookie group’s first entry on Billboard’s Hot 100 — barely six months since its debut – debuting at No. 96. It stayed on the main singles chart for five weeks, peaking at No. 82, and enjoyed a 49-week stay on its Global excl. the US chart. The song made Billboard’s year-end chart sitting at No. 24 and No. 52 on the Global excl. the US and Global 200, respectively.
Meanwhile, the five members picked up five trophies, including the Grand Prize, from Melon Music Award 2023 held in Incheon Saturday.
The Boyz to bring out winter single
The Boyz will put out single “Dear.” On Wednesday as a year-end gift for fans, announced agency IST JYP Entertainment on Monday.
The band held an encore concert in Seoul Dec. 1-3 that also marked the sixth anniversary of its debut. The concert brought the band back onstage in Korea about four months since the live show that began second international tour “Zeneration” and performed the upcoming single in advance for the audience. The last concert was broadcast online for fans across the world.
The Boyz is planning to greet fans in Japan with a fan meetup in Japan in February. Last month, the 11-member act won the Best Asia Group award from the MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2023 with the music video for “Roar,” the main track from its eighth EP, “Be Awake.”
BTS’ Jimin adds record with solo song
Jimin of BTS went platinum in the US with solo single “Like Crazy.”
The focus track from his first solo album, “Face,” was certified as platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling over 1 million units in the country, according to the organization Saturday.
“Like Crazy” satisfied the qualifications in August but earned the certification three months later as his label failed to meet the requirements in time, which resulted in complaints from his fans.
He became the first K-pop solo artist to notch the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 when “Like Crazy” debuted at the top of the chart in April. The album sold over 1 million copies on the day of release, becoming the first K-pop solo album to do so. It also made the year-end Billboard 200 albums chart, at No. 193, a first for a K-pop solo act.