South Korean girl group Fifty Fifty (image shared by their record label Attrakt).
South Korean girl group Fifty Fifty makes history by appearing on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first time this week. The quintet is just the fifth K-pop female group to make it to the tally, as their single “Cupid” debuts at number 100 on the latest ranking. Despite being in last place, the fact that they made it onto the list at all is a significant achievement.
The Hot 100 is one of the most competitive music rankings in the world. It features the 100 most-consumed songs in the United States and uses a methodology that includes sales, radio play, and streams. Some tracks perform well on the list due to popularity across all metrics, while others over-perform in one field, which makes up for a lack of success in others.
Among the five South Korean girl groups that have reached the Hot 100, Blackpink is by far the most successful. The quartet has already sent nine different tracks to the tally, some on their own and others as featured artists on songs released by pop stars like Lady Gaga and Dua Lipa.
Blackpink remains the only K-pop girl group with a top 40 hit on the Hot 100, having landed five of them. That sum includes their highest-reaching tune, “Ice Cream” with Selena Gomez, which once climbed to No. 13.
In January 2023, NewJeans joined Blackpink by debuting on the Hot 100. They managed to chart back-to-back hits, sending a pair of tunes to the ranking in rapid-fire succession, becoming the second South Korean girl group with more than just a single smash, a feat which another act would manage a short time later.
Twice is another one of the most successful K-pop girl groups in America, having landed on the Hot 100 twice, coincidentally. They first hit the chart in 2021 with “The Feels,” and doubled their total just a few weeks ago when “Moonlight Sunrise” peaked at number 84. By that time, they matched NewJeans with a pair of wins.
Wonder Girls made history as the first K-pop all-female outfit to reach the Hot 100 back in 2009, many years before any other women from South Korea would be able to do so. Over a decade ago, their song “Nobody” peaked at number 76, paving the way for other K-pop girl groups to achieve success in the U.S. market.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2023/03/29/fifty-fifty-makes-hot-100-history-alongside-blackpink-and-twice/