There is no doubt that 2022 was the year for girl groups in K-Pop. Releases from veteran girl groups like TWICE, BLACKPINK, and ITZY made a larger impact on the charts and culturally than their male counterparts. However, what came as a shock to K-Pop fans was the influx of girl group debuts this past year, the majority of them performing well and demanding the attention of listeners. Approximately 35 girl groups debuted in 2022, and each one of them had to stand out to survive this brutal industry.
There is no question that rookie girl group NewJeans, a subsidiary of Hybe Labels, (home to BTS) has made the biggest impact and is on track to become a heavy hitter in the new generation of K-Pop. What separates the Western music industry from K-Pop is that these Asian idol groups are expected to not only create innovative and fresh music, but have eye-catching visuals and be superb dancers. Although NewJeans have yet to even hit their one-year anniversary of debuting, they have managed to check all the boxes to be considered “monster rookies.”
NewJeans is a five-member group made up of Minji, Danielle, Haerin, Hanni, and Hyein who unexpectedly released their first single “Attention,” a pop-R&B masterpiece in July of 2022. The music video and actual song had all the quintessential y2K elements. The members wore low-rise jeans and butterfly clips while dancing to a song with nostalgic and vibe-y production elements.
What made NewJeans debut unlike any other K-Pop group is their surprise rollout of the “Attention,” with no teaser trailers, no member introductions, and not even an announcement of the group name. This genius but risky debut tactic certainly paid off, with NewJeans skyrocketing to fame within a night. Within less than 10 days of being released, “Attention” topped domestic charts and even made it onto the Billboard Global charts.
In a world where K-Pop has come under criticism for being overly manufactured and nothing but “noise music,” it is no surprise that a group like NewJeans, who are starting to redefine the stereotypical K-Pop sound and marketing strategies have been labeled by fans and critics as the next big thing in K-Pop. Music fans, whether they realize it or not, crave authenticity which is the essential ingredient in NewJeans’ aesthetic and sound. NewJeans officially made their debut on August 1st of 2022 with their self-titled EP, including songs “Attention,” “Cookie,” “Hurt,” and “Hype Boy.”
As NewJeans owned 2022, everyone in the K-Pop world had high expectations for the girl group, and they did not disappoint with their prerelease single “Ditto” and newest single “OMG.” The writers (including some of the members) and production team managed to elevate the instrumentation and deliver nuanced lyrics in the two songs, while staying true to the ever-important “Newtro” sound that makes NewJeans well, NewJeans. “Newtro,” or new retro is a growing trend that aims to produce music that evokes nostalgia with contemporary sounds.
The “Ditto” music video features camcorder footage filmed by a high school student who is in a friend group with NewJeans. The student films the members running through the hallways of the school dancing, laughing, and growing up together. However, the ending reveals that despite footage of the members, the student was filming nothing at all. The “OMG” video is a little more confusing, featuring the members at a mental hospital dealing with identity issues. Hanni thinks she is an iPhone, Minji pretends to be a nurse, Hyein believes that she is a princess, Haerin thinks she is a cat, while Danielle pleads to her friends that they are members of NewJeans. What do these videos actually mean? No one has any idea, but the visuals and cryptic narratives paired with the catchy music has their fandom “Bunnies” intrigued.
The future of NewJeans has never looked brighter, with sincerity and confidence shining through the visuals, performances, concepts, and most importantly music. Nostalgia is the new black, and it seems that NewJeans were the first ones to catch on.